White House blocks Death Star calls

The White House has shot down a petition to build a Death Star - on grounds of cost and its opposition to destroying other planets.

The decision disappointed Star Wars fans, who submitted the proposal on the White House website where it attracted 34,000 signatures, qualifying it for an official response.

The petition proposed that the US build a moon-sized military battle station modelled on the Death Star seen in the Staw Wars movies.

A formal response to the online petition said building the fictional battle-station would cost too much, adding that "the administration does not support blowing up planets".

A White House official said: "The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it."

The petition, created last November, asked the White House to begin construction on a Death Star by 2016.

Shaping their proposal to America's straightened economic times, the petitioners emphasised the project had great job-creation potential.

It gained 34,435 signatures - almost 10,000 more than the threshold which obliges the White House to provide a formal response under its rules.