When this exchange happens during the final batter in *Return of the Jedi* (1983), how was “north” determined within the structure of the Death Star?

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> **LANDO:** There it is. All right, Wedge, go for the power regulator on the **north tower**.
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> **WEDGE:** Copy, Gold Leader. I'm already on my way out.
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From *Star Wars: Complete Locations* (2016):

[![Image from Star Wars: Complete Locations showing the Death Star II's polar column](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cZoP0.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cZoP0.jpg)

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> **1** The primary stage focused on assembling components necessary for construction of the main reactor core—approximately one-tenth the diameter of the entire structure—**and the immense cylindrical polar column**, which served to distribute power and stabilize the Death Star's rotational capabilities.
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> *Star Wars: Complete Locations* (2016), page 166, "Death Star II", emphasis added
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In *Return of the Jedi*, we see the Rebels making their attack at the center of the area marked "Reactor core" on the diagram (indicated by hand-drawn red circle). Since it's connected to the "Polar column", the north tower is the tower connected to the north pole, which in space is less ambiguous than "the upper tower".

The asymmetry is made clear in the hologram of the Death Star II in the Rebel briefing:

[![Image from Return of the Jedi showing a hologram of the Death Star II's reactor core](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XOu5I.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XOu5I.jpg)

[![Image from Return of the Jedi showing the Death Star II's central reactor core](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HMbKI.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HMbKI.png)
Artificial gravity in *Star Wars* works weirdly, compared to real world artificial gravity which requires the spaceship to rotate. *Star Wars* artificial gravity just picks a direction as 'down' and makes it work.

This might be hard to observe in a small fighter like an X-wing, where the pilot is strapped to a chair. And it is hard to observe in a large spherical Death Star. But you can easily see how *Star Wars* artificial gravity works in a ship such as the Falcon - people walk around normally and stuff falls in the direction nominated as 'down'.

It's worth noting, Lando doesn't use the word 'North'. He uses a word, phrase or concept in the language 'Galactic Basic', which is dubbed for the movie into whatever language is appropriate for the region the movie is released into.

English people in the real world think of the Earth rotating with North "at the top", because that's where England is (and USA and Canada). It's where people first started drawing maps of the world. This "north = top and Australian's live upside down" concept has persisted through the development of air and space travel.

When translating the movie into English, it therefore makes sense to have North be the bit at the top of the map, the bit at the highest gravitational potential energy. That leaves the south on the bottom of the death sta.

It's unclear whether people in the Star Wars universe have a similar concept of 'Northern Hemisphere is on top and Southern Hemisphere is upside down', so we don't know what word they would use if we could see the 'Galactic Basic' version of *Star Wars*.