I've been playing this game for at least 4 years, and I always play as the Empire (excluding a few instances) and a friend and I always joke about the fact that every time I build a Death Star I never have enough fighters to properly screen it, now anyone who's built one and used it in battle knows the sound "We do not have enough fighters to properly sheild the death star" and I decided to get off my lazy butt and ask, DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW MANY FIGHERS YOU IT TAKES TO SHIELD IT!!!!!

 

much obliged to anyone who does --- and if no one does then my personal theory goes on that it's immpossible, which was born when i sent 12 fleet carriers with full compliment of defenders (plus death star fighters, also defenders) and it still said that, and that was my whole fleet

And in case you were wondering that would be 96 squadrens, and I've also had it before where i've had over 400 sqaudrens (late in the game) but it's always with a huge fleet of star destroyers and such, not just the death star)

 

In case you got lost while I was rambling on and on and on and on... Basicly i'm asking what I wrote in caps above, how many fighters do you need to protect your death star (w/ out a planet based sheild) and do the other capital ships in the fleet effect this in any way.

You need hyperspace-capable fighters to cover it, or else the Alliance can launch at least one attack. This is because of the unloading time...

And make sure you have more fighters than he has!

Id just get as many as you can seriously. I think 30 has worked for me before, just as a reference.

The manual also says, that Tie Defenders are best suited for DS defense, at least in an unmodded game

like i said, i had all Defenders, but something TK-421 said got me thinking, maybe all i need is more Defenders then he has fighters, and if i do, then i can sheild it, any thoughts?

Thats exactly right. You only need more fighters than the Alliance to prevent them from doing trench runs. They do, however, have to be deployed. They cant be sitting in your star destroyers doing nothing.