Why was the second Death Star so BIG?

[Mitth`raw`nuruodo]

What? The fact that Slartibartfast posted it wasn't enough warning for you?

It took Talen's clarification before I got it, too.

you people are slow. :p

Anyway, if a moon sized battlestation strikes fear into the hearts of the enemy, imagine what an even bigger battlestation would do. It's the reason why ISDs are white. It's a terror weapon.

Same with Stormtroopers, and anything else that can concievably be painted bright white.

[Darth Yoshi]

Not everything. Only stuff that won't camoflage right if painted white.

[CaptainChewbacca]

ISD's are painted white for the same reason barns are painted red. Its the cheapest color.

[Mitth`raw`nuruodo]

ISD's are painted white for the same reason barns are painted red. Its the cheapest color.

Heh, that reminds me of Booster Terrick (the only pirate I know of who posseses an ISD in the SW universe) complaining about how he wants to paint the ISD, but can't find any paint other than "Star Destroyer White" that he can get in sufficient quantitys to paint with .

[Darth Yoshi]

Actually, he was a smuggler.

Well think of it like this. Which would you rather not see: a white ISD, or a green ISD?

[Mitth`raw`nuruodo]

Actually, he was a smuggler.

Well think of it like this. Which would you rather not see: a white ISD, or a green ISD?

well, ya, smuggler. He also turned the ship into a casino, shopping mall, and hotel, among other things. He wanted the SD to be bright pink, if I remember right. Imagine seeing a bright pink SD closing in on you during an attack...

I would have to say white, cause...its been done to death... 200,000 of them (or something else, still a whole goddamn lot), and they are all WHITE!

[Dorsk 81]

Every quote I've heard on the subject (none from the books themselves) indicate that Palpatine was aware of the Yuuzhan Vong threat. The DSII would have been a perfect tool for destroying their heavily guarded worldships.

Weren't the aliens in Rouge Planet the YV? That took place in pre-Empire days (I think Anakin was 12 or something, I haven't read the book in awhile), so Palpy might have known about the YV then.... Just a thought...

They were Yuuzhan Vong.

Haven't read Rouge Planet, but your saying that the Yuuzhan Vong were in it? Or is:

They were Yuuzhan Vong.

a typo?

[Master of Ossus]

Weren't the aliens in Rouge Planet the YV? That took place in pre-Empire days (I think Anakin was 12 or something, I haven't read the book in awhile), so Palpy might have known about the YV then.... Just a thought...

They were Yuuzhan Vong.

Haven't read Rouge Planet, but your saying that the Yuuzhan Vong were in it? Or is:

They were Yuuzhan Vong.

a typo?

No. In Rogue Planet the aliens were clearly YV. This was demonstrated within the book itself, and was only further demonstrated during the Force Heretic books, that have recently been released.

Timothy Zahn has made two statements indicating that Palpatine was aware of the YV, and had sent Thrawn to the Unknown Regions in an effort to establish defenses against the new threat. It is unclear to what extent he failed in that particular mission, but it is now clear from the novels that he was sent to help the Chiss establish defenses against the YV.

Palpatine's fore-knowledge of the YV is almost a given when you consider his spectacular precognitive abilities, but the events in Rogue Planet were probably not the key for him. We also know that the YV's Force-invisibility does not keep them out of Force-inspired visions entirely, from the writing in Balance Point. The YV have been sending scout units into the SW galaxy for some time, and some of them have not made it back. We know from official literature (and from canonical inference) that Palpatine's agents were capable of identifying anomalous Force signatures, and so I see it as a stretch if Palpatine were NOT aware of the YV presence (though, of course, this shows nothing of his awareness as to the MAGNITUDE of the danger).

Further, Palpatine was known to be attempting to fortify the galaxy from an extragalactic threat. Originally this was thought to be the Ssi-Ruuvi Imperium, but with the revelation that they are not, in fact, an extra-galactic enemy this notion disappeared. Unless someone even more powerful is on their way, I would imagine this threat to be the YV.

[Dorsk 81]

They were Yuuzhan Vong.

Haven't read Rouge Planet, but your saying that the Yuuzhan Vong were in it? Or is:

They were Yuuzhan Vong.

a typo?

No. In Rogue Planet the aliens were clearly YV. This was demonstrated within the book itself, and was only further demonstrated during the Force Heretic books, that have recently been released.

Timothy Zahn has made two statements indicating that Palpatine was aware of the YV, and had sent Thrawn to the Unknown Regions in an effort to establish defenses against the new threat. It is unclear to what extent he failed in that particular mission, but it is now clear from the novels that he was sent to help the Chiss establish defenses against the YV.

Palpatine's fore-knowledge of the YV is almost a given when you consider his spectacular precognitive abilities, but the events in Rogue Planet were probably not the key for him. We also know that the YV's Force-invisibility does not keep them out of Force-inspired visions entirely, from the writing in Balance Point. The YV have been sending scout units into the SW galaxy for some time, and some of them have not made it back. We know from official literature (and from canonical inference) that Palpatine's agents were capable of identifying anomalous Force signatures, and so I see it as a stretch if Palpatine were NOT aware of the YV presence (though, of course, this shows nothing of his awareness as to the MAGNITUDE of the danger).

Further, Palpatine was known to be attempting to fortify the galaxy from an extragalactic threat. Originally this was thought to be the Ssi-Ruuvi Imperium, but with the revelation that they are not, in fact, an extra-galactic enemy this notion disappeared. Unless someone even more powerful is on their way, I would imagine this threat to be the YV.

Ok, that makes sense, because from Destiny's Way onward its known that the Vong sent in scouts (Verge, Zonama Sekot) back in the Republics hay day. Seems a little close minded to think that Verge would be the only one aware of them.

[Kurgan]

Ironic and fun, but utterly useless theory.

Obviously Palpatine couldn't even see far enough ahead to see his own death at the hands of the traitorous Vader and the collapse of his Empire.

That just from ROTJ, to say nothing of events happening decades later in the EU books.

He was over-confident and didn't count on Vader & Luke re-establishing their Father/Son bond (we assume he either saw Luke killing Vader and then becoming the new apprentice, or Vader killing Luke and wiping out the Jedi spark once and for all... with the Rebellion dying out either way).

I haven't read the NJO (they sound too awful), but doesn't the whole YV invasion come about because of the "power void" left behind after the collapse of the Empire into feuding warlords and all that (ie: they see the galaxy at its weakest state and then attack?). Maybe the YV were so stupid they would in fact attack the Empire at full strength (having wiped out the Rebellion, etc).

Then again, in the EU the Empire has so many super-weapons, the Vong would never survive, even with their technobabble "uber bio-technology" crap.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Point of order, Palpatine was engaged in negotiations with the Ssi-ruuvi imperium to get their droid fighters. He needed them to fight the YV, since they were smaller, more maneuverable, and had stronger shields than anything else available. After the Empire fell, the Chiss destroyed most of their defenses to prevent them from absorbing the power vaccuum.

If the Ssi-ruu had won at Bakura, how well would they be doing against the YV?

I would believe that the smaller Death Stars were designed to destroy YV worldships.


P.S. Booster had the Errant Venture painted blood red as payment by the NR.