Page 164: Smells like buttocks!

[boldilocks]

Wouldn't death stars be too static to be a useful weapon in the outsider universe?
It's one killshot in the OT was closer range than earth/moon, which is the max range of a loroi ship, and it doesn't fire light-speed projectiles/beams.
It would effectively have to bear the hits from a loroi fleet until it could reach firing distance, though I'm not sure if that would provide a real problem for it. Presumably it's turbolaser arrays and hundreds of thousands of tie-fighter complements would function as anti-missile defence.

[Arioch]

Wouldn't death stars be too static to be a useful weapon in the outsider universe?
It's one killshot in the OT was closer range than earth/moon, which is the max range of a loroi ship, and it doesn't fire light-speed projectiles/beams.
It would effectively have to bear the hits from a loroi fleet until it could reach firing distance, though I'm not sure if that would provide a real problem for it. Presumably it's turbolaser arrays and hundreds of thousands of tie-fighter complements would function as anti-missile defence.

It doesn't seem to me that the Death Star was a very useful weapon even in the Star Wars universe. Death Stars are 0 for 3 defending themselves from enemy attacks.

It's a terror weapon anyway, which generally means it's of limited military use in the first place. Being able to destroy a planet isn't very useful if your goal is to rule an empire.

[cacambo43]

Wouldn't death stars be too static to be a useful weapon in the outsider universe?
It's one killshot in the OT was closer range than earth/moon, which is the max range of a loroi ship, and it doesn't fire light-speed projectiles/beams.
It would effectively have to bear the hits from a loroi fleet until it could reach firing distance, though I'm not sure if that would provide a real problem for it. Presumably it's turbolaser arrays and hundreds of thousands of tie-fighter complements would function as anti-missile defence.

It doesn't seem to me that the Death Star was a very useful weapon even in the Star Wars universe. Death Stars are 0 for 3 defending themselves from enemy attacks.

It's a terror weapon anyway, which generally means it's of limited military use in the first place. Being able to destroy a planet isn't very useful if your goal is to rule an empire.

"Do what I say or I'll destroy your entire planet!" might hold sway with some civilizations.

CJSF

[Arioch]

"Do what I say or I'll destroy your entire planet!" might hold sway with some civilizations.

Right, but that's a political and not a military objective. But the power to destroy is not the power to control. Once they call your bluff, you either back down or you have no prize. It obviously didn't work in the case of the Death Stars; the successful destruction of planets did not achieve the goal of "keeping systems in line."

As a matter of history, at least recent history, terror weapons usually don't work very well in achieving the stated objectives of those using them.

[cacambo43]

"Do what I say or I'll destroy your entire planet!" might hold sway with some civilizations.

Right, but that's a political and not a military objective. But the power to destroy is not the power to control. Once they call your bluff, you either back down or you have no prize. It obviously didn't work in the case of the Death Stars; the successful destruction of planets did not achieve the goal of "keeping systems in line."

As a matter of history, at least recent history, terror weapons usually don't work very well in achieving the stated objectives of those using them.

I know you are likely right in this case, but I would point out that the Death Stars didn't work because that's how the stories were written.

And more to the point here, I really do appreciate the detail and breadth you've put into the Outside universe, but sometimes there are just things we don't have to know and you don't have to figure out to move the story forward. And, as I (and others) have said before, at this point I'd rather your energies be put into getting pages out and telling that story than detailing the inner workings of the waste management of a Loroi flight-suit, for example.

We have a good sense of the general politics and philosophies of the players involved to get this show further on the road.

CJSF

[icekatze]

hi hi

As a matter of human psychology, threats tend to increase the chance of an opponent fighting back rather than decrease. It's hard to say what nature of alien psychology might be though.

Also, as a matter of human psychology, one shouldn't underestimate the possibility of people to choose "No Deal," when faced with the Ultimatum Game.

[Krulle]

Also, as a matter of human psychology, one shouldn't underestimate the possibility of people to choose "No Deal," when faced with the Ultimatum Game.

As the BrExit mess proves...

[SaintofM]

If a situation is desperate enough people will do some pretty crazy things. The Umiak jump around a white dwarf star might be like such a thing.

Or the desire to harness the power of the atom in WW2, or the use of suicide pilots to crash airplains into ships near the end of the same war. Tere is also the Donner Party of 5 joke.

Even when things are not, people are not always sane. The Madness that goes on on Black Friday, or say when people thought Twinkies were going away forever, or the Szechuan Sauce fiasco with McDonalds.