While the Death Star is most famously destroyed in A New Hope , its origin story is a dark, almost clandestine thread woven into the climax of Revenge of the Sith . The film doesn't depict the battle station as a finished weapon; instead, it reveals its conceptual birth and physical construction as the ultimate symbol of the Empire’s coming tyranny.
The most direct reference comes near the film’s end. After executing Order 66 and defeating Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, Anakin Skywalker—now Darth Vader—stands with his new master, Emperor Palpatine. On the galactic capital of Coruscant, they observe the construction of a massive, skeletal structure in the distance. Palpatine, with chilling satisfaction, declares: "Once more the Sith will rule the galaxy, and we shall have peace. ... The Death Star will be completed, and will serve as a testament to our strength." star wars revenge of the sith death star