Warning! This article contains spoilers for Andor season 2, episodes 10-12.

A big Return of the Jedi plot hole may finally have been fixed by Star Wars, 42 years on from the movie's release. As much as we all love the Star Wars original trilogy, it isn't perfect - and that's particularly true with Return of the Jedi. It ends the original trilogy in spectacular fare, with the redemption of Anakin Skywalker turning the Skywalker saga into a tale of redemptive love, but some of the B-plots are more than a little repetitive.

The best Star Wars movies have always had a touch of nostalgia to them; the first Star Wars movie riffed on popular sci-fi films of the day. But Return of the Jedi was the first time Star Wars began to look inward when it came to such nostalgia, with the introduction of the Second Death Star. Not only was this repetitive, but it also caused major problems in-universe.

The Second Death Star Just Doesn't Make Any Sense

For Many Reasons, Return Of The Jedi's MacGuffin Was Criticized

The Second Death Star was heavily criticized for simply being a rehash of the main plot from 1977's Star Wars (later retitled A New Hope). In-universe, though, the Second Death Star has never made much sense given what has been revealed about the first iteration of the planet-killing weapon. Be it in the prequel trilogy or in shows like Andor, Star Wars has confirmed that the original Death Star took almost 20 years to build.

With such a lengthy construction timeline for the first station, the Second Death Star in Return of the Jedi makes even less sense...

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith confirmed construction was already underway before the birth of the Empire; James Luceno's novel Catalyst explained how Palpatine manipulated the Old Republic into beginning the works. The work continued through Andor, with the Death Star finally becoming operational in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, 19 years later.

With such a lengthy construction timeline for the first station, the Second Death Star in Return of the Jedi makes even less sense. If the first Death Star took almost 20 years of secrecy and intense planning to build, how did the Empire construct another in only three or four years?

Andor Season 1 Explained How The First Death Star Was Built

Prisoners Of The Empire Were Used

Star Wars projects like Andor have delved much deeper into how exactly the first Death Star was constructed. In Andor season 1, Cassian is placed in a prison named Narkina 5. This prison is located on a small moon that houses several others of its ilk, each containing hundreds if not thousands of inmates.

These inmates were put to work endlessly without being told what they were building for the Empire. In Andor season 1's ending, it was revealed that these prisoners were building the Death Star itself, with each prison and the several floors they contain presumably crafting different parts of the giant space station. Herein lies the potential explanation of Return of the Jedi's Second Death Star plot hole.

Star Wars May Have Revealed How The Second Death Star Wars Secretly Built

Linking Back To Andor Season 1

The end of Andor season 2 explored the fates of various characters - including the Imperial Dedra Meero. Interestingly, Dedra was placed in a Narkina prison, though Andor season 2's final three episodes take place mere days before Rogue One begins when the Death Star becomes operational. If Cassian was unwittingly helping construct the First Death Star, what were Dedra and the other Narkina prisoners building?

This could be how Star Wars finally explains how Return of the Jedi's Second Death Star began completion. The Narkina prisons are secret after all, and with the Rebellion getting involved in an all-out war with the Empire after Rogue One, it would make sense for them to remain hidden throughout the original trilogy. These prisoners could have been worked overtime for years, explaining why Return of the Jedi includes a half-built Second Death Star, finally explaining a big original trilogy plot hole over four decades later.