# SW "A New Hope" Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 8, 2004, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573 "2004-11-08T02:26:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/21 "2004-11-08T18:05:36Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Robot Arm: > Because one way or another, they needed to get the Death Star plans to the rebel leaders. If they didn’t take that chance, there would have just been more Alderaans. It’s too bad so much modern technology has been lost in the SW universe. To: [JDodonna@rebelbaseHQ.org](mailto:JDodonna@rebelbaseHQ.org) From: [scruffy.nerfherder@mfalcon.com](mailto:scruffy.nerfherder@mfalcon.com) Re: Death Star Plans Hi, Jan! This is Leia, posting from some pirate’s computer. I’ve attached some secret Death Star plans to this email. See what you can do with them. We’ve got a tracker on board, so we’re going to go buzz some uninhabited planets for a while. LOL! If you dinf a flaw in the Death Star, LMK, ok? – Leia ---
**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:** [November 8, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/22 "2004-11-08T18:17:22Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Normally, I would counter with “Silly, shock waves can’t travel through the vacuum of space!” – but this **is** the _Star Wars_ universe we’re talking about here. Yeah, but if they just blew up a gas giant planet, they aren’t in a vacuum anymore, are they? All that gas has to go somewhere when the planet explodes. The Death Star would be ripped apart by a gigantic stormfront of superheated gas radiating away from where Yavin used to be. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/23 "2004-11-08T18:45:16Z")
I think we would need to talk to someone at [TheForce.Net](http://TheForce.Net) to get an idea of _how_ the Death Star laser blows up a planet. If the idea is that it punches a hole in the planet, superheats the core, and causes it to shatter due to thermal stress, then you could conceivably use it on a gas giant, but the gaseous atmosphere (and the oceans below them) would dissipate a lot (most? all?) of the laser’s energy. Blowing up the semi-solid core as though it were Alderaan would definitely make life unpleasant on the moon, but would also present a serious challenge to the Death Star’s propulsion and navigation staff. Given the Death Star’s custom design, it’s not unreasonable to suspect that almost every Kilowatt of power on board is being diverted to the lasers, and that the power plant has to work very hard to keep the laser firing. Killing a gas giant might be possible, but take longer – which could leave the Death Star with too little backup power to mount an effective escape. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/24 "2004-11-08T18:48:27Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > It’s too bad so much modern technology has been lost in the SW universe. > > To: [JDodonna@rebelbaseHQ.org](mailto:JDodonna@rebelbaseHQ.org) > From: [scruffy.nerfherder@mfalcon.com](mailto:scruffy.nerfherder@mfalcon.com) > Re: Death Star Plans > > Hi, Jan! This is Leia, posting from some pirate’s computer. I’ve attached some secret Death Star plans to this email. See what you can do with them. We’ve got a tracker on board, so we’re going to go buzz some uninhabited planets for a while. LOL! If you dinf a flaw in the Death Star, LMK, ok? > > – > Leia 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/25 "2004-11-08T19:07:11Z")
There seems to be a marked belief in this thread that – somehow – there might possibly maybe could be … PLOT HOLES in the Star Wars movies!!! :eek: I’m not listening!! :: Hands over ears :: LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA … ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/26 "2004-11-08T19:29:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Why did Grand Moff Tarkin wait for the moon of Yavin that the rebels were on to come into line of sight of the deathstar and its planet-destroying weapon? Because it’s a movie, and that’s what worked best to build a climax. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/27 "2004-11-08T20:52:17Z")
Cute e-mail…but I imagine all transmissions would be monitored. That’s why Leia had to hard-copy the plans into Artoo in the first place, wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/28 "2004-11-08T21:15:58Z")
Sheesh, can you imagine how damn big that attachment would have to be? Dodonna’s gonna be _pissed_ when his line is tied up for 8 days downloading it… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/29 "2004-11-08T21:21:26Z")
> [@Jurph](#): > > If the idea is that [the Death Star’s superlaser] punches a hole in the planet, superheats the core, and causes it to shatter due to thermal stress, Naw, couldn’t be. Alderaan exploded the instant the Death Star beam touched it. Shattering a planet by vaporizing its core would take hours. ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/30 "2004-11-08T21:25:10Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Cute e-mail…but I imagine all transmissions would be monitored. That’s why Leia had to hard-copy the plans into Artoo in the first place, wasn’t it? When Leia gave Artoo the plans she still had hope of hiding the fact that she had them, forcing Darth to release her. If she transmitted them at that point, it would have blown her cover. When she escapes with the boys, it wouldn’t have mattered if the Empire intercepted the transmission since protesting her innocence hadn’t gotten her anywhere anyway. I still think she did it to lead the Death Star close enough to Yavin to launch an attack. ---
**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 8, 2004, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/31 "2004-11-08T21:36:20Z")
> [@Jurph](#): > > I think we would need to talk to someone at [TheForce.Net](http://TheForce.Net) to get an idea of _how_ the Death Star laser blows up a planet. Perhaps you’ll ifnd the information you seek [here](http://www.theforce.net/swtc/ds/), though I haven’t read it yet to know for sure. ---
**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:** [November 8, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/32 "2004-11-08T21:44:14Z")
> [@](#): > > Also, it’s not clear that the Rebels had the large fleet of ships that they possesed in the later movies and use to launch fighters to attack the second Death Star. We don’t see any large ships on Yavin’s moon, they may have only had x-wings at that point, in which case the only way for them to attack the Death Star was to bring it to them. Nah, X-wings (and presumably Y-wings) are hyper-capable, and while they’re not as fast as the Falcon, I’d imagine that they’d have to be faster than the Death Star. They could launch an attack against the Death Star anywhere in the galaxy from Yavin, at considerably less risk. And I think that Leia tried the e-mail thing, but Han’s address is probably on a spam blacklist, so Dodonna never got it. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/33 "2004-11-08T21:56:01Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Normally, I would counter with “Silly, shock waves can’t travel through the vacuum of space!” – but this **is** the _Star Wars_ universe we’re talking about here. Or perhaps the real universe? [http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030609.html](http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030609.html) [http://www.star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/ap950718.html](http://www.star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/apod/ap950718.html) > **[Hubble Heritage](https://hubblesite.org/resource-gallery/learning-resources/hubble-heritage)** > > Learn about and explore the rich collection of imagery from the Hubble Heritage Program. [http://www.solstation.com/x-objects/sn1987a.htm](http://www.solstation.com/x-objects/sn1987a.htm) [http://www-astronomy.mps.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast162/Unit3/supernova.html](http://www-astronomy.mps.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Ast162/Unit3/supernova.html) [http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/chandra\_vela\_000607.html](http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/chandra_vela_000607.html) [http://www.jbpub.com/StarLinks/animation\_show.cfm?id=95](http://www.jbpub.com/StarLinks/animation_show.cfm?id=95) ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/34 "2004-11-08T22:02:57Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Nah, X-wings (and presumably Y-wings) are hyper-capable, and while they’re not as fast as the Falcon, So, what then, they’ll only make point-three past light speed, and can only do the Kessel Run in 15 or 16 parsecs? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/35 "2004-11-08T22:19:30Z")
So why couldn’t they shoot through Yavin? Not through the solid/sem-solid core but through the last bit they had to clear? I guess the gas could refract the light of the laser. What if they fired the main weapon and it missed. Would a planet destroying beam just travel through space till it hit something? All those shots that miss from the fighters and towers should. Do they? ---
**Author:** ![Skott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Skott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skott)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/36 "2004-11-08T22:52:56Z")
> [@JCorre](#): > > Why did Grand Moff Tarkin wait for the moon of Yavin that the rebels were on to come into line of sight of the deathstar and its planet-destroying weapon? If I remember correctly from listening to the commentary for “A New Hope”, the wait-until-we-get-around-the-planet wasn’t originally planned. The script had simply called just for the fighters to leave the base and go attack the Death Star. The planet-in-the-way thing was added to increase tension. You know what’d be cool? If there was a transcript of the Star Wars commentaries. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/37 "2004-11-08T22:57:32Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > I guess the gas could refract the light of the laser. It would, if the Death Star’s superlaser were a real honest-to-goodness LASER. But has been established by the extended SW universe sourcebooks, what people in SW call “superlasers” or “turbolasers” are actually really big blasters. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/38 "2004-11-09T03:52:17Z")
> [@](#): > > If the idea is that it punches a hole in the planet, superheats the core, and causes it to shatter due to thermal stress, then you could conceivably use it on a gas giant, but the gaseous atmosphere (and the oceans below them) would dissipate a lot (most? all?) of the laser’s energy. Liquids and gasses are very good at dissipating energy. If the Death Star’s weapon works by imparting thermal stress, then attempting to destroy a gas giant would be an exercise in futility. The fluid nature of the planet would make it impossible to build up any kind of stresses within it. Even if you do manage to create a localized “hot spot,” the non-solid nature of the target means that you can’t possibly shatter it. If, however, the weapon causes some sort of mass-to-energy conversion, then I would assume that a gas giant is simply too big for the Death Star to blow up. (Remember, it’s thousands of times larger than an earth-sized planet.) Also, if it’s a mass-to-energy beam, then any significant amount of matter would probably trigger the effect, so the Death Star would need a clear shot. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/39 "2004-11-09T04:00:00Z")
> [@RumMunkey](#): > > Because it’s a movie, and that’s what worked best to build a climax. Hmm… Or maybe it takes more than half an hour to recharge the laser? How many guys would Vader choke when he found out that, having destroyed the gas giant they now had to wait a couple hours for the laser to recharge? Something tells me that one would rarely need to blow up more than one planet per half hour. It probably wasn’t in the design specs. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573/40 "2004-11-09T04:00:29Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > It’s too bad so much modern technology has been lost in the SW universe. > – [email snipped] > Leia Well, it did happen “a long time ago” so email hadn’t been invented yet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-a-new-hope-question/273573.md?page=3)