The development of the first (the DS-1 Orbital Battle Station) was a massive undertaking that spanned roughly 20 years . While the station's hull was completed relatively quickly, the project was plagued by engineering challenges, secrecy, and sabotage. Key Phases of Development
Relied heavily on forced labor, including prisoners on Narkina 5 who assembled parts for the superlaser. Death Star (Star Wars)
: The initial schematics were developed by the Geonosians under Archduke Poggle the Lesser during the Clone Wars. Count Dooku eventually delivered these plans to Darth Sidious (Palpatine). The development of the first (the DS-1 Orbital
Faced constant shortages of raw materials and missed engineering deadlines due to the unprecedented scale. : The initial schematics were developed by the
: Building began in space above Geonosis approximately one year before the end of the Clone Wars. The Empire used various construction modules and later relocated the station to hidden sites to maintain secrecy.
: The station became fully operational just before the events of A New Hope , under the command of Grand Moff Tarkin . Development Challenges Impact on Project Secrecy