dont know how old this is, but i got a kick out of it.

http://www.dorkly.com/article/17253/8-lines-that-would-have-ended-star-wars-real-fast

Yavin IV isn't a planet. :\

"No life forms? **** that, I'm shooting it anyway."

I will never understand why the empire decided to orbit yavin, instead of just blowing it up.

If they are really shooting pods with life forms, like they imply they are, I can't fathom why they'd hold fire on one just because it didn't.

It's just no fun shooting at pods when no lifeforms are onboard.

I'll have you know lasers are extremely expensive, their restraint in firing that one beam saved a fortune!

maybe the big gun needs a really long cool down or recharge before it can fire again... blow up one planet, rebels evacuate, empire left standing around holding their dicks

I sure hope they saved two Death Stars' worth.

Or maybe I don't, because they're the bad guys? I don't know.

As a matter of fact, the original Death Star had a 24-hour recharge time when it fired at full power.

"These are the droids you're looking for."

This made me :-DDDD

But Yavin IV orbits Yavin. What do you think's going to happen to Yavin IV when Yavin explodes?

The entire deathstar is wasteful overkill. It's for show, not for destroying planets. They could have just flung an asteroid at Alderan.

Of course you do. You're a lawyer.

Its great to think of the empire in such human terms (see clerks and independent contractors). Collectively holding their dicks.... That Oscar Wilde like writing if i ever heard it.
And as matty pointed out, 24 hour recharge, yet they fixed that for RotJ.

That 24hr recharge isn't mentioned in the movie.

I doubt it required full power to destroy a star ship when you're dealing with a planet-destroying gun.

Also, wasn't yavin a gas giant? They could have used it at less than half an ignited it.. Assuming of course that the gasses in question are flammable...

I have a feeling it would take more than 24 hours to burn up all the gasses.

yeah, but the heat generated from the gasses burning would destroy any life on the moons.

Nothing that would have prevented the rebel assault?

What, it would have exploded, killing them all.

Why would Yavin IV explode when Yavin explodes?

Because an enormous gas giant, which is shown not to be that far away, exploded.
Hell they could probably just shoot the damn laser straight through and atleast damaged the planet if you're going with "The laser wouldn't have blown up a gas giant it would have gone through".

Gentlemen let us not forget that we are talking about a giant spacestation and a superweapon in a fictional work.

I happen to hold a PHD in fictional superweapons thank you very much.
I rarely get to cite that credential.

You are correct, and I think people forget what the Empire was all about at this point in the movie. Up until this point, they have been a growing force over the galaxy, crushing the last of any form of republic/democracy, and up to this point, a small "terrorist" group of rebels (they are "scum") has been threatening what is otherwise peace in the galaxy. In their belief, they have had the means to crush opposition's actions, but not their will, and thus a doctrine of fear of power instead of power itself was meant to take place. Thus, it was in the Empire's interest to take their time to destroy the Rebels, to further solidify fear for everyone, like some Friday the 13th/Halloween movie where the killer just keeps coming ever so slowly. Let's not also forget that, with the exception of Vader, just about everyone is pretty confident that nothing could stop the Death Star -- even the Rebels considered it a long shot and they only succeeded because they had a Jedi-in-training in their ranks.

So yes, the Death Star was for show, and it would have been a very effective show.

**** YOU GET OUT

Anyways I think that ford brings up an amazing point. You think the empire would have some sort of scientist to figure that out.


*chanting* I do believe in star wars I do believe in star wars I do I do I do *chanting*