What do Imperials do for fun on Star Destroyers?

[FaxModem1]

Simply put, when a stormtrooper or Imperial officer isn't at their post or sleeping in their bunk, what do they have available to pass the time?

This is inspired by many threads in the PST forum where people have argued about the recreational facilities on the Enterprise and other Starfleet vessels, and which people have noted that on long voyages, recreational facilities and comforts for the crew raise morale and enable the ship's crew to get their minds off work.

So, in the new Canon, or in Legends, what do they have available, if anything?

[Crazedwraith]

Nothing major that I know of. Computer access, flight sims on the computers were in Legends.

Of course given SW hyperspace speeds they don't need facilities as much. They can just put in for shore leave.

[Shroom Man 777]

I don't know. Borrow Vader's torture probes and use it on POWs to pass the time?

I bet those who staffed Wookie slave camps probably kept pieces of Wookie fur for fun.

[Crazedwraith]

I don't know. Borrow Vader's torture probes and use it on POWs to pass the time?

I bet those who staffed Wookie slave camps probably kept pieces of Wookie fur for fun.

I was going to joke about such things. But you know, didn't want to troll.

I imagine there are exercise facilities at least. And sports ones. I think I remember them having shockball teams but that could have been fanfic.

[Shroom Man 777]

And maybe mixed showers so they can Starship Troopers and Verhoven each other to their space fascists' hearts content. Like, make new baby Stormtroopers for the next generation.

[Lord Revan]

Based on the Death Star there's at least gyms of some sort in some imperial facilities.

[FaxModem1]

Here's a fun thought, do they have a holovid night? Imagine being the guy sitting next to Vader as they watch Memoirs of a Tusken Raider or Mos Eisley Confidential.

[hunter5]

Data pads and watch star wars versions of movies

[Khaat]

Online debates of one fictional universe's military against another's?

[Galvatron]

Online debates of one fictional universe's military against another's?

"Our universe would totally kick the poodoo out of that other universe that takes place a long time in the future in a galaxy far, far away!"

[Patroklos]

They watch Gungan snuff porn. The attraction is obvious.

[Elheru Aran]

In a Wraith Squadron book, they mug (subtly) a crew from one of Zsinj's ships that has arrived on a shuttle for shore leave on a recreational planet. So that's one example. Granted that Warlord Zsinj's forces weren't the Empire, but they did try to emulate the Empire in most respects...

[PREDATOR490]

The Jedi Academy books mentioned holovid nights.

Simulators have been mentioned but if they can be used for recreation would be logically speculative.

Video Games - The Falcon had a table top game and logically, the technology should be there for a Star Destroyer to be packing it's own media library. Assuming the crew do not bring their own version of Pokemon Go etc.

Card Games - Star Wars has a games like Sabacc and Pazaak

[SpottedKitty]

Assuming the crew do not bring their own version of Pokemon Go etc.

Now, what sort of weird places can those ultra-rare critters be found in? On the bridge? In the TIE fighter hangar? On the captain's head? In the captain's head...?

Bonus points for the brave soul who tags one to the back of Vader's cloak.

[Batman]

Star Destroyers are big, even small ones like the Victory or Venator. There's a lot of room for recreational facilities including full-up movie theaters, sports arenas, parks, malls, public pools...

[Eternal_Freedom]

Or, as Eleventh Century Remnant gave us, graffiti wars...

[FaxModem1]

Star Destroyers are big, even small ones like the Victory or Venator. There's a lot of room for recreational facilities including full-up movie theaters, sports arenas, parks, malls, public pools...

Room? Yes. But the Imperial designers might want that room for more equipment, more guns, ammo, shields, armor, etc.

My question is, does the Empire take human comfort into consideration with their ships?

[Elheru Aran]

Star Destroyers are big, even small ones like the Victory or Venator. There's a lot of room for recreational facilities including full-up movie theaters, sports arenas, parks, malls, public pools...

Room? Yes. But the Imperial designers might want that room for more equipment, more guns, ammo, shields, armor, etc.

My question is, does the Empire take human comfort into consideration with their ships?

The principal question there is how long of a mission the average Star Destroyer is expected to conduct on a regular basis. If it's something like a maximum of one week-- not inconceivable considering how fast hyperspace is-- then perhaps they only have the bare minimum of recreational facilities, possibly combining them in some kind of multipurpose room, say the canteen.

On the other hand, if they're expected to be away from base for months at a time... then you do have to pay more consideration to keeping the crew happy.

I would expect there to be morale officers on board, assigned the duty of having activities available for off-duty crew. Shockball at 3 PM, Krikkit match at 6, sabacc at 8, every other Friday a simulator-pod-race... etc.

[Shroom Man 777]

Turn the flight deck into a space-rugby field. A low-grav rugby. Or even something inspired by Mon Cal sports... low-grav water-ball... Final Fantasy blitzball-style!

[Simon_Jester]

Or, as Eleventh Century Remnant gave us, graffiti wars...

I loved that.

[Raesene]

Or, as Eleventh Century Remnant gave us, graffiti wars...

I loved that.

The one that was declared over by the Captain when someone...
Spoiler

painted a beginning reactor breach onto the containment vessel?

Still a favorite of mine

A pity he stopped writing or posting his stories here.

[Lord Revan]

The Legendaries Death Star novel had some indications what would imperials during off hours, while probably only major installations would have shops or bars for service I could see a cantina or gym of sorts being avaible for any imperial base bigger then the an outpost.

[WATCH-MAN]

The principal question there is how long of a mission the average Star Destroyer is expected to conduct on a regular basis. If it's something like a maximum of one week-- not inconceivable considering how fast hyperspace is-- then perhaps they only have the bare minimum of recreational facilities, possibly combining them in some kind of multipurpose room, say the canteen.

I wonder how long it takes to get the whole crew or a significant part of the crew off a Star Destroyer or on a Star Destroyer.

Is it plausible to imagine that a Star Destroyer is the whole time at a space port and, when there is a mission, the crew gets aboard, the Star Destroyer completes its mission, returns after a week and the crew leaves the Star Destroyer again until the next mission?

With a ship as small as the USS Defiant (NX-74205), assigned to Deep Space 9, that may be feasible.

But we are talking about a Star Destroyer with a crew of several ten thousands.

How much time is needed for the crew of e.g. a Nimitz carrier (including the air wing) to get aboard and get the ship ready to leave a port?

[Eternal_Freedom]

Honestly, no I don't think that's remotely plausible, even if only because no militarry I am aware of would allow a ship's entire crew to be off-ship at once outside of very rare or special circumstances.

I suspect it would be that while in dock, crews (assuming they do 3 or 4 shifts/watches a day) will get to spend their off-watch, non-sleeping hours at the starport rather than aboard (unless they're being punished for some reason) while staying aboard the rest of the time. That at least sounds reasonable, and avoids flooding the port's entertainment facilities with 37,000 spacers and nearly ten thousand stormtroopers.

[Elheru Aran]

Yeah, it makes zero military sense to completely de-ship a crew unless extreme repairs are required-- we're talking like a complete gutting of the craft, replacing the reactor, something major like that. At the very minimum there needs to be a watch sufficient to secure the ship, a commanding officer, and whatever crew are currently occupied in maintenance tasks.

More likely, unless port facilities are capable of taking that much crew aboard, there are recreation facilities available. Even modern-day naval ships will have such, albeit usually it's just a corner of the mess-deck dedicated to a pinball machine and a card table, something like that. Play movies on the inter-ship television, things like that. Usually the lower officers are tasked with 'morale officer' duties, but with a large enough crew, it's quite possible that you would have a number of officers specifically set aside for that purpose. And Star Destroyers are nothing if not large.