A deflection tower on the Death Star I, 0 BBY
A deflection tower functioned as a shield generator, typically installed on expansive space stations and planets. On the initial Death Star, these towers played a crucial role in establishing a substantial deflection shield around the battle station, permitting entry only to single-pilot starfighters. During the Battle of Yavin, Red Squadron prioritized targeting deflection towers before commencing their bombing operation on the exhaust port. Additionally, these towers acted as power terminals.
The Galactic Empire predominantly employed deflection towers, choosing them over the ISD-72x deflector shield generator dome commonly found on numerous Imperial vessels. Deflection towers necessitated significantly more space compared to deflector shield generator domes, which were primarily engineered to safeguard capital ships. This increased spatial requirement enabled the deployment of more potent shields with a considerably extended range compared to conventional shielding technologies.
Numerous such constructions existed on space stations, notably the Death Stars. They were frequently defended by turbolaser turrets.