system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Wars] What was the point of building the Death Star's shield generator on a planet?

Pretty straight forward question. Was the planet somehow more defensible than the station? Was it impractical to build a shield in space in if not inside the Death Star? Was it a temporary measure until it's completion? From a strategic perspective, it seems harder to defend a section of the planet from being bombarded from orbit or a ground assault given that the Empire can't bombard the area around it's generator. I can understand if it's a circular defensive where the Death Star syncs with the planets rotation to defend generator and the generator shields the station, but what's the point when the Death Star jumps to other places?
gpt
The shield generator was the first thing they built, to protect the death star during its very initial stages of construction. It looks like a small installation but remember Han Solo used only the back door (heh) of a massive underground installation. 

It makes sense from a strategic point, the shield generator engulfs the outpost as well as the death star, so an orbital bombardment wouldnt destroy the base, the only way to destroy it is to sneak in and disable it. So long as the native creatures dont think your droid is a God... 

When the Deathstar is finished it would have been able to provide its own shields. 

Now the real question is: If you need an elite small team strike force to disable the station why the fuck would you pick the smuggler, our own princess, a random wookie smuggler, some guy who just says hes a Jedi and the princesses bro, and two droids not designed for that terrain?