The Death Star gunners alwys amused me.

The guys that actually push the buttons are wearing full battle gear complete with face protecting blast shields, while the guys that stand on a catwalk while the MASSIVE amount of power is zipping by simply turn and cover their faces when the Death Star fires.

 

Good point man and I always wondered if the huge beam ever gave off any kind of radiation or something harmful.

 

LOL

Those guys have the crappiest job in the universe..why are they there anyhow?

 

Maybe they got lost on their way to the bathroom.

Warrior_of_Mandalore Strikes Again!

 

lol.

I wonder what Military Occupational Specialty those guys are..

23-Sierra: Cringe in the face of a raw laser blast five feet away!

 

Maybe they got lost on their way to the bathroom.

 

It was a truth and dare contest.

 

I always wondered if the huge beam ever gave off any kind of radiation

Either way them guys are never going to enjoy the simple pleasure of fatherhood.

 

Two men walk around a corner looking for the mens room.

"I think its this door!"

They enter through, to A HUGE GIANT HOT FLASH!

"Wroung door!"

 

"Hey, Bill, pass that bong over here."
"What's that humming?"
"Dude, you're so tripping, there ain't no humming."
"Yeah, man I totally hear something."
"Maybe, I think I do too, wait, man, what were we talking about?"
"HOLY CRAP!!!!"


We didn't see the scene where they're reduced to ash.

 

About there specialty you wondered, I believe that they are Imperial Navy(But im not positive)

 

Why do they need some people there anyway?

 

movie-answer: For scale

 

Speaking of Death Star Gunners, what about the guys manning the "anti-aircraft" guns on the interior and the exteriors showing the boxy-style twin mounts in ANH? In fact, I never noticed it before but in the Widescreen version you can see that those "anti-aircraft guns" are indeed pointing out to space.

 

That's a pretty funny point...the guys just turning away and covering their face, but they're about 4 feet from a death blast that can destroy a planet!

 

I think there is like a transparent radiation proof death star laser blast plate of glass covering them.

 

Their protection was probably in the same place as the thermal exhaust port manhole cover.

Warrior_of_Mandalore Strikes Again!

 

I've always wanted to be one of the gunners (not the guys right next to the tunnel, but the ones in the fire control room). It just seems like a cool space, and I love pushing buttons.

 

I'll agree, the officer and assistants right next to the superlaser have possibly the worst job in the Empire. Though the other gunner's helmets have all the specialized tracking equipment that they need to follow fighters and capital ships during space battle. Though they still have no reason to have them in the superlaser control room. I mean, how do you miss a planet? You don't exactly have to track any wild maneuvers.

 

I've always wondered why the lower half of their helmets had that thing pointing up. I'd be wanting out after 10 minutes of the edge of that helmet staring at me.

I also hope they've got cooling systems in those suits as they look kinda hot and stuffy inside.

 

Naw, the worst job in the Empire is cleaning the trash compactor walls. Sorta like washing the interior of a septic tank, except everything gets crushed into the crevices.

At least the guys standing next to the superlaser got a good view of the universe and the best view of the once in a lifetime event - 'sploding Alderaan.

You gotta wonder though - why were they looking toward the laser when they knew it was going to be fired? There's only two possible explnations - either no one ever told them or no one knew. Wait, that sounds uncannily familiar...

What do you figure their job was anyway? Maybe they had to clean starcrud out of the barrel or make sure the bolt torque was correct. You know how much pressure that Death Star generates! If one of those bolts came loose, there would be some serious hell to pay.

Someone ought to do a voice overdub on that scene whining, "Ow! My ii-eeeeeeess!" That would be a laugh. Better yet, a fanfilm on those two guys.

 

I always figured they were some sort of maintence crew. Probably there to monitor specialized systems or some such and troubleshoot any system failures in their section of the firing system.

Still gotta wonder: One wrong step and zap you're a cripsy critter. Great way to get rid of a annoying coworker.

 

The thing is don't understand is the guys in the control room, sitting around pushing buttons and saying "commence primary ignition" and "stand by...stand by..." have those full-face helmets on. If you're sitting in a room full of computers and pushing buttons, what do you need a full-face helmet on for? In case the computer shorts out and blows up in your face, like every space battle in Star Trek?

 

Perhaps the helmets are anti-glare filters which are customizable for the user. The Imperial beancounters must have decided that a filter placed on the monitors were too costly and so building them into the helmets saved time and money.



What really gets me is that one big pole in the Death Star trash compactor. I can imagine a stormtrooper standing around asking his fellow stormies "Does anyone need this pole? 'Cause if ya do, it's right here... No? Then I guess I'll just pitch it then, since... no one needs it...yeah."