The destruction of the two Death Stars portrayed in the Star Wars film franchise would have cost any insurers who took on the risk a whopping $512 quintillion to replace, according to a new just-for-fun paper by an electrical and systems engineering academic.
In “It’s a Trap: Emperor Palpatine’s Poison Pill,” Washington University Assistant Professor Zachary Feinstein uses data based on the cost of the USS Gerald Ford to calculate the worth of the two ships of the Galactic Empire. Needless to say, the Death Stars are a bit pricier – the USS Gerald Ford cost a relatively low sum of $17.5 billion when compared to the 18 zeroes that follow the “1” in quintillion.
Feinstein also considers the effect the Death Stars’ destruction will have on the “International Banking Clan,” which he says is “known to be too big to fail, as it was nationalized following the Clone Wars to avoid a default on its debt.”
The paper concludes that the Rebel Alliance “would need to prepare a bailout of at least 15% and likely at least 20%, of (Gross Galactic Product) in order to mitigate the systemic risks and the sudden and catastrophic economic collapse” caused by the destruction of the ships.
An interesting entry on “Wookiepedia” to be sure, but the risks may be too far-fetched for even the most enthusiastic insurance professional to take on willingly.
