What happened to the Starkiller Base at the end?

Question

When Starkiller Base is:

destroyed, as everyone is flying away from it, it appears to turn into a planet-sized star itself.

Is that what happens, or did something else happen,

like the whole surface turning molten hot or something?

As an aside - please stop including the word "spoiler" in the title of your question. — Dr R Dizzle, Dec 22 '15 at 11:41
What exactly is being asked here? You wonder if base was still operational? if place was still habitable? if anyone survived? you want description of physical processes that took place? I don't understand what issues must be addressed by answer for you to accept it. — Mirek Długosz, Dec 22 '15 at 11:51
@DrRDizzle Apologies. Won't do it anymore. Wasn't sure what the policy of this Stack Exchange was toward TFA spoilers. — user339676, Dec 23 '15 at 00:51

score 14 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 16 '20 at 09:31

14

According to the novelization, the entire planet imploded, leaving a binary system, meaning that the destruction created another star or a similar planetary body.

In moments they were beyond the atmosphere of the imploding planet. The jump to lightspeed was accomplished without incident, preventing them from observing the final cataclysm. Which was just as well.

A moment after they fled, Starkiller Base system became a binary.

When describing the results of the Starkiller's attack on the Hosnian System, the novelization uses a similar description.

In its wake, the detonation left behind a blazing, spherical mass. The home of the Republic had become a new binary system: one utterly devoid of life.

edited Jun 16 '20 at 09:31

Community

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answered Dec 22 '15 at 11:51

phantom42

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"Starkiller Base system became a binary" sounds like it did turn into a star and started/continued orbiting the main star of the system. – Relix Dec 22 '15 at 11:54
I rather suspect that was a metaphor. Nothing the size of a planet can sustain fusion. – Harry Johnston Dec 22 '15 at 23:11
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@HarryJohnston - Except that it was absolutely full of yummy "dark energy" from the nearby star. – Valorum Jan 07 '16 at 09:09
@Richard: that would make it a ... uh, well, we don't have a word for it. But not a star. :-) – Harry Johnston Jan 07 '16 at 20:05
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@HarryJohnston - a "blazing, spherical mass", perhaps? – Valorum Jan 07 '16 at 20:09
@HarryJohnston - didn't Jupiter do just that in 2010? Also, "LucasPhysics" :) – DVK-on-Ahch-To Jan 19 '16 at 04:01
@DVK, darn it, I was being imprecise again. I meant an earthlike planet, of course. A gas giant is a somewhat different beast, although even then it required a great deal of applied phlebotinum, IIRC. And shouldn't we call it AbramsPhysics now? :-) – Harry Johnston Jan 19 '16 at 06:18
Wait... what other star was it orbiting? I thought it totally used up the existing star in refueling itself... – May 09 '16 at 22:23
@Michael see the discussion here – phantom42 May 09 '16 at 22:42

score 5 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 22 '15 at 12:42

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The weapon on Starkiller Base was not just powered by stars, but seemingly used the mass of a star as a projectile. While the weapon was charging it took in the matter and energy of its star (or a neighbouring star?) The movie didn't make this very clear, but I assume that the weapon had some kind of containment field to store the matter/energy until it was fired. So when the Resistance attacked the planet the facilities supporting the containment field were destroyed, and the stolen star mass expanded to form a star where the planet had been.

answered Dec 22 '15 at 12:42

curiousdannii

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It was clearly stated in the movie that the weapon had a containment section to hold the energy/matter and that it needed a way to hold it... which lead to the weak spot. – Jonathan Drapeau Dec 22 '15 at 16:38
That is, it used the mass of a star as a guided, self-steering projectile that can hit things in other star systems and is visible as a trail of fire that explodes planets which all is seen in distant solar systems light-years away at the same time it happens. – Dronz Nov 19 '16 at 05:27

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 05 '21 at 16:42

According to the (canon) Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy factbook, the former planet Ilum (AKA Starkiller Base) absorbed almost all of the 'dark energy' from the nearby star, but was then unable to convert it into a destructive beam. The planet's surface collapsed inwards, causing the the crystalline core to release its energy.

The imploding superweapon finally erupted in spectacular fashion as the energy contained inside consumed all that remained of the base, replacing it with a miniature star.

The resultant "miniature star" was dubbed 'Solo', in Han Solo's honour.

Fallen Heroes: Ilum, once prized for its connection to the Force and its concentration of kyber crystals, imploded as the energy of a captive sun burst through the planet’s crystalline crust. In its place stood a micro-star later known as Solo in honor of the fallen rebel.

score -1 · Answer 4 · edited Feb 17 '20 at 04:33

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According to Wookieepedia, it exploded when the Resistance attacked it, due to a weak point that was damaged by Poe Dameron. This would indicate total destruction, not turning into a star.

Starkiller Base was an ice planet that was located in the Starkiller Base system of the Unknown Regions that served as the headquarters of the First Order three decades after the Battle of Endor. The base was commanded by General Hux and was armed with a superweapon capable of destroying entire star systems, which the First Order viewed as an evolution of the planet-destroying capabilities of the Galactic Empire's Death Star designs. It was destroyed by a Resistance attack, due to a weak point which was damaged by pilot Poe Dameron, causing the explosion of the whole planet.

edited Feb 17 '20 at 04:33

DavidW

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answered Dec 22 '15 at 11:43

Mithical

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Wookiepedia actually says "As it was destroyed, the stored material from the sun it drained expanded to create a new star in the planets place." – curiousdannii Dec 22 '15 at 12:48
@curiousdannii that's not what it said when I went there... – Mithical Dec 22 '15 at 12:56
And click the link in my answer. – Mithical Dec 22 '15 at 12:56
It was last edited two days before you wrote this answer. You must have just skipped over that sentence. Not faulting you, just pointing it out. – curiousdannii Dec 22 '15 at 12:58
C/p: Starkiller Base was an ice planet that was located in the Starkiller Base system of the Unknown Regions that served as the headquarters of the First Order three decades after the Battle of Endor. The base was commanded by General Hux and was armed with a superweapon capable of destroying entire star systems, which the First Order viewed as an evolution of the planet-destroying capabilities of the Galactic Empire's Death Star designs. It was destroyed by a Resistance attack, due to a weak point which was damaged by pilot Poe Dameron, causing the explosion of the whole planet.[4] – Mithical Dec 22 '15 at 13:02
Read the last sentence of the Destruction section. – curiousdannii Dec 22 '15 at 13:06
Obviously different editors... – Mithical Dec 22 '15 at 13:06
The Wookiepedia page isn't contradictory, the planet did explode, was destroyed, and the solar material expanded to form a new star. – curiousdannii Dec 22 '15 at 13:11

score -1 · Answer 5 · answered Dec 22 '15 at 11:51

Although I must admit that I thought the same when I saw the movie, there isn't any factual evidence that anything happened after the attack that triggered the massive chemical reactions needed to create a star.

We must assume, in absence of other evidence, that it was just a decorative explossion.

What happened to the Starkiller Base at the end?

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