# Q about TIE fighters

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-tie-fighters/769789>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 26, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-tie-fighters/769789 "2016-10-26T16:52:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 7

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**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-tie-fighters/769789/121 "2016-11-07T15:00:41Z")

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How would you like it if you told your gps to take you somewhere and instead of giving you turn by turn direction it just let off a string of beeps. And don’t give me that bit about reading the screen, no doubt flying and texting your astromech droid has been banned.

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**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:** [November 7, 2016, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-tie-fighters/769789/122 "2016-11-07T15:21:40Z")

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> [@terentii](#):
>
> … And the meaning (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space) had been decided on well before that.

That acronym is stretched even worse than S.H.I.E.L.D, At least shield is a word that describes what they do. Tardis sounds like a condition that can be treated with the proper medication. Ask your doctor. 😉

I mean, shouldn’t it be “time and other dimensions in space-time”? Tordist? How about just time ship?

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**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-tie-fighters/769789/123 "2016-11-07T16:17:59Z")

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> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#):
>
> And [this](http://www.starwarsmodels.com/images/parts/vadertie.jpg) puts the kibosh on “no landing gear”. The parts on the lower right tree, above the “Star Wars Model Kit Gallery” are the landing gear parts.
> 
> And I know MPC wouldn’t lie to me!

Sorry, Imperial TIE fighters do not have landing gear. They are structurally able to land on their “wings”.

The model in the image you linked to is actually Vader’s TIE prototype (circa 1984?) which seems to be the only occurrence of landing gear.

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**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2016, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-tie-fighters/769789/124 "2016-11-07T23:38:44Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> I guess it just made its way through the Fan Grapevine, that someone I knew knew someone else who knew someone else who actually did read the fanzines.

That’s how I knew who Boba Fett really was (Jaster Mereel? What?), and that Stormtroopers were clones, which turned out to be almost true.

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**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-tie-fighters/769789/125 "2016-11-08T01:27:08Z")

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> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#):
>
> I mean, shouldn’t it be “time and other dimensions in space-time”? Tordist? How about just time ship?

I don’t make 'em up, I just parrot 'em! :o

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