Death Star in front of Tatooine: 3 levels

I am brainstorming a tutorial series that demonstrates how to make the same scene at 3 levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. The scene I came up with is a simple Death Star in front of a Star Wars-style planet.

Level 3. Everything in level 2 + more advanced and precise modeling on death star, HDRI lighting tricks, vanity effects and complex texturing. Full-fat post processing.

Level 1. Two simple spheres, very basic texturing, one sun lamp.

Level 2. Multi-layered sphere for the planet with atmosphere and ground effects. Modifiers to make the death star. Two-light setup.