I'm going to say "Yes", not based on what we *see* in the film's official novelisation, but what we *don't see*. ---------- Firstly, I want to get across quite how pants-wettingly scary Vader is. He is quite literally **the most terrifying thing you can imagine**. Waves of "Dark Force" wash off this guy and he can make even hardened rebels run and flee by his mere presence. And he's got a boss. And that boss is somehow *even more intimidating.* The guy who's in charge of making sure the station's working properly, Commander Jerjerrod practically soils himself when he [learns that the Emperor is coming][1] and that he might need to explain to him that the Death Star might not be operational on time. Spin forwards and we see them preparing to fire the main cannon on the Emperor's orders... > *[“Witness the power of this fully armed and operational battle > station][2].” He walked over to the comlink and spoke in a gravelly > whisper, as if to a lover. “Fire at will, Commander.”* > > ... > > *Down in the bowels of the Death Star, Commander Jerjerrod gave an > order. **It was with mixed feelings that he issued the command, because > it meant the final destruction of the Rebel insurrectionists—which > meant an end to the state of war, which Jerjerrod cherished above all > things. But second to ongoing war itself, Jerjerrod loved total > annihilation; so while tempered with regret, this order was not > entirely without thrill.*** Did you see it? Did you see his abject terror that the gun might not fire? **No??** That tells me that it's been test-fired it before. He knows that it's working *before* he presses the button. There's no trepidation, no fear that he might have to go up the elevator to speak to the Emperor about why he just made him look foolish in front of his guest. Sometimes the absence of a thing is as telling as its presence. [1]: https://youtu.be/qQB2NXfJev0?t=2m1s [2]: https://youtu.be/bKEqHDIc4v0?t=8m15s