Sigh. I knew it was only a matter of time before this appeared here.

The author fails to recognize that Vader's chief goal was prisoners, Skywalker if possible. With this in mind, he can no longer use an aerial bombardment. Unfortunately, until that shield is down, he can't land sufficient numbers of troops required to clear out a rats-nest of caverns anywhere near the base, but the shield restricts him to walkers (or, I guess, tanks?) for moving big enough guns within range of the shield. Echo Base seems to have sufficient surveillance in place that a strike force (ala Endor) would have been futile (particularly with the climate making things...difficult), so a blazen frontal assault is a fine way to take out the shield.

SpilkaBilka said:

I've always wondered what this conversation between Vader and Veers meant:

Vader: The Rebels are alerted to our presence.  Admiral Ozzel came out of lightspeed too close to the system.

Veers: H-he felt surprise was wiser...

Vader: He's as clumsy as he is stupid.

 

Are we supposed to take Veers's statement at face value, that Ozzel's plan was to surprise the Rebels?  Or was he just trying to quickly mumble any made-up excuse he could think of to try to save his colleague from Vader's wrath?  Because I don't understand how arriving close to the system would be a surprise.

You'd think the best "surprise" would be to come out of lightspeed with the Star Destroyer's out of the Rebels' sensor range, then launch smaller landing craft (carrying troops, AT-ATs).  Presumably these smaller craft could get much closer to the base than the Star Destroyers could before triggering the Rebels' sensors.  That seems like it would be more of a surprise than what Ozzel did.

And what do you think Veers was about to say?  Ozzel felt surprise was wiser than... what, exactly?

I always assumed that he said "He felt surprised, was wiser..."

He is apparently saying that Ozzel felt surprised, and was saying that was a more appropriate description of his superior's reaction.

Bingowings said:

The Endor campaign is even more bonkers.

The Emperor claims that there is an entire legion (about 5000) of his best troops there but we only see the sort of troop numbers we would expect to see guarding an instillation of such importance.

The Empire sends in AT-STs when speeders, wheeled vehicles and ground troops would be better suited for forest combat.

No carpet bombing (which would make even better sense than sending in troops).

No gun emplacements or aircraft cover for the shield dish.

The Rebels are just as bad.

They have a large ship and never consider landing it on the platform or near the dish and blowing it up.

When the battle kicks off no fighter or bomber craft enter the atmosphere to shoot the dish off it's tower.

With a ship that size why aren't they carrying more guns or even some suicide droids strapped with explosives?

To be fair, the Empire may have had advanced anti-aircraft gun emplacements guarding the dish that we are never shown, which could be why the rebels ruled out an aerial bombardment.

Overall though, I agree wholeheartedly. I've said it before, but this is the main reason why I think it could be so cool to make the entire 2nd Death Star a diversion, incomplete except in terms of its weapons systems, and with only the most paltry and expendable troops guarding the shield generator (which should have been built on the Death Star itself if it were to actually be effective). The Emperor on the Death Star 2 is a clone, and Vader is sent to the Death Star because the real Emperor suspects he is plotting against him (which he is). The Imperial fleet retreats after the destruction of the Death Star, so the Empire only loses a couple of Star Destroyers and a Command Ship (perhaps because the real Emperor expected Vader and/or his failed Admiral Piett to be on it, and had the bridge shields sabotaged), and the result is that all of the deeply planted pockets of rebel resistance on many worlds reveal themselves to begin a full scale revolt with the death of the Emperor.

Then the Emperor reveals himself to be very much alive, and crushes the rebellion with an altogether more powerful and impenetrable battle fortress, and the Rebellion is all but destroyed throughout the galaxy.