Desolation Station Desolation Station was an Imperial outpost charged with overseeing the research behind the implementation of the Death Star , a massive weapon capable of destroying entire planet s . Materiel pivotal in the design of the hyperdrive of the massive superweapon was shipped from the station to the Death Star ' s construction site over the planet Geonosis . During the weapon ' s construction , a convoy from Desolation Station was attacked by Berch Teller ' s rebel cell . Following the failed attack , Teller escaped while the rest of his cell was captured and tortured for information . History . The Death Star . Three years before the rise of the Galactic Empire , the Clone Wars ravaged the galaxy as Separatist systems , persuaded and led by the former Jedi Count Dooku , left the Galactic Republic in droves , leading to galaxy - spanning conflict . Shortly before the official beginning of the war , Geonosian scientist s helped design a planet - destroying weapon known as the Death Star . The battle station ' s plans were given to Dooku , who delivered them in turn to his Sith Master , Darth Sidious . The construction of the superweapon began in secret over the planet Geonosis as the galaxy was mired in the chaos of the Clone Wars . As Sidious became Emperor , and formed the Empire from the ashes of the Galactic Republic , the Death Star ' s construction continued to progress . As construction continued , Desolation Station , together with Sentinel Base , played key roles in overseeing material shipments to the world . Such shipments often stopped at Rampart Station , a marshaling depot , before continuing on to Geonosis . Desolation Station also backed the extensive research behind the project . Scientists from across the galaxy tested hypermatter reactors and debated the positioning of the Death Star turbolaser ' s massive kyber crystal s . Doctor Artoz , a scientist who later rebelled against the Empire , was one such scientist , and was enlisted at Desolation Station after three years of work had already taken place on the hyperdrive components of the Death Star . These scientists took security oaths to ensure that information about the secret weapon would not reach the ear s of the Empire ' s opposition . Information about Desolation Station , such as shipping schedules , was considered top - secret even among the highest ranks of the Empire . Grand Vizier Mas Amedda was left largely in the dark , and even Tarkin had limited access to information related to the station . Trouble with rebels . A large number of Imperials assigned to Desolation Station deserted their posts , thus making their way onto the most - wanted list of the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order , an Imperial agency also known as COMPNOR that was responsible for maintaining Imperial supremacy . Imperial scientists , including Artoz ; officer s , such as Captain Berch Teller , the station ' s head of security ; and even mere warehouse workers fled the Empire in horror after Imperial actions such as the Antar Atrocity , a series of massacres which resulted in the death s of a large number of Imperial loyalists as collateral damage . Many of the deserters joined a rebel cell and fought their own personal war against the Empire , spreading chaos whenever possible . Many of those remaining in the Empire ' s service believed Teller had been assassin ated by COMPNOR , while rumors spread elsewhere that Teller had allowed information concerning the Antar Atrocity to surface , even bringing it to the ears of reporters such as Anora Fair and Hask Taff . Berch Teller , while he was Desolation Station ' s head of security , had access to information pertaining to Wilhuff Tarkin ' s corvette , the " Carrion Spike " . This may have led to the theft of the ship later carried out by Berch Teller and his rebel cell . The theft of the " Carrion Spike " allowed the group to attack key Imperial locations , such as Galidraan Station . These rebels kept tabs on the convoys being sent to Sentinel Base from Desolation Station . At one point , a convoy carrying materials and technology was scheduled to travel from Desolation Station to Geonosis , via a moon coreward of the Gulf of Tatooine , the planet Pii , and Sentinel Base . The rebel cell attempted to disrupt this convoy over the Gulf ' s moon , estimating that the attack would set work at Desolation Station back roughly four years . This endeavor ultimately failed , and Teller ' s crew was captured and interrogated — though Teller himself escaped — ending the insurrection . Aftermath . After Teller ' s cell was defeated , Tarkin met with the Joint Chiefs of the Imperial Army and Navy , as well as several officers overseeing intelligence agencies . Together , they reconfigured the schedules and personnel of Desolation Station , performing thorough background checks on each scientist and officer stationed there . They dictated that no shipments would travel without ample defense , and restricted the HoloNet to Imperial use only . Many saw the latter action as evidence of an imminent Imperial takeover of the Outer Rim . Tarkin also formed regulations greatly restricting contact between workers on Geonosis and the galaxy , and formed defensive flotilla s around Geonosis and Desolation Station . Pirate s and smuggler s in the surrounding space were hunted down , and the officers in charge of the search were ordered to kill them on sight . Behind the scenes . Desolation Station first appeared in the Nintendo DS version of " " , a " Star Wars " Legends video game that was released on November 13 , 2009 , before the Expanded Universe was effectively retcon ned on April 25 , 2014 . The location became canon when it was mentioned in " Tarkin " , a novel written by James Luceno that was released on November 4 , 2014 .