Star Wars: Time Scale Issues

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
Even so, it would be difficult to really get their tendrils in the whole galaxy in a short period of time like that one would think. I imagine there would have been some initial resisance, so the Empire would have to not only assert and project its power all over the galaxy, but fight off/punish rebels the whole time.

The whole point of the saga (at least in light of the prequals) is that the Empire evolved out of the Republic. There will be no dramatic seizing of power. It was a gradual process of controls getting tighter and tighter do to preceived threats. The threat started with the separatists in AOTC and in ROTS the focus will be shifted to the Jedi being the meanace that Papatine uses to further increase his powers. After the Jedi are purged other entities are targeted. The Senate was only disbanded at the beginning of ANH. Notice that the symbols of the Empire have already shown up in the Republic. The biggest step initially for the Empire will be to extend controls to those areas outside the boundries of the Republic. Something I'm sure that was still taking place 20 years later. We never really see the full extent of the Empire. We are only shown bits and pieces of it in the OT.

Also, another thing that bothers me(not too much cause i'm not a total geek, but...) is spaceship design. According to reports from episode 3, there will be some proto-x-wings and proto-tie fighters revealed. The rebels, one assumed, were using outdated military hardware. The ships all looked beat up and old. So now we know those ships weren't even designed 20 years ago.

If you go back to TPM, Darth Maul was flying a craft very similar in design to the tie fighter. In AOTC the predesorers to the Star Destroyers can be seen along with the plans for the death star. If we will see proto-x wings wouldnt that mean that the inital designs were old? And as far as the actual beat up ones you see in OT, that will tend to happen when your resources are limited and your engaged in battle.

Plus military hardware doesn't change designs as quickly as commercial automobiles. Putting aside the fighters, I think it would be incredible for Star Destroyers and Super Star Destroyers to be conceived, designed, built, and massively deployed in a period of less than 20 years. Something that big just doesn't get cobbled together in a few months.

The second death star was made opperational in a very short period of time compared to the first. Plus when you have entire star systems dedicated to building ships I'm sure you can be cranking them out pretty fast

[Sprayber]

One thing that has to be remembered is that all of the manufacturing in the Star Wars universe will be put under emprial control. The coporate alliance, techo union, trade federation, banking clan will all be seized for their participation in the separatist struggle.

[Pax]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
Even so, it would be difficult to really get their tendrils in the whole galaxy in a short period of time like that one would think. I imagine there would have been some initial resisance, so the Empire would have to not only assert and project its power all over the galaxy, but fight off/punish rebels the whole time.

Also, another thing that bothers me(not too much cause i'm not a total geek, but...) is spaceship design. According to reports from episode 3, there will be some proto-x-wings and proto-tie fighters revealed. The rebels, one assumed, were using outdated military hardware. The ships all looked beat up and old. So now we know those ships weren't even designed 20 years ago.

Plus military hardware doesn't change designs as quickly as commercial automobiles. Putting aside the fighters, I think it would be incredible for Star Destroyers and Super Star Destroyers to be conceived, designed, built, and massively deployed in a period of less than 20 years. Something that big just doesn't get cobbled together in a few months.

1. I believe that Development of the Star Destroyers and etc. had begun during the republic times. As evidence by the blueprint that was uncovered.

2. Anakin is a young man during the prequels. Obi wan is also relatively young. 40 years could have easily passed since the republic. Luke and co. would not have even been born during the republic. I.E. have no recollection. Just as ships/weapons/uniforms/music/language/fashions from WW2, korean, and vietnam wars are outdated, so would the republic be.

[Harry Tuttle]

In the books, the X-Wing's predecessor was the X-51? Headhunter. It had twin fixed wings, unlike the X-Wings quad retractors, but ideally it was nearly the same in design. The Headhunter was a staple fighter during Han's time on Cornellia and was developed at the time that the predecessors to the modern Imperial Class Star Destroyer, Dreadnoughts, were being developed.

So yeah, I guess you could say the designs for the current fighters could have been developed at the start of the war. Of course, the Rebel Alliance started out getting their materiale piecemeal and got their asses beat to hell by the much more highly trained Imperial forces, so yeah, those X-Wings would be dinged up pretty bad. Hell, the A-Wing was supposedly built inside car garages and shipped one by one.

[MikeH]

It's not real, it's a film.

[Apocalypse]

In response to some of the later posts:

The Victory Class Star Destroyer was around with the Old Republic and it's Z-95 Headhunter.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by PLATO


Evil occupying force. Empire type tactics. The ability of self governance removed.

Good analogy.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Even so, it would be difficult to really get their tendrils in the whole galaxy in a short period of time like that one would think. I imagine there would have been some initial resisance, so the Empire would have to not only assert and project its power all over the galaxy, but fight off/punish rebels the whole time.

Like Spray said, the whole point was that the Empire didn't overthrow the Republic, but grew out of it. There was a percieved emergency (engineered by Palpatine) in which more and more came to the conclusion that emergency powers needed to be invested in the Chancellor. At the risk of Godwinizing (though this is a better place than most), it's like when Hitler was given emergency powers after the burning of the Reichstag. You didn't have parts of Germany breaking off after that happened... it seemed like a natural evolution of government because of what seemed to be a terrorist threat.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Brent
I believe the Thrawn trilogy said it was longer than 20 years, but I don't think it said as long as 80.

It's in the 20-30 range there too.

[PLATO]

Originally posted by MrFun

You knew I couldn't resist.

[Harry Tuttle]

Originally posted by MikeH
It's not real, it's a film.

LIAR!

[PLATO]

Originally posted by Harry Tuttle


LIAR!

Some people just don't understand that this really happened a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. It took so long for the story to get here that some people actually believe it is fiction.

[Provost Harrison]

I wonder what is going on in that galaxy now

[self biased]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
Even so, it would be difficult to really get their tendrils in the whole galaxy in a short period of time like that one would think. I imagine there would have been some initial resisance, so the Empire would have to not only assert and project its power all over the galaxy, but fight off/punish rebels the whole time.

never understimate the power of the dark side.

[David Floyd]

So yeah, I guess you could say the designs for the current fighters could have been developed at the start of the war. Of course, the Rebel Alliance started out getting their materiale piecemeal and got their asses beat to hell by the much more highly trained Imperial forces, so yeah, those X-Wings would be dinged up pretty bad.

Well, remember that the entire Incom design team (the corporation that designed and built the X-Wing) defected to the Rebel Alliance at some point, so X-Wings were being built the Rebels, presumably.