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Plot Hole in The Empire Strikes Back Discovered

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So I started watching Star Wars The Empire Strikes back again earlier today, and one thing that I wondered about (which I'm sure other people have wondered about) is the "Ion Cannon". In the scene leading up to The Battle Of Hoth, they fire the Ion Cannon up at a Star Destroyer and destroy it after about 5 shots. What I want to know is that if it was so easy to take out a Star Destroyer that way, then why don't they just use the Ion Cannon all the time to destroy every big Imperial ship they run into? Or why didn't they use the it to destroy the Imperial Walkers that were attacking them? I want to know what your guys' opinions are about this

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Maybe the thing goes dry after a few shots and it takes several minutes or hours for the thing to recharge back to full power.

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Did that cannon actually destroy the Star Destroyer or just disable it temporarily? It didn't seem clear to me.

I suspect that gun was of limited use when going up against an Imperial fleet anyway. They only had one.

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I agree with the Ion Cannon being able to short circuit (disable) but not destroy a Star Destroyer.

I like the recharge idea as well.

No plot hole at all.

PD

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It's probably a huge energy drain that makes it impractical to mount on a Rebel ship, the largest of which is still smaller than the Empire's.

It's tasked with providing cover fire to escaping ships and can't be spared to fire at the walkers, (if they're even attacking near it) and once the generator takes a hit, it's probably useless.

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Where were you in '77?

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Regarding using the ion cannon to shoot at AT-ATs, a weapon specifically designed to shoot into space normally isn't going to be designed to aim at the ground. Beyond that, an ion cannon that has a clear line of sight to the approaching AT-ATs is vulnerable to return fire from them. The ion cannon may have been deliberately placed in a spot where mountainous terrain shields it from ground assault, as suggested by the mountainous terrain present in the shot of the ion cannon.

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TV's Frink said:

Yep to all of the above.  Thread over.

 This

VIZ TOP TIPS! - PARENTS. Impress your children by showing them a floppy disk and telling them it’s a 3D model of a save icon.

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Look at the film. 

They don't present any rules AT ALL about the Ion Cannon.

What we know:

  • The Ion cannon can apparently disable, at least temporarily, a Star Destroyer.
  • It is not used against a ground assault.
  • It is not used frequently.
  • We only ever see the one.

It's not up to the viewer to invent rules about fictional technology, and then wonder why the film doesn't follow them. We can extrapolate from what we know, and this can be fun, but if what we extrapolate contradicts what's in the film, the film itself does not become 'wrong.'

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PLOT HOLEZ IN WURLD HISTORY!

FACT: US had atomic bomb in 1940s--blew up HIROSHIMA

WHY NOT JUST USE IT ALL THE TIME AND BLOW UP ALL OF JAPAN/GERMANY/ITALY/TUNISIA???????

FACT: US went to outer space in 1960s--IT'S ON TEEVEE!

WHY NOT JUST GO TO SPACE ALL THE TIME AND COLONIZE THE GALAXY?!?!?

CONCLUSION: Just doesn't add up.  Soemthing's fishy here.

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Darth Id said:

PLOT HOLEZ IN WURLD HISTORY!

FACT: US had atomic bomb in 1940s--blew up HIROSHIMA

WHY NOT JUST USE IT ALL THE TIME AND BLOW UP ALL OF JAPAN/GERMANY/ITALY/TUNISIA???????

FACT: US went to outer space in 1960s--IT'S ON TEEVEE!

WHY NOT JUST GO TO SPACE ALL THE TIME AND COLONIZE THE GALAXY?!?!?

CONCLUSION: Just doesn't add up.  Soemthing's fishy here.

 Your ideas interest me.... tell me more.

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Darth Id said:

PLOT HOLEZ IN WURLD HISTORY!

FACT: US had atomic bomb in 1940s--blew up HIROSHIMA

WHY NOT JUST USE IT ALL THE TIME AND BLOW UP ALL OF JAPAN/GERMANY/ITALY/TUNISIA???????

FACT: US went to outer space in 1960s--IT'S ON TEEVEE!

WHY NOT JUST GO TO SPACE ALL THE TIME AND COLONIZE THE GALAXY?!?!?

CONCLUSION: Just doesn't add up.  Soemthing's fishy here.

There's a single, solitary answer that is sufficient to resolve all these nagging questions.

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Darth Id said:

PLOT HOLEZ IN WURLD HISTORY!

FACT: US had atomic bomb in 1940s--blew up HIROSHIMA

WHY NOT JUST USE IT ALL THE TIME AND BLOW UP ALL OF JAPAN/GERMANY/ITALY/TUNISIA???????

FACT: US went to outer space in 1960s--IT'S ON TEEVEE!

WHY NOT JUST GO TO SPACE ALL THE TIME AND COLONIZE THE GALAXY?!?!?

CONCLUSION: Just doesn't add up.  Soemthing's fishy here.

 I said Thread Over, but I take it back.

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In the radio Drama Leia specifically calls to use the ion canon on the AT-AT walkers but is told by an officer "They cannot target at this angle"

So that's something they did think about.

The Ion canon would have fired several blasts every time a transport left with fighter escourt because Leia tells them that in the briefing.

Although they had to evacuate 2 transports at a time as they knew the battle was not swinging in their favour.

Apparently many transports were actually destroyed, but we never got to see this.

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Ronster said:

In the radio Drama Leia specifically calls to use the ion canon on the AT-AT walkers but is told by an officer "They cannot target at this angle"

So that's something they did think about.

 Neat. 

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 But WHY couldn't they target at that angle?

Plot Hole in the radio Drama. :-(

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Planet_Defender.png

Does this look like it can fire horizontally to you?

I’m just here because I’m driving tonight.

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Heh, this is what Wikipedia considers the plot hole in Empire:

  • In Empire Strikes Back, it is stated that armor on an AT-AT Walker is "too strong for blasters". A short time later, however, a walker is shot in the neck with a blaster and is immediately destroyed.

Furthest from the bright center of the universe

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Ion cannons were used on certain ships in the Roque Squadron games. They could momentarily disable certain things like laser cannons. in retrospect, they were actually pretty crappy weapons because it was easier to just hit whatever with actual lasers and freakin blow it up. 

What’s the internal temperature of a TaunTaun? Luke warm.

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Mavimao said:

Ion cannons were used on certain ships in the Roque Squadron games. They could momentarily disable certain things like laser cannons. in retrospect, they were actually pretty crappy weapons because it was easier to just hit whatever with actual lasers and freakin blow it up. 

 Same with the X-Wing games. Useful when you wanted to capture and/or board an enemy vessel.

ROTJ Storyboard Reconstruction Project

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Mavimao said:

Ion cannons were used on certain ships in the Roque Squadron games. They could momentarily disable certain things like laser cannons. in retrospect, they were actually pretty crappy weapons because it was easier to just hit whatever with actual lasers and freakin blow it up. 

You had to use them in the Kessel mission to disable the train transporting Wedge to prison. I think that was the only mission they were available in, actually. It was kinda dumb. Fun to shoot TIEs with it and watch them fall out of the sky and hit the ground though.

Keep Circulating the Tapes.

END OF LINE

(It hasn’t happened yet)

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thedaner said:

Heh, this is what Wikipedia considers the plot hole in Empire:

  • In Empire Strikes Back, it is stated that armor on an AT-AT Walker is "too strong for blasters". A short time later, however, a walker is shot in the neck with a blaster and is immediately destroyed.

 

There's a silly YouTube video floating around called "The Biggest Plot Hole Ever" and it's of precisely that.