system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Wars] Why didn't the Rebels fly directly to the weak exhaust point on the first Death Star rather than travelling to another location and then flying across the trench?
gpt
The Death Star is a sphere, with many surface-to-air blaster embankments. The closer you are to the sphere's surface, the fewer of those can fire upon you.

Contrary to what many think, the Empire was well aware of the potential weakness that the exhaust port presented. But it was a necessary port, so their solution was to cluster many more blaster embankments in that area. So approaching that area would have meant flying through thousands of kilometers of full blaster spread if done directly - but coming in on a lighter-defended area and then taking the trench meant the Empire had to be more reliant on fighters for defense, which was the Rebels' only chance.