Star Wars: Death Star [Hardcover]

For the thirty years of Star Wars so far, the Death Star has stood as one of the single most iconic elements of the entire story. It burst upon screens in 1977 early in Star Wars, as an rapid camera cut leapt away from Tatooine to this gigantic menacing space station. We knew it was recently completed but little more. What was the conception of such a monstrous project? Who built it and how long did it take? Was the increasingly-insignificant Senate aware of the Emperor's plans for it? Why did someone with the evident powers of Darth Vader appear to bow to the commands of Grand Moff Tarkin? These questions and more have been bandied about in fans' minds for decades, some being touched upon in the Expanded Universe but most never directly addressed.

Adding to the general interest in the Death Star were its two appearances in the prequel trilogy. Attack of the Clones gives us a glimpse of the initial Death Star plans as Count Dooku takes them from Geonosian Archduke Poggle the Lesser for "safekeeping." In Revenge of the Sith, we see the skeletal frame of what appears to be the real Death Star in progress as the newly-armored Darth Vader and his master Darth Sidious gaze upon it contemplatively. This shot raised new questions for me, chief among them being how did it take an apparent eighteen years to get from this skeletal frame to the finished station?

Based on the level of interest and the many questions surrounding the Death Star, the opportunity was ripe for a comprehensive look at the whole project from start to finish, whether in book, cartoon, videogame, or some other form. I had high hopes for Michael Reaves and Steve Perry's novel Death Star to take that opportunity and run with it. However, after having read it, I'll say the opportunity is still there. Death Star is a mixture of high and low points with some clear strengths and weaknesses, but inarguably it does not answer the many outstanding questions out there.

For starters, the book is set in a surprisingly narrow window of time. It only covers the months right before completion of the station and does not attempt to fill in the intervening time. Perhaps Lucasfilm instructed the authors to stick to this timeframe due to a potential conflict-of-interest with the forthcoming Star Wars live-action television series which will cover events in the years between Episodes III and IV. More likely is that Reaves and Perry wanted time in the book to introduce sub-plots and new characters of their own, which didn't leave much room for a story that jumps through decades of Death Star development.

There are a great many new characters and stories to keep up with in this book. Making this rather challenging is the rapid-fire shifting from scene to scene, sometimes more often than once a page. The movies sometimes move at this pace but it's disorienting in a novel. Midway through the novel, I felt unsettled as I kept wanting it to slow down and let me get to know the characters and settings a little better.

A very strong and memorable storyline from this book is that of Tenn Graneet, the Imperial Navy Master Chief Gunnery Officer who ends up being the one to pull the trigger on Alderaan. I'd never given much thought to how that would feel, since the films focus on the leaders giving the orders, but it's well done here. I love how they even work in the odd double "Standing By" at Yavin IV from the film - a nice touch for those of us who have seen the movies MANY times.

It was interesting to see Doctor Divini return from the authors' Clone Wars-era Medstar Duology and follow his continuing storyline. The inclusion of Admiral Daala seemed a bit superfluous - perhaps this was because her scenes with Grand Moff Tarkin were a little on the grotesque side. The authors do a solid job with Tarkin himself and Darth Vader, and I found myself frequently wishing there were more scenes with them. Most of the other characters were adequate but I'm not likely to remember them very long.

Reaves and Perry did a great job of altering my concept of the station itself. I had never pictured recreational areas, shopping and cantinas as being part of the Imperial facility, but now that they've brought that in it makes perfect sense. Military personnel should always have some place to blow off steam and the requisite civilians to help with those services. There were some scenes in the cantina that felt more Love Boat than Star Wars, but I'm glad they didn't set the whole novel in the hangars, conference rooms, and detention areas we see in the films, as that wouldn't have made much sense.

The climax of the novel aligns with the events of Episode IV. Scenes feature dialogue taken verbatim from the movie, although many new events with the new characters are woven around them. This did not bother me at all - the movies are so familiar that I would find it jarring at this point to attempt a restating of their dialogue. There's plenty of excitement despite knowing the fate of the station beforehand and the authors do a great job with presenting the Imperial perspective on the attack by the small groups of Rebel snubfighters.

Death Star is a reasonably entertaining read but I am still hopeful to someday learn more about the history of this icon of the saga.

This exciting book describes the development of the Empire's super weapon, from the initial construction phases to its untimely demise at the hands of the Rebel Alliance.

Grand Moff Tarkin has been placed in charge of overseeing the construction of this new weapon of terror by the Emperor himself. Construction has proceeded fairly well, but there have been several incidents of sabotage which has curtailed the progress. So, in an effort to get things back on track, the Emperor has dispatched Darth Vader to get construction back on schedule. Vader and Tarkin have a somewhat icy relationship; Tarkin has ultimate faith in his new super weapon, while Vader believes that the power of the Force is superior to any weapon.

The Death Star is an awesome weapon. Possessing a super laser the size no one has ever seen before, this menacing metal moon can destroy an entire planet with a single shot.

On board the battle station are several unique and skillful beings, including Atour Riten, chief librarian; Celot Ratua Dil, convicted smuggler, Uli Divini, Imperial surgeon; Memah Roothes, cantina owner; Nova Stihl, Imperial Marines sergeant; Rodo, cantina bouncer; and Teela Kaarz, architect and convict. Officers aboard the Death Star include Conan Antonio Motti, Imperial Navy Admiral; Dalla, Imperial Navy Admiral; Tenn Graneet, Imperial Navy master chief gunnery officer; and Villian Dance, TIE fighter pilot.

Throughout the course of the book, these lives will intersect in a way that will determine the ultimate fate of the battle station. After the prison planet Despayre and the peaceful Alderaan have been destroyed by the Death Star, several aboard her, including Dance, Stihl, Riten, Uli, Memah, Rodo, and Teela have become disenchanted with the Empire. They decide to try to escape and defect to the Rebel side. However, they still have Darth Vader and the other Imperials to deal with. Will these freedom seekers survive, or will Vader stop them first?

I found this to be an exciting book. Everyone who has seen the Star Wars movies knows the final fate of the Death Star, but I really enjoyed reading about the construction phases and the acts of sabotage. I thought the character development was very good, and I felt like I got to really know the characters. It was fun reading the actual lines from the movie, too.

I recommend this book very highly. The story is good and the action is fast-paced. I've read several other Star Wars novels, and I rate this one as one of my favorites. May the Force be with you.

As most people who are into Star Wars I was excited at the idea of learning how the Death Star was constructed and the people who built it, but there were too many characters to follow at times. I was constantly trying to remember who ran the bar, who was the architect, the pilot, the martial arts guy, and the libararian, oh and don't forget the bouncer and the escaped prisoner. I gave up on who was dating who.

What I did find interesting and would really like to read more about is Grand Moff Tarkin and his career. This book just wetted my appetite on this character. I agree with some reviewers that the portrayal of Admiral Daala was pretty weak. They tried repeatedily to stress the idea that she didn't sleep her way to Admiral. Personally I kept thinking "thou protest too much."

The last few chapters were intersting with direct quotes from the movie. I like the tie-ins. One thing I feel that they left hanging was the storyline about Darth Vader being interested in the Doctor wanting to know about Midi-Cholirians.

In general a good idea, not one of the best books, but not one of the worst.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 77 reviews  3.4 out of 5 stars