http://cache.io9.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/io9.com.png http://io9.com/tag/death star http://io9.com/tag/death star

As iconic as the spherical death-bringer is, the inner tinkerings of the Death Star still remain a great mystery. For example, if the Death Star suddenly materialized in the Solar System, how much energy would the vessel require to pulverize the Earth into bloody gravel? More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5876473&view=rss&microfeed=true

Serving the Galactic Empire comes with some murky moral questions: Is the Rebel Alliance really a terrorist organization? Is political stability worth the destruction of an entire planet? Should I serve in a military that doesn't even teach me how to shoot properly? As the short film "Love Wars" reveals, those questions become even more complicated when you're hiding the fact that you're gay.

More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5876196&view=rss&microfeed=true

Is that a bearded, lightsaber-wielding Han Solo?! You bet your ass it is. This t-shirt features early concept art drawn up by none other than legendary concept designer Ralph McQuarrie — the man behind much of the look and feel of the original Star Wars trilogy. This is just one of over 20 new Star Wars tees being sold for $25 apiece over at Welovefine.com, so check out the gallery for a sampling of our favorites, then go drool over the rest of them. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5827536&view=rss&microfeed=true

We've always assumed our sun was the only star in our solar system, but maybe not. We could be in a binary system, with a brown dwarf hiding in the Oort cloud. And it could be bombing us with comets. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5493925&view=rss&microfeed=true

What can Star Wars teach us about war? Political bloggers can't help but look at the original trilogy through the lens of real-world counter insurgency tactics, leading them to wonder if the Rebel Alliance was fighting the wrong battles. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5350220&view=rss&microfeed=true

It's not just Lucasfilm's HQ in the Presidio district; io9's very own Annalee, Charlie and myself leave our hearts, as well as all of our other internal organs and all the rest of us, in San Francisco as well. But if you're wondering what it is about this particular city by the bay that's so particularly science fictionally special, then I guess we can finally share: It's the fact that we have a Death Star hanging over our heads at all times. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5037942&view=rss&microfeed=true

One of the most underexposed Star Wars villains could be getting more of an outing soon. Grand Moff Tarkin only appeared in the original Star Wars, before exploding along with his precious Death Star. But Peter Cushing's iconic evil bureaucrat also had a brief appearance in Revenge Of The Sith — played by Wayne Pygram, Farscape's uber-villain Scorpius — and now it looks as though you can see him again in the trailer for the animated Clone Wars movie and TV series. Fans are even speculating that Pygram could play him again in the new live-action TV show. Click through for details. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5015127&view=rss&microfeed=true

It takes a lot of energy to zip around the stars standing akimbo in your rolled-down boots. So the best battlecruisers and starships have really powerful energy sources. But what's the most powerful spaceship or station, in terms of energy output? This isn't just an idle question, because we'll need to know which fictional technology to aim for, when we finally conquer interstellar space. Click through for our ranking of the least and most powerful spacecraft. (Hint: It's not the Death Star!) More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=361674&view=rss&microfeed=true

If you're an evil genius or a superhero with things to hide, then you've probably thought about investing some serious dough in a secret lair. But with real estate prices being what they are these days, and the pesky need to kill the architects for hidden bases after they finish, you might want to get one of these classic lairs. Either that, or copycat away and make yours bigger and better. Check out the top five secret lairs in this edition of "evil mastermind cribs." More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=351667&view=rss&microfeed=true Futurama was canceled by FOX four years ago, but thanks to the online agitation of its fan base, the show has been resurrected as a series of four feature-length direct-to-DVD releases. The first of these, Bender's Big Score, hits the market today, and boy, does it essentially suck. OK, feature-length money plus feature-length production schedule means stunning animation. Too bad a dynamic, richly colored look is paired to the usual gag pile-up that, for plenty of under-obsessive viewers, doomed the original series to poor ratings. Why tell one great joke when five in a row will do? More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=326963&view=rss&microfeed=true

Thursday night, Fox threw a redcarpet hootenanny at the Arc Light in L.A. for its first direct-to-DVD feature release of Futurama. "Bender's Big Score," which comes out November 27, marks the sporadically amusing franchise's return to grandeur. The occasion was celebrated, of course, by making voice-over artists pose for paparazzi shots and trotting out a guy in a Bender suit. Klaatu barada nikto! Gallery and spoilers after the jump. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=323831&view=rss&microfeed=true