QuoteJust for arguement sake, I'd like to offer this:
Originally posted by: Jay
for the first time it occurred to me that the Empire built several gaping holes in the new Death Star so Rebel ships could fly directly into the core and blow it up.
The Death Star was in the midst of being constructed. It makes sense that there would be large holes in the superstructure to facilitate the moving of large construction materials from the exterior to the interior. You don't, for example, start putting the glass windows on the outside of a building when the steel infrastructure of the building is still be welded/riveted together on the same level.