The original Star Wars had an iconic ending. Luke Skywalker used the Force to guide proton torpedoes into the Death Star’s thermal exhaust port, blowing up the planet-killing superweapon just in time to save Yavin IV and the Rebel Alliance. It was a triumphant moment where a young farm boy and a band of scrappy Rebels were able to defeat a tyrannical Empire with nothing but teamwork and a little faith.
However, a Star Wars fan theory posits that the destruction of the Death Star was part of the Empire’s plan all along. This theory suggests that the Emperor and Darth Vader destroyed their own space station in order to gain sympathy from the galaxy, then framed the Rebellion as merciless terrorists who killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people. It’s a bit far-fetched, but let’s explore how plausible this theory is.
First things first: what would the Emperor gain by blowing up his own Death Star? At this point in Star Wars lore, the Empire had control over the entire galaxy. If the Emperor truly wanted to appear sympathetic, he could’ve peddled anti-Rebellion propaganda videos of a fake Death Star explosion and it would’ve had the same desired effect without sacrificing countless loyal troops.
There’s also the fact that it’s literally a Death Star — a galactic superweapon with a giant laser that destroys planets. It’s not exactly the most sympathetic cause for the galaxy to rally behind. In fact, they’d likely celebrate its destruction like they did at the end of Return of the Jedi. However, let’s give this theory the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps the Empire didn’t promote it as a “Death Star” and rather as a benevolent space station that served as a symbol of stability in the galaxy.
The main problem with this conspiracy theory is that there are variables at play. In order to lend this theory any credibility whatsoever, every belief must be suspended and every devil must be advocated for. Let’s start with some basic questions and try to answer them in the most generous possible way.
If the Emperor was planning on blowing up the Death Star anyway, why did the Empire retaliate when Rebel fighters attacked? It’s possible that they didn’t get the memo; and if Grand Moff Tarkin was in the dark, he wouldn’t have been able to relay the plan to his minions. Why did Darth Vader himself pilot a TIE Fighter to shoot at Luke Skywalker instead of escaping? Perhaps it was his ego — he didn’t want to give the Rebellion the satisfaction of destroying the Empire’s battle station.
Why didn’t the Empire evacuate the Death Star so they didn’t suffer such a high body count? Maybe the imperial ranks were getting overcrowded. Why would the Empire cripple its economy by splurging resources on an immense project that they’re planning on exploding? Maybe currency wasn’t an issue for the Emperor and he just wanted to see some fireworks.
But did the Empire actually want to blow up Yavin IV? Was it pure coincidence that the Empire decided to self-destruct the Death Star seconds before Yavin IV was to be destroyed, and at the exact same time that Luke shot his torpedoes into the thermal exhaust port? This is where the conspiracy theory goes from comically implausible to absolutely confounding.
The truth is, the Empire lost far more than they gained with the Death Star’s destruction. Frankly, they gained nothing. Their superweapon was gone, countless Stormtroopers and imperial officers were killed (including Tarkin) and the rest of the galaxy would soon see the Empire as inept instead of sympathetic. How could this massive Empire let their planet-sized death machine be destroyed by a tiny group of Rebels and a farm boy?
The best way to interpret the ending of Star Wars is by using Occam’s Razor — sometimes the simplest answer is the right answer. Luke used the Force to successfully blow up the Death Star, which severely crippled the Empire’s resources and served as the first major victory for the Rebellion. It’s clean, it’s simple and above all, it’s the only thing that makes sense.
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