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Tarkin, The Rebel Base & The Mystery Of The Trash Compactor.

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Now there's some things I'm a little unsure of in the Star Wars Universe, and who better to answer my questions than you learned folk. Here's my queries:

1. Is Tarkin actually Vader's superior? It seems to be the case from the initial Death Star scenes.

2. What type of propulsion system powers the Death Star? It seems to get around pretty quick but there doesn't seem to be anything powering it.

3. There's no telling just how long it takes the Empire too find the hidden Rebel Base on Dantooine, but it sure seems to me it takes them a very short time indeed. After all the base is deserted. Wouldn't a deserted base would be a lot harder to find than one that's inhabited.

4. What's the purpose of the Trash Compactor? Surely it's more economic to just dump your trash out into the endless vacuum of space, instead of wasting precious energy on crushing trash.

5. Does Biggs actually tell Porkins to eject just before he bites the big one? What good's that gonna do him?

6. What exactly is a parsec, and why use that terminology in SW, after all they do also use minutes, days and seconds.

7. Obi Wan offers Han two thousand up front, and fifteen when they reach Alderan. What exactly is the currency on Tatooine, or the Star Wars Universe in general?

8. If 3PO was created by Anakin, why does it look like he's mass produced with several other similar bots sprinkled throughout the Universe? Was he a kitset? or did Anakin build the prototype that was subsequently cloned en masse? (I have to admit, I haven't watched much of the prequels so that one's probably slipped by me.)

Ok that's about it, hope I don't sound too stupid asking these questions, or am overlooking something blatantly obvious.

“I love Darth Editous and I’m not ashamed to admit it.” ~ADigitalMan

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1. I dunno. I don't think he's his superior as much as a favorite of the Emperor and Vader didn't wanna piss off his master by bitching out his favorite normal guy. Plus, Vader isn't technically a part of the military aspect of the Empire so they kind of seem equal in terms of rank.

2. I was considering posting a thread on how the Death Star got around. I still don't quite get it really. No visible engines on it and it can go lightspeed obviously. Does one of those "How it works" books shed any light on the subject.

3. Time isn't very well defined in the SW universe it seems. GL never really gave much indication of time passing in the films. This one seems more like a editing/pacing decision than a story thing.

4. Small chunks of junk floating around are less likely to get in the way of hyperspace routes....or something....maybe.

5. Maybe the cockpits can be self-contained pods that eject into space to be picked up later or controlled for a short distance to get far enough away to safety.

6. I might be remebering wrong but I think parsec was used in reference to distance or speed and in such a huge and fast universe, different units are needed. Again, i can't quite remember what way it was used.

7. The currency probably changes with the times. Obiously they don't use Republic credits anymore, probably Imperial versions of those. And on less populated and distant planets they probably use local currency. I remember hearing a word for the currency that starts with a D once.

8. He said he was building a protocol droid so their must be some basic guidelines he was looking to follow, if not some sort of manual. I mean, the kid was good and all with techy stuff it seems, but everyone needs instructions for complicated stuff, especially inexperienced kids. There's now way he just imagined a pod, for example, and magically through it all together in secret without some help.

9. Is sabacc a real game? If so, why even mention it in SW, where i'll automatically have to assume they play it the same and have at least a similar deck of cards to use?

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1. Yes, it is apparant that Vader respects him as well (i.e., "Vader, release him." "As you wish.")

2. No idea.

3. They probably have advanced scanning techniques that can locate settlements, especially probe droids (though they are never seen, one can always assume).

4. Probably so they can more easily keep track of the crushed pieces for charting purposes?

5. Throwback to old WWII flicks I imagine. There doesn't seem to be any deep space survival gear.

6. PARallax of one arc SECond. About 3.2 lightyears. Google or wikipedia for a more detailed explanation (yes, it is a real measurement).

7. I don't know if its ever named. Just some type of credits I imagine.

8. This is one of the many things that is unexplained in the prequels. I suppose one can explain it away by saying that Anakin crafted the mechanics and such and the Republic later covered him with their own bodies.

Hope this helps. And no, they're not stupid at all.

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Parsecs are real?.....i learned something today.

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A parsec is a measure of distance; Han Solo uses the term as a measure of time. Ignorance by the script writer, later retconned as Han attempting to bullshit Obi Wan.

Anakin Skywalker did not build C3PO.

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Yah, Lucas even talks about this in the audio commentary of the 2004 editions. He explains that the speed of a hyperdrive system is mostly determined by the strength of the navigation computer and not by it's engines. The better that computer is, the more precise it can calculate shortcuts that would represent a higher risk to ships who had a computer that couldn't deliver very precise course calculations in a short amount of time, and thus have to take a longer route to evade space hazards that could proove fatal to the ship and crew.
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Originally posted by: Moth3rAnakin Skywalker did not build C3PO.
As far as I understood the prequels - he did reassemble a protocol unit from parts he scavenged on watto's junkjard. So he basically did not invent the protocol droid series 3P0 belongs to, he merely rebuilt one (which seems what JarHead413 was implying).
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Originally posted by: boba feta
Now there's some things I'm a little unsure of in the Star Wars Universe, and who better to answer my questions than you learned folk. Here's my queries:

1. Is Tarkin actually Vader's superior? It seems to be the case from the initial Death Star scenes.

Tarkin was a uniformed member of the military establishment at the end of RotS, when Vader was just a whiny newly-minted Sith, possibly suicidal over the loss of his bride. Tarkin probably outranks Vader de jure due to his longer period of service, as well as being the de facto ruler of the Outer Rim and the duly appointed commander of the Death Star. Whether the Emperor preferred one over the other is unclear; he probably used Vader for the wetworks, and left the mental heavy lifting to Tarkin.

2. What type of propulsion system powers the Death Star? It seems to get around pretty quick but there doesn't seem to be anything powering it.

The Death Star is powered by a hypermatter reactor, a fictional construct described in minimal detail by Curtis Saxton. It is propelled by ion engines, antigravs, and a hyperdrive, just like any other starship.

3. There's no telling just how long it takes the Empire too find the hidden Rebel Base on Dantooine, but it sure seems to me it takes them a very short time indeed. After all the base is deserted. Wouldn't a deserted base would be a lot harder to find than one that's inhabited.

Depends on how thoroughly Dantooine was searched and the composition of the forces searching it.

4. What's the purpose of the Trash Compactor? Surely it's more economic to just dump your trash out into the endless vacuum of space, instead of wasting precious energy on crushing trash.

The energy required to crush trash is not precious to a space station that generates many times the power of our sun. They probably smash their trash so oddly-shaped pieces will fit out the airlock, or feed it to recycling droids so it can be used for repairs.

5. Does Biggs actually tell Porkins to eject just before he bites the big one? What good's that gonna do him?


I don't remember if he told Porkins to eject or pull up. Ejecting would've saved Porkins from burning up in his cockpit or splattering into the Death Star. Odds of rescue were low, but the probability of surviving the big splat were zero.

6. What exactly is a parsec, and why use that terminology in SW, after all they do also use minutes, days and seconds.


I don't remember the exact definition of parsec, but it's about 3.26 light-years. They use it because it's a convenient unit for describing interstellar distances, such as those covered by the treacherous Kessel Run.

7. Obi Wan offers Han two thousand up front, and fifteen when they reach Alderan. What exactly is the currency on Tatooine, or the Star Wars Universe in general?


Most EU sources say it's Imperial credits. This provides an interesting comparison to TPM, where Watto does not accept Republic money. The Empire has succeeded in bringing Tatooine into monetary union with the rest of the galaxy, bringing freer trade and other benefits to the population.

8. If 3PO was created by Anakin, why does it look like he's mass produced with several other similar bots sprinkled throughout the Universe? Was he a kitset? or did Anakin build the prototype that was subsequently cloned en masse? (I have to admit, I haven't watched much of the prequels so that one's probably slipped by me.)


Threepio was not created by Anakin. He was assembled out of existing Cybot Galactica parts.
"It's the stoned movie you don't have to be stoned for." -- Tom Shales on Star Wars
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These questions come up regularly.

1. The Death Star is Tarkin's home ground, his territory. Vader is the guest.

4. The garbage also has to be transported from deep inside the Death Star through tunnels to the surface, possibly through intermediate facilities as well. It is much easier if the garbage takes little space. Note that garbage trucks in the real world also have built-in trash compactors.
Also, you can't dump anything into space. Floating space debris orbiting the Death Star can be a real hazard for ships and other operations. In the real world, debris from satellite launches orbiting the Earth have already become a problem.

6. GL got it wrong, OK!
It was later explained in the EU book "Rebel Dawn" that The Millenium Falcon traveled very close to a cluster of black holes ("The Maw cluster") whose immense gravity distorted space thereby shortening the total distance. Nobody had flown that close to the Maw cluster on the Kessel run before or since, and lived.

7. Imperial "Credits" ?

8. He was built from parts of other droids.

As for technical questions: You can look them up in a Star Wars technical books or the various online encyclopedias:

http://starwars.wikia.com
http://www.starwars.com/databank/
http://www.theforce.net/swenc/
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Anakin just liked to brag that he was building a droid, really he just found it and fixed it. Anakin's lying habit is simular to his mothers, who claims she just one day became pregnant without having participated in any sexual activity. Uh, right, that's not what the guy down at the bar said, Shmi.

"Every time Warb sighs, an angel falls into a vat of mapel syrup." - Gaffer Tape

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Yeah seriously, Anakin isn't exactly Jesus (tho I'm sure GL would like us all to think that)....she just got knocked up one night she couldn't really remember and was ashamed to tell anyone. It happens.

Hey look, a bear!

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Time to let my geek flag fly.

Originally posted by: boba feta
Now there's some things I'm a little unsure of in the Star Wars Universe, and who better to answer my questions than you learned folk. Here's my queries:

1. Is Tarkin actually Vader's superior? It seems to be the case from the initial Death Star scenes.
I think Vader simply respects Tarkin. Like Boba Fett. Vader seems to show respect with those who have the balls to stand up to him.

2. What type of propulsion system powers the Death Star? It seems to get around pretty quick but there doesn't seem to be anything powering it.
According to my trusty copy of Star Wars Technical Journal #2, on the eqatorial trench, opposite the side with the weapon bowl, sits the Hyperspace Motivator Units (123). The Death Star can move in Hyperspace.

3. There's no telling just how long it takes the Empire too find the hidden Rebel Base on Dantooine, but it sure seems to me it takes them a very short time indeed. After all the base is deserted. Wouldn't a deserted base would be a lot harder to find than one that's inhabited.
If this were Trek, I guess there would be tachyon residue or [insert other technobabble here]. Since this is Star Wars, chalk it up to the magical hand of plot device. That or Dantooine is likely both small and desolate, making it fairly easy to locate any technology (like Tatooine, which has, like, five cities).

4. What's the purpose of the Trash Compactor? Surely it's more economic to just dump your trash out into the endless vacuum of space, instead of wasting precious energy on crushing trash.
They probably need to crush so they can dump from a smaller waste port. Otherwise, the waste dump would need to be enormous. Even for a 120km battle station, they need it to be efficient. That, or The Empire recycles. For a kinder, gentler galaxy.

5. Does Biggs actually tell Porkins to eject just before he bites the big one? What good's that gonna do him?

I thought he was saying "Jett" which is his first name, since "eject" never did make sense to me either.

6. What exactly is a parsec, and why use that terminology in SW, after all they do also use minutes, days and seconds.

It's a unit of distance, not measure. It's referred to in Ep II by Padme "Geonosis is less than a parsec away." The Kessel run either involves something that has to be completed in the shortest distance possible, or Han was blowing smoke up Obi-Wan's ass. Debate has raged for years on this issue.

7. Obi Wan offers Han two thousand up front, and fifteen when they reach Alderan. What exactly is the currency on Tatooine, or the Star Wars Universe in general?

In the days of the Old Republic, clearly "Republic credits are no good." But that's to a businessman who stays on Tatooine. Imperial credits are probably just fine to Jabba and/or Han, who deal a LOT in offworld trade.

8. If 3PO was created by Anakin, why does it look like he's mass produced with several other similar bots sprinkled throughout the Universe? Was he a kitset? or did Anakin build the prototype that was subsequently cloned en masse? (I have to admit, I haven't watched much of the prequels so that one's probably slipped by me.)

TC14 is the first protocol droid we see in Episode I, so clearly they're in service already. Threepio, like Anakin's pod, was created by Anakin from scavenged spare parts. Incidentally, Technical Journal #1 had Threepio built DECADES before Anakin came along. It was unfortunate Lucas added this little pointless plot twist. It's more unfortunate that geeks like us pay more attention to detail than the filmmaker.
I am fluent in over six million forms of procrastination.
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from the revised 4th:

208. INT. PORKINS' STARSHIP - COCKPIT - DEATH STAR
(165)
CU. Porkins (Blue Pig). The Death Star horizon rotates outside the cockpit, as the control panels inside Pig's ship go wild.

PORKINS
I've got a problem here... my converter is running wild...

BIGGS
Eject, eject, Blue Six, do you read?

PORKINS
I'm all right. I can hold it. Give me a little room, Biggs.

BIGGS
Pull up... pull up.

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For the tarkin problem, I always assumed that he was the head of the death star and vader became the head of the imperial fleet after the battle of yavin
c-3po created by anakin? just bait for the OOT fans
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On the C3PO question, here's the perfect answer: IGNORE THE FREAKING PREQUELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JUST IGNORE THEM! EVERYTHING WILL BE MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE IF YOU DO!!!
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1. Is Tarkin actually Vader's superior? It seems to be the case from the initial Death Star scenes. I don't think so, it's just he's the boss on the Death Star, and Vader respects that.
2. What type of propulsion system powers the Death Star? It seems to get around pretty quick but there doesn't seem to be anything powering it. A good one?
3. There's no telling just how long it takes the Empire too find the hidden Rebel Base on Dantooine, but it sure seems to me it takes them a very short time indeed. After all the base is deserted. Wouldn't a deserted base would be a lot harder to find than one that's inhabited. I don't know I haven't looked for too many bases myself.
4. What's the purpose of the Trash Compactor? Surely it's more economic to just dump your trash out into the endless vacuum of space, instead of wasting precious energy on crushing trash. They crush it into big blocks so when they launch it out into space, it doesn't just get caught in the Death Star's gravitational pull and litter the surface of the space station.5. Does Biggs actually tell Porkins to eject just before he bites the big one? What good's that gonna do him?
Presumably the whole cockpit ejects with him and then they can pick him up after the fact if they can find him. At the very least it would have prolonged his expiration time.6. What exactly is a parsec, and why use that terminology in SW, after all they do also use minutes, days and seconds.
A parsec is a unit of distance here on Earth too, and there are two possibilites that have come up. Lucas says Han is just a blabber mouth who speaks well above his knowledge (ie: he doesn't even know what he's really talking about), or he finished the Kessel run in the least distance possible.7. Obi Wan offers Han two thousand up front, and fifteen when they reach Alderan. What exactly is the currency on Tatooine, or the Star Wars Universe in general?
Imperial Credits by that point I think. Han isn't a Tatooine local, he is just making a stop there.8. If 3PO was created by Anakin, why does it look like he's mass produced with several other similar bots sprinkled throughout the Universe? Was he a kitset? or did Anakin build the prototype that was subsequently cloned en masse? (I have to admit, I haven't watched much of the prequels so that one's probably slipped by me.)
It's not that Anakin designed and built him from scratch, he merely put him together using spare parts from Watto's shop, and he tweaked some of his programming as well.
Your focus determines your reality.
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There's plenty of good answers here, I just want to add something about Parsecs.

For the longest time, Lucas said Han was just blowing smoke at Obi-Wan in an effort to impress him, but Obi-Wan sees right through it (look at his face and reaction during that scene). Then, some EU author decided they would explain this off hand remark and everyone started to believe that explanation, mostly because they think it makes more sense. I for one don't think it needs an EU explanation and I don't think it was a writer screwing up. I think Han was trying to impress Obi-Wan. Again, watch Obi-Wan's reaction and then watch what Han does. Immediately after that he says "She's fast enough for the old man" like he knows he's been caught by him.

Anyway, that's my take. I don't have anything else to add though.
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I prefer the "Han is talking above his own knowledge" explaination.
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Originally posted by: Master Sifo-Dyas
Originally posted by: Moth3rAnakin Skywalker did not build C3PO.
As far as I understood the prequels - he did reassemble a protocol unit from parts he scavenged on watto's junkjard. So he basically did not invent the protocol droid series 3P0 belongs to, he merely rebuilt one (which seems what JarHead413 was implying).


I think he was just hinting at the irrelevance of the prequels, MDS.

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Originally posted by: lordjedi
There's plenty of good answers here, I just want to add something about Parsecs.

For the longest time, Lucas said Han was just blowing smoke at Obi-Wan in an effort to impress him, but Obi-Wan sees right through it (look at his face and reaction during that scene). Then, some EU author decided they would explain this off hand remark and everyone started to believe that explanation, mostly because they think it makes more sense. I for one don't think it needs an EU explanation and I don't think it was a writer screwing up. I think Han was trying to impress Obi-Wan. Again, watch Obi-Wan's reaction and then watch what Han does. Immediately after that he says "She's fast enough for the old man" like he knows he's been caught by him.

Anyway, that's my take. I don't have anything else to add though.


You know... That's incredibly insightful, and looking back at the scene again, that looks exactly how it's playing out. Obi-wan's reaction is priceless!

“I love Darth Editous and I’m not ashamed to admit it.” ~ADigitalMan

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I think it was just a mistake that happens to fit for some pretty fun rationalizations. I mean, if Lucas had really intended it that way, he wouldn't be telling the "nav computers are better with shorter distances" thing.

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