Star Wars has introduced a new kyber superweapon. The Jedi have always understood the danger posed by kyber crystals. Although these living crystals are key to lightsabers, the Jedi know that their ability to channel and focus energy can be abused. As Master Yoda reflected in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, "Long ago in forgotten times, when the Sith and Jedi fought for control of the galaxy, weapons there were, of unimaginable power" - and they almost all used and abused the power of kyber crystals. As a result, it's perhaps unsurprising that other kyber superweapons form a key part of Star Wars' history.
The secret of weaponizing kyber was lost in the mists of time, even to the Sith, but Rogue One: A Star Wars Story revealed it was rediscovered by Galen Erso. One of the galaxy's best scientists, Galen was forced to work for the Empire, where he figured out how to use kyber crystals to power the Death Star's super laser. Fortunately Erso never actually believed in the philosophy of the Empire, and he sabotaged the Death Star, installing a weakness that meant it could be destroyed by a single shot down its thermal exhaust port. But the Death Star was only one of the Empire's kyber-powered superweapons; when the Empire discovered the sacred Jedi world Ilum, they began to convert it into Starkiller Base, a process that took even longer than the Death Star's construction.
Justina Ireland's Star Wars novel, Mission to Disaster, reveals another kyber superweapon - thankfully one the Emperor never learned of. In the book, young scientist Avon Starros learns how to control resonations passing through a kyber crystal and channel them into the ground of a planet. Placed carefully, devices containing a resonating kyber crystal can trigger local faults - and, on tectonically unstable worlds, they can even begin to crack a planet like an egg. Avon was forced to help Nihil scientists work on the weapon, triggering a planetary disaster, but fortunately its secret seems to have been lost in the mists of time.
Star Wars has always loved superweapons, and it's not particularly surprising to see new ones emerging as the franchise continues to expand into the High Republic Era. The Jedi won't have kept any record of this one, however, and Avon Starros never intended to make a superweapon in the first place - meaning this one has probably been forgotten by the galaxy. Certainly, Emperor Palpatine - who always coveted superweapons - doesn't seem to have known about it.
There's a rich degree of irony to this. The Emperor wanted planet-killers, leading the Empire to invest vast quantities of kyber in two Death Stars and Starkiller Base. But Avon Starros' kyber superweapons only required small amounts of the precious crystal, meaning the Emperor could have weaponized kyber in far more creative ways. Fortunately, his focus on the more spectacular superweapons may well have prevented his scientists from figuring out other ways to create kyber superweapons - saving the Star Wars galaxy from a lot more destruction.
