Would Princess Leia have access to the DS Plans?

No, I don't think that's the case at all. I believe Palpatine was building the Death Star in secret. Even if he wasn't, members of the Senate probably don't have access to Top Secret military materials unless they are cleared. It's likely the Emperor determined who was cleared and who wasn't.

Which is why it was necessary for there to be "Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base..."
 
When I was going back through some old late 90s SW Insider mags, someone asked a question about how much control the Empire had at the beginning of ANH. The person answering the questions said that from dialogue in ANH we know that the Emperor still didn't have complete control because someone mentions capturing Leia might garner sympathy from the Senate. So they were still somewhat wary of the Senate. The Emperor also knew starting around AOTC that there were senators who were trying to contain his political power so he knows by ANH they are funding the rebels. So I seriously doubt anyone in the senate would know anything about the Death Star. They were waiting on the Death Star to become operation to dissolve the Senate and take complete control.
 
When I was going back through some old late 90s SW Insider mags, someone asked a question about how much control the Empire had at the beginning of ANH. The person answering the questions said that from dialogue in ANH we know that the Emperor still didn't have complete control because someone mentions capturing Leia might garner sympathy from the Senate. So they were still somewhat wary of the Senate. The Emperor also knew starting around AOTC that there were senators who were trying to contain his political power so he knows by ANH they are funding the rebels. So I seriously doubt anyone in the senate would know anything about the Death Star. They were waiting on the Death Star to become operation to dissolve the Senate and take complete control.

This.

I'm guessing it may not have been a secret that Palpatine/Empire was brewing up some new weapon/base/project. It was probably too big to hide in terms of the financial & organizational dent. But maybe its full power was kept under wraps.

Imagine the US Navy trying to build & run an entire new 2000-foot-long supercarrier in secret. That would be quite a stunt. The lower-order materials (steel, interior furnishings, basic utilities, etc) could be buried in among other projects. But it would be hard to hide the higher functions like the nuke plant & airplanes & human specialists. They would need a bunch of cover stories to explain all the resources & people being collected for it.


"Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station."

The DS was like nuclear bombs - it was such a potent military weapon that it crossed over into being a political one. Palpatine made his final move to consolidate power when his ultimate weapon was ready.
 
Last edited:
Well there was the old EU thing where they told people it was going to be used to take out or mine large asteroids that were a danger to planets.
 
Back
Top