How long does it take to build a Death Star?

Bad writing?

 

They were building both of them in parallel. The second one was bigger, so it took more time.
Also, when you are doing something for the first time, always takes you more time than the next time you do it, because the first time it's new for you, but the second one you have more practice.

 

Not actually, but they DID build the first Death Star alongside a prototype.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Death_Star_Prototype

 

Well that Commander guy did redouble the efforts of the crew. If you RE-double something, doesn't that mean its already been doubled at least once?...Their efforts could have been redoubled so many times...

 

Umm do you know how many contractors their were? They all got killed by the mass murderer Luke Skywalker but still they got it done.

 

I know! Look at this long list of people he killed. That Rebelscum!
http://banthapedia.wikia.com/wiki/C...tegory:People_killed_by_Luke_Skywalker&page=1

 

I don't think the 2 Death Stars were built parallel of one another. I think that the 2nd Death Star was in fact started after the 1st one was destroyed. If you look at the opening crawl of ROTJ:

• Luke Skywalker has returned to his home planet of Tatooine in an attempt to rescue his friend Han Solo from the clutches of the vile gangster Jabba the Hutt.
  Little does Luke know that the GALACTIC EMPIRE has secretly begun construction on a new armored space station even more powerful than the first dreaded Death Star.
  When completed, this ultimate weapon will spell certain doom for the small band of rebels struggling to restore freedom to the galaxy...

The way it is worded shows that the 2nd Death Star was started basically under Luke's nose. Thus it was started when he was in the Rebellion.

 

Dialogue in ANH during the "round table" or meeting room scene on the Death Star(DS mark 1) seems to make the assumption that the Imperial Empire intended to construct a few Death Stars to position around the galaxy to scare/intimidate the star systems.
Like "Cold War" ICBMs or MX(the "Peace-Keeper") missiles the Death Star was meant to be used sparingly.
It should also be noted here that the Death Star mark II(ROTJ/1983) was much larger AND modified to eliminate spacecraft or large ships too. They wax a Rebel Cruiser in the Endor battle if you watch closely.
It's been posted, but the aliens who R&Ded the Death Star(you can see the model/hologram in the scene) in Revenge of the Sith may have been contracted by Palpatine to build/engineer a few battle stations.

I agree it's a "huh, what???" point when you contrast all the Star Wars films but in fairness, these scripts & productions are spaced(pun intended) almost decades apart. I HIGHLY doubt George Lucas, the film directors, the studio "suits"(20th Century Fox), the set designers, etc fret over every line or concept.
I'd add that it's a bit distorted that the Imperial staff(in ANH) seem to have power/authority to decide what or who gets blasted. Moff Tarkin(Peter Crushing) is fully in charge but it gives the impression the Empire is run by committee or the Emperior has a facade of a ruling government. When Vader chokes out the rude bad guy at the meeting, Tarkin stops him which(incorrectly in my opine) gives the impression Gran Moff Tarkin is Palpatine's go to guy NOT Darth Vader.

TFM
PS: In the thrilling climax of A New Hope(1977), Tarkin's death is IMPLIED but not shown on screen....
Keep THAT in mind for EP7.

 

The first Death Star's superlaser wasn't active until the destruction of Alderaan. The second Death Star's superlaser was active at the Battle of Endor but the rest of the station was only half completed. We don't know when Death Star I was completed, just that the superlaser was first tested shortly before the battle of Yavin. It seems the technology for the superlaser took longer to originally develop or the parts that were necessary to create the superlaser were not yet available.

 

Let's consider what was happening in the Galaxy during the time, and why each Death Star was built.

At the end of Episode III the Clone War was over. Anakin had brought peace to "his" new Empire. The Rebellion hadn't really gained traction yet. At that point there really wasn't a need for a Death Star. So building it wasn't a top priority at the time.

But when the first Death Star goes KaBOOM, the Emperor gets an idea. The Admiral in charge of constuction "redoubles" the team's efforts to complete the station on schedule, because THE SECOND DEATH STAR WAS A TRAP. It was never meant to toast planets like the original was; it was meant to lure EVERY SHIP IN THE REBELLION TO A SINGLE PLACE. Palpatine ordered it built, then leaked the info to the Bothans. Remember the Imperial fleet was spread across the Galaxy in a vain attempt to engage the Rebels. Here was the Empire's chance to lure all the rebels together and pop their ships with his shiny new toy. To sweeten the deal the Emperor offered himself as bait, "personally overseeing the construction." Palpatine said to Luke, "Today marks the end of your insignificant rebellion" (paraphrased, 'cause I'm not going to interrupt Def Leppard to watch youtube.com right now). Come to think of it, that day actually did mark the end of the rebellion, just not the way Palpatine hoped.

But back to the point - Palpatine said that to Luke because he really did believe the trap would destroy the rebel fleet. More importantly, Palpatine knew that Luke would watch his friends' ships get fragged, and that would help push him to the Dark Side, which was what Palpatine was really after.

So how long does it take to complete a Death Star? Twenty years, roughly. But how long does it take to build a big floating gun with no hyperdrive or defenses? A lot less time.

When viewed that way, the times it took to build each one aren't inconsistent.

 

There is no reason the second Death Star had to be initiated after the first one was destroyed. I can easily imagine that the Emperor wanted several Death Stars to help rule the galaxy with an iron fist.

 

That's the same point I made.
The EU novel Death Star goes into more detail. I honestly didn't read the entire novel because it was dull.
I could see the Empire using a few "space stations" to maintain order or intimidate the weaker star systems.

TFM
PS: There was a real www.whitehouse.gov online petition to get President Obama to fund a working Death Star. Lol. If I recall some scientists & economics guys budgeted a real functional Death Star costing several hundred trillion(with a T ) $$$$.

 

Agreed except this part - while they rushed the construction of the big-gun-part of the second Death Star in order to trap and destroy the Rebel Alliance, they almost certainly intended to then finish the battle station, and use it the same way they would of used the first Death Star. The Rebel Alliance is not the only threat to the integrity of the Emperor's rule - without a Death Star under his command, the star system governors could still ditch the Galactic Empire.

 

I wonder if this may be peoples general perception of Luke in EP7... It would explain him being in exile (if that is actually the case).

 

The first Death Star took as long as it did because, of negotiations and building permits. That's at least what George says in the ROTS commentary.

Also I read once that the second Death Star was being built during TESB. It makes sense for it not taking as long because, there is no senate to try to stop the Empire and they have experience from building the first one.