Habitation sphere

A habitation sphere was a large artificial orbital structure designed to house large numbers of people.
==History==
Habitation spheres had been present around Coruscant since at least 3640 BBY. This type of space station was known to orbit Imperial Center during the highpoint of the Galactic Empire. They were usually found in orbits above that of skyhooks.Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook
According to a report by Pollux Hax, two giant-sized habitation spheres were constructed in orbit of Coruscant by the planet's great space construction platforms, around the time of the Battle of Endor. The two belonged to a type of large habitation sphere-design known as Worldcraft.
After the Battle of Endor, these two incomplete stations were moved by the Imperial splinter faction known as the Restored Empire and were used in its campaign initiated by Ennix Devian. One was sent to Endor, the temporary headquarters of the Alliance of Free Planets, as part of a feint maneuver. While the station was destroyed,Star Tours Dissension troops stole warships from the Alliance's shipyards in neighboring systems.
The other sphere was sent to the Spawn Nebula and turned into a repair facility/shipyard hub. Here, Devian gathered a fleet and armed many of his warships with ion cannons based on the main weapon of the Confederate dreadnought Malevolence. The station, and much of the fleet, was later destroyed by an infiltration team armed with illerium.
==Behind the scenes==
The artwork depicting the habitation spheres was originally concept art for an early story for Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, in which two Death Stars were being built in orbit of the capital planet of Had Abbadon. As a result, one of the habitation spheres even has the recessed dish on its southern hemisphere where a superlaser would be located.
The manner in which Pollux Hax discusses the spheres, insisting that they are being assembled "strictly for peaceful purposes," suggests the possibility that just the opposite is true—that these may have in fact been further Death Stars early in the process of being built. This supposition was often cited as a source for a third Death Star depicted in the Star Tours ride, and was later confirmed to be the case in Part 2 of the StarWars.com Blogs series The Imperial Warlords: Despoilers of an Empire—the blog post established the third Death Star as a worldcraft, a type of habitation sphere.
==Appearances==
*The Old Republic: Annihilation 
*Star Tours 
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==Sources==
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*The Illustrated Star Wars Universe
*Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook
*Rebellion Era Sourcebook
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==Notes and references==
Category:Coruscant orbital locations
Category:Galactic Empire space stations
Category:Galactic Republic space stations
Category:Orbital stations