Physicists Agree! SW can kick Trek's @ss!

[Arrian]

Originally posted by Lorizael


Zahn.

I can't make any other contribution to this thread; my opinions are too volatile.

Right, Zahn. Thanks.

As for your opinions... LAME. Put 'em out there, or don't say anything at all. You can't say something like that and not deliver.

-Arrian

[Elok]

Originally posted by Geronimo
QFT

As technology advances there is eventually a point beyond which if a dictatorship gains control of society it will be impossible to overthrow from within.

Somehow I don't think so, at least in the context of SW. It might be more secure than the actual Empire of the films, but to have absolute control is impossible. You'd need to watch everyone at all times, and that means being able to watch the people who do the watching, and watching the people who were watching the people, and so on ad infinitum. Assigning the duty to monitoring computers doesn't help, since any computer intelligent enough to detect treason in progress wouldn't be perfectly trustworthy itself.

The matter is complicated by the fact that even the most oppressive government has to do some, uh, governing from time to time, and judgment suffers when everyone's nervous that they might be suspected of sedition if they respond to a problem in the wrong way. And, in the case of SW, there are lots of aliens, who are bound to think and react differently from humans--which makes it hard to devise general rules for controlling the population.

The closest you could get to absolute power is an absolute mess like "1984," where nobody could risk the possibility that they *might* be watched. Only such a system is too inefficient to last, and needs to consume vast numbers of lives and resources to sustain itself. Plus they're incredibly unwieldy and don't adapt well to sudden changes. That's not good when you've got most of a galaxy to take care of.

But SW wasn't an exercise in sci-fi speculation like ST in the first place. It was just George Lucas rolling all his childhood fantasies, from WWII dogfights to swashbuckling sword duels to wild west gunslingers and more, into one giant ball. Even the Empire at the time of ANH is plainly modelled after the Roman Empire, and the plot is a tribute to Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress." It was never meant to be a futurist jag-off like ST; hence "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." Pure fairy-tale escapism, with laser guns and robots instead of swords and dragons.

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Asher
...and "How William Shatner Changed the World"

Especially with his cover of Common People

[Sirotnikov]

Star Trek is better.


There, I've said it.


You can lock the thread now.


(even though B5 is much more interesting in its politics)

[korn469]

I say the new BSG is better than SW, ST or B5. Also, the triumph video was hilarious!

[Patroklos]

"a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away."

That is of course one of the benefits of SW, that is thousands of years beyond our tech vice hundreds like ST. It is understandable that ST should be based somewhat on tech we understand, but SW is so far removed even if we were to recieve working plans for a Star Destroyer we shouldn't have any freaking idea what we are looking at.

[GePap]

Originally posted by korn469
I say the new BSG is better than SW, ST or B5. Also, the triumph video was hilarious!

While I think the new BSG is a far better dramatic television series, there is no real attempt to create an entire "modern universe" as there was in those other shows. So comparison in this regard is difficult.

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Elok


Somehow I don't think so, at least in the context of SW. It might be more secure than the actual Empire of the films, but to have absolute control is impossible. You'd need to watch everyone at all times, and that means being able to watch the people who do the watching, and watching the people who were watching the people, and so on ad infinitum. Assigning the duty to monitoring computers doesn't help, since any computer intelligent enough to detect treason in progress wouldn't be perfectly trustworthy itself.

The matter is complicated by the fact that even the most oppressive government has to do some, uh, governing from time to time, and judgment suffers when everyone's nervous that they might be suspected of sedition if they respond to a problem in the wrong way. And, in the case of SW, there are lots of aliens, who are bound to think and react differently from humans--which makes it hard to devise general rules for controlling the population.

The closest you could get to absolute power is an absolute mess like "1984," where nobody could risk the possibility that they *might* be watched. Only such a system is too inefficient to last, and needs to consume vast numbers of lives and resources to sustain itself. Plus they're incredibly unwieldy and don't adapt well to sudden changes. That's not good when you've got most of a galaxy to take care of.

But SW wasn't an exercise in sci-fi speculation like ST in the first place. It was just George Lucas rolling all his childhood fantasies, from WWII dogfights to swashbuckling sword duels to wild west gunslingers and more, into one giant ball. Even the Empire at the time of ANH is plainly modelled after the Roman Empire, and the plot is a tribute to Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress." It was never meant to be a futurist jag-off like ST; hence "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." Pure fairy-tale escapism, with laser guns and robots instead of swords and dragons.

I wish I shared your optimism. thanks for trying though

[Addled Platypus]

Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy (HGG)

is where it's at


woot - we are type 0 civilization

[Lul Thyme]

Originally posted by Platypus Rex
Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy (HGG)

is where it's at


woot - we are type 0 civilization

0.7?

[Sava]

These SW/ST threads are some of the worst threads ever.