Editing Death Star (section)

===Special effects===
[[File:Starwars explosion.jpg|thumb|The explosion special effect depicted in the 2004 Special Edition of ''A New Hope'']]
The grid plan animation shown during the Rebel briefing before the Death Star attack in ''A New Hope'' was an actual computer-graphics simulation developed by [[Larry Cuba]] at the [[University of Illinois Chicago]] alongside computer graphics researcher [[Tom DeFanti]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Christopher |last=Borrelli |title=Blueprints for 'Star Wars' Death Star were created at UIC |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-star-wars-evl-lab-ent-0524-20170523-column.html |access-date=June 26, 2023 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=May 23, 2017 |archive-date=June 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626052636/https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-star-wars-evl-lab-ent-0524-20170523-column.html |url-status=live }}</ref> George Lucas had recruited Cuba for the project after becoming familiar with his and [[Gary Imhoff]]'s work with [[CalArts]] at the [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/news/death-star-plans-are-in-the-main-computer-and-special-postcard|title=The Death Star Plans ARE in the Main Computer - StarWars.com|date=December 11, 2014|access-date=October 22, 2016|archive-date=July 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719001758/https://www.starwars.com/news/death-star-plans-are-in-the-main-computer-and-special-postcard|url-status=live}}</ref>

After filming was complete, the original model, as well as one of the surface setpieces, were to be thrown out, but they were eventually salvaged.<ref name="saving-the-death-star">{{Cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/news/saving-the-death-star-how-the-original-model-was-lost-and-found|title=Saving the Death Star: How the Original Model Was Lost and Found|author=Gus Lopez|work=StarWars.com|date=December 10, 2015|access-date=November 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123184345/https://www.starwars.com/news/saving-the-death-star-how-the-original-model-was-lost-and-found|archive-date=January 23, 2022|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="screenrant-original-model">{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/original-death-star-model-saved-star-wars/|title=How the Original Death Star Model Nearly Ended Up in the Trash|author=Kevin Yeoman|work=ScreenRant|date=December 19, 2016|access-date=November 14, 2019|archive-date=July 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729050320/https://screenrant.com/original-death-star-model-saved-star-wars/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ThrownOut">{{cite web|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/ebay-is-auctioning-off-an-original-piece-of-the-death-s-1826358222|title=Ebay is Auctioning Off an Original Piece of the Death Star|author=Julie Muncy|work=io9|date=May 18, 2018|access-date=January 19, 2019}}</ref>

The Death Star explosions featured in the Special Edition of ''A New Hope'' and in ''Return of the Jedi'' are rendered with a [[Praxis Effect]], wherein a flat ring of matter erupts from the explosion.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jullier |first1=Laurent |last2=Welker |first2=Cécile |date=2017 |title=Les Images de Synthése au Cinéma |trans-title=Synthetic images in cinema |series=Focus Cinéma |language=French |publisher=[[Armand Colin]] |chapter=Vers la maturité photorealiste |isbn=978-2-200-61938-1}}</ref>