How many planets can Starkiller destroy?

In the Star Wars universe, Starkiller Base, the superweapon featured in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Episode VII), is capable of destroying entire planets. It is a massive weapon built into the planet Ilum, which has been hollowed out to house a gigantic superlaser.

Starkiller Base can destroy multiple planets in a single shot by draining the energy of a star to power its weapon. This energy allows it to fire a beam that can annihilate entire planetary systems. Here's a breakdown of its destructive power:

1. The Destruction of the Hosnian System

Starkiller Base's first major use of its weapon is when it destroys the Hosnian system, which includes the planet Hosnian Prime, the capital of the New Republic at the time. This event occurs in The Force Awakens when the First Order uses Starkiller's superlaser to wipe out the entire system, killing millions, if not billions, of people in the process.

2. Potential for Multiple Destructions

While only one planetary system is destroyed during the events of The Force Awakens, the weapon's design implies that it could potentially destroy several planets at once, or even entire star systems, depending on how much energy is harvested from the star it feeds on. Starkiller Base was shown to have the capability to fire multiple times, each time devastating a different part of the galaxy.

3. The Energy Source: A Star

To fuel the superlaser, Starkiller Base consumes a star, draining it of its energy to produce the destructive beam. This is a key aspect of its immense power—the ability to draw energy from an entire star allows it to fire shots with enough power to destroy not just one planet, but entire solar systems. The weapon was built to make the Empire's Death Star seem small in comparison, with the intention of being a planet-destroyer on a much grander scale.

4. Starkiller's Design and Scope

Starkiller Base's superlaser is significantly larger and more powerful than the ones used by the Death Star, which could only destroy one planet at a time. By tapping into the energy of a star, Starkiller Base’s weapon could potentially wipe out multiple planets, even entire star systems, with each blast.

Conclusion: How Many Planets Can Starkiller Destroy?

While the full extent of Starkiller Base's power is never completely explored in The Force Awakens, the weapon's capabilities imply that it could destroy multiple planets or even entire star systems with a single shot. In the context of the movie, it’s shown to be capable of obliterating an entire star system, but theoretically, it could potentially destroy an infinite number of planets, depending on how many stars it can drain for energy. The scale of destruction far exceeds the abilities of previous superweapons in the Star Wars universe, making Starkiller Base one of the most formidable weapons ever built