The Star Wars vs Star Trek Thread; because it's been awhile.

[Lonestar]

Urban Ranger; Boris was wrong about who ran the site, stardestroyer.net is run by an Electrical Engineer.

There is, however, a more mindnumbing website made by an astrophysicist in Australia. It's one of the hosted sites on Theforce.net (technical commentaries). I'm too lazy to go there myshelf, but I believe most of your questions will be covered there.

[Ming]

Enough Said...

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove


Which Galaxy? At the onset of the first episode we were told rather pointedly that the story takes place in another galaxy "far, far away". Perhaps it took place in a much smaller galaxy. I seem to recall that there is a galaxy or cluster called "M 10" or something like that composed of several thousand stars relatively compacted into a space of only a few light years across. The average distance between stars is only a few light days. Maybe that's where the Star Wars action took place?

The galaxy in Star Wars is vaster than our own. According to canonical sources (ANH novelization), the Empire alone controls 1 million star systems. And according to a quote from Han, there are 12 million systems known to be habitable, which is out of 400 billion stars in the galaxy (according to Tales of the Bounty Hunter). There's no possibility that many stars were compressed into such a small space, as the gravitational forces of so many stars would have caused the entire galaxy to collapse in on itself into a massive black hole. Or the sky would be so dense with light of all the stars that it would be stunningly bright all the time. There also 20 million known species of sentient life, which a few thousand stars would be unable to account for.

Lonestar said before something about the SW's galaxy's diameter being 120,000 lightyears, larger than our own.

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Ming
Enough Said...

Ok, I'm tired of hearing Babylon 5 without knowing wtf it is.

What is Babylon 5 and why is it better than Trek?

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
That's nice, but since Imperial starships are incapable of engaging targets at trans-light speeds, they are just sitting ducks.

That doesn't even touch the manuverablity advantage they hold over Empire ships even at impulse speed.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger

So? You are assuming that their galaxy is as big as the Milky Way. This is not the case. The fact is their galaxy is a lot smaller. In fact, just a tiny itty bitty thing. The Milky Way galaxy is around 30,000 light-year across. Yours, probably like 50 ly.

Well, sure, because the Milky Way is so bloody big compared to the SW two-bit galaxy. One of the technical manuals for the Enterprise-D states that Warp 8 is 2⁸ times c (speed of light). That's 256 times to you mathematically challenged. It will actually take more than 117 years for a Fed ship to move from one edge of the Milky Way galaxy to the other edge. You forgot, however, that warp drives are only used when they are on patrol. Fed ships can move at transwarp speeds for strategic movement. So who is faster here?

Dispensed with above. You're completely, utterly wrong.

Even when it's said in one of the SW movies?

What he said in the movies is not given any specific measurement. We have no idea what ".5 past lightspeed" means. He may not even be referring to hyperspace speed at all, but the ability to travel on their normal engines. After all, if he could make it from one star system to the other without hyperspace in a matter of weeks, then his normal engines must be capable of going faster than the speed of light.

Refuted.

Dealt with...you're wrong.

Not so. Phasers tunnel through subspace, since ST ships fight at warp speed. If they move at lightspeed they can never hit. So phasers bypass Imperial shields.

That's nice, but since Imperial starships are incapable of engaging targets at trans-light speeds, they are just sitting ducks.

And again this doesn't appear to be the case, as SW ships seem to be able to achieve faster-than-light travel without their hyperspace engines. So you're wrong again.

Thank you, come again!

[Ming]

Originally posted by Tassadar5000
Ok, I'm tired of hearing Babylon 5 without knowing wtf it is.

It was only the BEST SF SERIES EVER on TV. They still produce occasional made for TV movies.

And the shadows or vorlons would wipe out The Empire or the Federation without batting an eye...

[DinoDoc]

as SW ships seem to be able to achieve faster-than-light travel without their hyperspace engines.

I'd like to see a Lucasarts source on this.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by DinoDoc

as SW ships seem to be able to achieve faster-than-light travel without their hyperspace engines.

I'd like to see a Lucasarts source on this.

The source is canonical. Han flew in the Millenium Falcon, sans hyperdrive, from the outskirts of the Hoth System to the Bespin system in a matter of weeks. Even if we were very generous and said that only one light year separated the two systems, that indicates even without hyperspace the MF could travel at a speed well above that of light.

And, according to the official map of the SW galaxy, Bespin is many, many lightyears away from Hoth.

[Lonestar]

Ming, did I set the Poll up to time out after awhile?

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
The galaxy in Star Wars is vaster than our own. According to canonical sources (ANH novelization), the Empire alone controls 1 million star systems. And according to a quote from Han, there are 12 million systems known to be habitable, which is out of 400 billion stars in the galaxy (according to Tales of the Bounty Hunter).

You are talking about a whole bunch of people who don't know a thing of astronomy even if it bites them in the rear. You know where that number 400 billion comes from? It's number of stars estimated in the Milky Way galaxy. What a coincidence.

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
There's no possibility that many stars were compressed into such a small space, as the gravitational forces of so many stars would have caused the entire galaxy to collapse in on itself into a massive black hole.

It is entirely possible that the SW galaxy is far smaller than it is asserted by the fans and novel writers.

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
Lonestar said before something about the SW's galaxy's diameter being 120,000 lightyears, larger than our own.

The core of the Milky Way is a 30,000 diameter sphere. The whole galaxy is about 100,000 ly in diameter and 10,000 ly thick, budging in the middle. So it will take the Enterprise-D over 390 years to completely transverse the Milky Way.

[Ming]

Originally posted by Lonestar
Ming, did I set the Poll up to time out after awhile?

Yes... you only set it for 10 days. However, that can be changed by "somebody" with mod rights in this forum

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
Even if we were very generous and said that only one light year separated the two systems, that indicates even without hyperspace the MF could travel at a speed well above that of light.

Talk about exaggerations. Especially when we have Han "bragging" that his ship makes .5 past light speed.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
Dispensed with above. You're completely, utterly wrong.

I read it. It's just a bunch of numbers made up by silly fans and authors who have no idea what a brown dwarf is. I wouldn't call it authoritative.

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
What he said in the movies is not given any specific measurement. We have no idea what ".5 past lightspeed" means. He may not even be referring to hyperspace speed at all, but the ability to travel on their normal engines. After all, if he could make it from one star system to the other without hyperspace in a matter of weeks, then his normal engines must be capable of going faster than the speed of light.

You are talking about a very specific ship, not Imperial ships in general. Try again.

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
Dealt with...you're wrong.

Not so fast.

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
And again this doesn't appear to be the case, as SW ships seem to be able to achieve faster-than-light travel without their hyperspace engines. So you're wrong again.

I wasn't saying they can't move FTL, I was saying they cannot fight FTL.

[Lonestar]

Originally posted by Ming


Yes... you only set it for 10 days. However, that can be changed by "somebody" with mod rights in this forum

well, all things considered, I think B5 did pretty good making it to the #2 slot, especially as I didn't even mention it in the OP, don't you?

*cough, cough*

Oh Hell, why lie. I just want to gloat about SW kicking the stuffing out of ST.

FWIW, I have In the Begining and The Gathering on DvD.