The Rise of Skywalker: Are the Death Star ruins from the first or second one?

The Death Star was a massive deal in the original trilogy and known for blowing up worlds. However, which one did we see in the Star Wars: Episode IX trailer?

A friendly debate rose during Star Wars Celebration about the Death Star ruins seen in the first trailer for The Rise of Skywalker. Did we witness the ruins of the first or second battle station?

The Death Stars have been major players in the original films and served as a way for the Empire to scare planets into submitting or rebelling against them. However, the Empire didn’t take credit for the design. Galen Erso, the father of Jyn, had his design used against him.

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This trigger point served as a weakness that the rebellious learned of and used to their advantage. During The Rise of Skywalker trailer, we got a glimpse of ruins of one the world-destroying weapons.

First Death Star

Since the trailer dropped at Celebration, people became convinced the battle station remnants shown were part of first Death Star. The trailer never states where Rey and company are so let’s go in deeper.

We’re aware Alderaan became a target as one of the first planets destroyed after NaJedha’s moon, Jedha. Tarkin targeted the world to teach Leia a lesson. However, Yavin came close to going ka-boom too. The uninhabited planet’s fourth moon, Yavin 4 sat in the firing line of the original weapon because of the Rebel Alliance.

The first thing we need to discuss is the location of the ruins. It’s not Geonosis. The eradication of the native population saw to that.

Scarif is next on our list and it’s easy the ruins were from the DS-1. The planet’s alliance fell to the Empire. It’s unlikely they enjoyed having super weapon remains on their planet.

Since Alderaan’s destruction, no place exists for the ruins to land. Our last guess would be Yavin. The planet was a gas giant with an uninhabitable climate, so it wouldn’t be here. Our best bet would be Scarif if the wreckage ends up being the Death Star 1.

The Second Death Star

Unlike the predecessor weapon, the second Death Star had places where the debris might’ve landed. The obvious place would be the Forest Moon of Endor. However, the moon contained 8% surface water that would’ve made up a few lakes but nothing spectacular.

However, the Endor System itself contained eight other moons. The rubble could’ve fallen to any of them. The forest moon was bigger than the others. What we forget is Endor isn’t the only place the fragments might have landed on.

Like the first weapon’s destroyed counterpart, the second Death Star targeted planets from a long distance. Chandrila served one of those planets targeted by the second super weapon.

Final Thoughts

Whether you think the ruins are of the first or second Death Star, you’re not wrong, but you’re not right either. While the evidence could lead to either super laser will be an epic scene for the final film in the Skywalker Saga.

We want to hear your thoughts on this subject. Are the Death Star ruins from the first or second weapon? Sound off in the comments below!