Since 1977’s A New Hope, the Empire’s formidable space battle stations — Death Star I, Death Star II and the First Order’s Starkiller Base — have loomed large in the Star Wars universe.
A symbol of everything the Dark Side stands for, these super weapons — which are capable of destroying planets with a single blast — have posed the greatest threat to the Rebellion’s quest to end Imperial — and later, First Order — reign over the galaxy far, far away.
Luckily, each one has contained a major design flaw, making them vulnerable to Rebel destruction. In preparation for the release of Rogue One, which hits theaters Dec. 16, check out every variation of these planet-killers that have appeared throughout the Star Wars franchise:
![](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/death-star-demystified1.png?w=2400&quality=75)
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Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com