Can the Empire build a Dyson Sphere ?

[SirNitram]

Who says its going to rotate? That causes way to many problems. The simplest thing is to use artifical gravity to keep people firmly planted.

Thus making their survival depend entirely upon the minute-by-minute, second-by-second flawless operation of an active system, and reducing civilian safety levels to that of a typical Federation starship, with no idea how the power requirement of this gigantic artificial-gravity system compares to the power output of the star, even though it might end up being a net-loss situation? Great idea

Clearly the SW galaxy considers repulsor technology dependable enough to use in such manners.

I should note that it is suggested(Not directly stated, however) by the quote I posted in this thread that such technologies are unpowered. I will, however, note this may not be the case.

[ClaysGhost]

Are you sure about that? I suppose one would have to integrate the forces from the various surface elements around your location around the whole shell to see if this works out even at close proximity to the surface.

Yes;

http://dept.physics.upenn.edu/courses/g ... 1_1_2.html

does the integration, for example. The symmetry argument is more direct, and is described on that page as well (near the bottom).

[Darth Wong]

Clearly the SW galaxy considers repulsor technology dependable enough to use in such manners.

No it doesn't, since every skyhook (including Bespin city) has networks of multiple redundant repulsorlift units to fight the force of gravity. Moreover, a skyhook could lose half its repulsorlifts for a full minute and only lose a few km of altitude; it is a recoverable situation. Similarly, Cloud City on Bespin could lose half its repulsorlifts for several minutes and experience an insignificant change in altitude. In both cases, you are talking about an integral unit which would begin to fall AS A UNIT, instead of a monster grid in which a single grid square failure would quickly lead to the deaths of most of its inhabitants.

[Darth Wong]

does the integration, for example. The symmetry argument is more direct, and is described on that page as well (near the bottom).

Cool. So we're stuck with a giant active grid in order to simulate the effect that a ringworld construct could achieve with no active systems.

[His Divine Shadow]

Ring-world, new thread time

[YT300000]

I believe that there were a death star 3 + 4 planned/built according to things I have heard people say. What was the construction period for these stations, and were they built [if indeed they exist] in secret or in public?

Either way, I doubt the Empire could divert the required manpower into building such a device without a specific, civilisation altering event on the horizion that would make a DS a justifiable build. Indeed, the only reason I can see for them building a DS is if, for whatever reason, the entire SW galactic population had to be moved out of the SW galaxy, and even this may require several DS's and the ability to make the DS move at hyperspace speeds ... tricky in 25 years one could imagine!

known Death Stars

[CaptainChewbacca]

Anyone know how big Hethrir's worldcraft was in Crytal Star?

Seems to me a Dyson Sphere is unlikely to be built, but a small fleet of world-devastators could turn a system like Oseon, one composed mostly of asteroids, into a ring 1000km wide, 3 km thick, and 100 million Km in radius without heavy cost. They do heavy automation in the SW universe, so once the process of building WDs and droids gets started, it will keep going.

My bet is the ring structure can be done in about 5 years. Making it habitable would take another 5-10.

Of course, its not very defensible.

Basically, the Empire could build one of these structures, but it doesn't need to. They've got enough empty worlds and resources to spare, and only one immense city planet is enough.

[HemlockGrey]

I can think of only two races who could build such a structure; the ST builders and the Xeelee.

Let's not forget our friends the Fsherl'Ganni.

[XaLEv]

Let's not forget our friends the Fsherl'Ganni.

IIRC, Buuthandi are more like balloons, being made of light materials held in place by light pressure with habitats and such dangling from the internal surface. Not quite the same as the ST Dyson.