| abstract | - The weapon was designed by an unknown Shawkenese scientist in the distant past. The unknown scientist who developed the weapon was an extreme nihilist, and believed that the only way to imbue purpose into existence was to destroy the current universe and trigger a new Big Bang, re-creating the universe. The scientist's descendant Santor pointed out that he "never became quite depressed enough to use his device," and noted that "its secrets were lost with his death." It was buried underground on Shawken and remained in obscurity for many years, until it was accidentally activated shortly after the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, by the Corellian con artist Rik Duel and his gang; it was quickly deactivated by Luke Skywalker and Kiro, leaving it a matter of speculation as to whether or not the device actually worked. The Empire also heard of the Shawken Device and its destructive output, noting it in the field manual for the Imperial Military, the Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide. Luke Skywalker, who at the time had just stopped the device before it could trigger a new big bang, was surprised to see it mentioned in the Handbook.
|
