(SD.net Database) Catalyst

[DarthPooky]

(Warning spoilers ahead if you haven't read the book yet). As for what I thought of it. I found the book to be good and gave me more appreciation for the relation ships we will see in the movie. Now on to the tech stuff and let me tell you there are a lot.

p 39
''The weapon will prove to be our greatest challenge,'' Gubacher said. ''The hypermatter reactor, the drives, all the rest , are merely elaborations of the armaments our finest engineering firms have been able to provide to Star Destroyers and other vessels. But the weapon ... the weapon wont merely be a larger version of the turbolaser. It will be something that has yet to be seen''

Seems like they don't consider anything but the superlaser to be much difficult in building. Which is a given considering the scale were dealing with.

[DarthPooky]

I forgot to mention in my previse post is it looks like conformation that the Death Star has a Hypermatter Reactor which seems at odds with the Kyber Crystals powering it but iv got two theory's.
1 The Crystals generate more power that goes to the weapon as well as helping to focus the beam.
2 The reactor does not power the weapon. Only the crystals power the weapon.

p 116
The plan in any case called for assembling the dish in space and maneuvering it by tug and tractor beam into the gargantuan well that had been framed into the spheres upper hemisphere-the dimple as some referred to it. The parabolic dish also had to be engineered to telescope away from the hull to facilitate the aiming of the composite beam proton superlaser some of the Special Weapons scientists were proposing.

An explanation for how it aims and calling the weapon a Proton Superlaser which to me is another conformation that it is a more exotic weapon.

[Lord Revan]

There's a possibility that they meant that crystal powers the superlaser metaphorically aka it acts as the source of the beam but isn't generate a single joule of energy itself but rather it transforms the energy directed to it into a form of a powerful beam.

[Mange]

I forgot to mention in my previse post is it looks like conformation that the Death Star has a Hypermatter Reactor which seems at odds with the Kyber Crystals powering it but iv got two theory's.

The Kyber crystals doesn't power the station, but amplifies the superlaser.

[Adam Reynolds]

I believe that is the case. I don't recall ever seeing that they actually powered lightsabers either, even though they were vital to the efficiency.

Given that it does seem to be the case that the Death Star is more powerful than an equivalent mass of conventional design, it makes sense that it is simply a means to make the weapon more efficient.

[DarthPooky]

Later she had worked as an environmental impact specialist and a surface verification agent positions that had eventually led to jobs as a cartographer and a survey team leader. By the time she was twenty-nine she had visited five of the fifty wonders of the core; six of the thirty wonders of the Mid Rim; and twelve of the twenty-five wonders of the outer rim. She had visited several Legacy worlds environmentally protected worlds-in remote regions, but she had yet to travel through the inner core, venture into the Western Reaches, or penetrate more than fifty parsecs into the Unknown Regions.
So manny places to see...
Marriage had never been part of the plan, to say nothing of a child. But being pregnant with Jyn- especially wile in captivity-had had made her aware of the force in a way she imagined the Jedi experienced: a profound connection with life that went beyond mere understanding. And wile she supported Galen's research, she was secretly glad that he was no longer attempting to synthesize or create facsimiles of kyber crystals. One night as well try to clone the force itself, or turn to magic in an effort to simulate the power.

Many galactic wonders and indecation of environmentally protected worlds. Also indication that Lyra Erso as some limited force sensitivity.

[Galvatron]

I just finished the novel.

Yes, kyber crystals are apparently now a vital component of the Death Star's superlaser which wouldn't be nearly as powerful without them.

I dug the way this novel demonstrated how costly, time-consuming and difficult it is for the Empire to conquer even a moderately defended star system by conventional means.

[DarthPooky]

p 146
Krennic rocked his head. ''Pockets of resistance remain, especially on Umbara. Our forces are engaging in several, shall we say, pacification exercises to bring about a lasting peace. The Emperor has made reparations and reconstruction a priority, and one way he hopes to achieve this is by being able to provide sustainable energy to worlds that have suffered on both sides of the conflict.'' He gestured with his chin to Galen. ''Even your own Grange.''

This part takes place shortly after ROTS and is just as he said. Planets with there own militias still tried to keep the fighting going probably for a short time only though.

[Adam Reynolds]

How exactly does Star Wars need sustainable energy?

This is a galaxy in which starships regularly pull thousands of Gs of acceleration.

[Solauren]

With the sustainable energy thing, it's probably a combination of destroyed infrastructure and ruined supply lines.

[Lord Revan]

There's plenty of reasons why the Clone Wars would left enough worlds in need of sustainble power sources for it to be a major problem even if the techbase normally has easy access to sustainble power sources. The fact that starships in the imperial navy can pull several thousand gs in of little conselation for those who have to scramble to find what ever they can burn to have enough heat to not die of hypothermia, because the reactor that used to supply that heat is in several microscopic peices all over the country side because it took a direct hit from a turbolaser.

[eMeM]

Erso was working on energy sources for remote worlds before the Clone Wars, tho.

[Lord Revan]

Erso was working on energy sources for remote worlds before the Clone Wars, tho.

remote worlds are probably something one wants to waste too much resources on if there's no clear and quick profit for it so typical agricultural or mining colony probably won't have the funds to build a massive power generation infrastructure. Erso's research could meant to allow these colonies to meet their power demands in a sustainble fashion without going over budget. Oh and do remember that pre-Clone Wars republic was massively corrupt so just because the resources existed in theory it doesn't mean they were distributed where they were needed.

[Galvatron]

How exactly does Star Wars need sustainable energy?

This is a galaxy in which starships regularly pull thousands of Gs of acceleration.

Wealth disparity?

[Imperial528]

How exactly does Star Wars need sustainable energy?

This is a galaxy in which starships regularly pull thousands of Gs of acceleration.

The question is: where does the fuel come from?

We know that Star Wars civilizations have used basically every sort of fuel known to modern civilization plus countless forms of exotic/fantastical ones like hypermatter.

Given that thousands of worlds are food exporters and thousands more are food importers I would not be at all surprised if there were net energy exporters and net importers trading in all kinds of fuel under the sun.

[Adam Reynolds]

How exactly does Star Wars need sustainable energy?

This is a galaxy in which starships regularly pull thousands of Gs of acceleration.

The question is: where does the fuel come from?

We know that Star Wars civilizations have used basically every sort of fuel known to modern civilization plus countless forms of exotic/fantastical ones like hypermatter.

Given that thousands of worlds are food exporters and thousands more are food importers I would not be at all surprised if there were net energy exporters and net importers trading in all kinds of fuel under the sun.

Even if they are exporting and importing it, there is no reason why that would neccesarily be a problem. We certainly never see any evidence for energy shortages, even at places like Tarkintown or Tatooine. Even Rey has enough power to run her speeder as a scavenger.

Fortunately the new EU doesn't have the problem of Sarapin, who produced 80% of the power for core worlds on a lava world using what appeared to be geothermal plants.

[Galvatron]

How exactly does Star Wars need sustainable energy?

After giving it some more thought, maybe the challenge is developing sustainable domestic energy generation versus allowing corporate entities like the old Trade Federation to fleece backwater systems with shipping costs, etc.

Perhaps that's also why moisture farming was a thing on Tatooine when they could have easily imported it from any number of water-rich off-world sources.

[DarthPooky]

Thay stopped at a massive viewport to observe at a new capital ship-a dreadnought-being inaugurated for launch from its bay. ''Completed in less than a standard year,'' Tarkin said, as if he had built it himself.
''And yet already obsolete?'' Krennic said.
Tarkin glanced at him. ''A placeholder. I'm certain, however, that it will do until the battle station is deployed.''
The two officers had begun to circle each other as they spoke.
''Our main weapon will have more firepower than ten vessels that size,'' Krennic said.

[Galvatron]

Given this novel's revelation that kyber crystals are what made the Death Star's superlaser so powerful, I'm more certain than ever that Starkiller Base and Ilum were one and the same: an entire planet full of kyber crystals, weaponized by the First Order and powered by stars.

[MKSheppard]

“I do find it interesting that no sooner does the Empire appropriate operations than all former environment restrictions vanish into thin air.” She
snapped her long fingers. “As you may or may not know, my clients tried for years to get those Legacy regulations lifted.”

“Odd timing, to be sure.”

Arsha nodded slightly. “And the seizure has nothing to do with the Empire’s unexpected hunger for doonium and dolovite—two of the most important ores mined on Samovar.”

....

When the holovid had disappeared, Tarkin went to the viewport to gaze out on previously unspoiled Samovar. Downside, heavy machinery was being off-loaded—augurs, pushbeam transfer equipment, detection sensors, crushers, conveyors and mills. Droids as large as buildings were decapitating mountains, defoliating entire hillsides, stripping soils, and mining operations were already being ramped up. The exploitation of Samovar wouldn’t end until every lode deposit had been emptied and every bit of ore extracted down to bedrock. By then the planet’s oceans and rivers would be turned to acid by tailings and slurry, its slopes eroded, evergreen forests and clear skies a memory. Some wildlife would survive in remote areas, but not for long. And all for the doonium and dolovite, essential for shielding the battle station’s hypermatter reactor core and focusing dish, and eventually its superlaser.

There was once a time where I would go:

FUCK YEAH TAKE THAT MINIMALISTS, WE CAN STRIP MINE A FUCKING PLANET.

But...at my mid thirties, I'm like:

"Hey wait, isn't the death star supposed to be a super secret program run through the empire's ultra black budget to hide it from the Imperial Senate? So why do something like this that'll attract attention?"

I mean, you can always just keep doing what you were doing before this -- dragging asteroids in from the Genosis system's belt to use as raw materials in the DS1 construction; it's quiet, self contained, and if you need raw materials that you can't get in Genosis; you can go scavenge in dead asteroid systems in the Outer Rim.

Sure, it'll take a while, but it gives us a plausible explanation as to why it took so long to construct the DS1, but so little for the DS2.

And of course, Galen Erso is working on Renewable Energy.

RENEWABLE. FUCKING. ENERGY.

In a universe where single star destroyers expend more power in a single hyperspace jump than most planetary civilizations do in their entire existence; and Starfighter grade fuel cells can lift fighters out of gravity wells, fly them out at like 70,000G acceleration, and then enter hyperspace, do an hour of combat flying and pew pew laser beams, then hyperspace back and land with a damn reserve.

And of course....Galen Erso is written in such a way it makes you wonder why Orson Krennic even bothered with him, as the man was a insanely massive security risk.

Everything the Empire does in the new EU is basically:

[RANDOM IMPERIAL] <DOES THE EVILLEST THING POSSIBLE> <JUST BECAUSE>

Scientists asking inconvenient questions about the work and where it's leading to? Just Turbolaser the jobsite from orbit!

And of course....kyber crystals violate thermodynamics, in that you can pump say 10 poops of energy into them and get 1000 poops of energy out....because... THE FORCE, BITCHES.

It makes far more logical sense to use them as focusing crystals, rather than amplifying crystals; but noooo...