A new video has hit the web showcasing what the Death Star’s iconic laser blasts would look like as realistic lasers. The legendary space station is one of the most beloved locales of the franchise. Appearing in the original Star Wars in 1977, it remains one of George Lucas’ earliest and most successful sci-fi creations.
The Death Star first appeared in Star Wars (a.k.a A New Hope) when the first film in the saga premiered over 40 years ago. In that film, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), and the rest of the motley crew infiltrate the battle station to rescue Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). They return to the Death Star later in the film to destroy it before The Empire decimates the rebels’ Yavin base. The Death Star would reappear in Return of the Jedi, with Luke boarding it to face down The Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) and bring balance to the force. In the years since the original trilogy, audiences have seen the original designs for the Death Star in Attack of the Clones, watched the plans for the space station be stolen in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and even saw a showdown between Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in The Rise of Skywalker.
With such history behind it, one notable element of the Death Star is the fact that its planet-destroying laser does not operate like a real-life laser. To remedy this, a new video has debuted on the EckhartsLadder YouTube channel to show what the Death Star’s laser would look like in the climactic battle of Return of the Jedi if it operated under real-world conditions. Check out the video below.
The above video shows a less visually impressive Death Star blast, but it’s certainly more realistic and far more effective in combat. Unlike the film version of the Death Star laser, which emits a bright, kyber crystal-powered green beam, this video offers up a version of the Death Star laser that is invisible and can be quickly aimed at numerous ships at once. The result is something far deadlier than the film version, cutting to credits before the battle is complete.
Watching this video, it’s worth remembering that Star Wars has seldom concerned itself with realism. The franchise’s depiction of science-based concepts like space and lasers has always veered closer to fantasy than science, and that’s likely because it allows for greater storytelling flexibility and increased drama. As time goes on, however, it’s entirely possible that the franchise could eventually skew closer to realism in its take on the galaxy far away as future Star Wars movies debut. That being said, only time will tell if the Star Wars franchise will ever decide to take its depiction of lasers in a more realistic direction, let alone return to the Death Star.
Source: EckhartsLadder