Mandalorian Season 3 could introduce the most powerful weapon in Star Wars
Destroying a whole planet? That’s nothing.
The Death Star was the ultimate weapon. It was so important that when the first one was destroyed by Luke Skywalker, the Empire just started from scratch and built a new one. But in Star Wars’ Legends pantheon, there lies a far more powerful superweapon, one with not only the power to destroy entire planets, but entire star systems. Here’s how it could be introduced in The Mandalorian Season 3.
Within the non-canon timeline, in 11 ABY (the year after The Mandalorian Season 2 takes place) Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Jedi Kyp Durron stumbled upon the remains of the Maw Installation. This installation was built by Grand Moff Tarkin as a research facility for the Empire. It was where the Death Star was designed, but it was more or less forgotten after Tarkin’s death.
But construction at the Installation went on, and their creation was beyond anything anyone imagined — The Sun Crusher. The Sun Crusher was a nearly impenetrable ship with a simple ability. It could turn the sun in the middle of any star system into an instant supernova, destroying all the planets revolving around it.
Lost Legends is an Inverse series about the forgotten lore of our favorite stories.
An in-depth look at the Sun Crusher from The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology.
While Han Solo and Chewie were able to steal the Sun Crusher in Jedi Search, a Legends novel, the world of The Mandalorian is very different. But the two have something in common: a young Jedi with vast amounts of power, still trying to figure out how to use it. Kyp Durron managed to use his Force powers to maneuver the Sun Crusher through the system of black holes that hid the Maw Installation from view.
In The Mandalorian, we’ve seen how strong Grogu’s Force powers are, but his use of them is still very much a work in progress. We know Yoda could lift a whole X-Wing out of a marsh on Dagobah, but Grogu prefers to spend his time smashing storm troopers together out of anger. What Grogu needs as he continues his training is a huge object to show the control and strength he’ll have in the next season. Cue: the Sun Crusher.
Kyp Durron and the Sun Crusher
A superweapon is exactly the sort of thing Moff Gideon would pursue. His plan currently is to scrounge together an army within the ruins of the Empire. Within Legends, there’s a giant weapon sitting in hiding after the Empire falls, which is Moff Gideon’s dream come true. After two seasons of small-scope fights over the Darksaber, Season 3 needs to expand. What better way than with the most powerful weapon ever featured in Star Wars?
The Sun Crusher is indicative of a time in Star Wars Legends when stories weren’t limited by what could possibly be depicted on a screen, so a sun-imploding ship was totally fair game. Now, decades later, the limits of what can be shown on screen are gone, especially with the cutting-edge technology used in The Mandalorian. It’s time to show what Star Wars TV can do.
The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+.
