system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[StarWars] Why didn't the rebels simply fly a ship at light speed into the Death Star?

Surely a craft at that size and at that speed hitting it would do significant damage to anything really.
gpt
Several reasons.
One, the most significant, is the way in which hyperspace allows "faster than light" travel. A vessel enters hyperspace, which has navigable features that mirror realspace, but more compact. A ship in hyperspace doesn't so much have increased *velocity* as it does *reduced travel distance.* The Galaxy in hyperspace is far smaller and denser than the Galaxy in realspace. And those "navigable features" that mirror realspace in hyperspace? Those are realspace hazards to vessels in hyperspace. The reverse is significantly less so. Hypothetically, let's say we have *two* Death Stars. One is stationary in realspace and the other intends to ram it from hyperspace. In the end, the Death Star is realspace might experience some significant turbulence and gravitational distortion, but nothing that would cause anything beyond some sensor weirdness and confusion over how massive things are. Were it a living organism, it might have a "dizzy spell." The Death Star in hyperspace would be obliterated. *This* is why "traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops." What hyperspace giveth in the form of ridiculously fast travel, it taketh in the form of physical durability.

The flip side of this is now simple. A vessel (or projectile) in hyperspace simply won't do the damage you want. As soon as you emerge into realspace, all your crazy FTL velocity (and thus, energy) is now simply *gone.*