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.)
