How the Second Death Star was Built So Fast - Star Wars Explained

Let's explore the reason it took nineteen years to build the first Death Star, but only four to build the second.
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Adam Amaya

[@lambdog76]

simple, they "Doubled their efforts"

[@Vreenak4308]

This, I just love it ^^

[@Mugzchunch]

I hope so for your sake, commander. The emperor is not forgiving as i am.

[@rotyler2177]

You are the best person on the internet.

[@dabadboy9642]

William Merritt lol

[@nothingforgrantedPS23]

But he asks thee impossible!

[@brianrasmussen1711]

I’m very impressed that you guessed so much of Rogue One before it’s release

[@whydiewhenyoucanlive]

When I was a kid I thought that the second death star was the same as the first, and all the unbuilt areas were just the damage from the first explosion. .__.

[@whydiewhenyoucanlive]

***** I was a kid who didn't speak much english.. so yeah

[@TheIpodMan32]

Me too! And I only speak English lmaooo

[@diegosgaming4177]

as a kid I thought so too.

[@trisF1981]

stupid

[@junliyu2944]

+T Fal (Ninja Womble) you're stupid you hater

[@Ncholasbloom]

rogue one confirmed all your points dude very good predicting most impressive

[@mmelgoza1983]

Yeah, totally Nailed It!

[@roaklin]

19 years to finish something? Have ya seen some of the road work projects in the US?

[@alucard1931]

Look at the history of rebuilding of the World Trade Center site. It was shamefully left as a hole in the ground for years, with bickering, disputes, redesigns upon redesigns. It only started to take shape when the 10th anniversary was quickly approaching, when everyone was scrambling to avoid the embarrassment of immense proportions of not delivering on the promise of at least a memorial and one tower complete 10 years on. It still will barely squeak by in terms of full completion come the 20th anniversar.y

[@twistedyogert]

Well, that's government work for you, politics always gets in the way.

[@michaelangelotinaza]

There are 2 reasons why there was a difference in construction time between the 2 battle stations. Reason 1: for DS1, the the battle station and its main weapon had to be designed 1st before it could be built. For DS2 the designs already exist, they just had to modify it a little bit to make it bigger. Reason 2: For DS1, the Senate existed until after the battle station was completed, meaning that during its construction the designers had to work within yearly budgets, which meant that when the money ran out the work stopped. For DS2, there was no senate to give a fixed number of cash the designers could spend, which meant that they didn’t have to stop working.

[@JosefFerguson]

It's also possible that construction had already started on the second Death Star while the first one was being finished. Maybe the Empire had intended to have a fleet of these things eventually. They start work on the first one as a proof of concept, and then realize that they could build them bigger and more intimidating, so they start on the second one (in an even more secret location) and build them at the same time. Hell, for all we know, there are a dozen more out there somewhere in various stages of construction at the end of RotJ. It's a big galaxy.

[@Jckuz1man]

Josef Ferguson wrong it wasn't started until after one was blown up

[@JosefFerguson]

Donald Trump 2016 and where do you get that? edit: never mind. don't bother responding. I see that you're a Donald Trump supporter, so I blocked your profile. Your candidate is a fascist.

[@sugdolomar]

when the first death star was completed/destroyed, palpatine already planned to build another one by the hour of the first one's demise, since there's no more senate palpatine would do as he please!

[@sugdolomar]

+DonaldTrump2016 you're not going to win this election, so go to hell.

[@chrisb961]

Josef Ferguson hello ignorant liberal, would you like to have a discussion

[@StarWarsExplained]

I got a lot of comments suggesting the second Death Star may have started construction much earlier. I'll be addressing that in a video next week, and I'll be honest it's not as cut and dry as I originally thought.

[@NickCutroneo]

I always figured the Death Star at the end of Revenge was the Death Star Prototype, not the construction of the 1st Death Star.

[@wolf99000]

This is my take on what the new cannon answer will be also I read that Lucas suggested the one we see in Sith is a Prototype not the one form new hope this version was smaller and was used to test certain aspects of the weapon not sure if that holds as he said it at a fans forum when he was asked about how it took so long to be built

[@Starshipdown]

Actually, in the DVD commentaries, Lucas says the opposite: that IS the Death Star 1 itself under a very early stage of construction and just after the Empire has taken over the project from the now defunct Separatists. People keep getting the head canon/fanon made by people like Curtis Saxton, who can't get over it.

[@wolf99000]

Starshipdown Lucas did not say it. On the DVD that came later in an interview I read my memory is someone on the DVD saying it on a commentary might have been Kurtz but it's been a while plus put it in today's cannon it cannot be the Death Star that was built over the planet in rouge one you this plays out in deep space

[@IamLegoman13Pepp]

My first thought was "maybe the empire started work on the second death star not far into the construction of the first death star so that they could have two and be twice is powerful or maybe the emperor knew it wasn't invincible"

[@TheInfiniteSheldon]

It's because they doubled their efforts.

[@juri5624]

Infinite Sheldon i hope so, for your sake, commander!

[@clickbaitbanana9981]

asome avatar fire nation pic

[@SuperEllenRipley]

They redoubled their efforts

[@Dantick09]

19 years is crazy fast to build something like the death start even with all the technology in starwars

[@juri5624]

Dantick09 well, they pretty much had all resources in the galaxy...

[@ESS83]

+Dank Memes Exactly! We on Earth only have what is actually on our planet, while in Star Wars they have the entire galaxy.

[@Starshipdown]

They do? What about WIld Space and the Unknown Regions, all of which make up more than 40 percent of The Galaxy?

[@xthor86]

Still the resources and people of thousands of star systems. Humans can build entire cities in the span of weeks (china) with our tech, and only the resources available to one country. If you have litterally hundreds of trillions of people and basically unlimited resources, and hyper advanced tech building a moon in a couple of years sounds slow even.

[@sherrattpemberton6089]

takes as long to design build and test a fighter

[@elijahblechman8633]

what if they where being built at the same time?

[@Jckuz1man]

Elijah Blechman wrong

[@olympicnut]

Confident, aren't you?

[@josephyml]

no. it started after the first was destroyed, according to Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure

[@elijahblechman8633]

Donald Trump 2016 so instead of explaining why i was wrong, you thought it was appropriate to just type wrong.

[@sethofthewildfire]

let

[@killgriffinnow]

I always thought that the Death Star I was their prototype and they had already started making the Death Star II in secret at the end of ROTS

[@Trashplat]

me too

[@geauxburns]

Perhaps construction on DS2 started around the time DS1 was complete; would make sense for the Emperor to foresee the need to have more than one since the Galactic Empire was pretty large.

[@YogGroove]

That's my take. I don't think a Death Star was built in 4 years.

[@connorvex7308]

g

[@connorvex7308]

d

[@Wintermute01001]

As someone who works in the government, this sounds perfectly reasonable.

[@rexxvortex6946]

Clock turns 9:01, refreshes subscription feed, sees 10 minute video from SWE; cheers for 30 seconds before watching video. Brilliant points, more long videos would be awesome Alex

[@connorvex7308]

n

[@xxvaltielxx1789]

+ItzCon Why do you only write N's?

[@preciousotoakhia9789]

Rexx Vortex

[@user-m3333]

You've hit the sweet spot with length, not to long but long enough to explain everything thoroughly

[@chillpenguin9578]

Well now that rogue one is out: Everything he said is true. Nuff said

[@mev186]

It reminded me of that scene from the movie "Contact." "First rule in government spending: why build one when you can have two at twice the price?"

[@mowtow90]

You are also forgetting the time period. The first death star actually started construction in secret at the end of the clone war. At that time the Republic and the new Empire ware bankrupt. Also major planets ware devastated during the war. Supplies ware difficult to come by (as you already mentioned). They had other priorities , the rebuild of the navy , economic rebuild. Palpatine needed to strengthen his political position , because at the begging he didn't absolute power. While at the time of 2ned DS , they already had working design (that can be simplified), they had absolute power with available resource and slave work force. + At that period they ware able to concentrate their resources into 1 major project , not 10000....

[@mowtow90]

***** Well at that time the Republic had mostly Venetors and the new Victory class. They started replacing them with Imperial class. Venetors ware more like an aircraft carriers then SD. They ware build to fit a particular need during the war, however after that the situation changed. After the war the Empire had to deal with CIS strongholds that did not surrendered, during the war they disregarded police work so the crime rate and piracy ware true the roof (they had take control over the situation) + the empire started massive expansion that overstretched the fleet so they needed to fill in the gaps.

[@The0megaStorm]

Could you do a video explaining the Afterlife in Star Wars, particularly for those who aren't Force-sensitive? Thanks.

[@theBolderBoulder]

but, did the scene at the end of RotS really take place immediately after Vader's new body was created? Or was it actually months or even longer after those events?

[@Beige1997]

It probably wasn't long after, judging by the scene on Tatooine of Obi-Wan giving Luke to Owen and Beru.

[@Folopolis]

I'm not sure if it was in any of the books, but in Battlefront II, you retrieve an unusually large caliber crystal from Mygeeto long before the end of the separatists and it is said that the purpose is to power a super-laser, so it was definitely in the plans before then.

[@palaeomerus]

But those are scenes explaining what happened to everyone to transition them to where they were in Starwars and later Empire. Assuming they are literal and sequential is risky as it's like a scene of what happened to Vader and Palpatine. What happened to Yoda. What happened to Luke, Leia, and Obi-Wan and C3PO and R2D2, not necessarily a sequence of immediate contemporary events. It's a sort of epilogue.

[@pottyscottystudios]

@Folopolis - I wouldn't have thought that the campaign stories in Battlefront II are cannon. Mainly because there are things in them that go against the films (Yoda fighting on Kashyyyk or Obi-Wan dueling Grievous in a hanger [that wasn't the one in the film] for example). Though I was thinking that too!

[@killermiller851]

RiggityRiggityWrecktSonn the Republic began building the Death Star at the very start of the Clone Wars over Geonosis

[@marveltrooper964]

How did you not mention the Clerks contractor theory?

[@50ftFrankenstein]

Marvel trooper That was the first thing I thought of when he started talking about the inaccessibility of slave labor

[@intergalacticimperialist9670]

It still applies, you think wookies know how to rig up a human toilet?

[@DeathBYDesign666]

That was the first thing I thought about when I clicked on the video. I thought for sure it would be mentioned. The rebels really are assholes! They probably killed a million innocent slaves but in the grand scheme of things they probably saved billions of other people's lives. Still after the emperor was dead they could have made an effort to evacuate the labor force but no they came in guns blazing ready to take the thing out right away. The thing wasn't going anywhere, it was still under construction and they should have waited until Luke completed his mission first.

[@havareriksen3395]

Nope, nope and nope. Even under our international laws the rebels were in the right. The fouth Geneva Convention protocol clearly states that one is allowed to destroy a target of high military value, even at the cost of many civillians. It is the defending force that is responsible for keeping civilians away and not use civilians as human (or alien) shields. As for the Death Stars, they were legitimate military targets in the extreme. And any one constructing it or operating it would be a legitimate military target as well, no matter if they were willing or not. They were a part of the war effort. The rebel alliance had no way of knowing that emperor Palpatine was dead. Neither did the imperial forces. The only ones that knew, were Luke and Vader. The empire did not in any way try to surrender or stop fighting. Until they did, any attack would be justified. And the Death Star's weapons were still fully operational. The imperial fleet were still engaging the rebel forces, so again knocking the Death Star out of action was imperative and justified. And Luke didn't complete his mission. Luke was just part of the team that went to Endor's moon in order to disable the shield generators. He abandoned that mission by turning himself in. And after that no one was in contact with him before he returned to Endor's moon in the shuttle with the dead Vader. That anyone would wait around for any message from Luke doesn't make any sense.

[@Compucles]

Well, according to the "Phineas and Ferb" Star Wars special, the innocent civilians were evacuated before the thing blew. Then again, the opening crawl does blatantly point out that the special is non-canon...

[@dastardlydoofus8757]

I think Sidious had made both the republic and the cis start building one death star each.

[@jediarchives7826]

That makes no sense at all

[@dastardlydoofus8757]

Mark Leonard What I mean is during the clone wars, Sidious assigned these secret projects to both sides of the war, so then if one were to be discovered and destroyed, they could always have the other one.

[@jediarchives7826]

Oh, that's what you meant. OK

[@dastardlydoofus8757]

Mark Leonard that's alright, no problem! :)

[@John-bv5ui]

Nope

[@Draidis]

Now that Rogue One is out.... damn you predicted that movie to a T!!! Seriously! You pretty much called the whole story!

[@onlypeaceindeath]

The problem with the idea that the Death Star uses Kyber Crystals is that it contradicts what was said in A New Hope. Kyber Crystals are force crystals, but in the movie Darth Vader mocked Motti that he shouldn't be too proud of of his technological terror and that it was not comparable to the power of the force,which suggests the Death Star had nothing to do with the Force. And why would they need slaves when they have droids? I think the best explanation is that they had never built a weapon this big before, and had to figure things out, piece by piece. Han Solo's reaction when he heard it was a space station suggests such big constructions don't exist or are built in very small numbers, which probably means the galactic civilisation doesn't have much experience building extremely large objects, especially extremely large guns.

[@sambelzebub8503]

Kyber crystalls have nothing to do with the force. They are just energy crystalls capable of doing cool stuff. Using droids for constructions costs a lot of money producing those droids. Slaves do not cost that much.

[@onlypeaceindeath]

Sam BelZeBuB Kanan said he could feel the force from the one the Empire was transporting. Droids doesn't have to cost money. You can use machines to build other machines that builds other machines etc. And resources are practically free when you control a galaxy.

[@sherrattpemberton6089]

they could have reprogrammed separatist construction droids which solves the problem of construction time and cost. Just because you may have resources available doesn't mean they are free. Still takes infrastructure to extract and process them and there probably wasen't much of that at first thanks to the clone wars

[@onlypeaceindeath]

Sherratt Pemberton Infrastructure that can be built by droids. The only thing that really would cost anything are the initial construction and gathering droids. But once you've got that started it's all about time. It didn't take that long for the First Order to build a large enough infrastructure to build the Starkiller Base, never mind the Empire and the Death Stars.

[@nathanrisley430]

I love both short and longer form videos. I think tailoring them to the topic has worked out nicely.

[@timnagle9874]

The 2nd Death Star also didn't have to work with the senate.

[@Krispy_Krame]

I like to think that construction on the 2nd Death Star started not long (maybe within 5 to 10 years) after the 1st one. Like the Empire wanted a few of these things out in the galaxy so they could tighten their grip and install fear into most systems. It took the 1st Death Star a long time to move into position to lock onto Yavin 4 in ANH and they would probably think to put some of these in key locations so they wouldn't have to wait much longer for just one to reach another system. But I also can see how the disadvantages of the 1st Death Star held back production and then since they figured out how to get past that, the 2nd would be a piece of cake.

[@LeethLee1]

I find myself struggling to get a hold of all the canon and legends, but I love getting overviews like this while reading the books I can when I have time :) Thanks for all these, loving them!

[@soundpropellerpatrick113]

Really enjoyed the longer video form. Keep up the great work!

[@GazFunkstar]

What if the second Death Star was just the dish weapon (that they had perfected on the first one so wouldn't take that long to manufacture), with the Death Star itself being just a shell around it with not a lot behind the facade. The Emperor had it quickly built for one use, to wipe out the Rebel fleet as he knew they would jump at the chance to attack it with him on it.

[@clintrock]

they also could have been working on the second death star while the first was still around. in fact, I bet they had plans for 4 or 5 of them, they don't move quickly so it would make sense. just a thought. they had multiple destroyers so why not multiple system enforcers ie death Stars?

[@timsnuck2]

This has always been my favorite theory. It's certainly the simplest explanation. But the ideas mentioned in the video could have been factors as well.

[@Spacefrisian]

Indeed, thought so to, cause 1 deathstar (albeit powerfull) is just 1 deathstar, hardly an issue as it cannot be at multiple places. From a strategic point having more than 1 would be a wise thing to do. And during that time they also hollowed out a planet and build a deathstar in it.

[@TheWampam]

No, Tarkin exlicity stated, that that one death star ist all it would need to rule the galaxy.

[@timsnuck2]

TheWampam Lol! Get out of here with your expanded universe nonsense! This is a perfectly sound explanation, in line with Occam's razor. No need to hate on it.

[@DBPCINC]

So they just happened to scrap an exhaust port to the core on the second one even though they were built at the same time?

[@jaredjohnson7960]

Not only did this video make completely sound and logical points that I'm taking as canon until proven otherwise, it shows the awesomeness that is the new canon, and Star Wars in general. You drew from a bunch of different sources - A New Dawn, Tarkin, The Clone Wars, Rebels, etc., and they all contribute to a larger story. That's something I find really cool: that lots of different stories from lots of different creators in sometimes totally different eras and various mediums can all come together for one tale.

[@asterproductions3003]

I really enjoyed this, definitely would love to see more longer videos when necessary. The discussion was very interesting and I've never thought about the Death Star this much so it's cool to see it's construction in a new light.

[@Chrizinator]

I always just thought there was some overlap between the construction of the first and second Death Stars. But I like your theories.

[@Jckuz1man]

Animaster there wasnt

[@ObiWanKenobi]

Donald Trump 2016 get a life. Quit replying to every single KZbin comment like this on the video.

[@juri5624]

Donald Trump 2016 Palpatine is a better president.

[@klausillhardt]

Palpatine wasn't even a president, he was an Emperor

[@MrChickennugget360]

Palpatine Forward> "I love children" "i Love Democracy" "i would never lie" "rumors about my face are lies by rebel scum"

[@cam4002]

What is the history of the tantive IV

[@Galvars]

Adeptus Mechanicus approve this request.

[@laniel9007]

Galvars hi, I saw you early on another Star Wars explained video XD

[@Galvars]

Laniel Gaming Servants of Omnissiah observe such channels, knowledge is power and this one is gifted with it. ;)

[@pidgeybirb8693]

+

[@CatNibbles]

Don't be going after any of that xenos tech.

[@ryanwellhoefer456]

I love the longer high quality content. This was very well thought out and explained.

[@Blademan-wr8pg]

Love these longer form videos Keep up the great work!

[@IsaacCarmichael]

how does it move? I don't see engines on it

[@juri5624]

Flying Cow it has sub-light engines and a hyper drive

[@gordamnfreeman127]

It features two engines; both are placed in the midsection of the Death Star, or likewise its ecuatorial trench. I asked myself that question when I first watched A New Hope years ago. That behemoth, a battle station, moving even larger distances through that galaxy with light jump capabilities and navigation. Damn Empire.

[@modernhistoryencyclopedia7588]

yah

[@EntryLevelLuxury]

orbit, too :D

[@GeneralTaco155555a]

I'm pretty sure it's canon that there are multiple thrusters along the surface that are powerful enough to move it, but you don't see them because they're small. Plus what everyone else is saying about the hyper drive engines

[@majorearl12]

Never heard the theory of the Second Death Star actually being a trap, seems far more likely than it being another battlestation like the first one.

[@StarWarsExplained]

It's actually been confirmed as a planned trap by Palpatine in a couple of books. Most recently Star Wars Complete Locations.

[@RCassinello]

"It's a trap!" - Admiral Ackbar, Return of the Jedi. This is not even subtext!

[@sherrattpemberton6089]

then the power of the laser could be scaled back from the first one, which would make things simpler

[@rockacraig5653]

I reckon that the Death star 2 was meant as a battle station but used as a trap for the rebellion. For that they didn't need it to be complete. Just have the weapons system online and powerful enough to destroy a ship which is many times less than the first one.

[@youfoolwarrenisdead6400]

It was complete enough to blow up capital ships and withstand Vader's Super Star Destroyer colliding with it. "Now witness the power of this fully operational battle station!", anyone? The excuses in this video are cute but still only forced excuses for the blatantly obvious real reason: the plot demanded it.

[@intjonmiller]

This may be my favorite of your videos, so yes, I like this longer format. :)

[@doncalypso]

EXCELLENT video... very thorough.

[@hunterfamily8441]

Have you considered it was an incomplete hollow shell with just the level of functionality to fire its main weapon as a defence? it would have taken a short period of time and resources to construct a thin' exterior Dyson Sphere' where the interior construction would be more practical and hospitable for the construction workers, but the required volume take a considerably longer time and materials to complete............ Surface Area=4πr2 versus Volume=4/3πr3 .......just a thought?

[@andrewelliott8084]

Accent explained in novel Bloodlines... it was mocking Tarkin's accent

[@19235641]

I found your channel after watching your Rogue One review and I have to say, your videos are just top notch. They reignited my love for the Star Wars lore. You deserve wayy more attention

[@legofreak5769]

same here. its great how spot on his predictions were

[@jonahsingh5645]

I wanted to thank you for making this video, I have always been curious about this. Got yourself a new sub!!!

[@LMedina1021]

maybe the empire was building multiple death stars

[@Jckuz1man]

Luis Medina they weren't

[@redjirachi1]

They shouldn't have made a Death Star in the first place. They wasted so much money on one planet-destroying superweapon when a thousand asteroid slingshots or anti-terraformers could've been constructed in its steed

[@boomy8802]

maybe it was made of paper .

[@Mr666Rev]

Donald Trump 2016 How do you know that? Since the issue isn't addressed in anything canon or non-canon, they very well could have been building multiple weapons simultaneously. In fact, it doesn't make much sense militarily to only build one ultimate weapon, because if that one fails or is destroyed, you've wasted a ton of time and resources for nothing. The likeliest scenario is that while the first one was being built, engineers were already designing and building a bigger, better version. For example, our own Earth militaries don't wait until they need a new fighter jet to start designing and working on one. As soon as, and often even before, one fighter is put into service, a newer, faster, better fighter is already being worked on. To think that there was only ever one Death Star at a time is a joke. Also, consider that it is the Galactic Empire. Galaxies are huge, so it again only makes sense to have several of them posted throughout the galaxy. Bottom line is that there is no way it could possibly make sense to think that they weren't working on multiple Death Stars at the same time. In fact, I'm sure Star Killer Base was already in the design table during Empire, and when the First Order broke away from the defeated Empire, someone stole those plans.

[@BlueRaven893]

The Deathstar shouldn't have lost any of the original battles, when you compare numerical differences from the Empire to the Rebels, it's very telling. To be honest, if Star Wars wasn't heavily "Space Opera" driven like it is, the Rebels would have lost every single time by being out-numbered by almost a endless amount of TIEs and ships anyway. The Deathstar wouldn't even be scratched basically.

[@avilionstars]

kinda scary how accurate you got everything...

[@NYCQuint]

Great video! Love the longer video!!!

[@juanjaramillo9390]

Keep these type of vids coming Alex, great stuff :)

[@graemecollin]

Rather than ask "Why did the first Death Star take so long to build?", if you ask "Why did the first Death Star take so long to complete?", then there's an obvious answer - some git nicked the plans. so they had to wing it ... lol

[@PortedPotatoes]

i love the idea that the almighty galactic empire only had one copy of the plans

[@graemecollin]

That's why they were so keen to get them back - all they had were old, rough sketches, on the back of a beer mat, with scribbled annotations that nobody could read ...

[@XXformula]

Lol there were several copies

[@kennywnorthkennorth6579]

I *definitely* want longer videos. That's the one problem I have had with your videos.

[@vatanasevda]

I have been waiting for this for such a long time!!!

[@SeanChriscole]

This longer video was great, Alex! Definitely a step in the right direction. 😊

[@cameronadams1125]

What if they started the second Death Star before the first one was destroyed

[@Jckuz1man]

Cameron Adams wrong

[@cameronadams1125]

You support trump so who's really wrong here? Hint it's you

[@arielarguello448]

+Cameron Adams lol true

[@kylelou1983]

no one here has proof

[@jamesricker3997]

Cannon says the second Death Star was laid down literally during the Battle of Yavin

[@aceholeas]

it might also be because the first deathstar was built in secret so it was slow ie further away from materials and not moving too many materials to not attract attention. and the second they just wanted to get it built.

[@taylorbissett452]

nice video I never though about this issue in Star Wars before. You explained it nicely (hence the name of the channel)

[@LM-1378]

Really solid theories/headcanon man! These make a lot of sense.

[@johnmccall4528]

Well in legends construction of the second one started after the destruction of the first. But in new canon they could have started on a second one at any time after they started on the first. And it would make perfect sense to have more than one at a time if they were able to.

[@Xaq235]

This is what I've always assumed. My reasoning is that to build something that large you need a lot of infrastructure that would only be useful during a single phase of construction. It only makes sense to reuse that equipment by building more than one. Just look at the largest battleships on earth... They all had sister ships.

[@heraymo]

Why Build one when you can build 2 for double the price ;p

[@TheEvilSeeds]

Ha! Love that line too from Contact.

[@heraymo]

I didnt think anyone would get that ;p

[@GeneralTaco155555a]

bringabongalong1 until the first one is blown up, of course.

[@shryoder]

*Twice The Price, Double the Fall...*

[@shaggypyro]

A simple answer that does not take over 10 minutes to explain. The second Death Star was being constructed while the first was still being made. The reason it would take so long to build is because it's the size of a small moon.

[@StarWarsExplained]

I had a lot of people suggest that to me. There is a lot of evidence suggesting the second Death Star did not begin construction until after the destruction of the first. Which just means I get to make another video :P

[@nightponyinrface6009]

I actually like this explanation in your video. I always wondered how come this 1 took so long. My opinion aside from some of what u said here is- they already had lots of the key parts for the 2nd ready b4 the 1st blew up. Like Insurance, like maybe after the Emperor found out the plans were stolen by the Rebles he secretly had parts for the 2nd begun.

[@shaggypyro]

I am interested in all of this evidence suggesting the second Death Star did not begin construction until after the destruction of the first. Is it from the expanded Universe? In one of those stories, there is a prototype Death Star but just the main structure and test bed for the beams.

[@ProtoKun7]

The first Death Star was spoken of as being the ultimate power; it's hardly ultimate if there's going to be more than one.

[@nightponyinrface6009]

***** That loser in ep. 4 who said that was full of it. I hope he blew up with the Death Star.

[@crlb23]

I loved the longer video. Being able to compile together character background with events and tech is so enriching to the lore. I can't wait for Catalyst to come out so you can measure up against your theories a bit!

[@kevinconley5076]

wow, I just saw Rouge One and it seems this is pretty spot on.

[@jimmad3923]

Exactly my thoughts, I said the same thing in a comment haha

[@C._Bradford]

longer vids are great but if you make them to long people won't have the time to watch them. For me 5-6 minutes is best. Videos like this are good but only occasionally.

[@StarWarsExplained]

I have no intention of making every video this long. I just started writing and I thought up more points as I went. Even if I wanted to make every video this long, I wouldn't have the time right now lol. I would like to start having more content in the 5ish minute range, but even then not every topic deserves that much time. Just depends on what the video is about, really. Thank you for the feedback :)

[@starwarsnerd100]

Man, you know attention spans have gotten shorter when people complain about a 10 minute video. Make the videos as long or short as you like!

[@Geekdom101]

8-10 minutes is perfect. KZbin rewards on Watch Time. 10 Minutes is fine and will probably grow more and get you more views with the YT Algorithm.

[@Jacob-cu4uj]

cole neeley 10 minute vids are better

[@marveltrooper964]

I loved star wars minute. I prefer more 1-2 min videos.

[@LegendOfSolidus]

10 minutes is pretty good in my opinion. Not too short, not too long. 15 minutes max if the subject requires it. Great video :D

[@ArcherKet]

I am impressed with how many of your theories end up correct. The Catalyst novel answers these questions in almost the same way you speculated them, from Galen Erso's involvement to why the Death Star took so long to build.

[@Howitzer933]

Considering the test of the fire power of the Death Star was alderaan, I doubt it will fire in rogue one

[@WingDiamond]

Easy, they used non-union labor!

[@DPIII1]

great video, don't mind long videos as long as it's full of content!

[@CjMac270]

Watching this a year and a half later, it's very impressive how well most of your theories stand up post-Rogue One.

[@kybris87]

with all your arguments about the building circumstances probably being correct, i think you're missing the whole point. why is your basic assumption so linear that you suppose the building process of the 2nd death star only started after the first one's destruction? much more likely is the idea that building was carried out simultaneously in wide parts of time. as you yourself say, it was a secret project.

[@StarWarsExplained]

I'm covering exactly this in more detail tomorrow :)

[@Timberjac]

Just as any warship class, when problems are gone (sometimes without) a new ship are set on line to be constructed... and Death stars, dont need at least a phisical place to be build as shipyard with a needed size.

[@BeTeK11]

This is basic in ship building. Usually new class of ships are done in pairs. It's easy to use working chain of suppliers to build a second ship with little overhead.

[@Crisp707]

The first and best rule to building any kind of experimental technology, is to build more than one. There is an extremely good chance that the empire and it's many engineers and scientists understood this unanimously, and set to build a second alongside the first, upscaling and improving on what worked well, and using the first station as a sort of proving ground for what systems would be used in the final build.

[@ComradeDragon1957]

Why are the two different colors?Different metal or just the light causing some weird coloration?

[@ESS83]

+TheCommunistDragon51 Probably stronger material. And remember, it wasn't entirely complete, so that might be a cause behind that.

[@pottyscottystudios]

Just the way the sun is hitting it. Same as a planet where the sun will be hitting part of it and the other part will be dark (Day & Night).

[@youpvrind2349]

love the longer vids!

[@JH-lk8tm]

Great video! earned my subscription!

[@satan1149]

why was it built so fast? the plot required it.

[@richardklepper3299]

what if the nd deathstar was startd a lot earlier than you think

[@StarWarsExplained]

Come back next week, I got so many comments on this I'm addressing exactly that :)

[@Imperator_Prime]

This was my first thought, too-- it's a tyrannical regime with no scruples and a superweapon fetish, I actually expect construction of the second one started well before the first one was destroyed, once they'd worked out the design kinks. Because why in the world would Palpatine want to limit himself to just one Death Star? (OK, other than the obvious problem of- if you have two and one gets captured, then the enemy has an effective weapon against your other one, but as if they expected the Rebellion to *capture* a whole battlestation.)

[@FlamingNinja]

It's possible that the 2nd Death Star's construction was started shortly after the first one's either ass a realisation of the flaws of the first one, or just as a way to wipe out more rebel systems in a shorter time frame.

[@phoenixboyz]

need more longer videos :) awesome stories

[@luxy9530]

10 minutes! Wow great job!

[@dancingdroid]

There is a simple explanation: Ignore EP1-3 and the first Death Star didn't take 19 years to build. Fixed :P

[@dancingdroid]

Stalin Mario We saw the DS at the end of EP3. So you are wrong.

[@UmbraAsterism]

ooooh shit, another trendy "I hate the prequels" hipster comment

[@UmbraAsterism]

Audam Work on your communication skills and maybe people wouldn't think that you were implying that you hate the prequels by suggesting we "Ignore EP1-3".

[@dancingdroid]

UmbraAsterism *sigh* I said that if we ignore them it would not be 19 years contruction time. It's right there black on white. It's impossible not to get it right. I didn't say ignore them because they suck. Numbskulls.

[@dancingdroid]

Donald Trump 2016 That's besides the point.

[@wyatttyson7737]

Notice how the Weapons dish was already mostly built in Revenge of the Sith but in Rogue One trailers it is the last thing installed? /Sure glad to see Disney is still respecting the previous Star Wars movies/

[@wyatttyson7737]

samuraigeorge71 Why? Because some scenes are lack luster? Because some scenes had poor acting? Even the Phantom Menace had amazing moments, such as the Pod Race and Duel of the Fates. Not to mention it set Palpatine up pretty damn near perfectly for his role in the rest of the films. They aren't perfect films, and there is a lot of major flaws, but that does not mean they should be thrown out. Especially if movies like The Force Awakens are were Disney is taking the Franchise.

[@Inferryu]

As I see it, DS1 was a prototype, is not unheard of changes in design, rework of mechanisms, replacement of parts in case of failure or even re-adaptations to new tech to take place mid research/construction of a new device, yes the dish was there at the end of EP3, but there's noting that says it cannot be removed again to account for something on the road.

[@wyatttyson7737]

Inferry Well, that is the thing with Disney's Star Wars. Too many "maybes" and so on, not enough "for sures."

[@Inferryu]

But of course, was it any different with the other movies? there is just so much stuff in the expanded universe now, that is hard for anyone to make something even as little as a short video without failing to acknowledge some obscure piece of lore somewhere, you have to allow for certain things.

[@palaeomerus]

Maybe they had it taken out to be reconfigured and brought back when work was done.

[@dhorubaPRIME]

Great job!!!

[@ProfessorGamez]

Excellent work

[@patrickramseyart]

It appears I am the 666th view. Huh.

[@fartsparkle]

Patrick R SATAN!

[@joltedlozengek4708]

Patrick R excercute order 666

[@johnconnorpliskin7184]

Satan will Rise.

[@thomasjackson6971]

Patrick R yawn

[@pineapplepenumbra]

Of course this was a mistranslation, the original number in Revelation was 616. However, 666 looks and sounds cooler.

[@FLOABName]

The other thing is that the second deathstar was far from being finished, sure it was "operational" but there is a big difference between a house that only has electrical and plumbing installed, and one that has all the drywall, paint, and furnishings.

[@KingdomChilds]

The Rogue One trailers appear to show a completed super laser being installed as a single component. The clip from Revenge of the Sith looks like the super laser is being constructed already in place. This may suggest as you say that it was the prototype, meaning that the first proper Death Star might not have begun construction until several years of testing later.

[@NANl.]

You can predict better then Film theory on Star Wars, what is a great accomplishment to you. Well done to you.

[@jgr7487]

I did love the longer video in a calmer pace =]

[@Whittaz85]

Interesting watching this after seeing Rogue One. You were on the money on many points good job!

[@pedrovelasquez3358]

Another extremely important point is that the first death star was a secret project. During Rogue One they specifically mention that the senate can´t find out. This means that the Emperor could only devote a small amount of money and funds to the Death Star so as to keep it secret. For the second death star, the imperial senate no longer existed so all funds could be simply put into the project. Also, as the video states, all super laser related problems would be out of the way.

[@KrypticElement]

Longer videos would be awesome!

[@eilrach299]

Good vid! Our technology is the same: prototype takes ages, commercial version knocked out quickly. And as you touched on, materials were being spread around at first. No doubt for DS2 materials were fast laned. Also DS1 was a secret, #2 probably wasn't so much, though I have no sources for that. Anyway, keep up the good work!

[@jlat96]

Geez man, you nailed it right on the head

[@PolarPhantom]

Oh. I was intentionally avoiding Rogue One news, but then you started talking about RO stuff I didn't want to know, and by then I was hooked. Good video doe.

[@Black-Re4per]

I watch all of your Rogue ONE Videos right now to get Hyped for The Movie cuz i will watch it in 3h :D

[@metalknightproductions7564]

Really liked the longer video, could you make a video on thrawns bodyguard Rukh?

[@rocknrollnerd3]

Pretty solid reasoning. The Galen Erso idea definitely seems to be supported by the synopsis that was released for Rogue One: Catalyst.

[@thomasfleig1780]

I think the emperor always planned on building 2. The hardest and most time consuming part of building new class of ship or car model, etcetera, is setting up all the manufacturing plants to make the parts. Once that is done, it would be easy to build two of more of everything. Just like building a class of ship, once you get so far on the first ship you're building, you start to build another. Then so on, until you've built all that you wanted. Like the guy from the movie "Contact" said, after the first machine was destroyed, "why build one when you can build two at twice the cost" ... Lol

[@hexmaster23]

Having Vader stand behind you while you work would definitely be enough motivation to work quickly.

[@Quickleaf]

Not sure if anyone's made mention of it yet. Since this video was made (with awesome grounding and good theories) the novel Catalyst has been released, which answers a number of the questions and focuses around Gaylen Urso and his work on various things. Good read, and excellent grounding for Rogue One

[@ethanpitzaferro8893]

You also forgot to mention how the first death star was built with the skeleton was built, then the inner regions were built. The second death was built from the center outward. Which most likely allowed a more efficient and easier build process. I also do enjoy the longer videos and such, keep up the great work!

[@DenDhur]

luv the longer video

[@whogg0521]

So interesting. Rogue was awesome. Enjoying learning other theories.