# Help me understand something about Star Wars **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2003, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-something-about-star-wars/190569 "2003-07-24T06:26:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-something-about-star-wars/190569/21 "2003-07-24T22:00:14Z")
> [@](#): > > Twelve million out of two hundred billion is pretty small, relatively speaking. VOLUME is what you should be thinking of, however, not raw numbers. There are more than twelve million stars in the galactic core, but the Empire spreads out well beyond into the outer rim. Think of it this way: The United States encompasses a large area, but not every square foot (or every square mile, for that matter) has a permanent resident. The BORDERS of the Empire encompass (or, rather, encompassed, before it collapsed) the vast bulk of the galaxy, with only a few small areas in the outer rim that they either hadn’t gotten around to conquering, were in the process of conquering, or hadn’t bothered to conquer. MEBuckner… > [@](#): > > and the Andromeda Galaxy is not by any means the closest galaxy to our own; the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are both within 250,000 light-years of Earth In _Attack of the Clones_, there’s a graphic display of “The Galaxy” (whatever their galaxy is called) that shows two smaller satellite galaxies nearby, similar to the Magellanic clouds. It’s unknown, however, whether those are just artistic interpretations, and if so, how much does “artistic license” affect the image, or if they really appear that close. Achernar… > [@](#): > > However, in Star Wars we know it is, because in The Phantom Menace Anakin asks if all the stars in the sky have planets, and Qui-Gonn says most of them do. He also told Anakin that “midichlorians” tell people about the Force. I’m ready to dismiss his comments as analogous to telling children about the stork. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-something-about-star-wars/190569/22 "2003-07-26T23:33:08Z")
Well, they did leave the galaxy, or at least a galaxy, at the end of _Empire Strikes Back._ Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-something-about-star-wars/190569/23 "2003-07-27T02:35:47Z")
I think it’s a matter of calculating navigation coordinates. Jumping into hyperdrive means having to find a trajectory or course that eventually realigns with 3d space again. Imagine trying to solve a 4-dimensional Rubik’s cube with 48 colors and hundreds of possible moves at any turn; and having _one_ particular configuration (which you have to reach in the fewest possible moves!) correspond to arriving at your desired destination. My W.A.G. would be that even with advanced computers for calculation, ships in Star Wars have to rely on rough approximations (like assuming the galaxy is a homogenous disk of a certain size and mass) that break down if you try to go too far out. I would presume that the rebel fleet in TESB went as far out of the galaxy as they dared, to hide in the extragalactic void. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-something-about-star-wars/190569/24 "2003-07-27T03:30:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SPOOFE \* > \*\* > He also told Anakin that “midichlorians” tell people about the Force. I’m ready to dismiss his comments as analogous to telling children about the stork. \*\* Nu-uh, no way, no how. It’s your stupid universe, you’re stuck with it, midichlorians and all. That one was from a MOVIE, for cryin out loud, no way you can dismiss that from the canon. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-something-about-star-wars/190569/25 "2003-07-27T03:31:13Z")
Yes, in the New Jedi Order, the Yuuzhan Vong (think Michael Jackson covered in tattoos with an S&M streak) have come from another galaxy. However, it’s not been said how LONG it took them to get to the SW galaxy. It could have been generations, as they travel on worldships. Making a blind hyperspace jump is considered suicidal in SW. That’s why you have navcomputers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-something-about-star-wars/190569.md?page=1)