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A stupid petition deserves a stupid answer. Earlier today, Fox News reported that the White House released an official response to a petition from the “We the People” website requesting that the U.S. build a Death Star.
The petition was posted in November, and gathered 34,435 signatures in 30 days. The number of signatures was well over the threshold of 25,000 for a petition to warrant an official response.
"The Administration does not support blowing up planets," wrote Paul Shawcross, chief of the Science and Space Branch at the White House's Office of Management and Budget. "The Administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn't on the horizon,” he said. Shawcross estimated that building the giant battle station would cost $850 quadrillion.
"Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that could be exploited by a one-man starship?" Shawcross asked. Obviously, this man wasn't nerdy enough to realize that the Death Star was still under construction, thus all the visible scaffolding and structural weakness.
"However, look carefully (here's how) and you'll notice something already floating in the sky — that's no moon, it's a space station!" Shawcross quipped. "Yes, we already have a giant, football field-sized International Space Station in orbit around the Earth that's helping us learn how humans can live and thrive in space for long durations."
Science fiction fans need not despair. A much less destructive petition to build the starship Enterprise from “Star Trek” is currently active.
Read Shawcross's full response.
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