The Death Star and Yavin 4

[Noble Ire]

Now, I'm sure that everyone has heard of the complaint about ANH; Why didn't the Death Star simply destroy Yavin rather than taking the time to go around it? Now, there are certainly reasonable explanations for this, and I've never been bothered by it, but it does raise the question:
What would happen to a gas giant similar to Yavin if it was fired upon by a DS type superlaser?

[WarScarab]

For that matter, what happens to a gas gaint when fired on by any kind of turbolaser? Wasn't Bespin a gas giant?

[Duckie]

Yavin 4, and most other Gas Giants appear to have no effect on lasers. The Cloud Car, for instance, in ESB fires on the Falcon as a "warning shot" on the approach.

Ties fight the Falcon in Bespin, too.

As for what a Superlaser would do to it, I don't know.

[WarScarab]

So that raises the question, could the Death Star have simply fired through Yavin's atmosphere? The targeting screen seen in the film seems to indicate they knew exactly where the moon was the whole time.

[Duckie]

So that raises the question, could the Death Star have simply fired through Yavin's atmosphere? The targeting screen seen in the film seems to indicate they knew exactly where the moon was the whole time.

Well, it is rather hard to lose track of a moon.

To answer that, lower layers of the Gas Giants we know of are denser and denser, until the near-core area is either literally or effectively solid as far as I know, so that could affect the Superlaser beam enough to screw with aim or detonate it inside Yavin.

[Sea Skimmer]

So that raises the question, could the Death Star have simply fired through Yavin's atmosphere? The targeting screen seen in the film seems to indicate they knew exactly where the moon was the whole time.

Probably not, since striking a planet or warship seems to make the beam from the Death Starts main weapon explode in an unidirectional way. That doesn't make very much sense, but its what it does. Anyway, It's the freaking Death Star; Tarkin had no particular need to act quickly.

[Kettch]

I don't think the death star's shot could have penetrated through the center of Yavin, so might as well keep on going all of the way arround. Any ways Tarkin seemed not to be in a hurry & if you're going to destroy the rebellion & that insufferable princess, might as well have a great view.

[WarScarab]

Good point. From what we know of his personality he's definitely the type that likes to fuck with a prey that knows it's time is nigh. Didn't really pan out for him too well this time though...

[Sharpshooter]

Well, there was that whole crystal thing that got mentioned somewhere else, but I just figured he was using common sense: what would be the point of blowing it up? Alderaan was a bunch of traiters in his eyes, so he sort of had justification for thaat, and Yavin 4 was home to his enemy, so that had to go - but the planet itself? No reason, really, and all it'd do is just screw up the system and those other moons.

And even if he could fire through why risk it? For all we know, firing the beam through it might have had some funky side effect, so he decided to play it safe.

[Isolder74]

A gaas giant's atsmosphere is hardly able to predict. Better to not have it in the way at all. Firing through the planet required calulated the refractions affects of every layer of the atmosphere.

Isn't a nice straight shot safer?

[genkkov]

"Evacuate, In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances."

Tarkin was in no hurry. Destroy the rebellion in one swift stroke, but he was clearly enjoying himself, probably figured he would draw it out.

[Havok]

Does anyone know what kind of gasses Yavin was made of? I'm guessing that it's similar coloring to Saturn and Jupiter would mean its mostly hydrogen and helium with a "solid" core. Nothing like igniting a sun a couple hundred miles away from you. I mean, you gotta figure, if a single sustained blast from the super laser can obliterate a planet, it should ignite a good deal of Yavin's "atmosphere", if not the whole planet.

Probably best to just go around, not like the rebels were going anywhere.

[Rampage]

Probably has something to do with cooldown times. I've read in places that the DS1 required in excess of an hour to cool before it could fire again. Had it fired at Yavin, it would have had to cool before it could fire again. It was litterally quicker to go around Yavin then it would have been to attack it, wait, and then attack the base.

[Srynerson]

Hasn't it been previously computed on this site that based on the minimum output figure for the DS's superlaser it would take considerable time for a Jupiter-mass planet to be blown apart à la Alderaan? (I seem to remember reading that here, but I can't find anything promising with the search function.)

[Ender]

Now, I'm sure that everyone has heard of the complaint about ANH; Why didn't the Death Star simply destroy Yavin rather than taking the time to go around it? Now, there are certainly reasonable explanations for this, and I've never been bothered by it, but it does raise the question:
What would happen to a gas giant similar to Yavin if it was fired upon by a DS type superlaser?

The energy of the blast is sufficient to destroy Yavin. However then they would have to charge up agian, giving the rebels time to escape.

[Sriad]

Hasn't it been previously computed on this site that based on the minimum output figure for the DS's superlaser it would take considerable time for a Jupiter-mass planet to be blown apart à la Alderaan? (I seem to remember reading that here, but I can't find anything promising with the search function.)

Yes, somewhere in Wong's Death Star writings it is mentioned that the Superlaser's yield is ~= the low-end needed for gas-giant destruction. It would be a much slower process than Alderran, but Jupiter/Yavin 4 would be blown apart.

[Dakarne]

I've read somewhere about very expensive Corusca Gems in the depths of Yavin, would they count as being enough reason not to blow it all to shreds.

[Dooey Jo]

If he had blown up Yavin instead of going for the moon, wouldn't that probably be very bad news for the rebels anyway? Because of all the debris that would fall on the moon.

[bilateralrope]

I've read somewhere about very expensive Corusca Gems in the depths of Yavin, would they count as being enough reason not to blow it all to shreds.

Wouldn't exploding Yavin make them eaiser to access ?

[Tiger Ace]

I've read somewhere about very expensive Corusca Gems in the depths of Yavin, would they count as being enough reason not to blow it all to shreds.

Wouldn't exploding Yavin make them eaiser to access ?

Yes, but there goes the factory, so after their found, the market crashs and then spikes to massive levels.

Much easier to keep the gas giant.

[Dakarne]

Wouldn't exploding Yavin make them eaiser to access ?

Not if the Crystals themselves were destroyed, I don't think Tarkin would have taken that chance.

[Tiger Ace]

Tarkin probebly couldn't care less, his goal is the destruction of the Rebellion, not wether a gas giant thats an interest of the ultra-rich survives or not.

[Dakarne]

You know, he's probably got shares in Corusca Gems... They've actually got some pretty decent military aplications as well, they're sometimes sharp enough to cut through Durasteel. That's the reason for their existence.

[Pcm979]

It's a big fucking galaxy and Yavin is an arse-backwards planet in the middle of nowhere. There are other places to get stupid gems.

[Dakarne]

Yes... but Corusca Gems are on the Near Extinct side of Rare.. it's stated several times that Yavin is one of the only places to get them... sort of like Krayt Dragons and their pearls.