Tag Archives: movies

4 Star Wars Spin-off Ideas

June 2, 2018Star Warsanthologies, Jedi, Mandalorians, movies, Republic Commando, Sith, spin offs, Star Wars, wookieesShadow Squadron

Rogue One and Solo were the first and certainly not the last in a new type of Star Wars movies: anthologies. “A Star Wars Story,” the subtitle given to these films, is the new Legends or Expanded Universe. The books and games were more or less erased from the timeline with the sequel trilogy, but that only freed up space for new ones. With Disney is making separate stand-alone Star Wars movies, it’s hard not to imagine the possibilities. Movies that we knew all along would never happen have a chance again. These are just four that fans would like to see.

4: Sith origins

The Sith are a mysterious culture: we don’t know where they come from, how they came to be, how long they’ve been around, or even who they are exactly. Without the EU explanations, there is almost no solid information about the origins of the Sith. A movie about them could be set in the Old Republic or earlier. It would be about how the Dark Side was discovered, and the first people to use it — the first Sith. This could happen simultaneously with the origins of the Jedi and the discovery of the Light Side.

3: Wookiees and Kashyyyk

This one would be a bit of a challenge to make because of the language issues, but it could work if there is a human in the story that can translate Shyriiwook. It would reveal a lot of both Wookiee culture as well as the secrets of Kashyyyk, like whether Wookiees really live in trees and why are those trees so much better than any other species. It could mention and justify the Wookiee-Trandoshian conflict, as well as their distrust of the Empire.

2: Republic Commando

No book series depicts the Mandalorian culture better or gives more insight into the genetically elite slave soldiers of the Republic than Karen Traviss’s Republic Commando series. It could take the plot directly from the series, but with the sheer length of them, it might be wiser to make it a TV show. Either way, seeing it as a movie would be almost as good as a real Mandalorian spin-off. Which brings us to…

1: True Mandalorians

We’ve seen bounty hunters, extreme mercenaries, thugs for hire, various classes of outcasts who value cash over culture, and even rebel soldiers, but where are the true Mandalorians? Boba and Jango were disappointing, and the Death Watch are hardly true Mandalorians. It’s about time to get a movie from a time when the Mando culture is united under a Mandalore and not oppressed by a galactic government and spread thin under its rule. The movie could be set in the Old Republic, at a time when the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire coexist, and the Mandalorians are trapped with mixed loyalties in the center of a war between the two superpowers.

5 Issues With The Last Jedi’s Plot and How They Could Have Been Fixed

January 13, 2018Star Warsackbar, holdo, movies, phasma, Star Wars, The Force Awakens, The Last JediShadow Squadron

The Last Jedi took some serious risks with its style, and it still managed to deliver. It was a decent movie overall, but it did disappoint many fans who wanted something more like The Force Awakens. Odd pacing, multiple climaxes, pointless scenes, the dismissal of several teased plot points from TFA, and an uncharacteristically cheap sense of humor were major problems that could have been solved easily, but the plot also had some big issues that could easily have been fixed.

Before we begin, SPOILERS — but I doubt there is anyone who hasn’t seen it yet. And if you haven’t read it already, you might want to check out my review of The Last Jedi before you read this.

Problem #1: For the first time in any Star Wars movie, there was no lightsaber battle. You can’t even count the skirmish with Snoke’s guards as one since the guards had different, though still awesome, weapons. Snoke died without ever igniting his blade, if he even had one. Not even Luke drew his green one when Rey pulled hers (or rather, Luke’s other one) on him. Luke and Kylo did clash a little on Crait, but you can’t count that because it was only a few strikes and Luke wasn’t even there.

Solution: The easiest way to fix this does not involve Rey or Snoke (Snoke’s death was too good to change it). Luke’s fight with Kylo before the new Jedi Order was slaughtered could be shown, which would solve this problem as well as explain why Luke couldn’t defeat him. That would allow the movie to keep its final battle the same, but still have a traditional lightsaber fight.

Problem #3: Captain Phasma, the new Boba Fett, died in the same way as Boba and Jango: an easy, cheap skirmish that really should have gone down the other way. Her entrance with a squad of Stormtroopers marching through the flames was very promising, but her death was a massive disappointment for fans, who were hoping she would be better than the other Boba equivalents in their respective trilogies.

Solution: She could survive and come back for episode IX. But the better solution would be to let her kill Finn and have Rose sacrifice herself the way Finn tried to. Although it kills a lot of characters, the bad guys didn’t get many new recruits for The Last Jedi so it would level things out. In addition, it would give the entire movie more weight, which is never a bad thing.

Problem #2: Ackbar’s death was waved off as if we weren’t even supposed to know who he was. Not only did it happen off-screen, it was done inconsequentially and without much thought. Ackbar has been around since the Empire, making him almost as experienced as Leia. He didn’t deserve to be dumped out of the script so easily.

Solution: He should have been the one to smash Snoke’s star destroyer with a hyperspace jump. It would have provided the weight for his death that he deserved, and it would have avoided an emotional death for a character we barely know and replaced it with a well-deserved, timely death for a character who we know well enough to miss.

Problem #4: Holdo existed. Withholding a plan that was not need-to-know was not only pointless but jeopardized the trust of the crew and caused the mutiny, which Poe was right to start: she wasn’t transparent with her own crew, so she had something to hide. While a corrupt Resistance commander is not a bad thing to include in the movie, the fact that Leia trusted someone like that more than anyone else in the crew is strange, to say the least, and not fitting for her character at all.

Solution: This is a tough one, as her arrogance and stupidity (or was it treason?) were crucial to the plot, which makes her character basically irreplaceable. Ackbar couldn’t take her place entirely either, as it would be completely out of character for him. However, instead of trying to “redeem” herself by sacrificing herself for the rest of the Resistance, Ackbar could have been the one to save the day instead, which would solve two problems in one.

Problem #5: One of the most iconic lines in any Star Wars movie, second to “may the Force be with you,” was never actually heard in The Last Jedi. In fact, it is the only movie so far where not a single character utters the famous one-liner, “I have a bad feeling about this.” This would be an unusual lack of attention to detail on the part of the filmmakers…

Solution: Watch the movie again! While it may not be spoken in English (or, I should say, Basic), it’s in there. BB-8 is the one to say it this time, as evident by Poe’s reaction to it in the very first scene.

So, do you agree with these, or did you like it the way it was? Do you have any better solutions? Let me know!

The Last Jedi: Perfect or Terrible?

December 22, 2017Star WarsDisney, Kylo Ren, movies, Review, Rey, Snoke, Star Wars, The Force, The Last JediShadow Squadron

It’s here. The movie we’ve spent most of 2017 waiting for finally arrived last week. The hype was almost as good as it was for the Force Awakens, and it should be. There was plenty to look forward to in the tenth movie of the most popular movie franchise to date. But just like when the prequels came out, some people are disappointed. In contrast to the rotten tomatoes score of 93, Metacritic gave it an 86, and IMDb a surprisingly low 7.8. So why didn’t people like it?

Before we can discuss that, this review contains just about all of the main SPOILERS for the movie.

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For starters, the Disnification was obvious even more than in The Force Awakens. Porgs, while popular, were obviously something only Disney would put in a movie. The same goes for the ice foxes, formally called Vulpex, and even the “master codebreaker” looked like something out of a cartoon. On the other hand, some of the other creatures, including the Fathiers and the Caretakers, are distinctly the style of Lucasfilm and the original trilogy. While Disney’s influence does change the tone, it’s not necessarily a bad change, just different.

The big deal for some was that The Last Jedi tied off many of the loose ends presented by The Force Awakens too easily. It was almost like Rian Johnson simply discarded JJ Abrams’ ideas to support his radically different ones on how the sequel trilogy should go. Even if his idea was better, the change created some serious inconsistencies, and even plot holes.

Several characters were severely undeveloped and died prematurely in terms of the storyline. Such was Captain Phasma, aka Boba Fett 3.0. She is without a doubt the closest thing to another Mandalorian: just like Boba and Jango, she was introduced as a badass villain and quickly became popular among fans, only to die in a thoroughly disappointing way without doing much more than looking cool. Supreme Leader Snoke also died too easily. Despite all of the internet’s promising theories on his identity, Snoke is just Snoke: a menacingly powerful Dark Side user who appeared out of nowhere, attempted to take over the Galaxy, and died without so much as a fight. That is not to say that his death was bad; in fact, it was very well thought out. But there was so much left to do with him it was unfortunate that he was killed off so fast.

Leia’s stunt is another divisive factor. Theoretically, Leia is Force-sensitive, but not nearly as much as Luke, or she also would have been trained by Obi-Wan and Yoda. Naturally, using the Force to fly while nearly dead, stuck in a freezing vacuum, and without any previous training came as a bit of a surprise, but it got the point across: Leia is not done yet. If that was the intention, it was executed well, as unexpected as it was.

There are other issues, too. The Knights of Ren, briefly seen in Rey’s vision in The Force Awakens, were explained away as Jedi who joined Kylo after he massacred those that would not. Rey’s parentage, though it might have significance later, was also a letdown.

But we can’t forget the good things. The showdown on Crait was well done, and the snow-covered salt flats were a nice colorful addition. Chewie and C-3P0 are still around. The Rey-Kylo team up and their connection through the Force were good ideas. The dreadnaught, the walkers, Kylo’s TIE Silencer, the Resistance bombers, and all the rest were great new additions to the fleet of different vehicles already around. Yoda showing up was a good idea even though he did look a bit like a puppet. The Force and the Jedi were also portrayed and used differently, although that could be good or bad. Luke’s Force projection stunt was an interesting twist, and his death was fitting.

The Last Jedi was different from any other Star Wars film so far, and that threw some people off. It took Star Wars in an unexpected direction that hadn’t been done before. But in the end, it was a good movie. As with the prequels, it’s different because it makes it interesting. The next trilogy or the anthology movies that have already been announced will also be different, and some people won’t like it, but if all the movies were the same style invented in 1977 it would get dull and pointless. This one was an experiment, and it worked out pretty well. It still felt like Star Wars, and as long as Disney keeps future movies in the franchise that way, not much can go wrong with them.

8 Reasons why Jedi are EVIL

October 28, 2017Conspiracy Theories, Star Warsclone troopers, evil, Jedi, movies, Republic, Sith, Star WarsShadow Squadron

When The Phantom Menace came out in 1999, we were meant to think that the Jedi are the good guys, and after seeing Yoda and Obi-Wan, it made sense. But during the course of the prequel trilogy, the Jedi do some unethical things that make you question how it all really went down, and when you watch the movies thinking the Jedi the bad guys, it transforms the films completely. It’s supposed to be a story of how the Jedi, the noble protectors of a perfect society, found their Chosen One and trained him, but a Sith mastermind made his way into the heart of the Republic, organized a war, destroyed the Jedi, and turned the Republic into an Empire with himself at its head. But if you watch it knowing that Jedi are evil, it becomes a story of how a genius planted himself at the head of an evil organization to destroy it from the inside, and killed the galaxy’s oppressors with his own army. It may sound far-fetched, but there is evidence.

Jedi break their own code. “There is no emotion, there is peace,” but they invade Geonosis and start a war instead of negotiating. “There is no ignorance, there is no knowledge,” but they are still secretive and hide most of their affairs even from other lower-ranking Jedi. “There is no chaos, there is harmony,” except when one of their own accidentally commissions a clone army and starts a war…you get the point.

They are an army disguised as peacekeepers. They call themselves “keepers of the peace,” but they still prefer the frontline over protecting civilians. They were in every battle in the Clone Wars, from Geonosis to Triple Zero. They were spread so thin over all the many fronts of the war that they failed to notice the corruption in the Republic, and even in their own ranks.

They are terrorists. Onderon, a Separatist planet, was safely behind the frontline until the Jedi came to liberate the “poor oppressed civilians” from the “evil” Separatists. The people seemed fine, though slightly unhappy with their government, but what the Jedi saw was the opportunity to recruit more people to their cause. They successfully turned entire villages against their government, teaching them how to disable battle droids and tanks. When droids discovered their location, the Jedi encouraged the civilians to riot, who, using their terrorist-training, eliminated the droids and stormed the capitol. Saw Gerrera became a rebel, terrorist, and extremist due to the Jedi and the war that they brought to a planet that was safely uninvolved.

They ignore democracy (“My allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy!” — Obi-Wan) Mace Windu and his friends take it upon themselves to assassinate the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic and are surprised when Order 66 is issued and they are proclaimed traitors. They tried to kill the Chancellor without consulting the Senate or giving him a fair trial. He was a Sith, but it was still an illegal terrorist assassination, and in making the attempt so open, they lost all hope of a peaceful relationship with the Republic in the future.

They abduct toddlers. Force-sensitive infants and young children are taken — kidnapped by force, if necessary — from their parents and raised with a cold detachment so they never remember their parents. When they are old enough to walk, they join a small group and learn to fight with lightsabers. Then they are selected by and apprenticed to Jedi Masters. If they are not selected, they have no choice but to become “servants of the Republic.”

They commissioned a clone army. That may not sound very evil to you, but it is. Human fetuses with modified and messed with genes are generated and grown in blindingly bright, transparent cylinders. When they are developed enough, they are hatched and taken off life support. They begin training after only one year and are ready for simulations with live rounds after two. They are grown to maturity in ten years among distant, emotionless Kaminoans who only see blinding shades of white and believe artificial genetic selection is the only way for a species to survive.

They hold slaves. Commanded by Jedi generals (the same ones that call themselves keepers of the peace), these kids, who are mentally only ten despite accelerated physical aging, go out to a real battlefield and fight and die in a war they didn’t start for a society that will simply dispose of them when the conflict is resolved. They have no rights and no vote; they live on dry ration cubes; they are not allowed to interact with anyone outside the Grand Army; they are always under surveillance; they are not allowed to have any belongings unless they are elite ARCs or Republic Commandos. If they try to escape or desert, their own “brothers” are sent to kill them.

They have no guilt. After all they did, not once did they question if what they were doing was right or wrong. Not once did they feel guilty about the lives of 100,000 clone soldiers lost on Geonosis and millions more in the rest of the war, abusing them from young ages, making them fight and die like expendable pawns against their will. Or for starting a war that destroyed hundreds of planets, costing so many civilian lives. Not only do they they do these things, but unlike the Sith, who are aware that they are evil and selfish, they can look themselves in the eye and say it was the right thing, and if given the chance they would do it again and know they are the good guys.

What do you think? Are they good or bad? Comment your opinion.

The Evolution of the TIE Fighter

August 26, 2017Star Wars, The Force AwakensEmpire, evolution, first order, movies, sienar fleet systems, Star Wars, Starfighter, TIE, tie advanced, TIE silencer, TV showsShadow Squadron

Sienar Fleet Systems is one of the most successful starfighter engineering companies, rivaling Kuat Drive Yards (Slave 1, Jedi Starfighter, most star destroyers) and the Correllian Engineering Corps (Millennium Falcon, other freighters and civilian ships). But despite the company’s success, it was never well-known, largely thanks to Palps and his Empire. The company was Imperialized and ordered to build only one line of fighters: the TIEs. The result is a long line of models and variants used by the Empire and later the First Order. This is list every one of those in the official canon universe.

Imperial TIE Fighter: The ship that started it all, the TIE/ln space superiority starfighter. It has powerful, agile twin ion engines, and it’s the standard fighter in the Imperial fleet. It has no one speciality, and it’s used for just about anything from recon and routine patrol to dogfights and skirmishes to all-out fleet battles.

TIE Bomber: The TIE/sa bomber is a modified version of the galactic standard TIE fighter, specialized for areal bombardment and general destruction. It’s heavy armor and bulkiness cost speed and maneuverability, so it usually requires an escort squadron, but its firepower and bombing capabilities rival that of a republic Y-wing.

TIE Advanced Prototype: The Grand Inquisitor’s personal fighter has speed and firepower beyond that of ordinary TIEs. It also has life support and air circulation for flying without a suit, and basic shields to replace heavy armoring. It was the first prototype in a line of improved TIEs that were not mass produced, and reserved exclusively for the Imperial elite.

TIE Advanced X1: Other than the prototype, this is the first non-mass produced TIE fighter. A combination of heavy firepower, strong shields, powerful sublights, and a capable hyperdrive make it an ideal choice for high ranking Imperials–or even Sith lords. Darth Vader made it his chosen ride and jumped in to hunt some rebels during the Battle of Yavin.

TIE Interceptor: The TIE/IN is a real force to be reckoned with. It is reserved for Imperial pilots who have survived twenty or more combat missions. While the fighter has no hyperdrive or shields, its outstanding speed and maneuverability compensate the disadvantages. This variant has one simple purpose: to engage and destroy rebel starfighters. It has four laser canons on its wingtips like that allow it to match an X-wing and two more on the sides, speed to rival an A-wing, and firepower capable of taking out a Y-wing with shields up.

TIE Defender: This was the first mass-produced fighter in the TIE line that was engineered for quality. Its development was ordered by Grand Admiral Thrawn, who saw the error in the standard TIEs. The Defenders are equipped with shield generators, and have three wings instead of two to provide space for six laser canons and missile launchers. Had they replaced standard TIEs, the rebellion would have been stomped out before it could be created.

TIE Striker: This new Imperial variant, the TIE/sk x1 experimental superiority fighter, is a sleek, fast ship designed for in-atmosphere missions. Needless to say it has no hyperdrive, though it is capable of operation in vacuum. Its large central pod is also useful for cargo transport, and its missile launchers are designed for bombardment.

TIE Reaper: An upgrade to the Striker, the Reaper is a large in-atmosphere troop transport. Director Orson Krennic used one of these to take him and his death troopers to the surface of Scarif during the rebel invasion. This is one of the only known appearances of the ship.

First Order TIE Fighter: After the Empire’s fall and the rise of the New Republic, Thrawn’s ideas began to resurface. The First Order manufactured a new line of TIEs, equipped with shields and improved laser canons. They are flown by two troopers: a pilot and a gunner. Being more expensive, stronger, and faster than previous fighters, this is the first truly formidable ship in the TIE line.

First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter: The standard TIE/fo was the first step to making pilots into valuable assets instead of disposable resources, something not even the Republic considered. This is a level up even from that. The Special Forces version is outfitted with a strong hyperdrive, improved lasers and shields, and a warhead launcher. Like the Imperial TIE Interceptor, only the most experienced and successful pilots can fly one of these ships.

TIE Silencer: This is Kylo Ren’s personal starfighter. While there is only one official picture of the ship, one picture says a lot. It looks like a cross between an upgraded Interceptor and an Advanced. It looks big enough for a hyperdrive and shields, and maybe missile launchers. It has four laser canons on its wings, which gives it the versatility to rival an X-wing. The tinted cockpit has no apparent function, but it looks cool. The question remains: will it live up to its looks? Is this the best personal starfighter in nine movies and nine seasons?

5 Common Myths About Zombies

August 12, 2017Zombiesbrains, Hollywood, movies, myth, ZombiesShadow Squadron

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The generic stereotypical zombie is a slow, rotting, drooling, mindless shell of a human with a desire for the consumption of brains to make up for their own lack thereof, with the “off button” being the destruction or detachment of their head. But there are many other kinds, and when — not if — the apocalypse happens, the odds of dealing with the standardized Hollywood walker are unlikely. These are five of the most common myths about “real” zombies and why they are wrong.

They eat brains. This one is somewhat obvious. When a person’s brain degrades so far that they become cannibalistic animal-like beasts, they attack to kill, and they don’t care what body part they are chewing on. If they are simply reprogrammed or repurposed by a substance or disease, eating brains is the last thing they would do.

They’re rotting. While it makes sense that a senseless creature would not have the sense to keep up a sensible appearance, it’s unlikely that a human could walk around with their guts hanging out of their stomach. To some degree they are probably filthy, but not rotting.

They make noise. “Brraaaiinnsss!” Hollywood walkers tend to make a distinct moaning sound almost constantly. While this may be a side effect of the brain damage/changes, it’s fairly unlikely, and would serve no purpose.

They’re slow. Wrong wrong wrong wrong. The only reason for a zombie to be slow is for the hero to get away, and that only happens on TV. There is no purpose for a slow zombie and nothing to hold it back from a full sprint.

A headshot kills them. This is not wrong in every situation, but it is not a reliable fact. For starters, the headless chicken effect probably applies for instinctive, impulsive, mindless creatures, and headless zombies are still dangerous. From another perspective, because some types of zombies have their brain activity reduced to the most primitive parts, even a clean shot through the head can miss the area that needs to be shut down. Many of these parts are located near the center of the head, which is a tough target from long range.

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The Flash vs. Yoda

August 6, 2017DC, Duels, Star WarsDC, flash, movies, Star Wars, TV shows, YodaShadow Squadron

For this battle I’m matching up the 2014 TV show’s Earth-1 Scarlet Speedster and Yoda in Revenge of the Sith, since that’s where he really reached his best.

Weapons: Barry Allen has a lot of stuff up his sleeve. He can run really fast, for starters. But the Speedforce also gives him phasing, fast thinking, lightening bolts and in the right circumstances time travel. Yoda is stuck with the Force and a lightsaber. He has Force-speed, but he won’t outrun the Flash.

Defenses/weakness: Yoda’s lightsaber and the Force are his only defenses, and Barry has only his speed and the suit. The Flash’s main weakness is compassion. He’s willing to sacrifice himself to save others at any chance he gets. Yoda wouldn’t hurt anyone else unless there is no other way, so that weakness is negligible. Yoda refuses to wear armor or a suit and so is exposed to stray fire and explosions, but that doesn’t appear to hinder him. He doesn’t have any other weaknesses.

Skill: By season 3, Barry has enough refined control of his speed to take on any evil speedster that shows up. Yoda’s lightsaber techniques and Force powers are unmatched by anyone other than the Emperor. The tiebreaker is that Yoda has 900 years of experience to back him up.

Mindset/intentions: Yoda has no pleasure in killing the Flash, but he will do what he must, as he did when he was fighting Emperor. Whatever reason Barry has for taking on Yoda, he will do whatever it takes to defeat him, though like Yoda, he wouldn’t kill his enemy if he didn’t have to.

Use of surroundings: The Flash is better at this. Yoda has a defensive fighting style that focuses more on spins and swings and jumps.

Because both of these are “good guys,” neither would try to exploit the others weaknesses by harming anyone else, so the fight would be straightforward. Yoda’s fast lightsaber spinning would be a challenge to get through, but eventually the Flash will find a gap and disarm Yoda. It’s possible that Yoda would go offensive and throw Barry around with the Force. That is how most people defeat Barry, so it’s a good place to start. Or he would create a Force shield that prevents Barry from running at him, and deflect his lightening bolts. Either way, the Flash would probably run around in circles and create time remnants of himself. He would take on Yoda from every angle at once, forcing him to retreat. Yoda could defend himself but won’t be able to kill the Flash.

Theoretically, if the Flash doesn’t make any mistakes, Yoda couldn’t stop him with brute force (pun intended). But mind tricks work on almost anyone, and humans are very susceptible. Yoda is never seen using mind tricks, but if Obi-Wan could pull it off, so can Yoda. Given an opportunity, he could send Barry running home to rethink his life, convince him that he’s fighting the wrong person, or just make him lie down and give up. The fight would be long and hard, but the Speed-force is no match for the Force.

5 Best Capitol Ships

July 22, 2017Star Wars, Top 10sAscendant Spear, capitol ship, Chimaera, Executor, Finalizer, malevolence, movies, star destroyer, Star WarsShadow Squadron

From Star Destroyers to Dreadnaught heavy cruisers, no fleet or task force of any galaxy-wide organization is complete without a handful of capitol ships. But not all cruisers are created equal; a Victory-class really can’t compare to a Venator-class, no matter how well equipped it is. These are the 5 most advanced capitol ships from the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

#5: Malevolence

Manufacturer: Free Dac Volunteers Engineering Corps/Pammant Docks
Model: Subjugator-class heavy cruiser
Class (length): heavy cruiser (4845 meters)
Affiliation: Confederacy of Independent Systems (aka Separatist Alliance)

General Grievous’s flagship possesses twin ion pulse cannons capable of blacking out entire capital ships in one shot. It has around 500 twin turbolasers to destroy the ships the ion blast disables. It’s hanger has space for an unknown amount of Vulture Droids, at least one landing shuttle, and Grievous’s starfighter, the Soulless One. The main inconvenience of the Malevolence is that it has an all-droid crew made up of mostly B1 battle droids–not the brightest warriors or commanders.

#4: Finalizer

Manufacturer: Kuat Entralla Engineering
Model: Resurgent-class battlecruiser
Class (length): Battlecruiser (2915 meters)
Affiliation: First Order, Knights of Ren

The Finalizer is shared by Kylo Ren and General Hux. It is the most powerful destroyer in the First Order navy by far, being almost twice as long as Imperial-era warships. It had over 1500 turbolasers, multiple turrets, ion cannons, and tractor beams, complete with two full starfighter wings consisting of First Order TIE fighters, Special Forces TIEs and a hangar for transporters and Kylo’s shuttle.

#3: Chimaera

Model: Imperial II-class star destroyer
Class (length): Star destroyer (1600 meters)
Affiliation: Galactic Empire, later New Republic

At first glance, a 1600 meter dead-average Imperial star destroyer may not seem like much, but it was one of the finest warships in the Imperial fleet after upgrades done by its captain, Gilad Pallaeon, such as proton torpedo launchers, upgraded shields, space for six TIE fighter squadrons, and a cloaking device. After the death of Emperor Palpatine, former Chiss Ascendancy member Mitth’raw’nuruodo, or Thrawn, chose it as his flagship after he got promoted to Grand Admiral, due to the ship’s unbroken record of efficiency and thoroughness. In the years following the reorganization of the Empire, the Chimaera was the most feared and dangerous ship in the galaxy.

#2: Executor

Manufacturer: Kuat Drive Yards
Model: Executor-class star dreadnaught
Class (length): Star destroyer/battlecruiser (19000 meters)
Affiliation: Galactic Empire

At 19 kilometers tip to tip, Executer-class destroyers were the largest and most powerful ships the Empire ever created, considered super star destroyers along with a few other classes. The Executer was the personal flagship of Darth Vader during most of the Galactic Civil War. Under Admiral Piett, it served as command ship in the Battle of Endor and trapped the Rebels between the new Death Star and the entire Imperial Fleet. It was destroyed after a bomber squadron rendered its forward shields useless and A-Wing pilot Arvel Crynyd flew into the unprotected bridge. Piett lost control and it smashed into the Death Star.

#1: Ascendant Spear

Manufacturer: Sith Empire
Model: Terminus-class destroyer
Class (length): Star Destroyer (unknown; >1600 meters)
Affiliation: Sith Empire

The Ascendant Spear was considered a superweapon because of its unique and outstanding capabilities. It had a Class 0.5 hyperdrive like the Millennium Falcon’s, only over fifty times more powerful due to the size of the ship, making it the most powerful hyperdrive ever built; similar ships built thousands of years later were hardly half as fast. It possessed a megalaser, which fires a concentrated energy blast powerful enough to destroy large ships in one blast. While that’s impressive, it’s not the best part. The entire ship could be piloted through bionic implants by one individual, not as a tool to control but as an extension of the body. It is rumored that the creator, Darth Mekhis, could operate the entire ship on his own, but Darth Karrid, a powerful Sith Lord, could only operate it with a steady stream of energy from her apprentices combined with her own connection to the Force, and only for a short period of time.

Millennium Flacon vs Slave 1

June 24, 2017Duels, Star WarsBoba Fett, Lando Calrissian, Millennium Falcon, millennium falcon vs slave 1, movies, Slave 1, Star Wars, weaponsShadow Squadron

The Millennium Falcon is the easily the most iconic ship in the Star Wars universe, but it’s not unrivaled. The Slave 1 has been used by two of the most notorious bounty hunters in the galaxy and has withstood everything anyone threw at it — outliving both its owners. In this post I will not only compare these two ships’ capabilities in battle, but also which is the better all around hunk of junk for a smuggler, bounty hunter, or any other shape or form of criminal.

In terms of sheer firepower Boba’s flagship can vaporize the Falcon instantly. The Falcon was originally a Corellian Engineering Corporation YT-1300fp light freighter, with an armament that consists of a powerful Corellian-built quad laser cannon on top, a concealed anti-personnel repeating blaster cannon near the ramp, and two illegal above-military-grade Arakyd ST2 concussion missile launchers. The Slave 1 is a highly modified Kuat Systems Engineering Firespray-class patrol and attack craft, armed with three twin rotating laser cannons, concussion missile launchers, way too expensive proton torpedo tubes, an ion cannon, a tractor beam projector, and seismic charges that can blow an asteroid to pieces. Both have strong enough shield generators to withstand heavy fire, but the Falcon is still no match.

The layouts of the two ships are entirely different and suited for very different tasks. The Flacon is optimized for storage space, ideal for a smuggler transporting illegal cargo. Lando Calrissian installed hidden compartments under the deck, and a previous owner added a cargo jettison feature for tight situations when it’s better to ditch the cargo than answer questions — both features made its black market value skyrocket. The Slave 1 has two separate sets of artificial gravity generators that reorient for flight and landing, meaning walls, floors, and ceilings are relative. Instead of a large cargo hold, it has 5 detention cells, a Force-cage to hold Jedi or other Force-users, and stealth mode. It has very little storage and no cargo hold, and even the crew quarters are cramped.

Speed and power are two more factor to consider, and the ship that made the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs easily outruns the Mandalorians’ ship. The Falcon’s Class 0.5 hyperdrive is fully twice as fast as that of Imperial warships, while its sublights are heavily modified Girodyne SRB42s that can power it up to 1,050 km/h in-atmosphere. The Slave 1’s three F-31 drive engines can only reach 1,000 km/h in-atmosphere and has a Class 0.7 hyperdrive, making it significantly slower than the Flacon in hyperspace.

A previous owner of the Falcon installed a main computer made of three salvaged droid brains: an R3 astromech, a V-5 transport droid, and a corporate espionage slicer droid. While they work together in emergencies, the ship is known to have arguments with itself. The exact computer the Slave 1 possesses is unknown, but it probably isn’t schizophrenic.

Overall, one ship isn’t better than the other. The Slave 1 is loaded solid with a wide range of weapons, deadly and nonlethal, and is optimized on the inside secure prisoner detention. It is an unstoppable vessel that can bring capitol ships to their knees and annihilate entire bases in a matter of minutes. The Millennium Falcon is sturdy, hard freighter full of surprises that can destroy fleets of TIEs with a few shots, but its real prowess is its unmatched speed and agility.

So if you prefer runs with little few incidents for impatient crime lords and colossal worms, the Falcon is is the perfect choice, but if you are willing to sacrifice cargo space and comfort for the adrenaline of clashing with squadrons and bringing warships down with a few shots, the Slave 1 should be your flagship.

5 Interesting Details in Star Wars Movies

May 27, 2017Star Wars, Top 10sAnakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, Maz Kanata, movies, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rey, Star Wars, top 10, YodaShadow Squadron

These are five geeky details that will make question everything you thought you knew about Star Wars, and make you stop and think next time you see the movies.

#5: The hallway

You can’t deny it. Rey is standing in the same hallway as Luke was, though it got some major upgrades. The hallway in the third picture is slightly different but still bears resemblance. Whether it has any significance is unknown, but it is worth keeping an eye out.

#4: Maz’s history

You probably already spotted the Mandalorian logo on the banner in the top center, and Boba Fett’s symbol next to it. But other flags have strange and unexplained logos on them. Suns, fighters, and what looks like a sketch of a distorted ear can be seen on some, and others are hidden from view. Some fans suggest that the castle was a Jedi Temple, which would explain why Rey got a Force vision so easily there. Others think it was another non-Force using society Maz was a part of, their logo being displayed directly above the Mando skull in blue. Hopefully The Last Jedi will explain.

#3: Voices of the past

Rey’s vision might have been the most interesting and mysterious scene in The Force Awakens. There are a lot of things to dissect in a very short period of time, but what stands out the most is the voices that can be heard in the background. It doesn’t take a lot to hear Obi-Wan’s voice saying “Rey, these are your first steps.” But if you listen carefully, you can hear Luke screaming as Vader cuts his arm off, Yoda lecturing him on Dagobah, and Vader’s mechanical breathing. Some even claim to hear the Emperor’s voice, but that might be a little far-fetched.

#2: The Skeleton Effect

That sounds creepy, and it is. In Return of the Jedi, you might have noticed some strange reflections in Vader’s helmet right after he dumped the Emperor into a bottomless pit. If you look closely or just pause video, you’ll see that the reflections clearly outline a skull. If that wasn’t weird enough, you can see the same thing in Windu’s face as he’s being burned by the Emperor, and that can’t be a reflection. What it is and how lightening creates it remains a mystery.

#1: Foreshadowing of Anakin’s fall

The “Squid Lake” bubble writhes and swirls during the performance, but as Palpatine tells the uplifting story of the murder of Darth Plagueis, something more sinister begins to appear–the top of Vader’s helmet. As he continues, you may even hear Vader’s breathing for a second or two. Later, as Anakin kills Dooku, the same distorted breathing can be heard clearly.

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