The idiocy of buzz droids

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2005-07-14 10:21pm

Probably been done to death, I know, but I wasn't here for it. So, Obvious Objection #1: If the Trade Federation can reliably put buzz droids onto enemy fighters, why the hell didn't they just reliably put bombs on them instead? It makes no sense. Just blow them up and be done with it; there's no point in letting the fighter continue functioning for a few minutes while being slowly taken apart.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-07-14 10:25pm

Perhaps to help kidnap Jedi.

Mr. T · Post by **Mr. T** » 2005-07-14 10:28pm

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Perhaps to help kidnap Jedi.

This makes the most sense. A jedi blown in to a million pieces would be pretty useless, a captured Jedi would be valuable though.

000 · Post by **000** » 2005-07-14 10:39pm

LoE makes it clear that Grievous prefers to take Jedi live if at all possible so, yeah, it's reasonable to surmise that that's what buzz droids are for.

Isolder74 · Post by **Isolder74** » 2005-07-14 10:45pm

Note they are only fired at Jedi Starfighters.

As such they must be intended to capture Jedi.

Or are you assuming that the Vulture Droids only have One Type of missile onboard?

Post by **Vympel** » 2005-07-15 12:24am

Vulture droids carry proton torpedoes as well accoridng to the TPM:ICS.

Out of universe, Buzz Droids are a mere plot device. Just like that other huge plot device, the Invisible Hand.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2005-07-15 12:40am

gladius wrote:LoE makes it clear that Grievous prefers to take Jedi live if at all possible so, yeah, it's reasonable to surmise that that's what buzz droids are for.

And venting their atmosphere will leave them just as dead, and said venting is one of the (more obvious) effects of having one's spacecraft reduced to scrap metal. Some capture mechanism.

Jim Raynor · Post by **Jim Raynor** » 2005-07-15 12:57am

The SW.com databank states "buzz droids are designed to disable, not destroy, enemy craft."

Lord Revan · Post by **Lord Revan** » 2005-07-15 10:14am

Remember Grievous likes to collect Lightsabers from the Jedi he has defeated, it pretty hard to take the saber if the Jedi it belonged and the saber itself are just a cloud of vapor.

Old Plympto · Post by **Old Plympto** » 2005-07-15 10:54am

Rogue 9 wrote:And venting their atmosphere will leave them just as dead, and said venting is one of the (more obvious) effects of having one's spacecraft reduced to scrap metal. Some capture mechanism.

I got the impression that they weren't venting the cockpit atmosphere. The droids cut some sort of liquid or gas delivery line (coolant or such) and the gas fogged up the canopy.

Lord Revan · Post by **Lord Revan** » 2005-07-15 11:10am

Rogue 9 wrote:
gladius wrote:LoE makes it clear that Grievous prefers to take Jedi live if at all possible so, yeah, it's reasonable to surmise that that's what buzz droids are for.
And venting their atmosphere will leave them just as dead, and said venting is one of the (more obvious) effects of having one's spacecraft reduced to scrap metal. Some capture mechanism.

well the droids didn't finish their work and Grievous wants to hunt and kill the Jedi not just take their sabers.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2005-07-15 11:34am

Vympel wrote:Out of universe, Buzz Droids are a mere plot device. Just like that other huge plot device, the Invisible Hand.

What do you mean?

Post by **Vympel** » 2005-07-15 11:53am

Illuminatus Primus wrote:
What do you mean?

The IH was clearly designed to serve the dictates of the plot first and any semblance of sensible design second:

- the shield generator on the side of the hangar;
- the ridiculously vulnerable glass-house bridge, seemingly there solely so General Grievous can make a dramatic escape from it, and very likely so that they can have that shot of the bridge skidding towards the camera as it lands;
- the huge spire, which was added so that the ship would stand out among all the others in the battle (as well as having a dramatic arena for the duel with Dooku);
- the shell-ejecting Separatist deck cannons, because George Lucas wanted a pirate ship sequence

- and also the flaps, dragfins, and emergency engine modes, which seemed to me at least to be there solely so the ship and it's crew/pilot could be seen to do something as it crashed;

The ship is a testament to style over substance and plot fiat. Worst ship of all six films, easily.

Molyneux · Post by **Molyneux** » 2005-07-15 12:58pm

Vympel wrote:
Illuminatus Primus wrote:
What do you mean?
The ship is a testament to style over substance and plot fiat. Worst ship of all six films, easily.

Do podracers count as "ships"? 'Cuz if they do, I think they just edge out Hand for that title.

And buzz droids may not be the best anti-starfighter weaponry imaginable, but they'd probably be fairly effective against larger craft; the shell gets them through the ship's shields, and then they can run amok.

VT-16 · Post by **VT-16** » 2005-07-15 01:41pm

and also the flaps, dragfins, and emergency engine modes, which seemed to me at least to be there solely so the ship and it's crew/pilot could be seen to do something as it crashed;

There´s a ship in ANH that has flaps as well, it´s the big one that is positioned almost diagonally in one of the scenes added to the SE.

The Jazz Intern · Post by **The Jazz Intern** » 2005-07-15 01:50pm

I didn't like the buzz droids either. And, Why make it so ineffective? just mount a small ion cannon on the buzz droid. Also, about the invisable hand, why the heck does it have such a small piloting crew. You know, how its piloted by 1 person? In the Imperator class Star Destroyers in the movies, the bridge has at least 25 people at computers.

Noble Ire · Post by **Noble Ire** » 2005-07-15 01:57pm

The Jazz Intern wrote:I didn't like the buzz droids either. And, Why make it so ineffective? just mount a small ion cannon on the buzz droid. Also, about the invisable hand, why the heck does it have such a small piloting crew. You know, how its piloted by 1 person? In the Imperator class Star Destroyers in the movies, the bridge has at least 25 people at computers.

There were at least a dozen pilot droids on the bridge of the IH, as well as a dozen or so Neimodians. And its a smaller ship than an ISD, and it most likely has more automation involved in its construction. What's your complaint?

The Jazz Intern · Post by **The Jazz Intern** » 2005-07-15 03:15pm

How did anakin land the ship? If there were all those droids onboard the bringe, where were they when anakin land the invisable hand peice?
By the way, I only saw the movie once so I may be wrong. When I saw it it looked as though Anakin was the only one piloting the Invisible hand down onto the planet.

Noble Ire · Post by **Noble Ire** » 2005-07-15 03:20pm

How did anakin land the ship? If there were all those droids onboard the bringe, where were they when anakin land the invisable hand peice?

They were either destroyed or had fled by then. In fact, you see the bridge crew fleeing.

By the way, I only saw the movie once so I may be wrong. When I saw it it looked as though Anakin was the only one piloting the Invisible hand down onto the planet.

He wasnt flying it, he was trying to hold it together as it crashed. As some would say, "Falling with style."

Manus Celer Dei · Post by **Manus Celer Dei** » 2005-07-15 03:45pm

Obi-Wan seemed to be doing something to help him, as well.

Isolder74 · Post by **Isolder74** » 2005-07-15 06:18pm

Noble Ire wrote:
How did anakin land the ship? If there were all those droids onboard the bringe, where were they when anakin land the invisable hand peice?
They were either destroyed or had fled by then. In fact, you see the bridge crew fleeing.

By the way, I only saw the movie once so I may be wrong. When I saw it it looked as though Anakin was the only one piloting the Invisible hand down onto the planet.

He wasnt flying it, he was trying to hold it together as it crashed. As some would say, "Falling with style."

Aslo note they are only flying half a ship. In a way it was falling with style. All I Saw them doing was controling how bad it crashes and where. i wonder where the other half landed?

Noble Ire · Post by **Noble Ire** » 2005-07-15 06:23pm

i wonder where the other half landed?

Presumably, it landed in high density urban sector, killing millions on contact, as happened with the other battleship fragments that fell from under the shields. A lot of people died during that battle.

Crossroads Inc. · Post by **Crossroads Inc.** » 2005-07-15 07:14pm

You ever wonder why the Planet didn't have ground Based TurboLasers to deal with such things?

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2005-07-15 07:17pm

Crossroads Inc. wrote:You ever wonder why the Planet didn't have ground Based TurboLasers to deal with such things?

Any ground-based turbolasers that exist would be rather busy engaging those Separatists ships still in action.

Post by **Vympel** » 2005-07-16 03:34am

The novelization makes it clear that if not for Anakin's efforts, they would never have survived.