Tractor beam questions

Stormtrooper THX-1138 · Post by **Stormtrooper THX-1138** » 2002-10-23 12:17am

Anybody have any information as to the range/towing capacity (I guess) of a Star Destroyer's main tractor beam emitters? A friend of mine asked me and I honestly had no idea what to tell him.Any help would be appreciated.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2002-10-23 12:58am

It appears to be able to push/pull/maneuver an asteroid as large as an asteroid with a diameter nearly equivalent of the main hangar itself. It can move these asteroids quickly, but it cannot be used on a maneuvering/resisting ship larger than a snub fighter, and even then only with great difficulty.

Stormtrooper THX-1138 · Post by **Stormtrooper THX-1138** » 2002-10-23 01:53am

Any idea as to range ?

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2002-10-23 07:43am

Under a Light mintue definatly but seems to accurate enough to Grap snub-fighters moving at low fractions of C(.05C or so, .005C more likley)

Though however from TLC we have evidance of Frigit sized craft being held in place (But that was multiple(Probably 3) Trator mounts)

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2002-10-24 09:08pm

How much power does it use?

As for the DS tractor beams, I'd say they have similar power, because they're used for similar purposes, and the DS has a lot of them.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2002-10-24 11:38pm

Tractor beam range seems to be limited by the maneuvering of the target, more than a physical limitation. Note that the Falcon in ESB was MUCH closer to Executor than it was to the DS when it was tractored in ANH. The difference was that it was maneuvering in ESB, but not in ANH. This indicates a highly limited ability to target a maneuvering object, which is further confirmed by the tractor beam target selections in the novels, which are primarily non-maneuvering targets. Even capital ships appear to be able to dodge tractor beams, such as the Tantive IV, which was MUCH closer to Devastator in ANH before it was captured in the tractor beam than the much smaller, but non-maneuvering Falcon was to the DS in the same movie.

Tractor beams do not appear to be a serious drain on a capital ship's power reserves when used sparingly and in the normal course of combat (recovering crippled ships, etc.), but they DO put a drain on power when used to move very large objects, like large asteroids, very quickly.

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2002-10-25 08:38am

Acutal Ossus the Tantive IV was in a tractor beam, That much can be surmised by various EU and elsewhere statments that put Blockade Runners Speed as twice that or more of SD, If the SD was catching up they had to be slowed down by the tractor and when the Engines died along with the Reactor they finaly where able to tractor it

Also remeber Thrawn's tatic of using enemy ships as extra sets of shields?

He used Tractors to hold those in place

His Divine Shadow · Post by **His Divine Shadow** » 2002-10-25 09:02am

Yeah he practically vaped one side of the ship then turned that side against him and used it as a shield.

Pg. 393-394: On his[Pellaeon's] status board, a section of the Chimaera's shield schematic went red."Get that starboard shield back up," he ordered, giving the sky in that direction a quick scan. There were half a dozen warships out there, all of them firing like mad, with a battle station in backstop position behind them. If their sensor showed that the Chimaera's starboard shields were starting to go--
"Starboard turbolasers: Focus all fire on the Assault Frigate at thirty-two mark forty," Thrawn spoke up calmly. "Concentrate on the starboard side of the ship only."
The Chimaera gun crews responded with a withering hail of laser fire. The Assault Frigate tried to swerve away; but even as it turned, its entire starboard side seemed to flash with vaporized metal.

(ref: Heir to the Empire)