I wonder if in the years after the Battle of Yavin, and later after Endor, people in the galaxy start talking about the curse of the Death Star the way we talk about the curse of the Pharaohs, because everyone involved with it died.
The Death Star was originally a Separatist weapon developed for Count Dooku: Dooku died and the Separatists lost the Clone Wars.
The Geonosians built the Death Star: nearly the entire Geonosian species was wiped out and the planet sterilized.
Jedha provided the kyber crystals for the Death Star: the Holy City and a huge chunk of the planet’s population died.
Galen Erso and his team of scientists worked on the Death Star: they all died.
Orson Krennic was in charge of building the Death Star: he died (cause of death: Death Star).
Tarkin took control of the Death Star: he and everyone on the Death Star died.
Jyn and Cassian and company got their hands on the plans: they died, along with, presumably, most of the population of that hemisphere of Scarif.
Emperor Palpatine ordered the construction of the Death Star and later the Second Death Star: he died, along with, presumably, most of the people on the Second Death Star.
Darth Vader was on both Death Stars: he died.
Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca were all on one or both of the Death Stars at some point in time: well, they might not have been responsible for the thing, but man, did their lives get fucked up, but props for surviving the CURSE OF THE DEATH STAR. Er, mostly. For longer than most people, anyway, sorry, Han.
Some people say it was the curse of a dying Geonosian queen, others the will of the Force in revenge for Jedha, others Saw Gerrera’s dying words, others some twisted dark magic of one of the Emperor’s defeated foes – or Dooku’s – or the Jedi’s – because curses don’t have to make sense, but damn, if the rumor doesn’t get around once some of the Death Star’s history starts to get out to the general public.