Planetary shield generator

Planetary shield generators were powerful deflector shield generators capable of protecting planets or cities from orbital bombardment. Two main types of planetary shield existed; encasing shields and shutter shields.

Encasing shields were an older model and were either on or off at any one time. They provided a solid wall of protection but did not allow defenders to fire out of the shield. Designated gaps known as firing slots or firing gaps were permanent openings in the shield, and were high priority targets during an attack. Encasing shields were cheaper and more common, and easier to maintain. In addition to blocking weapons fire, encasing shields blocked sensors. An example of an encasing shield was MerrWeapons' WorldArmor 9 Planetary Shield.

Shutter shields were interlocking shields that could cover large sections of a planet. They were not solid walls but were adjustable, capable of overlapping and combining to allow the defenders to fire out at the enemy, or allow starships and starfighters to leave. DefenStar Ltd. manufactured the Nyalsan II Planetary Shield, an example of a shutter shield.

The Galactic Empire used a CoMar SLD-26 planetary shield generator on the moon Endor. The generator was used to project a defensive shield around the second Death Star which was in orbit.

Text and facts from the “Planetary shield generator” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.