Bevel Lemelisk Bevel Lemelisk was an engineer and architect who designed , among other things , six superweapons with the power to destroy a planet : the Death Star prototype , the Death Star , the second Death Star , the " Eclipse " , the " Tarkin " , and the " Darksaber " . Starting his career by working for the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars , Lemelisk studied under Nasdra Magrody , and worked alongside such illustrious designers as Doctor Walex Blissex . He aided Blissex in designing the " Victory I " - class Star Destroyer , which would remain a staple in military flotillas decades after its initial creation . When the Galactic Empire rose to power in 19 BBY , Lemelisk was tasked by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin with the development of the Death Star battlestation , which would have the power to destroy entire worlds . The Death Star ' s development and subsequent construction ensued for years , with Lemelisk working at the Maw Installation alongside designers including Frap Radicon and Umak Leth . When the station was finally completed , it was destroyed by the Alliance to Restore the Republic at the Battle of Yavin . Furious at the fact that the Alliance had been able to locate and exploit a fatal flaw in the design , Emperor Palpatine had Lemelisk executed , and subsequently resurrected in a clone body . Palpatine ordered Lemelisk to design a new Death Star , one that did not possess the same fatal flaw as the original . During development , the Emperor executed and resurrected Lemelisk a further six times . Though he succeeded in eliminating the original flaw , the Alliance once again destroyed his creation while it was under construction at Endor . Palpatine died his first death there , effectively allowing Lemelisk to avoid yet another execution . After a brief stint designing the " Eclipse " , news of Palpatine ' s return reached the architect , prompting him to flee . He found work in the employ of the Hutt crime lord Durga Besadii Tai , who tasked him with the creation of the Darksaber superweapon . Though his designs were more efficient than they had ever been , inferior workmanship and materials doomed Durga ' s weapon before it had even had a chance to be used . Per Lemelisk ' s predictions , the weapon failed and was destroyed , with Lemelisk himself captured by the New Republic . Four years later , he became one of the few people executed by the Republic for genocide . Biography . Early career . Bevel Lemelisk was a Human male who was born during the latter years of the Galactic Republic , and at some stage in his early life , Lemelisk was instructed by the esteemed engineer Professor Nasdra Magrody of the Magrody Institute of Programmable Intelligence . Amongst his classmates was the scientist Doctor Tolum Harous , and Lemelisk ultimately embarked upon a career as both an engineer and an architect . At some point , Lemelisk worked with the Geonosians , an insectoid species from the planet Geonosis , to assist in the production of their attack craft , and he eventually became involved in the development of the Death Star , a project for which he would become best known . The concept of the Death Star , a battlestation with the power to destroy entire worlds , was first conceived by the starfighter designer Raith Sienar as the " Expeditionary Battle Planetoid , " and steps to bring Sienar ' s vision into a realty were first taken in 29 BBY , when Wilhuff Tarkin , commander of the Republic Outland Regions Security Force , promoted the idea to the leader of the Republic , Supreme Chancellor Palpatine . Having expressed a strong interest in the project , Palpatine appointed Lemelisk to pursue advances in hypermatter science that would be required in order to construct such a gigantic space station . Over the next few years , progress was made on developing the initial Death Star concept . As architectural planning for the station commenced , Lemelisk ventured to Geonosis , were he worked alongside the Geonosians to resolve some remaining power - supply and structural concerns that plagued the design . As Lemelisk refined the plans for the station , he made several significant departures from Raith Sienar ' s intial vision , and he placed the Death Star ' s hangars in orientation with station ' s gravity systems , rather than at various angles along the station ' s surface as Sienar had planned . After the outbreak of the Clone Wars , a large - scale conflict between the Republic and the breakaway Confederacy of Independent Systems , Lemelisk began working directly for the Republic . In his new role , he aided the starship engineer Walex Blissex in the development of the " Victory I " - class Star Destroyer and also produced various other weapons of war for the Republic Military . Before the Clone Wars , Lemelisk had been forced to curb his appetite for destruction , and had kept his ideas for weapons of terror to himself . While working with Blissex , however , his ideas came to the fore to a minor degree , although he was still forced to keep quiet about what he truly dreamed of . When the Republic became the Galactic Empire following the Declaration of a New Order in 19 BBY , Lemelisk was finally given an opportunity to put his ideas into practice , devising a wide array of vastly destructive weapons . Death Star . Design . A well - respected architect , Lemelisk found himself constantly in the employ of Emperor Palpatine ' s Galactic Empire . At some point , he ascended to the position of Master of Imperial Projects . In his Imperial service , Lemelisk designed many of the Empire ' s more sophisticated space stations , and he became re - involved with the Death Star project , which was now under Imperial control . Wilhuff Tarkin , who now held the position of Grand Moff , was appointed with overall jurisdiction of the scheme , but though a visionary , Tarkin was in truth a man with little real understanding of engineering . With the help of many subordinate architects and engineers , Lemelisk forged a more practical form for the station from Tarkin ' s initial ideas at the Maw Installation think - tank , located within a black hole cluster known as The Maw . Palpatine , hoping to keep the project running , began diverting funds into the top secret project from space exploration and public works faculties . Lemelisk took to each of Tarkin ' s challenges with great enthusiasm , meeting with the Grand Moff constantly . Tarkin specifically requested things such as a single weapon with the ability to destroy planets , adequate defense against capital ships and the like , and a hyperdrive unit that could send the gargantuan station from system to system . In addition to that , Tarkin wanted the station to be self - sufficient , with adequate facilities to reproduce vital supplies . Lemelisk swiftly put the ideas into practice , and although he exceeded the Grand Moff ' s expectations in areas , he was forced to disappoint him at times . To sustain the massive superlaser array , the station would have to forgo all but the most rudimentary shielding systems , although Lemelisk was confident that the station ' s surface - to - air defenses would make up for it . Lemelisk was unable to develop a hyperdrive that could allow the station to achieve great hyperspace speeds and though he believed at best he could engineer a Class 3 hyperdrive for the station , he warned Tarkin that the station might only be able to achieve Class 5 or Class 6 speeds . The Death Star was ultimately equipped with a Class 4 hyperdrive . During the design process , Lemelisk suffered a near - fatal choking from someone ( implied by Tarkin to be Darth Vader ) , and was forced to rehabilitate in a bacta tank for a short while . In the interim , Tarkin had a professor continue the architect ' s work . Eventually , his plans were altered and elaborated on by a variety of different scientists brought to the Installation by Tarkin . Amongst Lemelisk ' s colleagues in the Death Star development were Frap Radicon , Umak Leth , Ohran Keldor and Qwi Xux . Lemelisk also recruited the Twi ' lek scientist Tol Sivron , a close associate of Tarkin , to conduct research to assist with the development of the Death Star , though in the interests of security Lemelisk deliberately limited Sivron ' s access to data so that the Twi ' lek would not be aware that they were working on a superweapon . Lemelisk served as something of a mentor to some of the less senior participants in the station ' s development , such as the Omwati Xux . So as to not scare or disgust Xux with the destructive nature of the Death Star project , Lemelisk insisted that the weapon would have legitimate , peaceful uses . At first , Lemelisk started to design a prototype , drawing his plans on reusable durasheet scrolls . After a short period , the blueprints would fade away , preventing the information from falling into the wrong hands . The Death Star prototype was built and refined at the Maw Installation , guarded by Admiral Natasi Daala . When that had been appropriately tested , Palpatine gave his blessing to a production version . Lemelisk was given the role of chief engineer , and Lord Darth Vader was attached to the project , serving as a supervisor . To better oversee the progress of the battlestation ' s development , Tarkin had the architect extracted from the Maw Installation . During the Death Star ' s construction , Lemelisk hosted a debriefing of Insmot Bowen , an expert on the pre - Republic period from the Obroan Institute for Archaeology , on Imperial Center . Also in attendance , representing the Imperial Military , were Admiral Conan Antonio Motti , and General Arhul Kurumenga from the Imperial Department of Military Research . During the debriefing , Bowen posited his theories about the Celestial s , namely their domination of the galaxy prior to the emergence of the Republic and their extraordinary capacity to " build " star systems , much to the derision of Motti in particular who was quick to dismiss Bowen ' s claims . Lemelisk was curious , however , and Bowen provided the example of the Corellian system and its irregular planetary orbits , along with 16 other planetary systems that exhibited the same traits . Lemelisk wanted to know just what was supposedly utilized to artificially manufacture these star systems , to which Bowen suggested that devices such as the Cosmic Turbine responsible for the Vultar Cataclysm was of Celestial origin , and that the Corellian system ' s Centerpoint Station would be a suitable location for further research . Kurumenga shared Lemelisk ' s curiosity , but Motti continually mocked and derided the concept . Nonetheless , Lemelisk forged ahead with the debriefing , and Bowen further suggested that Centerpoint was used by the Celestials to pull stars and planets through hyperspace . Skeptical as to the level of energy required to accomplish such a task , Lemelisk contemplated the destructive capabilities of Centerpoint within Bowen ' s scenario , which Bowen acknowledged . He then went on to theorize that the hyperspace barrier surrounding the galaxy and the anomalies of the Deep Core might also be attributed to Celestial influence , and even went on to suggest that the entire universe was a pattern of their design , to Motti ' s ire . As the debriefing continued , Bowen moved on to the topic of the Celestials ' adversaries , the Rakata n Infinite Empire , and their dependency on the Force . Motti was concerned that the discussion was entering treasonous territory , clashing with the doctrines of the New Order , but Kurumenga managed to assuage those fears . Lemelisk encouraged Bowen to continue , and the Obroan expert proceeded to detail the Infinite Empire ' s history of enslaving hundreds of worlds across the galaxy , and driving the Celestials somehow out of the public consciousness . Bowen utilized a holoprojector for the next part of his demonstration — he believed that the Celestials had " survived , " as common motifs appeared in the ancient art of civilizations that were in contact with them . Lemelisk identified some of the reliefs from the ancient districts of Imperial Center , but was curious as to what exactly had become of the Celestials . Based on the grimoire s of the Gree Enclave , Bowen ' s theory was that the Rakatans , when originally enslaved by the Celestials , had risen up against rival species such as the Killik s and the Kwa , and reached a level of technological advancement that was only rivaled by that of the Celestials themselves . However , a plague tore through the Rakatan populace , and while their own slave species , such as the humans , the Devaronians and the Gossam were able to reverse - engineer Rakatan technology to " not " require the Force , the Rakatans themselves dwindled to a minute number . Catching on to Bowen ' s drift , Lemelisk suggested that those species built their own respective empires with the Rakatan technology , which Bowen agreed with . Despite the extensive discussion , Motti still did not see the relevance to the issues of the Empire at the time , to which Bowen posited his final suggestion : that although the Celestials had disappeared in the wake of the uprising , there was no evidence that they had been conquered . The possibility of their return , Bowen believed , still existed . Construction . When construction on the Death Star itself came to fruition , Tarkin and Lemelisk began moving the project from site to site to avoid sabotage attempts from the Alliance to Restore the Republic . Eventually , construction was taken to the Horuz system , where Tarkin kept constant watch over his pet project . Lemelisk employed Imperial Masticator s , spherical craft refined from a Geonosian masticator design , to break down asteroids in the system and smelt ore to be pressed out as hull plates for the station , and to maximize efficiency , he designed the spheres so that they themselves could be easily dismantled and smelted down for use in construction . To make crew training easier , Lemelisk made use of existing standard Imperial designs for the station ' s interior . Deadlines loomed , however , as Palpatine wanted the station complete in time for his planned disbandment of the Imperial Senate . Lemelisk found the penal workers on Despayre , the planet the Death Star orbited while being built , to be inadequate , and made sure Tarkin knew his feelings on the matter . The Grand Moff had the entire work crew executed as a result , and then took the architect along with him to a " recruitment drive " on Kashyyyk , home of the Wookiees . Lemelisk was not particularly familiar with the Wookiees , but since they had built the Maw Installation , he was aware of their enormous strength . He watched on as Tarkin ' s men fired on a Wookiee village , incarcerating the children while taking the men and women as slaves . Back at the construction site , the Wookiees were reluctant at first to work , but with sufficient punishment , drugs , and sonic negative - stimulation transmitter s , they were soon brought to heel , speeding production up . When production slowed down once more , Vader visited Tarkin and Lemelisk , hoping to " inspire " the workers . He executed two foremen , to the architect ' s shock , and had their bodies put on display for all the other workers to see . Though he was appalled at the Sith Lord ' s methods , Lemelisk could not deny that the work from the slaves was more satisfactory after that incident . Even as the building of the weapon ensued , research continued , with Lemelisk doing some of his work at a facility in the city of Trid on the planet Danuta . Flight and death . The station was completed , but Lemelisk was given little time to rest , as he was quickly reassigned to work on the development of Torpedo Spheres . The Spheres , inspired by the Death Star , had been commissioned by Palpatine himself . Shortly after finishing work on them , Lemelisk was summoned to Eriadu by Tarkin , who hoped to give him a tour of the completed battlestation . The pair were en route to the Horuz system when their shuttle , piloted by Tarkin ' s slave , Ackbar , fell under attack from Alliance BTL Y - wing starfighter s . Ackbar , who had arranged the attack as part of a defection scheme , lowered the shuttle ' s shields , and as a result , the craft was pummeled by the Alliance attackers , knocking Lemelisk and Tarkin around the ship ' s cabin . Thinking quickly , the pair jumped into the shuttle ' s escape pod , and were retrieved shortly thereafter by Admiral Motti , who had planned to escort them to Horuz . They then received word that the Death Star plans had been stolen by the Alliance at the Battle of Toprawa , but Tarkin was unconcerned , believing that the Rebels would be more fearful of the station if they had a full understanding of what it could do . Despite the apparent setback , Lemelisk was on board the Death Star to observe the Destruction of Alderaan . Before Tarkin took the station to hunt down the Rebel base , however , he and his fellow designers were dropped off at Carida . This was fortunate for Lemelisk , since the Death Star was subsequently destroyed at Yavin 4 . The Alliance , studying the stolen plans , had found a flaw in Lemelisk ' s design — the station ' s two - meter - wide thermal exhaust port — and had exploited it by having one of their pilots fire a proton torpedo into the opening . The station exploded as a result , killing Tarkin in the process . Fearing for his life , Lemelisk went into hiding , taking refuge in his private retreat on Hefi . However , later reports suggested that Lemelisk ' s flight to Hefi may have been mere rumor , and might not have occurred at all . Despite his best efforts , agents from Imperial Intelligence located him and took him back to Imperial Center . By the time of his arrival on Imperial Center , however , Lemelisk had no knowledge of the Death Star ' s failure , and began preparing himself for a commendation from Palpatine . As he stood before the Emperor , a cage dropped around him , while Palpatine informed him that the Death Star had in fact been destroyed . To the architect ' s initial surprise , Palpatine did not want him executed , at least not permanently . The Emperor " was " greatly disappointed with the failure of the superweapon , and chose to use Lemelisk as an example to others who would fail him . Furthermore , the design flaw exploited by the Alliance had stemmed from the architect ' s own work . Lemelisk could do nothing as a swarm of flesh - eating piranha beetles came up through holes in the floor . As soon as one of them bit the architect , all of them began to eat him , slowly tearing away at his flesh . They entered his ears and slashed his eyes , blinding him and putting him in excruciating pain for an hour . As a result of his critical wounds , Bevel Lemelisk died . Death Star II . Lemelisk awakened shortly afterward in a clone body , his consciousness transferred by Palpatine ' s dark alchemy . The Emperor realized that a man of Lemelisk ' s talents could not be wasted , but he had felt the need to teach the architect a lesson . While Lemelisk was recalling vivid memories of his own death , Palpatine made clear what he " did " want : a new Death Star , one that would not possess a single design flaw . Amazed at the fact that he was allowed to live , viewing the new project as an intellectual challenge , and motivated by fear , Lemelisk set about his task , making sure the new station fit Palpatine ' s requirements perfectly . Making a point not to replicate the flaws of the first battlestation , he focused on the new project entirely . Instead of the comparatively large thermal exhaust port that had allowed the Rebels to destroy the original Death Star , Lemelisk designed millions of millimeter - wide heat dispersion ducts . The ducts served the same purpose as the exhaust port , but were virtually invulnerable to blaster or torpedo attack , due to the addition of emergency baffles that would dissipate the energy of any successful hit . With the flaws eradicated , Lemelisk set himself about improving on the original Death Star in other ways . To start with , he enhanced the station ' s superlaser targeting system and rate of fire . This allowed it to target and destroy moving targets , such as capital ships . The architect also made the station significantly larger in size , to accommodate the larger power supply units needed to operate the enhanced weaponry and systems . To fend off starfighter attack , Lemelisk inserted many batteries that could create a blanket of anti - starship fire . When completed and carrying its full TIE Fighter complement , Lemelisk believed that the new battle station , dubbed the second Death Star , would be invincible . During production , Lemelisk was executed by Palpatine a further six times whenever the Emperor perceived any slowness or lack of enthusiasm from the architect . Using the dark side of the Force , Palpatine shuttled Lemelisk ' s consciousness through six new clones , testing the process to see if he himself would be able to survive it one day . Lemelisk ' s deaths took on a different form each time — he was thrown out of an airlock , lowered into a vat of molten copper , and trapped in a vault with clouds of acid mist , amongst a variety of other methods of execution . While working on the Death Star II , Lemelisk was assigned by Palpatine to build the " Tarkin " , which was essentially a stripped - down version of the Death Star featuring only the destructive superlaser . Construction of the station commenced near to the planet Hockaleg , and Lemelisk used the station as a testbed for refining the ship - mounted superlasers for the Empire ' s under - construction " Eclipse " - class dreadnought superweapons . At some point he also recalled the experience of his first death to the anthropologist Mammon Hoole , who would eventually publish it over a decade after Lemelisk ' s final death . During the station ' s development , he found himself on Kuat , where he was the subject of a kidnapping attempt undertaken by the Trandoshan bounty hunter Bossk , who was working for the Zann Consortium . Presenting his new designs to the Emperor , Lemelisk boasted that the second Death Star could only be destroyed while it was under construction . While Palpatine believed the claim and had his workers begin construction on the new station , Mon Mothma , leader of the Alliance , also understood that the station would be vulnerable . She was able to amass a fleet over Sullust , and launched an attack on the station while it was being built over Endor . In the resulting battle , the station was destroyed , and Palpatine died his first death . Lemelisk was relieved , as he could not imagine just what the Emperor would have done to him had he survived the Death Star ' s failure . Palpatine would later return in a clone body , and replace Lemelisk as Master of Imperial Projects with Umak Leth . Life after Palpatine . In spite of his return , Palpatine was widely believed dead . In the wake of the Endor fiasco , Lemelisk traveled to Kuat , and joined the Imperial design team there , where the " Eclipse " , the first of the gargantuan " Eclipse " - class Star Dreadnoughts , was under construction . Lemelisk applied his superlaser expertise to the ship , granting it the power to crack a planet ' s crust . The New Republic , successor to the Alliance , captured Kuat , forcing the " Eclipse " team to retreat to the Deep Core . Lemelisk , however , chose not to follow them , as he had begun to hear rumors of Palpatine ' s resurrection and wanted to give his former master as wide a berth as possible . Instead , Lemelisk chose to fall in with Durga Besadii Tai , a Hutt crime lord , who controlled both the Besadii clan and the Black Sun crime syndicate . Durga intended to have Lemelisk build him a superweapon that could match the Death Star for power . In order to generate adequate resources for the project , Lemelisk also designed Automated Mineral Exploiter s — large cargo containers with moving mechanical mouthparts on one end that would seek out high concentrations of valuable metals in asteroids , and then retrieve them . Durga was adequately impressed with the machines , and put them to use in the Hoth asteroid field . During a test of the machines , however , two of the Exploiters turned on and eventually destroyed each other , incurring Durga ' s wrath . Though Lemelisk had asked not to be disturbed as he was working on a complex three - dimensional crystal - lattice puzzle , he was brought before the Hutt lord . Darksaber . Design . Discovering what had happened , Lemelisk tried to soften the blow of losing the two Exploiters by retroactively labeling them " prototypes . " He reasoned that delays were to be expected , and he would be able to reprogram the machines so such a thing would not occur again . The architect then urged Durga to refocus on the construction of a new superweapon , for which Lemelisk would need the original Death Star plans to work from . Durga stole the plans from Coruscant , giving them to Lemelisk to incorporate into his superweapon design . Lemelisk tackled the project with the same relish and enthusiasm he had when he had designed the first Death Star . In his new design , Lemelisk stripped away everything from the Death Star plans , until he was essentially left with just the superlaser complex , much like his design for the " Tarkin " . Although the station itself was smaller , Lemelisk increased its power , since the reactor core would essentially only have to power the weapon itself . Instead of choosing a spherical design , Lemelisk went with a cylindrical one . As the weapon looked much like a gargantuan lightsaber , the architect dubbed it " Darksaber . " Durga was adequately impressed with the plans , and gave the go - ahead to begin construction on the superweapon . Construction . Construction commenced in the Hoth asteroid field , with the hive - minded Taurill being used to build the superweapon . The Taurill were an idea of Durga ' s , and one that the architect initially deemed inspired , but many years later historian Voren Na ' al would erroneously credit Lemelisk himself with the decision . The architect spent hours explaining the project to the Taurill , and though he was at first apprehensive , he soon understood that the primates would be able to complete the task with speed and enthusiasm . While Durga was away on Nal Hutta briefly , the project was overseen by General Sulamar — a boastful Imperial officer whom Lemelisk despised . Pleased to see his project take shape , Lemelisk would observe construction from Durga ' s Orko SkyMine ship . Sulamar claimed that he would be able to obtain surplus Imperial computer cores for the project , but Lemelisk severely doubted the general ' s ability to do so . The only real problem Lemelisk had with the Taurill was that they were easily distracted by things such as asteroids colliding . When they returned to their work , they were often in different positions to where they had been beforehand , effectively creating flaws in the station . One day , while observing the construction , Lemelisk noticed that a large portion of the Darksaber ' s framework was in the wrong position . Incredibly frustrated , he reprimanded one of the Taurill , which was all he needed to do ; due to their hive - mind , the entire colony would get his message . Lemelisk ordered them to tear apart the incorrectly built section and start again , hoping that neither Durga or Sulamar would notice the error . In two days , the Taurill were able to disassemble and reassemble the erroneously built superstructure . At one point , Lemelisk thought Sulamar would discover the mistake , but the general failed to notice the problem . While the Taurill were still fixing errors in the construction , Lemelisk was contacted by Durga and summoned to Nar Shaddaa , where he was to inspect Sulamar ' s surplus computer cores . It was a trip that Lemelisk did not want to take , and he was fearful of any possible encounters with the lowlifes that walked the Vertical City ' s streets , but he grudgingly set out to do his duty . To his amusement , the computer cores turned out to be archaic , and designed for use with sewer systems . Lemelisk surmised , however , that he would be able to make them work with the Darksaber ' s systems , after heavy modification . Durga surprised him by appearing during the architect ' s inspection of the modules , but Lemelisk assured him that units would be up to the task , before returning to the construction site . Despite the architect ' s claims , the modules would constantly crash and fail during construction . Failure and capture . Development and construction was further hindered by Durga ' s reliance on inferior materials , dooming the project before it had even been completed . Working with Sulamar to overcome delays , Lemelisk faced threats from Durga , who insisted that he would suffer the same repeated deaths he had sustained under Palpatine . Lemelisk , however , doubted that Durga could pull off the feat as the Emperor had , and found himself fearing a botched job more than yet another death . Nevertheless , Durga planned to use the Darksaber to extort protection money from star systems across the galaxy . His actions caught the attention of Chief of State Leia Organa Solo , who dispatched General Crix Madine on an investigation mission . As construction neared completion , Lemelisk took up residence on the Darksaber itself . While observing the Taurill at work , he spotted a ship entering the system and nearing the superweapon . Naturally , the Taurill were distracted , forcing Lemelisk to personally inspect their further work to see if it was following his design . The inspection depressed Lemelisk , as he realized that he actually had little real hope for the superweapon , and that Durga ' s reliance on inferior materials would prove to be his undoing . The architect also came to the realization that the station was more likely to destroy itself than anything else , if the construction had not followed his designs exactly . Soon after construction was finally completed , Lemelisk , Sulamar , and Durga met to plan their extortion strategies . Before they could , alarm klaxons went off , and an explosion wracked the superweapon ' s engine room . Durga ' s subordinates reported that the Darksaber had been infiltrated , with one saboteur killed and another captured . In a fit of rage , Durga began ranting and raving about executions , causing Lemelisk to reminisce about his many deaths at Palpatine ' s hands . The captured saboteur was revealed to be Madine , who was brought before Durga . Madine immediately recognized Sulamar from his days in the Empire , and revealed that the " General " was in fact little more than an incompetent technician . Lemelisk greatly enjoyed the revelation , and as Sulamar spluttered in rage , Durga ordered him to surrender his blaster and sit in the pilot ' s chair . As Madine shed further light on the truth of Sulamar ' s activities , the embarrassed " General " insisted that they execute the saboteur in an elaborate fashion . The bemused Lemelisk , who had been constantly bullied by Sulamar , scoffed at the man ' s suggestions , claiming that Palpatine came up with far better ideas in that regard . After a brief exchange between Madine and Durga , the crime lord nonchalantly shot the Republic general . As Lemelisk enviously watched the permanently dead Madine being carried off the Darksaber ' s bridge , Durga ordered Sulamar to power up the engines . When the Hutt mentioned that he planned to begin using the weapon as soon as possible , Lemelisk began to panic , insisting that the Darksaber needed to be tested first . Durga ignored the architect , forcing Lemelisk to abandon his new master and look after himself . Claiming that he was leaving the bridge to inspect the superlaser complex , Lemelisk stole away to the Darksaber ' s launching bay and hijacked an inspection scooter . Piloting it away from his latest compromised creation , he decided he would take his chances out in the open of the Hoth asteroid field . Before he had died , Madine had been able to send out a distress signal to General Wedge Antilles , who responded by bringing in his fleet to attack the Darksaber . They engaged the superweapon , but it was ultimately destroyed when two large asteroids hit it simultaneously in a sandwiching effect . Lemelisk ' s scooter was picked up by Antilles ' frigate , the " Yavaris " . On board the frigate was Qwi Xux , one of Lemelisk ' s colleagues from the Death Star development . Xux immediately recognized Lemelisk , and accused him of deceiving her at the Maw Installation , as he had insisted that the weapons they designed would not be used for destruction . When Lemelisk responded in disbelief that despite her brilliance the Omwati was extremely naïve , Antilles told him that he would likely be tried for war crimes and executed , a fate Lemelisk accepted and resigned himself to . Final execution . By the time his career as a scientist and architect had ended , Lemelisk had created no less than six superweapons — the Death Stars and their prototype , the " Eclipse " , the " Tarkin " , and the Darksaber — that each carried the ability to destroy planets and entire populations . In New Republic custody , he was tried for crimes of genocide on Coruscant , and held on Orinackra for four years , although he was briefly given the opportunity to study the worldcraft owned by the late Lord Hethrir . He was also charged with using slave labor , prisoner labor , exploiting planetary populations and sometimes destroying them in the process , and committing other crimes in the process of constructing superweapons . He became one of the few individuals to be executed by the New Republic for war crimes , offering little more than defiant indignation in his final moments , requesting that his firing squad make sure they " do it right this time . " Personality and traits . An ambitious and ingenious man , well - respected for his work , Bevel Lemelisk was proud of the technical achievements he had made , especially breakthroughs in things such as superlaser technology . Though he feared Palpatine , he was confident enough to make boasts about the vulnerability or lack thereof concerning his improved Death Star II . He was not a perfectionist , however , and did not have to be due to his connections to high - ranking Imperial officials . With those connections he was safe in the confidence that he would always have a job , and so his work did not always have to produce designs and solutions that were premium . At the same time , he disliked failure , and would not tolerate it even from himself . Nevertheless , he was a practical man , and would always caution against impractical designs or technologies . When presented with a particularly difficult challenge , Lemelisk went giddy with excitement , as he generally relished such opportunities when designing . He presented a jovial side of his character to the public , constantly joking or complementing others . But he was never truly happy unless he was designing weapons of mass destruction , forcing himself to restrain his dreams and aspirations during his work for the Galactic Republic . While working for the Empire , however , Lemelisk was allowed to make his dreams become reality , and jumped at the chance to do so . He viewed his work on the second Death Star as a test for his intelligence , displaying his amoral side by caring little for the deaths of innocent people that could have been caused by his creation . The engineer believed that those deaths and the subjugation of the entire galaxy were " irrelevant . " Lemelisk was so focused on his work that he cared very little for his own health , and grew corpulent over the years . He did not like to be disturbed while working on projects or puzzles , and would grow indignant when interrupted . While working for Durga , he found himself constantly cowering before the Hutt lord . Contemptuous of Durga , he eventually attempted to talk down to the Hutt during his meetings , but would often be humbled by his new master ' s violent temper . He would also clash frequently with Durga ' s military supervisor , Sulamar , often calling into question his suitability for the role he had been given . The architect did not like certain non - Humans , such as the Mon Calamari . While touring the first Death Star with Tarkin , Lemelisk sat in a shuttle piloted by the Grand Moff ' s slave , Ackbar . Simply being near the Mon Calamari made Lemelisk sick to his stomach . Although he respected the Wookiees for their strength , he found their refusal to embrace modern technology contemptuous . During construction of the first Death Star , Lemelisk was far more concerned about deadlines than the well - being of others . Lemelisk was also a forgetful man , neglecting to remember things such as the need to eat , or shave , or the fact that the Death Star had failed at Yavin . To pass the time when he was not designing or overseeing construction , he would work on puzzles that tested the limits of his intelligence , and would grow exceptionally angry if interrupted . Lemelisk was also a curious man when it came to galactic history — he was notable more curious and open - minded than the likes of Conan Antonio Motti , and was willing to humor the theories of experts such as Insmot Bowen . Lemelisk stood at a height of 1 . 67 meters , and had white hair and brown eyes . Behind the scenes . Bevel Lemelisk was first mentioned in 1990 ' s " " , written by Michael Stern . " Galaxy Guide 5 " gave minor details about Lemelisk ' s involvement in the original Death Star project , and more significant ones about his involvement with the Death Star II . Bill Slavicsek ' s " Death Star Technical Companion " , released the following year , expanded Lemelisk ' s role with the original Death Star , and embellished upon his personality . After brief mentions in 1994 ' s " Jedi Search " and 1995 ' s " Children of the Jedi " , Lemelisk made his first appearance in Kevin J . Anderson ' s " Darksaber " , as a supporting character . The subplot concerning the construction of the " Darksaber " is mostly told from Lemelisk ' s perspective , intertwined with multiple flashbacks further fleshing out the architect ' s work on the original Death Star . Bill Smith ' s " The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels " , published in 1996 , retroactively tied Lemelisk to the " Tarkin " superweapon . The " Tarkin " had first appeared 1981 ' s " " , nearly a decade prior to Lemelisk ' s creation . In 1998 , Lemelisk was given his first visual depiction , in " " . The picture of Lemelisk , however , conflicted with descriptions in " Darksaber " and the " Death Star Technical Companion " , particularly concerning the color and style of his hair . This was later remedied in 2000 ' s " The Essential Chronology " , which featured a drawing of Lemelisk by Bill Hughes that more closely followed the earlier descriptions . Lemelisk was originally going to appear in the prologue of 2012 ' s " The Essential Guide to Warfare " . Author Jason Fry wrote of Lemelisk , Admiral Conan Antonio Motti , an unnamed general representing the Imperial Department of Military Research , and Dr . Insmot Bowen discussing various mysterious events within the galaxy , with Bowen positing that they were the result of ancient Celestial technology . However , the prologue was replaced with Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik ' s account of the Battle of Andalia . Del Rey editor Erich Schoeneweiss felt that an account of a battle from a witness would better allow the reader to become involved with the work , and Fry begrudgingly agreed . Inconsistencies . Anderson created a contradiction concerning Lemelisk ' s biography , specifically that he was not aware of the Death Star ' s destruction at Yavin when he was brought before Palpatine . The earlier " Galaxy Guide 5 " had established that Lemelisk was well aware , and had fled to Hefi to escape retribution . In 1998 ' s " Star Wars Encyclopedia " , penned by Stephen J . Sansweet , Lemelisk ' s flight to Hefi is mentioned as being " possibly apocryphal . " However , it is presented as fact once again in the " Encyclopedia " 2008 update , " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " , retaining the discrepancy . Non - canon biography . " A Death Star Is Born " . In the early stages of the Death Star ' s production , Lemelisk joined Wilhuff Tarkin and Tol Sivron on a journey to Imperial Center , where they met with Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine to discuss some details of the Deep - Space Mobile Imperial Battle Station . To start with , Palpatine wanted the name changed . Despite suggestions from both Lemelisk and Sivron , the Emperor went with Vader ' s suggestion of " Death Star , " much to Tarkin ' s ire . After making a failed request to have safety rails installed in the battlestation ' s interior , Palpatine pointed out that the thermal exhaust port was " too freakin ' big , " and as a result , Tarkin had Lemelisk and Sivron contract it to approximately two meters in width . Leaving the meeting , Lemelisk accidentally left the holoprojector of technical readouts to the " Death Star " behind . Vader retrieved them and urged Tarkin to be more careful in the future . . . but the last panel implies Vader only returned an unrelated holoprojector the team had brought by mistake , and kept the one actually containing the plans for himself .