- 13 minutes ago
Though insignificant next to the power of the Force, these weapons are still terrifying.
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00:00Alongside lightsabers and the Millennium Falcon, one of the most iconic aspects of Star Wars
00:05is its constant use of superweapons.
00:08These weapons and their destructive capabilities have been, and always will be, a mainstay
00:13across the space opera, with new writers of the films, shows, comics and games seemingly
00:18always finding a way to either utilize a pre-existing superweapon from Star Wars Legends or Canon,
00:25or invent a completely new terror machine for the heroes to inevitably blow up.
00:31So with that in mind, I'm Josh from WhatCulture.com, and these are the 10 deadliest superweapons
00:36in Star Wars.
00:37Number 10, World Devastator.
00:40The World Devastators or World Smashers were created by the Dark Empire in the Star Wars
00:46Expanded Universe, and were one of the most useful superweapons used by the Imperials.
00:51The large machines were equipped with strong tractor beams on their lower halves, meaning
00:56they were able to tear the surface beneath them, causing complete and utter chaos.
01:01Unlike Death Stars, for instance, these World Devastators were not merely planet-killing machines.
01:07No, no, no.
01:08These superweapons could be used to ruin a planet's surface, stomping out rebellious defense while
01:13harvesting the resources of the planet that it was actually wreaking havoc upon.
01:18These resources would then later be used to both power the machine's foundries, which
01:22produced warships and weaponry, as well as fueling itself, making the World Devastators
01:28very sophisticated yet very terrifying machines.
01:31The World Devastators were first seen in Star Wars Dark Empire back in 1992, where they began
01:37to devastate the New Republic's temporary homeworld, Mon Calamari.
01:41It was only through R2-D2 creating a virus, which would then be fed to the machines, that
01:46Luke Skywalker was able to destroy the World Devastators and free the planet from the Imperial destruction.
01:52Number 9, the inhibitor chip.
01:54When Revenge of the Sith released in 2005, there was virtually no explanation as to why
02:00the clone troopers turned against the Jedi that they had been fighting with for years,
02:04and just execute them with no remorse.
02:07For a long time, the explanation of this betrayal remained a contentious topic, with writers choosing
02:13to opt for the idea that the clones were loyal to the Chancellor and the Republic first and
02:17foremost, and so any order coming from Palpatine was to be immediately followed without hesitation.
02:24However, with the sixth season of The Clone Wars, this idea had changed.
02:29See, the show introduced the inhibitor chip as the cause of the clones' turn.
02:33While strictly not a megastructure, inhibitor chips were placed in every clone during their
02:38creation, and were then used to control the soldiers' every action.
02:42Therefore, because of the chip, Palpatine was able to strip the clones of their free will,
02:47and force them to kill their friends and generals through Order 66.
02:51The chip was also used for other evil orders as well, namely Order 37, as this order forced
02:57troops to round up nearby civilians and murder all of the innocents if a Jedi did not show
03:03themselves.
03:04Number 8, Malevolence.
03:06Seen in the first season of Star Wars The Clone Wars, the Malevolence was a separatist
03:10heavy cruiser and flagship of General Grievous, which had a pair of massive ion cannons on its
03:16hull and the ship's port.
03:18When fired, the blast disrupted any starship it came into contact with, and these ships had
03:24all of their energies, weaponry, and defense measures disabled, meaning they were completely
03:28vulnerable and were usually destroyed in a matter of moments by the Malevolence's many
03:33laser cannons.
03:34Now, not only was the warship equipped with its dangerous ion and laser cannons, but the
03:39Malevolence also carried an abundance of vulture droids, rocket battle droids, and a
03:43plethora of B1s, B2s, and droidy cars on board, making an invasion of the ship a herculean
03:50task.
03:51Still, what the Clone Wars proved is that no matter how dangerous a weapon might be,
03:55a well placed bit of Jedi ingenuity could overcome and stop it, as was proven when Obi-Wan Kenobi
04:02and Anakin Skywalker crashed the ship into a nearby moon.
04:06Number 7, Mass Shadow Generator.
04:08The Mass Shadow Generator was a horrifyingly destructive superweapon created by the Jedi Knight
04:15Revan, that was able to pull local natural shadows created by celestial bodies, with it then
04:20unleashing a deadly blast annihilating anything on and above the planet it was stationed at.
04:27In an attempt to end the Mandalorian Wars once and for all, Revan lured a massive Mandalorian
04:32fleet to Malachor V, where the generator would then be activated, which drew many ships into
04:38a gravity vortex and crushed them, as well as fracturing the planet itself.
04:42Because of the Mass Shadow Generator, Malachor V became a broken graveyard of both Republic
04:47and Mandalorian warships, with nearly all life on the surface being completely annihilated.
04:53Number 6, The Death Star.
04:55The first and of course most recognizable superweapon in Star Wars is the Death Star.
05:01Appearing in a new hope, the Death Star could produce a powerful blast, which could range
05:05from destroying a city to an entire planet.
05:08And considering the Death Star was a complete and fully operational battle system, one of the
05:13biggest dangers the superweapon posed to the galaxy other than its laser blasts, was
05:18its maneuverability.
05:19See, the Death Star was fully equipped with a hyperdrive, meaning it could travel to virtually
05:24anywhere in the Star Wars universe.
05:26Therefore, if the Empire deemed a planet to be a threat, the station could get from one
05:31side of the galaxy to the other and completely obliterate the planet, as was seen with the
05:36rebel sympathizing Alderaan.
05:38The Death Star's only weakness was an intentional flaw created by the rebellious Galen Erso, but
05:43even that didn't stop it from coming back in Return of the Jedi, but more on that in a
05:47bit.
05:48Number 5, Sun Crusher.
05:51Residing in Star Wars Legends, the Sun Crusher was created by the Empire, and would fire energy
05:56resonance torpedoes which burrowed into stars, collapsing their core, and ultimately causing
06:02a supernova, which would obliterate an entire star system.
06:06As well as this devastating weapon, the machine was also equipped with a hyperdrive, making
06:10it even more dangerous than it initially seemed, for reasons that I just explained in the Death
06:15Star entry.
06:16Worse still, the Star Crusher was coated in a powerful material, quantum crystalline armor,
06:21which was so strong that all fire from starships would just bounce off it, making the Crusher
06:27nearly invincible.
06:28And in the Star Wars Legends continuity, the Sun Crusher was used to destroy the Cauldron
06:33Nebula, and was only stopped when it was sucked into a black hole, and you know something's
06:38pretty hard when it's only weakness is a literal black hole, like that's just badass.
06:43Although the Sun Crusher is not part of canon, its capabilities make it a complete nightmare
06:48for the galaxy, with its power being nearly unbelievable.
06:52Number 4, the Death Star 2.
06:54Being much bigger and more destructive than the first, the second Death Star was a fun,
06:59albeit kinda lazy addition to Return of the Jedi.
07:02As well as the laser dish, the battle station was equipped with tens of thousands of heavy
07:07turbo laser and super blaster cannons, making it a nearly invincible and impenetrable fortress.
07:13And whilst the weapon was never used to eradicate a planet, it was used several times to destroy
07:18a few Mon Calamari starcruisers with ease.
07:21So not only was the Death Star 2 a planet destroyer, but it was also a fleet killer.
07:27Still much like its predecessor, the second Death Star had a few major weaknesses.
07:32I mean, by Return of the Jedi, the battle station itself was still under construction, despite
07:37it being fully armed and operational.
07:39This meant that the weapon had to be tethered to the forest moon of Endor, where a
07:43shield generator provided defense for the Death Star whilst it was being completed.
07:48And as the film shows, when that reactor was destroyed, the entire weapon collapsed.
07:53Number 3, the Final Order Star Destroyers.
07:56One of the many, many failings of The Rise of Skywalker was its insistence to cram in yet
08:01another superweapon amongst its overbearing original trilogy pandering.
08:06Even so, the Final Order's Star Destroyers were very powerful indeed, with them being nearly
08:11as dangerous as Starkiller Base itself.
08:14See, the Star Destroyers had all of the abilities of the Death Stars, that being planet killing
08:19laser fire, but the Phantom Emperor had hundreds of them, making them the most hazardous superweapon
08:25in terms of mobility.
08:26If you wanted to, Palpatine could destroy hundreds of planets in one go with the Star Destroyers,
08:31making them exceptionally dangerous.
08:34Even so, the Star Destroyers suffered heavily from lacking many defensive measures.
08:38As the Rise of Skywalker shows, the large cannons attached to the bottom of the ships were very
08:44delicate and susceptible to attacks of any kind, so a few torpedoes would start a chain
08:49reaction of explosions, ultimately resulting in the ship's destruction.
08:53Number 2, Starkiller Base.
08:56One of the biggest focuses of The Force Awakens' plot was Starkiller Base.
09:01Although it was only used once on screen, the base was able to produce a planet killing
09:06laser, by channeling the strength of its local star.
09:09The laser itself had the capability to split once it had been fired as well, meaning that
09:14it could actually hit and destroy more than one target with a single blast.
09:18This was of course seen during the events of the film, where the First Order used the
09:22weapon to destroy Hosnian Prime amongst other Republic planets, which essentially gives Snoke
09:28clearance to reinstate a form of Imperial rule, since every major planet that had governed
09:33the galaxy no longer existed.
09:35Because of this, the Starkiller Base is more dangerous than both Death Stars combined, simply
09:40because it could destroy multiple planets at once.
09:43Number 1, The Star Forge.
09:45Included in the 2003 classic Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, the Star Forge is quite
09:51possibly the most dangerous superweapon in Star Wars history, hence it getting the number
09:56one spot.
09:57Created by the Rakata, the Forge fed off the dark side itself, and was capable of utilising
10:02nearby components to mass-produce starships and weapons at an exceptionally fast rate,
10:08much like the World Devastators.
10:11Put in the wrong hands then, and someone would have enough resources to take over the entire
10:15galaxy.
10:16And this nearly happened after Darth Malak gained control of the Forge, and began an operation
10:22to crush the Republic and take over the Star Wars universe.
10:26It was only due to a redeemed Bastilla Shan that the Star Forge was able to fail.
10:30Although certainly not the flashiest superweapon on this list, the potential of the Star Forge
10:36makes it the deadliest and scariest superweapon in the franchise.
10:40With enough demented determination, a Sith Lord could choose to either conquer the galaxy,
10:45or wreak total havoc on it with the Forge, without any hope of stopping them once they got going.
10:51So, that's our list.
10:52I want to know what you guys think down in the comments below.
10:54What do you think of these Star Wars superweapons, and are there any incredibly powerful ones
10:59I missed off here?
11:00Let me know, and while you're down there, could you please give us a like, share, subscribe,
11:03and head over to WhatCultureStarWars for more lists like this on the regular.
11:06Even if you don't though, I've been Josh, thanks so much for watching, and I'll see you soon.
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