The Best in Fictional Weaponry: The Sun Crusher

*Originally published on 3/11/12



One would think that the Death Star's capability to destroy an entire planet outright would be the end all be all of weaponry, right? Well, that isn't the case. In typical sequel escalation fashion, the Galactic Empire of the Star Wars universe managed to do even one better.

Yes, they created a weapon that is even more fearsome than the Death Star. Said weapon was called a Sun Crusher. It wasn't featured in the movies themselves, obviously, but it was featured in one of the expanded universe trilogies that was published several years ago.

Unlike the Death Star, which was built to be the size of a moon in order to help intimidate those the Empire wished to oppress, the Sun Crusher was the size of a regular fighter.

What it lacked in size, it made up for in sheer power. As the name implies, the Sun Crusher was equipped with a weapon that would launch a torpedo into the heart of a star. This would trigger a chain reaction that would result in the star going supernova.

So, rather than destroy a single planet, the Sun Crusher had the capability to wipe out an entire solar system in one foul swoop. If there is a deadlier, more fearsome weapon of mass destruction out there, I honestly can't think of it.

As if that weren't bad enough, the vessel has no apparent weaknesses. There is no convenient ventilation shaft (although with a much smaller ship, such a vent would be a more difficult target even if it did exist) and while most fighters explode easily enough, the Sun Crusher is made of a quantum-crystalline armor that is pretty much indestructible.

Heck, the heroes were only able to dispose of the one that they encountered by flying it into a black hole. That tells you how resilient this thing was.

Considering how the Death Star was touted as the ultimate weapon, it's funny how much this puts said space station to shame. The galaxy could very well have been royally screwed had this thing been unleashed when the Empire was still alive and strong.

It really does rank as one of the most dangerous weapons out there. The potential kill count a person could rack up with this thing is mind-boggling. It's fitting that I cap off this series with this particular weapon as it hits a level where going back to basic guns and swords no longer seems worth it. It pretty much is the end all be all when it comes to talking about fictional weaponry.