ROTJ notes

[PainRack]

I just rewatched the SE ROTJ again, and for some strange reason, I could concentrate on all the nitty itsy details rather than just enjoy the movie itself.

So, here's a couple of questions I got, mostly tiny little thingys, that has no impact whatsoever on Star Wars in genera but just got to me.

R2D2
Now, this droid has an electric torch. Its powerful enough to simply cut through Leia chain with a simple touch, arc in the air, yet, it can't electrocute the ewoks?

Why, oh why, would a navigation/maintanenace droid like R2 need a chainsaw? I can understand that solder thingy he appeared to weild in the swamp, after Yoda died, but a chainsaw?


Lightsabres
Does the blade itself have momentum? We been stating that the lightsabre blade is massless, yet....... when we saw Luke attacking the sail barge guards, the blade appeared to have physical momentum, as it appeared to cause the guards to topple towards the pit.

I didn't notice this before, but during the duel with Vader, Luke sabre hit the railing just prior to him defeating Vader and cutting through the railing itself. Now, there were a couple of sparks, but the railing itself was undamaged. Oh... and I didn't see the lightsabre cause the shadow this time.

Scout bikes
Why are they so explosive on impact? They hit the tree, they explode. They crash to the ground, they explode. They appear to be some Mekboy wham bang Mk 1 construct.

TIE fighters
Why would the wings be on fire? In the battle itself, we see a TIE flying past, with its wings on fire, just before a rebel craft hits it in the centre fuselage and blows it to pieces. Anyone can hazard a speculation as to how this would come about?

[Lord of the Farce]

Why, oh why, would a navigation/maintanenace droid like R2 need a chainsaw? I can understand that solder thingy he appeared to weild in the swamp, after Yoda died, but a chainsaw?

Was it an actual chainsaw (ie. a chain with blades on it, which is mostly for wood-cutting)? Or are you talking about that pizza-cutter-ish circular saw?

[Vympel]

R2D2
Now, this droid has an electric torch. Its powerful enough to simply cut through Leia chain with a simple touch, arc in the air, yet, it can't electrocute the ewoks?

R2 probably didn't want to hurt them.

Why, oh why, would a navigation/maintanenace droid like R2 need a chainsaw? I can understand that solder thingy he appeared to weild in the swamp, after Yoda died, but a chainsaw?

Cutting through tangled, useless wires when working on damaged components? Or something?

Lightsabres
Does the blade itself have momentum? We been stating that the lightsabre blade is massless, yet....... when we saw Luke attacking the sail barge guards, the blade appeared to have physical momentum, as it appeared to cause the guards to topple towards the pit.

It causes Battle Droids to topple too.

I didn't notice this before, but during the duel with Vader, Luke sabre hit the railing just prior to him defeating Vader and cutting through the railing itself. Now, there were a couple of sparks, but the railing itself was undamaged. Oh... and I didn't see the lightsabre cause the shadow this time.

No idea. Maybe it didn't go all the way through?

Scout bikes
Why are they so explosive on impact? They hit the tree, they explode. They crash to the ground, they explode. They appear to be some Mekboy wham bang Mk 1 construct.

Must be the fuel they use. They are going very fast, so there'd be very little left of them regardless.

TIE fighters
Why would the wings be on fire? In the battle itself, we see a TIE flying past, with its wings on fire, just before a rebel craft hits it in the centre fuselage and blows it to pieces. Anyone can hazard a speculation as to how this would come about?

Well, those solar panels are clearly taking in way too much energy from all those stars Stupid bloody idiots.

Nah ... maybe ... nup, can't do it.

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

I just rewatched the SE ROTJ again, and for some strange reason, I could concentrate on all the nitty itsy details rather than just enjoy the movie itself.

So, here's a couple of questions I got, mostly tiny little thingys, that has no impact whatsoever on Star Wars in genera but just got to me.

R2D2
Now, this droid has an electric torch. Its powerful enough to simply cut through Leia chain with a simple touch, arc in the air, yet, it can't electrocute the ewoks?

Says who? Did you miss the scene where R2D2 electrocuted (albeit non-lethally) an Ewok on his butt out of "revenge"?

Why, oh why, would a navigation/maintanenace droid like R2 need a chainsaw? I can understand that solder thingy he appeared to weild in the swamp, after Yoda died, but a chainsaw?

One of R2D2's main task is perform repairs. I think having a device that provides you the ability to cut something in handy is quite practical.

Lightsabres
Does the blade itself have momentum? We been stating that the lightsabre blade is massless, yet....... when we saw Luke attacking the sail barge guards, the blade appeared to have physical momentum, as it appeared to cause the guards to topple towards the pit.

I didn't notice this before, but during the duel with Vader, Luke sabre hit the railing just prior to him defeating Vader and cutting through the railing itself. Now, there were a couple of sparks, but the railing itself was undamaged. Oh... and I didn't see the lightsabre cause the shadow this time.

Can't comment on this.. I'm not very knowldegeable on Lightsaber mechanism. I think you can read somewhere on Dr. Saxton's website.

Scout bikes
Why are they so explosive on impact? They hit the tree, they explode. They crash to the ground, they explode. They appear to be some Mekboy wham bang Mk 1 construct.

Probably because, as combat vehicle, the Speederbikes were loaded with ordnances during that time? IIRC during "semi-crash" (emergency?) landing, a combat aircraft should jettison its ordnances beforehand to increase the landing's survivability.

TIE fighters
Why would the wings be on fire? In the battle itself, we see a TIE flying past, with its wings on fire, just before a rebel craft hits it in the centre fuselage and blows it to pieces. Anyone can hazard a speculation as to how this would come about?

Maybe it supports the theory that laser cannon bolt has invisible part that goes first, while the visible part is merely tracer.

Or maybe the TIE had just been hit off-screen before the rebel finished it off.

[Hardy]

Lightsabres
Does the blade itself have momentum? We been stating that the lightsabre blade is massless, yet....... when we saw Luke attacking the sail barge guards, the blade appeared to have physical momentum, as it appeared to cause the guards to topple towards the pit.

Watch when Vader throws his sabre at Luke. It should be spinning on the centre of the hilt (i.e its centre of mass), thus proving the existence of a "massless blade".
As for the sail barge goons, they could:

1. Be jumping back to avoid the blade or reflexively jumping back in shock from being hit.
2. Be shot back by their own vapourized flesh.
3. Force push?

I didn't notice this before, but during the duel with Vader, Luke sabre hit the railing just prior to him defeating Vader and cutting through the railing itself. Now, there were a couple of sparks, but the railing itself was undamaged.

I know that Bob Brown once said that dense objects are not as easily penetrated by lightsabres. If you watch the ESB duel, this effect happens a few times(to the extreme benefit of Lord Vader,, who could have been decapitated if it weren't for his armor).

As for the railing in ROTJ, it likely was damaged, but the cut was ridiculously thin(like the sail barge goons).

[Knife]

I just rewatched the SE ROTJ again, and for some strange reason, I could concentrate on all the nitty itsy details rather than just enjoy the movie itself.

So, here's a couple of questions I got, mostly tiny little thingys, that has no impact whatsoever on Star Wars in genera but just got to me.

R2D2
Now, this droid has an electric torch. Its powerful enough to simply cut through Leia chain with a simple touch, arc in the air, yet, it can't electrocute the ewoks?

The only example of this was when R2 was pissed and wanted a little revenge. I doubt he was trying to kill the teddybear. So, variable power settings?

Why, oh why, would a navigation/maintanenace droid like R2 need a chainsaw? I can understand that solder thingy he appeared to weild in the swamp, after Yoda died, but a chainsaw?

An Astromech droid, thats primary job is on the fly repairs, would probably need a cutting device (or several with the torch) to cut away bolts, jammed parts, hull plates, ect. to get to the damage to repair it.

Lightsabres
Does the blade itself have momentum? We been stating that the lightsabre blade is massless, yet....... when we saw Luke attacking the sail barge guards, the blade appeared to have physical momentum, as it appeared to cause the guards to topple towards the pit.

I didn't notice this before, but during the duel with Vader, Luke sabre hit the railing just prior to him defeating Vader and cutting through the railing itself. Now, there were a couple of sparks, but the railing itself was undamaged. Oh... and I didn't see the lightsabre cause the shadow this time.

Since we know that the denser the material, the harder it is for a lightsaber to cut it (ref Vaders armor, blast door in TPM) wouldn't the blade create some sort of drag as it was struggling to cut the material as the blade was cutting into it?

Scout bikes
Why are they so explosive on impact? They hit the tree, they explode. They crash to the ground, they explode. They appear to be some Mekboy wham bang Mk 1 construct.

The use used plasma conduits from a Feringi retailer to wire their bikes.

I don't know. Fuel?

TIE fighters
Why would the wings be on fire? In the battle itself, we see a TIE flying past, with its wings on fire, just before a rebel craft hits it in the centre fuselage and blows it to pieces. Anyone can hazard a speculation as to how this would come about?

*shrug* chemical reaction near an oxidizer?

[PainRack]

1. The torch wasn't only used against ewoks, but on Jabba sail barge. Its just an annoying thingy, probably explained by some programming that said "thou shalt not kill".

2. Chainsaw-Okay. That makes sense

3. Highly combustive fuel BURNs. Not explodes. Furthermore, we saw the visible wreckage of a bike crash at least once.

4. "There is no air in space". I wonder if that means that the coolant in the TIE wings is some form of oxide.......................

[Spanky The Dolphin]

It's a circular buzz-saw, not a chainsaw. Chainsaws typically have actual teethed CHAINS...

As for his arc welder, killing several Ewok tribe members (one of which would have been their shamen, IIRC) wouldn't have really helped their cause. R2 was just pissed off.

[Winston Blake]

Lightsabres
Does the blade itself have momentum? We been stating that the lightsabre blade is massless, yet....... when we saw Luke attacking the sail barge guards, the blade appeared to have physical momentum, as it appeared to cause the guards to topple towards the pit.

We know that it takes force to push a lightsaber through material, so it wouldn't be the blade's momentum knocking the guards/droids over, but the force supplied by the Jedi's muscles.

TIE fighters
Why would the wings be on fire? In the battle itself, we see a TIE flying past, with its wings on fire, just before a rebel craft hits it in the centre fuselage and blows it to pieces. Anyone can hazard a speculation as to how this would come about?

Superscienctific fuel is my answer. We shouldn't be seeing those actual flames in space, regardless of an oxidiser being present.

[Howedar]

TIE fighters
Why would the wings be on fire? In the battle itself, we see a TIE flying past, with its wings on fire, just before a rebel craft hits it in the centre fuselage and blows it to pieces. Anyone can hazard a speculation as to how this would come about?

In-universe? Some form of coolant is circulated through the panels in order to cool the reactor. The breathing air is also circulated through these panels in order to warm it up (since it's being stored at high pressure, when you drop the pressure it's going to get very cold). The coolant is flammable, and both the oxygen line and the coolant line were damaged. Hence fire.

[HemlockGrey]

Also, sometimes the lightsaber cuts stuff, but I noticed, at least in the original version, during the Barge fight when Luke hacks at some guards, the saber seems to go right through them...

[Master of Ossus]

1. The torch wasn't only used against ewoks, but on Jabba sail barge. Its just an annoying thingy, probably explained by some programming that said "thou shalt not kill".

It was used against a Kowakian lizard monkey that posed no serious threat. I don't see anything wrong with chalking this up to a power-levels thing.

2. Chainsaw-Okay. That makes sense

It would be very useful to be able to cut through small plates of metal that covered damaged components, too.

3. Highly combustive fuel BURNs. Not explodes. Furthermore, we saw the visible wreckage of a bike crash at least once.

You're right. That doesn't make much sense.


But it looks cool. I'll forgive them.

[Rogue 9]

I didn't notice this before, but during the duel with Vader, Luke sabre hit the railing just prior to him defeating Vader and cutting through the railing itself. Now, there were a couple of sparks, but the railing itself was undamaged. Oh... and I didn't see the lightsabre cause the shadow this time.

What? I don't know about the SE, as I've never had the opportunity to see it, but in the original the lightsaber sheared right through the railing, leaving a neat section about an inch long missing. The remaining railing remained intact and didn't buckle, but it was definitely sliced in half.

[Kurgan]

Likely non-SOD short answer: SFX/continuity gaffe(s)

Likely in-universe short answer(s): the power of the force, exotic technobabble reactions in special circumstances


Like for example the last TIE Fighter that was shot by the Falcon's guns after they escape the Death Star happened to be carrying a special load of experimental fuel that was highly combustable. ; )

[Shroom Man 777]

@ Speederbike: Why do cars keep on exploding in action movies? Hmmm?

[Slartibartfast]

R2D2
Now, this droid has an electric torch. Its powerful enough to simply cut through Leia chain with a simple touch, arc in the air, yet, it can't electrocute the ewoks?

Can you be a bit more specific? What do you mean, electrocute them... shoot a large electric current at every Ewok onscreen to free his friends?

I think his torch is somewhat short ranged, and I don't think it would be easier to electrocute every Ewok, one by one, without any harm to him or his friends, than it was to Han to shoot his blaster at every single Ewok that was pointing a spear at them... oh wait, he didn't, did he?

Why, oh why, would a navigation/maintanenace droid like R2 need a chainsaw? I can understand that solder thingy he appeared to weild in the swamp, after Yoda died, but a chainsaw?

Maybe the solder thingy would SET THINGS ON FIRE? Maybe it expends way too much energy compared to a saw? Maybe it's not precise enough to make a decent cut on most stuff? Or maybe it would damage components in the things he's trying to cut thru?

[Kurgan]

@ Speederbike: Why do cars keep on exploding in action movies? Hmmm?

Ah yes, the "kewl" cliche. pwn3d!

[Hardy]

Like for example the last TIE Fighter that was shot by the Falcon's guns after they escape the Death Star happened to be carrying a special load of experimental fuel that was highly combustable. ; )

Come to think of it, virtually all of the TIEs in the OT had the most brilliant explosions. Maybe they all carry a highly explosive/reactive/combustive fuel?

It wouldn't surprise me since the ones in ESB were able to escape Bespin's gravity, a task that (according to Saxton's figures) would require about 970MJ per kilogram. And it takes 62.7MJ per kilogram to escape a terrestrial world's gravity. Considering the small size of a TIE Fighter, their fuel must be very dense and/or likely very reactive.

[Slartibartfast]

@ Speederbike: Why do cars keep on exploding in action movies? Hmmm?

ex-universe: action movie physics
in-universe, SOD explanation: action movie physics

[Mark S]

TIE fighters
Why would the wings be on fire? In the battle itself, we see a TIE flying past, with its wings on fire, just before a rebel craft hits it in the centre fuselage and blows it to pieces. Anyone can hazard a speculation as to how this would come about?

St. Elmo's fire?

[PainRack]

What? I don't know about the SE, as I've never had the opportunity to see it, but in the original the lightsaber sheared right through the railing, leaving a neat section about an inch long missing. The remaining railing remained intact and didn't buckle, but it was definitely sliced in half.

No. I was referring to when Luke first pushed vader onto that walkway. If you noticed, Luke first swing hit the railing, caused some sparks, maneveured away, then go to the scene where he ruthlessly batters Vader defences down before he cut away Vader hand and the railing with it.

In-universe? Some form of coolant is circulated through the panels in order to cool the reactor. The breathing air is also circulated through these panels in order to warm it up (since it's being stored at high pressure, when you drop the pressure it's going to get very cold). The coolant is flammable, and both the oxygen line and the coolant line were damaged. Hence fire.

Why do that? The TIE pilot suit is self contained, and the rebreathers appear to act to recycle the air, not as life support.

We know that it takes force to push a lightsaber through material, so it wouldn't be the blade's momentum knocking the guards/droids over, but the force supplied by the Jedi's muscles.

Won't that apply only if the blade itself had mass, which we know it doesn't?

[Winston Blake]

We know that it takes force to push a lightsaber through material, so it wouldn't be the blade's momentum knocking the guards/droids over, but the force supplied by the Jedi's muscles.

Won't that apply only if the blade itself had mass, which we know it doesn't?

Why?

[Illuminatus Primus]

The blade does not have to have mass; the swing and body movement of the swordsman obviously has angular momentum, and since the blade does have "drag" with slicing through substances, that momentum will be transfered to the target substance.

[Howedar]

In-universe? Some form of coolant is circulated through the panels in order to cool the reactor. The breathing air is also circulated through these panels in order to warm it up (since it's being stored at high pressure, when you drop the pressure it's going to get very cold). The coolant is flammable, and both the oxygen line and the coolant line were damaged. Hence fire.

Why do that? The TIE pilot suit is self contained, and the rebreathers appear to act to recycle the air, not as life support.

Hell if I know. But something has to serve to keep the cockpit/suit at a livable temperature, and recycling the breathing air for that purpose could save some weight.

[Kurgan]

Like for example the last TIE Fighter that was shot by the Falcon's guns after they escape the Death Star happened to be carrying a special load of experimental fuel that was highly combustable. ; )

Come to think of it, virtually all of the TIEs in the OT had the most brilliant explosions. Maybe they all carry a highly explosive/reactive/combustive fuel?

Well of course they do, but compare the other TIEs in that scene to the "last one."