Nice clarification Telion! I appreciate your effort of making a diagram. For some reason I always pictured the two ports being on opposite sides of the planet, but they clearly have to be close enough where they both could be in sunlight simultaneously. Maybe they’re at a 45 degree angle from each other on the planet? Close enough where they could both be in sunlight but far enough as to where either port would be over the horizon from the other, since Rey and Co. and Black Squadron can see the stream from the oscillator.
It also makes me wonder about how the First Order dealt with the planet’s rotation. Obviously the base could only absorb sunlight while the absorption port was facing the sun, but then how exactly does it aim? Can they alter Starkiller’s rotation artificially? And the base fires almost immediately after the sun is drained, so either it was coincidentally convenient or they planned it, either by adjusting the planet’s position or timing their attack with it’s natural position.
And I can’t imagine what kind of effect forcibly altering a planet’s rotation must have on it. Earthquakes? Damaging the ecosystem? Although, we see no life on the planet besides trees… Maybe Starkiller also has some kind of terraforming system to maintain its habitability as well. Regardless, Starkiller clearly is a technological marvel even beyond the Death Star. It’s almost a shame they introduced it and blew it up in the same movie. If they were going to repeat the super weapon idea, I almost wished they either went all in with exploring the concept or not have used it at all.
I definitely understand the issues people had with it, not only with repeating the Death Star plot device, again, but also rationalizing how a military junta could afford and construct a weapon on a greater scale than the Empire ever did in their prime. And I know this is a space fantasy and we shouldn’t be too worried about the science of it all, but it is still interesting to think about.
But I agree with your idea Ridley, an establishing shot that helps position the cannon and the absorption port could help clarify that. Maybe using this shot or a static wide of Starkiller?
EDIT: Sorry for rambling on your thread, Ridley!