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According to this, Emperor Palpatine ordered the construction of parts of the second Death Star shortly before the first Death Star's destruction at the hands of Luke Skywalker.

So, I can safely assume that Palpatine had foreseen the destruction of the first Death Star. But still, he didn't order withdrawal of the Death Star from battle. Why?

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    "So, I can safely assume that Palpatine had foreseen the destruction of first Death Star." I disagree. The first one had been finished shortly before, so why not start creating a second right away? No (Force-aided) foresight necessary.
    – Kevin
    Jun 23, 2012 at 17:05
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    "First rule in government spending: why build one when you can have two at twice the price?"
    – gnovice
    Jun 23, 2012 at 17:18
  • @Kevin Second Death Star was repaired and refurbished version of first one. He only ordered some parts. He never intended to create new Death Star..
    – user931
    Jun 23, 2012 at 17:27
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    I've never heard anyone but you suggest the second death star used anything from the first, do you have a citation for that?
    – Kevin
    Jun 23, 2012 at 18:04
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    And I do see "shortly before Luke destroyed the Death Star," I just don't think it was because he foresaw the DS's destruction.
    – Kevin
    Jun 23, 2012 at 18:06

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I don't think there is justification to assume that simply because he ordered the construction of a second Death Star, the Emperor foresaw the first one's destruction.

When the Emperor ordered the creation of the second Death Star, construction on the first had recently finished and the power of the superlaser was tested and proven (via Alderaan). They still had all they needed to work on another, perhaps even more efficiently, having learned from the first. They had the logistics worked out (as much as can be expected of a government project, at least); the designers, workers, and infrastructure was already there and waiting; and the resources were no concern for the Galactic Empire. Palpatine was power-hungry and liked using his big toys to keep everyone in line. All that considered, the timing was perfect for building a second Death Star and so, lacking evidence to the contrary, I can only conclude that said timing was the reason behind the Emperor's decision to go ahead with the second DS and Force-aided foresight of the destruction of the first likely had nothing to do with it.

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    +1 In RotJ there was dialog that addressed some retrofits to remove the vulnerability that existed in the first DS, that put them behind schedule. So the second DS was most likely under construction while the BoY was underway.
    – Chad
    Jun 25, 2012 at 12:42
  • I know when I play Rebellion I like to have 14 or 15 of them running around blowing up those pesky and illegal Rebel bases...remember the quote, Fear will keep the 'local' systems in line. What about systems that are more remote? Need more Giant Balls of Death.
    – Mark
    Mar 27, 2015 at 15:01
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I always assumed that the first Deathstar was pretty much a prototype/proof of concept. Once it was up and around and clearly worked the Emperor would throw as many of them as he could out into the universe.

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