Conceived as the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the Death Star battle station was equipped with a planet-shattering superlaser. The station was heavily shielded, defended by TIE starfighters and laser cannons, and was invested with firepower greater than half of the Imperial fleet’s. The Empire’s imperious leaders had every reason to believe that their technological terror would induce fear across the galaxy. But the Death Star had one flaw. This Haynes Manual traces the origins of the Death Star, from concept to a top-secret project that began before the foundation of the Empire, which drew design inspiration from the Trade Federation’s spherical warships. In this manual, the Death Star’s onboard systems and controls are explained in detail, and are illustrated with an astonishing range of computer-generated artwork, floor plans, cutaways, and exploded diagrams, all newly created by artists Chris Reiff and Chris Trevas—the same creative team behind the Millennium Falcon Owner’s Workshop Manual. Text is by their Falcon colleague Ryder Windham, author of more than 50 Star Wars books. Covering history, development and prototyping, superstructure, energy and propulsion, weapons and defensive systems, hangar bays, security, service and technical sectors, crew facilities, and with information about the Death Star II and its planetary shield generator, this is the most thorough technical guide to the Death Star available. This Haynes Manual is fully authorized and approved by Lucasfilm.