# Star Wars Episode VII anticipation thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 23, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936 "2013-08-23T02:11:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/301 "2014-12-01T23:01:51Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > [An elegant weapon from a more civilised age, as the man said, shortly before hacking some drunk’s arm off in a bar.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6142360&postcount=18) …And with such elegance! Such grace! ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/302 "2014-12-01T23:05:11Z")
You cat totally get a new arm. Not like those sloppy blasters that will fuck you all up. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/303 "2014-12-01T23:12:07Z")
For sure. If SW is a story about anything, it’s a story about losing limbs. ---
**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:** [December 2, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/304 "2014-12-02T00:17:57Z")
I wonder who will be the first to lose an arm in this trilogy. It’s a tradition sure to be upheld. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/305 "2014-12-02T01:09:07Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I wonder who will be the first to lose an arm in this trilogy. It’s a tradition sure to be upheld. For all the guff Han Solo gave Luke about lightsabers, I’d say he’s long overdue. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/306 "2014-12-02T08:06:51Z")
Apparently the teaser is [“on track to become the most viewed trailer of all time.”](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/trailer-report-star-wars-teaser-753113?utm_source=twitter) If this film is at all decent-to-good (and I expect it to be better than the prequels at the very least) it’ll be huge. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/307 "2014-12-02T13:24:14Z")
[Full Frontal Nerdity](http://ffn.nodwick.com/?p=1333) weighs in. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/308 "2014-12-02T14:27:04Z")
[Stephen Colbert](http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/umsrnb/lightsaber-controversy) geeks out about the trailer. (Warning: link to video) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/309 "2014-12-02T17:03:06Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > For sure. If SW is a story about anything, it’s a story about losing limbs. And climate extremes, and falling into really deep places. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/310 "2014-12-02T18:27:09Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > [Stephen Colbert](http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/umsrnb/lightsaber-controversy) geeks out about the trailer. (Warning: link to video) That was a most beautiful thing. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/311 "2014-12-02T18:34:03Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > And climate extremes, and falling into really deep places. **First Rule of Really Deep Places:** Sooner or later, something or someone’s going to fall into it. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/312 "2014-12-02T19:05:02Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > And climate extremes, and falling into really deep places. And single biome planets/moons. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/313 "2014-12-02T19:13:06Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > [Here is a peek at the new X-wing they are using in the movie.\*](http://sploid.gizmodo.com/new-official-star-wars-vii-video-teases-full-sized-x-wi-1608232012) > > I’m glad it looks really roughed up. Things aren’t supposed to look rounded, shiny, and smooth like they did in most of the prequels. > > \*It was confirmed to be an Episode VII X-wing via twitter. Maybe it’s been asked before, but I never thought about it until after having played Kerbal Space Program. Why on Earth (so to speak) would a primarily space-going craft have intakes? Please don’t tell me it switches to air breathing for atmospheric flight… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/314 "2014-12-02T20:22:18Z")
Well, an X-wing use “fusial-thrust” engines, so they are kicking some kind of reaction mass out the back. Whatever that mass is has to come in the front, because there is zero room for a fuel tank on one of those things. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/315 "2014-12-03T01:54:43Z")
Apparently, they have energy technology that must be incredibly efficient and compact. Perhaps the intakes on the X-wings are for atmospheric flight when not being used in space flight, as it’s both a space _and_ terrestrial craft. Look at the energy coming out of lightsabers, alone. You never see one of those babies plugged into a charging station or USB cable. Of course, the real answer is because Ralph McQuarrie thought it looked kickass, and he was fuckin’ right. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/316 "2014-12-03T02:00:39Z")
Didn’t Luke fly his X-Wing to Yoda’s planet and back? I suppose if you’re flying at dozens or 100s of times the speed of light, your intakes are going to be sucking stuff in. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/317 "2014-12-03T02:28:50Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Didn’t Luke fly his X-Wing to Yoda’s planet and back? I suppose if you’re flying at dozens or 100s of times the speed of light, your intakes are going to be sucking stuff in. Dark matter ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/318 "2014-12-03T02:38:38Z")
The hyperdrive is separate from the regular engines anyway. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/319 "2014-12-03T04:38:18Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The hyperdrive is separate from the regular engines anyway. I bet we finally get to see the Falcon’s hyperdrive motivator after 35 years of suspense. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936/320 "2014-12-03T06:46:41Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Well, an X-wing use “fusial-thrust” engines, so they are kicking some kind of reaction mass out the back. Whatever that mass is has to come in the front, because there is zero room for a fuel tank on one of those things. How does it work in space, then? ETA: please don’t say it’s some kind of Bussard ramscoop… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-vii-anticipation-thread/666936.md?page=17)