Why didn’t they shoot through the planet?
Easy answer. Why bother? Tarkin was sitting in a huge, invincible space station with a BFG attached to the front and the Rebels, as he saw it, only had little gnats to fight the behemoth. So why not wait a few more minutes for a clear shot to make sure things so exactly as planned?
According to The Star Wars Visual Dictionary, the “lasers” are projectiles of superheated plasma, which tend to break up into nothing after the blast travels a certain distance. The useful range varies from one weapon to another, but the surrounding planets were probably safe from random blaster fire coming down from the heavens.
Okay, that’s my geek moment for the day. 
Using the word “cool” in it’s broadest possible sense, of course.
Thanks for all of the replies people.
I realize that Star Wars is not without numerous plot-holes. Han’s dissappearing arm restraints between the cryo-freeze at the end of ‘Empire’ and thaw in ‘Return’ being just the latest one that I noticed last night.
It just seemed like there would be something plausible about the battle of Yavin question since it was such a major part of the film.
Thanks again.
That’s not really a plot hole, because the prescense or abscense of the arm restraints doesn’t affect the plot one way or another. It’s just a continuity error.
(Although I thought the guards took them off before he went into the deep freeze in Empire.)
You are quite correct Miller, thanks for the correction.
Yeah when I watched Empire last night I’m pretty sure I saw han being lowered into the chamber with his arms still bound. When I went straight on to watch Return I was so crestfallen when he thawed out sans arm restraints that I had to stop watching and fight back the tears of frustration. I don’t think I can ever watch those 2 movies again…
Odd bit, that.
IIRC, they take Han’s restraints and move them around to the front but that’s it.
Maybe they didn’t want him frozen for years with a cramp?
-Joe
If the Emperor asks Vader where he’s been, does Vader tell him, “Sorry I’m late. I was choking the Admiral”?
Almost launched some Miller through my nose.
Don’t do that!
-Joe
Shock wave in space?? Debris wave, perhaps…
They blew up Alderaan without a problem. It’was a plot element, nothing more, nothing less.
Well, the Praxis wave sent the Excelsior for a loop AND broke Sulu’s coffee cup (which magically disappeared).
Yeah another science fiction series with some scientific problems. a debris wave I could see, but a shock wave implies enough gaseous matter between the explosion and the recipient of the shock. Since Praxis was moon with probably no atmosphere…
Well, if wanna go throwing logic around…
Well, since this is the SDMB…
What level of gas would be necessary? If Praxis did have an atmosphere, would that atmosphere, now suddenly mobile and blowing outward, be enough for a shockwave to propogate?
-Joe
Of course: mine!
You’re right. However, I don’t think you can see it if you’re watching the full-screen/pan-and-scan version. In the widescreen edition, two Ugenots come up and remove them just before they lower him into the pit.