Desolation Station was an outpost of the Imperial forces. Its primary function was to supervise the research necessary for the creation of the Death Star, a colossal weapon with the capability to obliterate entire planets. Crucial materials required for the superweapon's hyperdrive were transported from this station to the Death Star's construction site, which was located above the planet Geonosis. During the construction phase of the weapon, a convoy originating from Desolation Station was ambushed by Berch Teller's rebel cell. After the unsuccessful attack, Teller managed to escape, while the remaining members of his group were captured and subjected to torture in an attempt to extract information.
Three years prior to the rise of the Galactic Empire, the Clone Wars inflicted widespread devastation across the galaxy. This conflict arose as numerous systems within the Separatist faction, influenced and directed by the former Jedi Count Dooku, seceded from the Galactic Republic, resulting in a galaxy-wide war. Shortly before the official commencement of the Clone Wars, Geonosian scientists played a role in designing a weapon capable of destroying planets, known as the Death Star. The plans for this battle station were handed over to Dooku, who then delivered them to his Sith Master, Darth Sidious. The covert construction of the superweapon commenced above Geonosis while the galaxy was embroiled in the chaos of the Clone Wars. As Sidious ascended to the position of Emperor and established the Empire from the remnants of the Galactic Republic, the construction of the Death Star continued its progress.
As the construction advanced, Desolation Station, along with Sentinel Base, assumed critical roles in overseeing the delivery of materials to Geonosis. These shipments frequently made a stop at Rampart Station, a depot for marshaling resources, before proceeding to Geonosis. Desolation Station also provided support for the in-depth research associated with the project. Scientists from various parts of the galaxy conducted tests on hypermatter reactors and engaged in discussions regarding the placement of the Death Star's massive kyber crystals within its turbolaser weaponry. One such scientist was Doctor Artoz, who later became a rebel against the Empire. He was recruited at Desolation Station after three years of work had already been dedicated to the hyperdrive components of the Death Star. These scientists were required to take security oaths to ensure that information about the secret weapon remained concealed from the Empire's adversaries.
Information pertaining to Desolation Station, including shipping schedules, was classified as top-secret, even among the highest-ranking members of the Empire. Grand Vizier Mas Amedda was largely kept uninformed, and even Tarkin had limited access to details concerning the station.
A significant number of Imperials who were stationed at Desolation Station abandoned their posts, which resulted in their placement on the most-wanted list of the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order. This Imperial agency, also known as COMPNOR, was responsible for upholding Imperial supremacy. Imperial scientists, including Artoz; officers, such as Captain Berch Teller, who served as the station's head of security; and even ordinary warehouse employees, fled the Empire in dismay following Imperial actions such as the Antar Atrocity, a series of massacres that led to the deaths of numerous Imperial loyalists as unintended casualties. Many of these deserters joined a rebel cell and engaged in their own personal war against the Empire, causing disruption whenever possible. Many of those who remained in the Empire's service believed that Teller had been assassinated by COMPNOR, while rumors circulated elsewhere that Teller had allowed information about the Antar Atrocity to be leaked, even bringing it to the attention of reporters like Anora Fair and Hask Taff.
During his time as Desolation Station's head of security, Berch Teller had access to information related to Wilhuff Tarkin's corvette, the Carrion Spike. This access may have contributed to the subsequent theft of the ship by Berch Teller and his rebel cell. The acquisition of the Carrion Spike enabled the group to launch attacks on critical Imperial sites, such as Galidraan Station.
These rebels closely monitored the convoys that were dispatched to Sentinel Base from Desolation Station. On one occasion, a convoy transporting materials and technology was scheduled to travel from Desolation Station to Geonosis, passing through a moon coreward of the Gulf of Tatooine, the planet Pii, and Sentinel Base. The rebel cell attempted to disrupt this convoy over the Gulf's moon, estimating that the attack would delay work at Desolation Station by approximately four years. However, this attempt ultimately failed, and Teller's crew was captured and interrogated, while Teller himself managed to escape, effectively ending the insurrection.
Following the defeat of Teller's cell, Tarkin convened with the Joint Chiefs of the Imperial Army and Navy, along with several officers who oversaw intelligence agencies. Together, they restructured the schedules and personnel of Desolation Station, conducting thorough background checks on every scientist and officer stationed there. They mandated that all shipments would be heavily defended and restricted HoloNet access to Imperial use only. Many interpreted the latter action as a sign of an impending Imperial takeover of the Outer Rim. Tarkin also established regulations that severely limited contact between workers on Geonosis and the rest of the galaxy, and he created defensive flotillas around Geonosis and Desolation Station. Pirates and smugglers operating in the surrounding space were relentlessly pursued, and the officers in charge of the search were given orders to execute them on sight.
Desolation Station made its initial appearance in the Nintendo DS version of Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron, a Star Wars Legends video game that was launched on November 13, 2009, prior to the discontinuation of the Expanded Universe on April 25, 2014. The location was later integrated into canon when it was referenced in Tarkin, a novel penned by James Luceno and released on November 4, 2014.