Ralin wrote: ↑2019-12-25 07:24pm
The metal around the reactor was probably super strong and blocked most of the energy from the explosion. That's the sort of thing they would be able to do with the technology they had back then.
There is no need to contort yourself to make excuses for this POS. We saw the DSII explode in the highest canon material. Granted, we only saw one side of that explosion and perhaps the other side ejected a mint condition full hemisphere into the black of space. But the side we did see explode was the one with the superlaser on it, and that is the side we saw on Endor in TROS. There is nothing even remotely approximating the size of the wreckage we see in that scene based on the explosion in ROTJ, let alone the relatively intact nature of that wreckage. Keep in mind all of that still had to survive entry into an atmosphere thick enough to breathe and then impact with a rocky terrestrial body.
I also have to point out that the DS as represented by the wreckage seen in TROS is entirely inconsistent with the size of the DSII relative to the Endor from the ROTJ depictions. I haven't done the math but off the cuff, I'd say the super laser divot is roughly 40-50 km high from the generally accepted diameter of the DSII at 200km. You physically can't have the visuals of the wreckage seen in TROS without DRASTICALLY reducing the diameter of the DSII, especially given the cloud formations we see in those scenes. That cloud ceiling can't be any more than 5km (being very generous), meaning there is no way to fit what we see within the visible air column. Just a straight physical space analysis means that for that much of it to be within the angle of the camera, most of it would have to be over the horizon given Endor's diameter (4900km).
No, I don't give a shit that they are now saying the DS wreckage isn't even on Endor, but rather a different newely invented moon in a near orbit of the same gas giant.
As for stormtrooper armor, if it can survive the wrath of a DSII exploding at the energies earlier described (and also the same reentry and impact), I would expect better performance against blaster hits. Or fucking arrows.