Skip to main content

Which is bigger - the Star Forge, or the Death Star?


If you've played Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, you're familiar with the Star Forge:









I haven't found any definitive information regarding the size of the Star Forge, but I know that the conservative estimates for the sizes of the Death Stars are 120 km diameter and 160 km diameter respectively.


Estimates for the Star Forge itself vary DRAMATICALLY:



Star Forge Diameter = 91 kilometers



Star Forge Height = 272 kilometers
- Source



And:



Star Forge Diameter = 11 kilometers


Star Forge Height = 28 kilometers
- Source



I think SF&F can do better than this.



Assuming that these estimates of the Death Stars' sizes are correct, which is bigger? The Star Forge, or the Death Star?



Answer




Based on the information given in the question concerning the specs of the Death Star, its radius is no smaller than 60,000 m, which gives a volume of 9.05 x 1014 m3.


Now, here is the Star Forge:


enter image description here


Based on this information about Hammerheads supplied by the OP,


enter image description here


(in particular that the length of the Hammerhead is 315 m), and based on this video also supplied by the OP,






I used some frames when the Hammerheads are between the fins of the Star Forge to give an upper bound on the diameter of the spherical part of the Star Forge as being at most 20 Hammerheads, which works out to a maximum radius of 3150 m. This gives a volume of 1.31 x 1011 m3 for the spherical part.


Now, there are six fins on the Star Forge, three on top and three on the bottom. Now, let's say that each fin has twice the volume of the sphere, which is a gross overestimate, given how thin they are. That would make the total estimated volume of the Star Forge thirteen times the volume of the central sphere, which is roughly 1.7 x 1012 m3.


This still makes the Death Star a whopping 530 times more voluminous than the Star Forge (9.05 x 1014 divided by 1.7 x 1012).


Even if I make the radius 20 Hammerheads (instead of a diameter of 20 Hammerheads) — which is another gross overestimate on the Star Forge — I still get that the Death Star is bigger, but only by about 65 times.


Another Way to Compare: If we suppose that the Star Forge were a sphere, with radius from the center to the end of the longest fin, that would be about 60 Hammerheads — but let's say 80 to overestimate. This gives a radius of 25,200 m, which is still less than half the radius of the Death Star (and makes the Death Star about 15 times the volume of this sphere), and the actual volume of the Star Forge would be much less than that of this pretend sphere.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

story identification - Animation: floating island, flying pests

At least 20 years ago I watched a short animated film which stuck in my mind. The whole thing was wordless, possibly European, and I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine it... It featured a flying island which was inhabited by some creatures who (in my memory) reminded me of the Moomins. The island was frequently bothered by large winged animals who swooped around, although I don't think they did any actual damage. At the end one of the moomin creatures suddenly gets a weird feeling, feels forced to climb to the top of the island and then plunges down a shaft right through the centre - only to emerge at the bottom as one of the flyers. Answer Skywhales from 1983. The story begins with a man warning the tribe of approaching skywhales. The drummers then warn everybody of the hunt as everyone get prepared to set "sail". Except one man is found in his home sleeping as the noise wake him up. He then gets ready and is about to take his weapon as he hesitates then decides ...

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...

tolkiens legendarium - Did Gandalf wear his Ring of Power throughout the trilogy?

After Gandalf discovered that Sauron was back and sent Frodo on his quest to Rivendell, did he continue to wear Narya (one of the Three Rings)? It seems like a huge risk to continue to wear it after the Nazgûl (Ringwraiths) started to try and reclaim the One Ring; if they managed to get the ring to Sauron, couldn't he be corrupted by his power? Whatever powers Narya bestows upon him couldn't possibly be worth the huge risk, could it? Answer When Sauron forged the one ring and put it on his finger, the other ring bearers were immediately aware of him and his intentions and removed their own rings. There is no reason why they couldn't merely do so again. As soon as Sauron set the One Ring upon his finger they were aware of him; and they knew him, and preceived that he would be master of them, and of all they wrought. Then in anger and fear they took off their rings. "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age," Silmarillion