13: A Plan Goes into Action!
1978/79? | age 10/11? Han and Luke execute their plan to take back control of the Falcon, by simulating a systems failure, and shaking up the Falcon.
“All Systems Failing!”
Or “systems falling” as I’d written it. Maybe it was a typo, or maybe I didn’t know what it meant!
Above: Chewie looks pretty funny! Standing at gun-point, hands in the air.
Now, one should never worry about science in Star Wars—because it spoils the fun, but I’m wondering how Han has managed to shake up the Falcon to throw their intruders around. We’ve seen Threepio thrown about the cabin, and how the Falcon experienced turbulence (how?) when It came out of hyperspace into the aftermath of Alderann’s destruction. But we’ve also seen how the Falcon can go in and out of Hyperspeed without the occupants being jostled—never mind being turned into fly-splats against the walls! The answer that might easily be given is that there are compensators built into these ships. Since the Prequels (I think), we’ve seen ships appear from hyperspace at a dead stop! Can you imagine the mush that the passengers would be turned into without compensators?
Above: “All systems FALLING” Eh?
Until the Prequels came along and Star Wars got all serious about itself, we didn’t really have to care about this stuff! Maybe we still don’t. I don’t care that we get sounds in space, because it’s more exciting that way, and it doesn’t offend my sci-fi spider-sense, because Star Wars is not sci-fi. It’s a fun adventure. That’s why I like the new Solo movie so much.
Above: Leia looks weird. Hardly unusual in these comics—admittedly.
Above: Whoo-hoo! More TIE Fighters.
Above: The quad cannon are awkward to get to aren’t they? Kids would love that though. Kids love tunnels!
We would be honored if you would join us… and leave a comment below. I love to read them.
As far as I remember, they never actually show a ship coming out of hyperspace from the outside in the original trilogy. It’s probably one of the many things George lucas couldn’t afford to work out an effect for.
It did always use to be that Star Wars movies and fans were less bothered by the science (Star Wars has always been more Space Fantasy than Science Fiction.) I’m not sure if the shift was connected to the prequels though, I know a lot of fans have got into Star Wars through the video games since the ’90’s, I wonder if they brought this new mindset with them?
One of the saddest things, I felt, about the complaints around The Last Jedi were the people who complained about bombers in space. Yes, the physics is all wrong, but that didn’t matter when the Tie fighters were bombing the asteroids in Empire Strikes Back, did it? Why does it matter now? Modern fandom can be so depressing.
Hi Dan,
No doubts that ILM could have done the coming out of hyperspace thing, and easily, but as you say, it was probably low priority in terms of shrinking budget and time.
I heard someone say that the bombs were pulled down by the gravity of the dreadnought. I recall hearing that enemy sea ships sometimes drifted toward one another by mutual gravitational attraction at night and ended up alongside eachother by morning.