Are the weapons on the Millenium Falcon automated

In Episode IV, we see four Imperial Tie Fighters attacking the Millenium Falcon, while escaping from the Death Star. In order to avoid becoming stardust, Han & Luke had to manually shoot and destroy every single fighter, which took alot of time and manpower.

What I don't understand is how the Millenium Falcon, a ship that is supposed to be the fastest and had special modifications done can't even have automated weapons that can be controlled from the cockpit. In Episode V, we see the Millenium Falcon being constantly chased throughout the entire film by Imperial fighters and star destroyers and the Falcon doesn't even fire a shot back.

In Episode VI, we see the Falcon battle ready, firing every type of weapon stored on board. I believe that the weapons were being fired manually by the gunners on board the Falcon, similiar to Han & Luke in Episode IV.

 

The Falcon's guns can be set for automatic fire, but it's less accurate than actually having physicaly gunners in the seats.

 

...and less exciting too.

Also, if you recall, there was the underside-mounted gun which fired on the Snow-troopers in ESB, it tended to strafe across the room, sending several bolts in a horizontal line of fire. Not precise, but effective.

 

Yes, I do remember that scene where the tiny blaster with the camera eye pops out of the bottom hull, shooting at the snowtroopers. Actually I was referring to the larger weapons on the ship. Sure it was strong enough to fend off the Snowtroopers on planet Hoth, but I doubt it would have the range to destroy a tie fighter, like the outer laser cannons mounted on the top and bottom of the ship.

 

The Millenium Falcon has definitely taken alot of punishment in Episode V. We have seen it get shot at and struck numerous times, from laser blasts to asteroids.

I believe that the Tie Fighter chase of the Millenium Falcon in Episode V would have been more exciting if the Falcon had fired back from time to time. It doesn't always take two people to man the turret guns.

In Episode IV, just when Darth Vader was about to destroy Luke in the Death Star, the Millenium Falcom comes to the rescue by shooting and destroying one of the tie fighters.

If you notice carefully, we only see Han inside the cockpit and not Chewie. Chewie had to be down inside the lower turret doing the shooting, since the shot was soo accurate. I believe the same could have been done in Episode V, where Han tries to outrun the fighters while Chewie shoots them down.

 

Chewie was in the cockpit when Han came to the rescue. You must not have the widescreen version.

 

I guess I have to check that scene out on the widescreen version. I guess this prooves that the automated weapons on the falcon are very accurate.

 

There is also a small forward gun on the Falcon that can be controlled from the cockpit. Given that the Falcon was flying at an perpendicular angle to the Death Star, neither of the main gun turrets could reach it, so it must have been the forward gun.

 

Hmmmm, very interesting. Thanks for the info Bib.

 

" There is also a small forward gun on the Falcon that can be controlled from the cockpit."...as was seen in ROTJ, when Lando fires on the reactor core.

"I guess this proves that the automated weapons on the falcon are very accurate." Maybe, maybe not. Han had a low-deflection shot from the tie-fighter's high 7 O'clock (or 5 O'clock) position, in addition to the fact that the pilots (as well as the audience) were unaware of the danger, and thus weren't juking around to avoid being an easy target. It wasn't necessarily a hard shot to make. Han just had to lead the shot a little, and luckily only had to shoot one of the fighters.

I wonder how long the infamous Solo would have lasted with Vader on his 6 O'clock?

 

Were there gunners in the turrets of the Falcon during the Battle of Endor?

 

I don't remember seeing the upper and lower gns firing at Endor. The forward gun was used a lot.

It seems strange to be flying a freighter in combat with fighters anyway and leading the assault on the Death Star. Still, it's the coolest ship in Star Wars.

 

" Were there gunners in the turrets of the Falcon during the Battle of Endor?"

In the movie, no. But there are deleted scenes of gunners in the turrets in ROTJ. I'll try to find one and post it. It's an external shot.

 

You can see several men behind Lando and Nien Nunb in some of the cockpit shots, so it's possible that they manned the guns when the fighting started.

 

Yes, the turrets were manned during the Battle of Endor. As mentioned above, those shots were deleted, however. An image in the STAR WARS: THE ACTION FIGURE ARCHIVE shows the man seated behind Lando in one of the turrets.

 

Yes, the turrent guns can be fired from the cockpit. But they're a lot less accurate than having a gunner there to adjust to a target's moves immediately. And the field of view is better in the turrent.

The small blaster in ESB is automated & basically just shot whatever moved. It's a lot less powerful than the main guns (about like a blaster rifle.)

As for shooting back in ESB, the main guns draw a lot of energy from the engines--energy that was needed for speed & shields. If Han had diverted power to weapons, the shields would weaken and/or the ship would slow down--leaving time for more ships to catch up & blast them. Better to just make a run for it than try to duke it out w/ the Imp Fleet...

Hope this helps...

 

Yeah, let the asteroids kill the TIEs rather than your weapons!