How does the Death Star move?

[Extra-Ordinary]

Maybe they don't tell it where to go on purpose. Maybe it moves around from that tiny exhaust vent. And since it rotates, it just goes in this big circle. That's why it took so darn long to line up a shot with the rebel base. And when it needs needs to change direction, it fires all of it's cannons in the opposite direction and the recoil gets it moving.

 

[Sougo]

This is one of those questions that if George Lucas tried to answer all the star wars fan-base will let out a unified WTF!

Just like the midicloreans hypothesis.

 

[Mr. Gency]

One drawback of the original design was the power systems. Twenty-four hours were required to fully charge the laser. However, even low power shots were capable of massive destruction on a planetary scale. The second Death Star had redesigned systems and was capable of firing the superlaser once every three minutes. It also had improved targeting computers, allowing it to fire the weapon accurately at capital ships.

There were small gaps in the shields of the first Death Star; the Empire believed that this was harmless since only small ships could wiggle through the gaps. The shields of the second Death Star would have had no such gaps.

The second Death Star also corrected several other flaws in the original design. The two-meter exhaust vent that doomed the first station was replaced with millions of millimeter wide tubes, each designed to seal if excess energy was detected. The second station also boasted far more turbolaser batteries with redesigned targeting systems, allowing them to target starfighters more easily. The greatest concentration of turbolasers was located near the Emperor's throne tower.


- Wookipedia: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Death_Star

So what your saying is that Death Star 2 would rape everyone.

Yeah, pretty much.

Thank goodness it wasn't complete amirte?

At lest they were probably making good time building it, though (I mean, it should take YEARS to build something like that.

 

[Iron Lightning]

"Hey - Rebel Scum! Would you be so kind as to come to this system here, and line up all of your ships right here in front of our giant doomsday laser? Thanks a bunch!"

I think they did that it Episode VI

"It's a trap!"

OT: Well, I suppose it could move using an array of small ion engines like the TIE Fighters have.

 

[superbatranger]

Uh...orbit? The force?

Fuck if I know, just go with it, man.

It's the same with the whole "Why didn't Gandalf send Frodo on the Eagles rather than walking" thing. Don't question it.

If Gandalf did that instead, the movie would have been over in 90 minutes.

Magic. That's how the Death Star moves.

 

[Denamic]

Maybe it's just towed into orbit by a fleet of tug boat-like vessels?

 

[Pegghead]

It didn't come up in the movie but Superman was in fact always tied to the back-side of the station via rope. True story, and when the death star blew up at the end of a new hope because he'd been flying all that time to get it to move he sort of catapaulted himself to earth at such a speed that his age instantly reversed and the trauma made him think he was from some bullshit planet called Krypton.

 

[Thedayrecker]

Just go with it.

OT: I thought it used ions and.... I have no clue....

 

[Beasticorn.com]

last time i checked it exploded....so it doesnt move. but how did it move... no i would have to go with the guy who metioned the vacuum of space and all you need is a tiny push

 

[chickenlord]

i think the bigger question is how it makes lazers center to a point in front of it, build energy and is then released in 1 direction! or how its the size of a moon! or why the made a little hole in it that can destroy the whole thing! by if i were to guess i would say it moves with a mixture of ion engines, gyroscopes, anti-gravity... something along those lines

 

[Singularly Datarific]

Engines running on a large supply of plotdeviceium.

Does it really matter? It just needs to move, never mind how. It wouldn't be much of a threat if it didn't.

"Hey - Rebel Scum! Would you be so kind as to come to this system here, and line up all of your ships right here in front of our giant doomsday laser? Thanks a bunch!"

Yeah, why don't the ships just attack it from BEHIND?
It certainly can't turn quickly...

 

[Lim3]

It's space, no friction, just gravity from nearby celestial bodies. I'm fairly sure the first one could travel in hyperspace though since it made the trip from Adleraan to Yavin 4 as fast as the Falcon flies.

Must be able to open up one massive hyperspace window.

 

[Goldeneye1989]

Magnets.

 

[God's Clown]

Vader force chokes the universe causing it to submit and do what he wants. The allows the Death Star to move even withing a means of actually moving.

 

[Dr. wonderful]

One drawback of the original design was the power systems. Twenty-four hours were required to fully charge the laser. However, even low power shots were capable of massive destruction on a planetary scale. The second Death Star had redesigned systems and was capable of firing the superlaser once every three minutes. It also had improved targeting computers, allowing it to fire the weapon accurately at capital ships.

There were small gaps in the shields of the first Death Star; the Empire believed that this was harmless since only small ships could wiggle through the gaps. The shields of the second Death Star would have had no such gaps.

The second Death Star also corrected several other flaws in the original design. The two-meter exhaust vent that doomed the first station was replaced with millions of millimeter wide tubes, each designed to seal if excess energy was detected. The second station also boasted far more turbolaser batteries with redesigned targeting systems, allowing them to target starfighters more easily. The greatest concentration of turbolasers was located near the Emperor's throne tower.


- Wookipedia: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Death_Star

So what your saying is that Death Star 2 would rape everyone.

Yeah, pretty much.

Thank goodness it wasn't complete amirte?

At lest they were probably making good time building it, though (I mean, it should take YEARS to build something like that.

Good time?

Two years! From year aby2 to aby2 I say that good enough time!

 

[krseyffert]

it doesn't have engines, but it has a warp-drive, so it kinda just warps from one place to another

 

[imnot]

HAMSTERS!

Ah, that makes sense.

Well, that's only how it's POWERED.

It moves using the propulsion created by its single exhaust vent!

so are you saying when it blew up, that hamster died D=

 

[FaithorFire]

The Death Star.You know, the massive battle station from Star Wars. Its the size of a small moon. It would need some massive engines to get around. But half the thing is taken up by the laser and it doesn't have the glowing blue engines like every other ship in star wars. So how does it get around?

Since everybody else seems to just be mocking you, I'm going to be a non-conformist and actually try answering you.
I've always assumed it moved with a massive Ion engine, like what TIE fighters use, but much larger and much slower. All the Ion engines would ever need to do is provide enough propulsion to break an orbit. They could get around pretty easily and efficiently with a powerful (but VERY slow accelerating) Ion engine, gravity, and damn good calculus.
An Ion engine (A real thing btw) pulls tiny particles from open space and turns them into exhaust for propulsion, but this process is tremendously slow. My physics professor described it like this: Sit in a rolling chair *on an imaginary frictionless surface* and have someone slowly drop you paper clips. Once you have them, you flick the paper clips opposite the direction you want to move. enough tiny paper clips flicked and you'll be moving. In space you'll stay moving.

 

[VonBrewskie]

The Death Star.You know, the massive battle station from Star Wars. Its the size of a small moon. It would need some massive engines to get around. But half the thing is taken up by the laser and it doesn't have the glowing blue engines like every other ship in star wars. So how does it get around?

It is powered by the hopes and dreams of all the little children in the universe. Also, by copious amounts of angel dust.