Why Blowing Up Planets is Pointless

Well at least in SW they can destroy the planet fairly quickly. In ST09 they apparently had this overly complicated plan of drilling a hole into the center of the Earth to destroy it instead of just quickly killing the life on the surface with a few antimatter bombs.

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The video misses one point.

Why an atomic bomb is much scarier than normal bombing? It's extremely difficult to protect yourself from it. Same happens here. Perhaps you can rend a planet inhabitable using normal destroyers, but it takes time. You'll have to take down or overcome their defenses.

However, with that kind of 'super-weapon', there's no defense. It just appears, shoots, planet gone, bye. You could have the strongest army around and it still would be useless.

What's stupid is creating dozens of them (you only need one or a few ones), not using them, and then having all them gathered together as sitting ducks. WTF?

As a way of spreading shock, awe, and everlasting mortal terror through an entire galaxy, you really can't beat planet-killer weapons!

Bombard the surface and some people might be able to get away or survive underground, and at least the planet itself is still there. But destroy the entire planet, vaporize or blast every last person and leaf and planktonic life form into vapor or disperse the bits into the vaccuum of space before you can get your private spacegoing vessel started? It's the ultimate threat.

Frankly I've always thought this. Even the destruction of Alderaan always bothered me from a practical standpoint, especially after learning how much of a lush & vibrant planet it was. I understand the "rationale" behind it but I always felt there would be a better way of sending that message. Of course this sh*ty Di$ney trilogy has quadrupled down on the stupidity of blowing up lush, resource rich planets. It's completely impractical for anyone interested in "ruling" the galaxy unless you're content being the ruler of nothing. It's a complete waste.

Blowing up a planet would likely destroy the entire solar system the planet was in. At the very least throw it into such chaotic upheaval that it would be useless for thousands of years. All them celestial bodies would be thrown out of whack and have to find a new gravitational rhythm together. Other habital planets and moons would be knocked out of their "sweet spots". You'd get rogue planets sent loose just flying out into deep space. It's just a ridiculous weapon.

Don't planets also have a gravitational relationship to each other, as well as with the star they might be orbiting?

Blowing-up one planet would likely make all planets uninhabitable within a given solar system - assuming they were habitable to begin with.

Killing whole populations wholesale will be understood as ruthlessness of a high order by those observing. Those connected to the planets destroyed will certainly be resentful but I would suggest that that reaction will vary in intensity depending on the given popularity of said planet and culture.

A long-term drawback to planet destruction for the First Order/Dark Side is that by using that strategy they are destroying the very objective they seek which is to possess and control territory and as you say the opportunity to exploit the resources of those planets. If they send ships around the various star systems to police them and on a regular basis decide to destroy their planets in retribution for some infraction or political activity, they will see a shrinking galactic civilisation instead of prospering one. That is definitely counterproductive.