Anyone miss this or is it old? Star Wars Q & A

[Kurgan]

At least this was a new one for me (from StarWars.com "Q & A"):

Q. In Episode V when the Empire is looking for the Millennium Falcon in the asteroid field, Lord Vader is talking with some of his officers via hologram. The hologram image on his far left looks like he shields himself from something, then the image disappears. Was the destroyer that he was in get hit by an asteroid?

A. Well spotted. That is indeed what happens -- the Star Destroyer's conning tower gets smashed in the preceding establishing shot. For an entire generation, the punch line to that destruction was cropped out of Empire. That is, when Episode V first came onto home video, the absence of widescreen format meant that a significant portion of the picture was chopped off in order to cram it into a television screen. That Imperial officer was cut off so that the frame favored Vader and Admiral Piett. Most viewers didn't know what they were missing.

When the films returned to theaters in 1997 as part of the Special Edition Trilogy, many fans thought that that the doomed Imperial captain was an all new gag added for that release.

Since there was some controversy over whether or not the tower was actually destroyed, did people buy the explanation?

[Adrian Laguna]

How much weight does this hold? I recal someone, either Lord Poe or Saxton, theorizing that the captain that got whacked was actually in a shuttle.

[Kurgan]

I see the same section (well actually the Episode VI Lore section of Q&A) has another "controversial" answer:

Q: I read online somewhere that Endor suffers an immense cataclysm after the destruction of the second Death Star, and all the Ewoks are killed. Is this true?

A: Don't buy into anti-Ewok propaganda. It sounds like the Empire's behind that particular rumor.

Though many learned scholars and students of physics have examined the Star Wars films for scientific accuracy and have come away with an entertaining degree of consistency, in some cases, science has to be thrown out the window. Physicists -- both accredited and armchair -- may have to look away when a screaming TIE fighter passes through the vacuum of space, when a particularly volatile explosion combusts in an airless void, or when giant yellow letters inexplicable to the known rules of the universe float lazily into infinity. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it's only a movie.

And it's a movie with a happy ending. Though there are undoubtedly any number of physical models that would indicate that the detonation of a moon-sized object in the upper atmosphere of a forest planetoid would wreak untold havoc on the local ecology, that's not what happens. It was George Lucas' intent that the fuzzy little Ewoks and their Rebel friends live happily ever after, and nuclear winters don't fit into his model.

There may be an answer out there that lies in the unknown technologies or vagaries of space around Endor that provide a scientifically reasonable explanation for why Endor was spared the brunt of the Death Star's fallout, but it has yet to be chronicled.

Again apologies if this is all old stuff, and I don't want to dredge up another "Is StarWars.com canon or not?" debate, but is this the sort of stuff that people were getting pissed about with Pablo Hidalgo some time ago?

Steve Sansweet is mentioned in the last question of the ESB section, but I'm not sure if that means he only answered that particular question or if all of the Episode V related answers are his words.

There's actually a lot of information on here, of common questions about the movies. I'm surprised I didn't see these sooner. I assume others must have seen them, as most of them are dated to the time between the release of the official DVD's for the classic trilogy and ROTS.

Edit: It's a little hard to get to the section since it's a javascript popup on the righthand side bar, but you can get to it from here (click on the fourth link down to the right asking "How did the AT-ATs get to Hoth?")

[Adrian Laguna]

And it's a movie with a happy ending. Though there are undoubtedly any number of physical models that would indicate that the detonation of a moon-sized object in the upper atmosphere of a forest planetoid would wreak untold havoc on the local ecology, that's not what happens. It was George Lucas' intent that the fuzzy little Ewoks and their Rebel friends live happily ever after, and nuclear winters don't fit into his model.

I'm sure that's the reason why Galactic Civil War: Part 2 did not consist of a massive war where the Empire tears itself apart and millions die. Nope, the Rebels live happily ever after because when the Emperor dies everything is alright.

[Kurgan]

Well, take it up with whoever wrote the Q&A.

These aren't even from the behind the scenes section (I haven't read those yet, or the prequel sections). I remember reading some similar material on the "Ask the Jedi Council" section, but this is a section I had never seen until today (not that I spend much time on SW.com).

I notice some of these go back to 2001 (we've got the question about Boba Fett's fate from 2002, and another one that talks about the Ewok movies coming before ROTJ dealing with them not understanding Basic from 2001), but many are more recent. Apparently Steve Sansweet only answers certain questions attached to his name, the rest are anonymous answers from somebody at StarWars.com.

Most of the questions are answered with "common sense" answers, others are answered with EU material, sometimes saying certain sources are wrong while others are right, and a few it leaves unanswered (like for example Leia & Luke's discussion about their real mother in ROTJ).

Somebody needs to copy and paste these in to Leland Chee I guess...

Here's one from Episode IV adding a little detail:

Q: If the stormtroopers are supposed to be clone troopers, why do most of them have different sizes and voices in Star Wars: A New Hope?

A: The realities of filmmaking in the 1970s and 1980s dictated the differences in stormtrooper voices and sizes in the original trilogy. Completely computer-generated, exactly identical troopers were lot possible until a few decades down the road.However, there is also an in-universe explanation, provided by none other than George Lucas himself. During the production of Episode lll, Lucas told crewmembers that the stormtroopers seen in Episode IV are -- in the story world -- made from multiple sources. That is, they're not all Jango clones. By that time in the saga, other clone hosts have been selected.

Lucas intimated that the selection process has become more political than strategic in some cases -- a highly placed officer's cousin might be selected over a more capable specimen, for example. This politicization results in less-than-ideal candidates, which could explain some of the embarrassing marksmanship witnessed in the original trilogy.

In addition to multiple clone hosts, stormtrooper ranks also include conscripted soldiers and academy graduates, as has been chronicled in the Expanded Universe for many years now.

Academy graduates huh? So there are officers in the Stormtrooper ranks!

Well Databank quoters have been telling me for years that certain black suited officers don the armor for missions, so I guess that's where they got it from. That answer was dated June 22, 2004. So all this time it WAS possible that Luke, Biggs, Kyle Katarn, and Han Solo could have been Stormtroopers, if this answer is to be believed! Biggs may have been in some kind of "merchant marine" but he does discuss the possibility of being "drafted into service" by the Empire in the deleted scenes.

The first part of the answer is a bit BS though imo, I mean they couldn't have used shoe-lifts or filmed the same guy multiple times? They already did that anyway since they didn't have hundreds of people to use as extras for stormtroopers, they filmed the same small group of guys over and over, and used cardboard for the rest. Blue screen techniques were used elsewhere in the movies, so they could argue it was time and budget, not technology that limited them there. There was no excuse for the voice thing, since all their voices were redubbed anyway, and all the tinkering that was done with the soundtrack over the years gave Lucas plenty of changes to redub them if he'd wanted to.

[Kurgan]

Whoa, check out this crazy film gaffe retcon...!

Q: I have always wondered whether there is something wrong with Obi-Wan's lightsaber in A New Hope. It seems to be shorting out during the fight. Is this true?

A: There was something strange going on with Kenobi's saber, both in the Star Wars universe and on the set. As revealed in Star Wars Insider #63, Darth Vader uses the dangerous red crystals preferred lay, the Sith to generate his lightsaber blade. These crystals, when energized by the dark side of the Force, create a stronger blade than those found in Jedi lightsabers, and have a frightening side effect. On occasion, they can break the blade of an opponent's saber by overloading its energy matrix. Obi-Wan 's lightsaher is nearly taken out of commission by contact with Vader's weapon.

While this in-universe rationale adds more menace to the saga's dark side foes, production-wise, it's an entirely different story. These days, the lightsaber effects are mostly realized by combining a digitally animated blade with the live action footage. The actor wields a brightly colored aluminum rod that provides no luminescence. During A New Hope's production, the lightsabers were a combination of mechanical and optical effect. There was some attempt to provide the glow on-set, instead of through visual effects.

Date: December 7, 2002

I always thought the "energized by dark side" "stronger red blade" lightsaber thing was stupid, but here it is again. Oh well! Since this wasn't completely fixed in the 2004 Editions...

Then again I wonder if this means every time we see an unpainted stick that it's a result of a saber shorting out? (into a metal rod?)

[The Original Nex]

All of those Q&As are taken from Star Wars Insider's articles. They have a Q&A section in every issue. These questions and answers are the same as those in the magazine.

[nightmare]

Most of them are written by Pablo, and most of them are good (based on established EU), with the notable exception of the Endor Holocaust. Also check out the AT-AT "neck" entry.

[Dillon]

A: Don't buy into anti-Ewok propaganda. It sounds like the Empire's behind that particular rumor.

Though many learned scholars and students of physics have examined the Star Wars films for scientific accuracy and have come away with an entertaining degree of consistency, in some cases, science has to be thrown out the window. Physicists -- both accredited and armchair -- may have to look away when a screaming TIE fighter passes through the vacuum of space, when a particularly volatile explosion combusts in an airless void, or when giant yellow letters inexplicable to the known rules of the universe float lazily into infinity. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it's only a movie.

Floating yellow letters? He actually uses the opening scroll as evidence of Star Wars being inconsistent? What kind of an asshole is this guy?

[Duckie]

A: Don't buy into anti-Ewok propaganda. It sounds like the Empire's behind that particular rumor.

Though many learned scholars and students of physics have examined the Star Wars films for scientific accuracy and have come away with an entertaining degree of consistency, in some cases, science has to be thrown out the window. Physicists -- both accredited and armchair -- may have to look away when a screaming TIE fighter passes through the vacuum of space, when a particularly volatile explosion combusts in an airless void, or when giant yellow letters inexplicable to the known rules of the universe float lazily into infinity. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it's only a movie.

Floating yellow letters? He actually uses the opening scroll as evidence of Star Wars being inconsistent? What kind of an asshole is this guy?

A dumb one. Picking "Lolz Sound In Space (tee hee)" and "Opening Scroll" out of three examples is hillarious. I would have done something at least like the Falcon's near impossible inside area/outer hull shape comboes (as explored by Bob Brown)

[Aaron]

A dumb one. Picking "Lolz Sound In Space (tee hee)" and "Opening Scroll" out of three examples is hillarious. I would have done something at least like the Falcon's near impossible inside area/outer hull shape comboes (as explored by Bob Brown)

Isn't it mentioned in the ANH novel or the radio drama that the Falcons weapons system projects enemy vessels engine noise into the cabin and gun turrets to aid the gunners and pilots with their targeting?

[Duckie]

Isn't it mentioned in the ANH novel or the radio drama that the Falcons weapons system projects enemy vessels engine noise into the cabin and gun turrets to aid the gunners and pilots with their targeting?

Exactly. Not only is it a stupid example because it's a filmographical "cheat" as Mr. Poe called it, but it's also previously rationalized.

[Elheru Aran]

So all this time it WAS possible that Luke, Biggs, Kyle Katarn, and Han Solo could have been Stormtroopers, if this answer is to be believed! Biggs may have been in some kind of "merchant marine" but he does discuss the possibility of being "drafted into service" by the Empire in the deleted scenes.

Han was in the Imperial Navy; his service after the Academy didn't last long. I don't believe he was a stormtrooper, though; IIRC, one comic has him piloting a TIE.

Biggs was on a Imperial frigate, along with Hobbie Klivian, Wes Janson and a few of the other Rebel pilots.

[000]

I hate when they explain things that don't need explaining, and don't things that do. Poor marksmanship...? The stormies were trying to miss!

RE: ST officers:

Solo was a TIE pilot before being drummed out of service due to the "Chewbacca incident." Katarn was indeed a stormtrooper officer. Darklighter was second mate on the Rand Ecliptic, a Class-II Frigate (i.e. starship based on the Acclamator spaceframe). Klivian was first mate on the same vessel. I believe Janson had actually joined the Rebels prior to the the Ecliptic's defection; he was flying with the Tierfon Yellow Aces some years prior to Yavin. Skywalker was presumably entering the same academy as Darklighter, the Presfalbt IV academy, which was a Naval academy.

But yes, there are stormtrooper officers just as with any other branch, and it's a theory of mine that clones were not allowed to achieve that rank.

That said, I really hate the "political template selection" 'retcon' since a) the stormtroopers' marksmanship was intentionally 'poor,' b) it doesn't make sense in a meritocracy like the empire, and c) if you clone a pansy and raise the clones like soldiers, they're going to be effective soldiers regardless of the donor's life choices.

[The Dark]

So all this time it WAS possible that Luke, Biggs, Kyle Katarn, and Han Solo could have been Stormtroopers, if this answer is to be believed! Biggs may have been in some kind of "merchant marine" but he does discuss the possibility of being "drafted into service" by the Empire in the deleted scenes.

Han was in the Imperial Navy; his service after the Academy didn't last long. I don't believe he was a stormtrooper, though; IIRC, one comic has him piloting a TIE.

He was a pilot (AFAIK, but definitely not a stormie) who got thrown out because of disobeying orders to free a Wookie (Paradise Snare and Hutt Gambit). He served for approximately one year after graduation, based on the stated times for events in various EU sources. Solo and Soontir Fel knew each other at the Academy.

Biggs was on a Imperial frigate, along with Hobbie Klivian, Wes Janson and a few of the other Rebel pilots.

The Rand Ecliptic, although I wasn't aware (or forgot) Wes and Hobbie were aboard that ship.

Darklighter was second mate on the Rand Ecliptic, a Class-II Frigate (i.e. starship based on the Acclamator spaceframe). Klivian was first mate on the same vessel.

Darklighter was first mate.

[000]

Whoops, my bad. Klivian was second mate, rather, with Darklighter first mate.

[Kurgan]

A dumb one. Picking "Lolz Sound In Space (tee hee)" and "Opening Scroll" out of three examples is hillarious. I would have done something at least like the Falcon's near impossible inside area/outer hull shape comboes (as explored by Bob Brown)

Isn't it mentioned in the ANH novel or the radio drama that the Falcons weapons system projects enemy vessels engine noise into the cabin and gun turrets to aid the gunners and pilots with their targeting?

That doesn't help us, because we hear the same sounds and stuff in external shots, unless we're assuming that there are ships in every shot watching the participants and projecting the sounds into their own cockpits. A better rationalization is that this is a documentary with re-enactments and they tossed in the sound effects, music, credits, etc. to make it "kewl" and acceptable for the audience. That explains the visual gaffes too! (goofs by re-enactors).

As to Stormtrooper officers if they were never allowed to achieve that rank, that must have been something introduced later, since in the Clone Wars they were ALL clones.


So as to the Q&A, people are saying that this stuff IS canon, but it's also just stupid? I'm just thinking what to say to people who always cite StarWars.com stuff as canon (and if it's from Star Wars Insider, that would mean they are saying SWI is canon).

[000]

A better rationalization is that this is a documentary with re-enactments

... that's the best way of looking at the movies, actually, and one I'm surprised more don't approach it from.

[Kurgan]

A better rationalization is that this is a documentary with re-enactments

... that's the best way of looking at the movies, actually, and one I'm surprised more don't approach it from.

Yeah, LucasFilm's canon policy as is seems to be obstacle from adopting it wholesale. The movies are the "true reality" rather than being an interpretation, like the novels.

[000]

See, I still think the LFL canon policy can coexist with a "movies-as-historical-drama" viewpoint. Since every piece of SW material is a secondary source, they just all have to be level with the original piece of historical drama.

The thing is, the movies simply cannot be treated as a dead-on accurate view of events. For one, there's obviously no way a holocam could have captured all the shots; also, the characters obviously didn't speak English and things like effects gaffes didn't occur.

Interestingly enough, there are a couple sources that even hint at the OT being based on rebel historical reports-- the opening crawl of A New Hope, at least, was penned by one Voren Na'al, a rebel historian.

[Aquatain]

Isn't it mentioned in the ANH novel or the radio drama that the Falcons weapons system projects enemy vessels engine noise into the cabin and gun turrets to aid the gunners and pilots with their targeting?

If you listen you can hear this in the movie.. though it has nothing to do with the sound-in-space question.

Personally i always though the asteroid destroyed the tower of the ISD(well until i came here), that rock is huge.

[Dooey Jo]

A better rationalization is that this is a documentary with re-enactments

... that's the best way of looking at the movies, actually, and one I'm surprised more don't approach it from.

Well, who will decide what is an effects gaffe and what's not? You just know a certain group of people will say that the destruction of Alderaan was never meant to be so violent. It would be much simpler to say that it is real footage, with some additions and enhancements (such as the opening crawl and sound and music in space).

[Kurgan]

A better rationalization is that this is a documentary with re-enactments

... that's the best way of looking at the movies, actually, and one I'm surprised more don't approach it from.

Well, who will decide what is an effects gaffe and what's not? You just know a certain group of people will say that the destruction of Alderaan was never meant to be so violent. It would be much simpler to say that it is real footage, with some additions and enhancements (such as the opening crawl and sound and music in space).

Well but that still presents problems, even though some are treated as canon and well liked (such as damage appearing before bolts actually hit a target, the "Great Weapon/Death Star" thing and the rebuilt, overhauled and revamped Tantive IV). Are lightsabers really metal rods that cast shadows, have cables running from the handle up the sleeve of the user and have blades that change color at random? Does stormtrooper armor have leg plates that pop open as you walk? Does stormtrooper armor crack open after taking a light tumble and generally expose the wearer to the open air (see darkstar's famous complaint)? Are the "metal" walls of the Death Star built of lightweight material that shudders when bumped into by people? Do ships have transparent boxes around them (shields?)? Do wookiees have shoe-like pads on the bottoms of their feet, R2D2 have a flesh colored entity living inside his occular piece? Is Wedge a shape-shifter? Do X-Wings have holographic decal markings that change at random? Do TIE Fighters have windows in the back of the cockpit that randomly appear? Are the Death Star plans held by the rebels fatally flawed?

It really starts to get silly, with the solution being to "ignore" them, but how do we know they're gaffes? Based on non-SOD "intent", interepretation by fans or authorities like Saxton & Leeland Chee and comparison with other movies... ;P

Or we could say any scene with a gaffe in it is a re-enactment that was goofed on in the process, or attribute it to footage that was tampered with (Wong's quip on Greedo shooting first in the special edition, also a hilarious comic about the trial of Han Solo).

You're left with problems either way, is my point.

[PainRack]

You know..... I wonder if anyone has ever mentioned about how Luke lightsabre didn't chop through the metal railings when he was fighting Darth Vader on the Death Star.

Just prior to him cutting off his hand, Luke wild swings obviously hits the side railings and we see sparks, but no burns and definitely no slicing through the railings. This even though luke was using what appears to be a lot of force.

[nightmare]

You know..... I wonder if anyone has ever mentioned about how Luke lightsabre didn't chop through the metal railings when he was fighting Darth Vader on the Death Star.

Just prior to him cutting off his hand, Luke wild swings obviously hits the side railings and we see sparks, but no burns and definitely no slicing through the railings. This even though luke was using what appears to be a lot of force.

Fast but not necessarily with great force. When he did slice through the railing, he used more force - evidently because he sliced through, but also because he had his whole body behind the motion unlike previous rail hits.

It's strange, but the railings must be pretty tough. It is perhaps the most primary example of bat-like behaviour for lightsabers. Maybe it's a containment field, who knows.