Why bother putting a Super Laser on the Death Star?

[Shinova]

Though if the Death Star could ram a planet at high percent c speeds and survive without damage, that'd be one hell of a tough shielding system they've got there.

[Shinova]

Though if the Death Star could ram a planet at high percent c speeds and survive without damage, that'd be one hell of a tough shielding system they've got there.

And it'd also be a sort of subluminal message to their enemies: Behold how strong our shields can get. Now quiver in fear.

[Patrick Degan]

This doesn't work on several levels. For a start, if the Death Star could mount planetary shields sufficent to protect its structure in a planetary ram, that same technology can produce planetary shields to protect the target world as well, and you'd gain nothing. Secondly, kinetic impact force would affect the Death Star as well as the target world and considerably more so, considering how much of the battlestation's internal volume would be hollow and its decks packed with all sorts of breakable machinery and personnel; you'd wreck the battlestation in its one and only attack. Thirdly, even using the Death Star's mass to wreak destruction by tidal force would take time, and the entire idea of the thing is to achieve a quick hit-and-run strike.

It is the superlaser which gives the Death Star its offensive effectiveness and its value as an instrument of state terror.

[weemadando]

With it's superlaser, the Death Star can destroy a planet.

Actually with the sheer amount of HTLs mounted on its surface I too must question the neccessity of having a superlaser.

Aside from the obvious "its blows up a planet in a single shot" and makes people change their underwear a lot more regularly.

Surely having a globe that big with HTLs mounted all over it must be capable of one helluva BDZ...

[Vympel]

The whole purpose of the superlaser is to destroy shielded planets. Look at the Rebels Hoth theatre shield. It alone could withstand bombardment from an SSD and five ISDs (at least).

[Pcm979]

The whole purpose of the superlaser is to destroy shielded planets. Look at the Rebels Hoth theatre shield. It alone could withstand bombardment from an SSD and five ISDs (at least).

I thought that the sheild could be brought down, but they'd have to use so much power that it would seriously damage the rebel base. An analagous thing happened in the Black Fleet Crisis; A man had a portable shield generator. To get through it Luke had to use so much force that the follow-through killed the bad guy.

[Robert Treder]

The whole purpose of the superlaser is to destroy shielded planets. Look at the Rebels Hoth theatre shield. It alone could withstand bombardment from an SSD and five ISDs (at least).

I thought that the sheild could be brought down, but they'd have to use so much power that it would seriously damage the rebel base. An analagous thing happened in the Black Fleet Crisis; A man had a portable shield generator. To get through it Luke had to use so much force that the follow-through killed the bad guy.

More or less, but of course in that analogy, if the portable shield generator was attached to the bad guy, I'm sure that the force used to overcome the generator killed him before the follow through even touched him.

[Pcm979]

The whole purpose of the superlaser is to destroy shielded planets. Look at the Rebels Hoth theatre shield. It alone could withstand bombardment from an SSD and five ISDs (at least).

I thought that the sheild could be brought down, but they'd have to use so much power that it would seriously damage the rebel base. An analagous thing happened in the Black Fleet Crisis; A man had a portable shield generator. To get through it Luke had to use so much force that the follow-through killed the bad guy.

More or less, but of course in that analogy, if the portable shield generator was attached to the bad guy, I'm sure that the force used to overcome the generator killed him before the follow through even touched him.

Not in the book. But that's an even better analogy!