# How do the "gunner positions" in the Millenium Falcon work? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 13, 2020, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004 "2020-08-13T16:15:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/1 "2020-08-13T16:15:50Z")
In the movies, the climb up and down ladders to get to them, the gunner positions obviously are on the top and bottom sides of the ship. However, when they are in the gunner postiion room, you can clearly see the passage/ladder behind the gunner seat. But they’re moving around, presumably parallel to the ground, like normal. Does gravity work differently in there? (Note, this behavior is the same whether they are in space or on a planet). ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/2 "2020-08-13T16:39:20Z")
[waves hand in a vague, Jedi-like manner] “This is not the gravity you seek. Go home and reevalute your life choices.” In other words, they never cared to have it make sense. It is what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/3 "2020-08-13T17:27:38Z")
There is gravity in movie space. Also there is sound. The gun turrets in the Falcon are supposed to evoke the image of ball turret gun positions in WW2 aircraft. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/4 "2020-08-13T17:46:18Z")
The gun turrets have their own, independent artificial gravity fields, separate from the one that provides gravity to the rest of the ship. This allows the gunner to rotate the gun through it’s whole field of motion without becoming dizzy or disoriented. Or falling out of their chair, since those thing apparently don’t have seat belts. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/5 "2020-08-13T17:49:43Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > In other words, they never cared to have it make sense. It is what it is. Speaking as a SW nerd: overthinking physics in Star Wars movies is a route to madness. 😃 To the OP: my assumption is that the artificial gravity in the dorsal gun turret is on the same plane as the rest of the Falcon, while the artifical gravity in the ventral turret is 180 degrees flipped from that of the rest of the ship. So, yes, climbing down into the ventral turret would have the gunner’s relative gravity “flip” as he or she went into the turret. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/6 "2020-08-13T18:00:53Z")
It looks like the dorsal turret (at least) is at 90 degrees to the rest of the ship - you can see that ladder that accesses the turret behind the gunners seat, with the ladder on “floor” relative to the person in the seat. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3_OS9nk9Lv4/maxresdefault.jpg "Star Wars A New Hope - Death Star Escape and Tie Fighter Attack") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_OS9nk9Lv4) Like I said, probably the gravity field for the turrets is fixed to the “bottom” of the turret, on both guns. Even on the ventral turret, you’d want the ability to track the gun “up” through the full 180 degree arc, without falling out of your chair at the end because now you’re upside down. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/7 "2020-08-13T18:28:07Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > The gun turrets in the Falcon are supposed to evoke the image of ball turret gun positions in WW2 aircraft. Especially since despite the large number of computers they have, they target and fire exactly like a WW2 bomber gunner would. Not to mention who knows what the expected crew complement of the Falcon was. Kind of useless to have two turrets when the crew consists of only two beings. Lucky for Han Luke was along for the ride - otherwise the fighters could just attack the side of the ship where he wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/8 "2020-08-13T18:35:10Z")
Per the canon, it works fine as long as you don’t get cocky (kid). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/9 "2020-08-13T18:38:14Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Not to mention who knows what the expected crew complement of the Falcon was. Kind of useless to have two turrets when the crew consists of only two beings. Those turrets were definitely aftermarket additions. The baseline configuration of the Falcon’s model was designed to have minimal crew and maximum hauling space. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/10 "2020-08-13T18:42:30Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Not to mention who knows what the expected crew complement of the Falcon was. Kind of useless to have two turrets when the crew consists of only two beings. The Falcon was originally supposed to be what ended up being used as the Blocade Runner Tantive IV in the movie (because they didn’t want confusion with a similar ship in a contemporary movie). The design changed, the script didn’t. The Falcon in the movies is much too small to contain everything it was supposed to contain. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/11 "2020-08-13T18:51:45Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > The Falcon in the movies is much too small to contain everything it was supposed to contain. Maybe there’s a TARDIS in there somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/12 "2020-08-13T19:16:39Z")
The Falcon is basically the spacefaring equivalent of a semi truck. Those two big prongs on the front are supposed to hold a shipping container between them. Semi trucks don’t come with gun turrets, so those were definitely aftermarket. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/13 "2020-08-13T19:42:59Z")
I assume this is retconned right. I somewhat doubt they gave much thought about the inconsistency of a freighter having guns on it in 1977. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/14 "2020-08-13T19:43:20Z")
In the words of Harrison Ford / Han Solo, you shouldn’t worry about that because “it ain’t that kind of movie, kid.” Of course that seems to apply only to the original trilogy. Quotes like that do make me wonder how much of the character is actually Harrison Ford rather than whatever George Lucas wrote. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/15 "2020-08-13T19:46:08Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > I assume this is retconned right. I somewhat doubt they gave much thought about the inconsistency of a freighter having guns on it. Though, Han was, from the start, established to be a smuggler, who regularly took on questionable cargos, and/or flew to questionable places. And, in the original film, he mentioned that he’d made “a few modifications” to the Falcon. So, while a “typical” freighter in the Star Wars universe might not have guns, it makes sense for a smuggler’s ship to. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/16 "2020-08-13T19:46:49Z")
I’m pretty sure the original novelization of _Star Wars_ back in 1977 (written by ~~George Lucas himself~~ Alan Dean Foster) actually did mention that the ship’s gravity in the quad-cannon turrets was set up to be perpendicular to the artificial gravity field in the rest of the ship. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/17 "2020-08-13T19:50:42Z")
But the coal rolling comes factory. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/18 "2020-08-13T19:53:20Z")
In space opera, the space freighters have to deal with space pirates. Therefore, guns. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/19 "2020-08-13T20:03:14Z")
Fun fact! Established in the Han Solo novels by Brian Daley… In the absence of a third crew member to pilot, when encountering hostile ships, they’d put it on autopilot and both take a gun. Han and Chewbacca had a standing bet for each ship destroyed. In addition, there was the ‘money zone’. That’s the space along the edge of the ship where the fields of fire overlapped. A kill there counted double in the betting system. Those are good, terrible books and I encourage you to read them. “You PAY to see the cards, Gallandro. You folded.” ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004/20 "2020-08-13T20:04:55Z")
One would think “auto gunning” would be easier to pull off than advanced evasion techniques. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gunner-positions-in-the-millenium-falcon-work/918004.md?page=2)