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Saga Atomic/Nuclear Bombs

Discussion in 'Star Wars Saga In-Depth' started by darthbarracuda, Dec 16, 2012.

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  1. VadersLaMent

    VadersLaMent Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 3, 2002
    You will want to check out the Star Wars Technical Commentaries

    What you will find here are calculations showing that atomic bomb type weapons do not measure up to the power output of SW weapons. A single SD blast can through multi megaton power levels at a target. The most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated was the Tzar Bomb. An SD's shields could laugh that off.
     
  2. Yunners

    Yunners Jedi Master star 2

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    Mar 30, 2006
    That's the kind of Trekkie-esque number crunching I'm talking about. Star Wars is better off without it IMHO.
     
  3. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 2, 2012
    That author's estimates and assumptions have been questioned though.

    The asteroid blaster shots are in the multi-kiloton range- based on the presumption of total vaporization- not multi-megaton. The shields are based on quotes about them absorbing "multi-megaton impacts"- though the one we actually see punching through is, again, more kiloton than megaton.

    The multi-gigaton blasts are based on that writer's presumption that a Base Delta Zero operation involves total planetary surface melting.

    What we actually see in-movie (and often, in EU) is much weaker.

    According to that writer- a proton torpedo is nuclear, hydrogen fusion, and of the order of 100 kilotons minimum. What we see in the movies does not live up to it.
     
  4. VadersLaMent

    VadersLaMent Chosen One star 10

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    Apr 3, 2002
    Sort of. The nice thing about the TC is that it looks at what you actually see in the films, does some physics, and says this is the damage that can be done. All it does is offer scale to what you see.
     
  5. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 2, 2012
    With certain issues (are asteroids vaporized, or merely shattered?)

    Going from a few kilotons (asteroid calculations) to a few hundred gigatons (that author's Incredible Cross Sections books) is a huge leap.
     
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  6. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 2, 2012
    Even if you assume a proton torpedo is 100 kilotons (with all in-movie explosions either being dialed down, or somehow able to have a tiny explosion despite massive energy), and that the shields can (per the games) absorb up to 48 torps at once before collapsing- that's still only 4.8 megatons.

    Compare to 200 gigatons (not a ISD gun, just one of the small Acclamator ones) and we have a single gun shot, from a transport, that's some 40,000 times as much as is needed to overwhelm the shields of a battleship.

    Does not compute.
     
    CT-867-5309 likes this.
  7. Yunners

    Yunners Jedi Master star 2

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    Mar 30, 2006
    That's my point. It all falls apaaaart maaaaan.

    It's like Quantum physics in action. When you try to measure it, it goes mad.
     
  8. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 2, 2012
    Don't know about all fall apart- throw out the data from the ICS books, and things get a lot easier.
     
  9. darthbarracuda

    darthbarracuda Jedi Knight star 3

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    Nov 4, 2012
    Unfortunately, I'm also a big fan of Star Trek...and I go crazy over this kind of stuff. (But IMO Star Wars is better)
     
  10. darthbarracuda

    darthbarracuda Jedi Knight star 3

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    Nov 4, 2012
    TC?
     
  11. darthbarracuda

    darthbarracuda Jedi Knight star 3

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    Nov 4, 2012
    Yeah so what would be the purpose of infantry anyways?! Can't you just blast them with the orbiting ships?!

    My only theory would be that if they did that, then everyone would start using shields over their ground units. And then there wouldn't be any reason to blast them cause they have a shield...

    And back to the nukes and stuff...another thing I was thinking is that you don't wanna demolish everything in an attack. You still want the cities, citizens, resources, etc. What's the point in invading if you're gonna blow it up anyways?!?!
     
  12. Yunners

    Yunners Jedi Master star 2

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    Mar 30, 2006
    You just answered your original question. Well done.
     
  13. darthbarracuda

    darthbarracuda Jedi Knight star 3

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    Nov 4, 2012
    Gracias
     
  14. VadersLaMent

    VadersLaMent Chosen One star 10

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    Apr 3, 2002
    TC=Technical Commentaries.

    I think because in the films we see blasts in space hitting shields and dissapating the true impact is never put out. Did you see Independence Day? The blasts that came out decimated cities and our nukes did nothing ot their shields. SW ships are at least what those alien vessels are.
     
  15. Yunners

    Yunners Jedi Master star 2

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    Mar 30, 2006
    No... don't do that. Comparing Star Wars ships to those of ID4 is where I draw the line. No good can come of this.
     
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  16. -NaTaLie-

    -NaTaLie- Force Ghost star 4

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    Nov 5, 2001
    Don't they use fusion reactors on Death Star and big ships?
     
  17. Yunners

    Yunners Jedi Master star 2

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    Mar 30, 2006
    Hypermatter reactors AFAIK.
     
  18. -NaTaLie-

    -NaTaLie- Force Ghost star 4

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    Nov 5, 2001
    What does that even mean? :confused:
     
  19. Yunners

    Yunners Jedi Master star 2

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    Mar 30, 2006
    It's an exotic form of energy, like anti-matter.
     
  20. -NaTaLie-

    -NaTaLie- Force Ghost star 4

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    Nov 5, 2001
    So, basically, a case of a "sufficiently advanced technology" indistinguishable from magic as per Arthur C. Clarke.
     
  21. Yunners

    Yunners Jedi Master star 2

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    Mar 30, 2006
  22. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 2, 2012
    Early on, "fusion" tended to be the primary energy source quoted- hypermatter was basically brought in to excuse the incredibly high energies estimated- much higher than fusion alone could account for.
     
  23. -NaTaLie-

    -NaTaLie- Force Ghost star 4

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    Nov 5, 2001
    As I thought, technomagic. But then again, Star Wars is a fairy tale, it's just set in space.
     
  24. HankSolo

    HankSolo Jedi Master star 3

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    Dec 3, 2012
    Something tells me this is both literal AND figurative.
     
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  25. janstett

    janstett Jedi Master star 3

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    May 29, 2004
    Even more disturbing, why are there no wheels (Greivous's vehicle notwithstanding).
     
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