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I always wondered why Kenobi went to shut off the tractor beam

posted 6 years ago by Frogarama (12942)
28 replies | jump to latest

Not only did it always feel out of place to send the old guy off to deal with technology, but he's been living in a desert for about 20 years after the collapse of the Republic he was familiar with... What would he know about disabling tractor beams on the NEW Imperial Death Star?

Not to mention, even as a child I found it silly to have beam controls on the back side of a column over a chasm with a six inch ledge to stand on. Thats always been a WTF moment.

Among many other parts, stuff like this would probably get this movie nitpicked to hell if it were to come out today. Then again, Interstellar got a lot of praise and it barely had a single lick of logic in the entire plot.

[–] badwolf (30) 6 years ago

Kenobi wasn't new to technology and I don't think the empire was concerned at all about health and safety when it came to designing the death star remember you are talking about a organisasion that regularly killed its staff when they were displeased with them.

[–] Frogarama (12942) 6 years ago

Well I do agree there, the Empire even has catwalks over chasms with no railings. OSHA would have a fit.

[–] badwolf (30) 6 years ago

Lol can you imagine the inspector going to tell vader they had failed and had to shut down until everything was fixed

[–] Frogarama (12942) 6 years ago

Plus they have mouse droids running around all over. Call an exterminator!

[–] Jehosaphet (1055) 6 years ago

LOL OSHA would have had a fit! Haha that really struck the funny bone for some reason. Imagining some guy holding a clipboard with one arm, waving his other arm at this monstrosity of a violation while Vader looks on, fidgeting lol
I think those sets had to do with making everything look really expansive, right? That and the one where Luke loses his arm. I think that was one of the things that was pretty unique to Star Wars, even the games...just how damned expansive the worlds were. All the depth.
Seeing it in theaters, it was almost overwhelming, the fear of these heights that I'd yet to have seen in any other movie. Of course, I was seven or whatever, but man, I was still reeling from the news that Vader was his father HIS FATHER! when Luke let go and dropped off into the abyss. Was like, WTF LUKE!
Man, talk about dedicated to his principles, Jesus.

[–] TexasJack (12515) 6 years ago

The time dilation concept (Interstellar) is fascinating but they ended up making it a farce.

[–] Frogarama (12942) 6 years ago

I think the movie should have been all about Gargantua, and nothing more. That was an amazing mathematical visualization and it was basically the only reason the movie exists.

[–] GunWillTravel (198) 6 years ago

That rascal Galen Erso, no respect for rules of safety in the workplace!

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

I think those controls on the column wernt the main controls , they were the equivalent of service shutoff valves you see in your house on the water system - those little red taps that are attached to the pipes in all kinds of inconvenient to get to locations.

Well Ben was not always a hermit , once a space faring soldier, travelling big space cruisers , which may have had tractor beams. Even if he dosent know the specifics , he knows it draws much power and must be routed to the main power source , and there must be service shutoff / safety vales along the route - so he probly just asked R2 for the locations

[–] Skullomania (483) 6 years ago

He probably had the most experience at navigating the Death Star because of his past. Luke only knew about T-16's and getting beat up and Ben didn't know Han or Chewie well enough to trust them not to alert the whole base.

[–] [email protected] (383) 6 years ago

Vader would have Force choked the OSHA inspector

[–] TristanReloaded (449) 6 years ago

I don't care much for the entire Death Star infiltration & rescue part of the movie. Before this and after the film is great: The Empire is brutal, the hero escape barely alive.

But during the infiltration part the Empire suddenly becomes a joke by being unable to cope with a few losers withing their own installation, who shoot dozens of troopers (yeah I know they later retcon it by letting them go but this was just a clumsy plot device).

It seems just a cliff hanger to cliff hanger seccession of events. The inflitrations in TFA and TLJ were even worse though, the Starkiller thing was particularily absurd.

[–] Frogarama (12942) 6 years ago

Yes, the Empire seems to avoid using security cameras in their genocide spheres. Also if they wanted the Rebels to escape to follow them, why did R2 have to save them from being crushed to death?

[–] TristanReloaded (449) 6 years ago

The script is silly and full of holes, from beginning to the end. That is undeniable.

What elevates this film and makes it such a creative Big Bang are the ideas, concepts and characters. And more importantly, the production values: The art & sound design (Costumes, Falcon/X-Wing/Speeder/Ties, Death Star, Light Sabers, R2, Aliens etc etc) and the music.

This was unprecedented and remains unrivaled to this day. High quality junk food.

[–] crc32 (2584) 6 years ago

They wern't let go until they actually made space flight. Lia was reffering to the fact that they only sent 4 tie fighters after them. The really dumb thing is why did they go to yaven instead of sending the plans via an encrypted transmission.

[–] Frogarama (12942) 6 years ago

The really dumb thing is why did they go to yaven instead of sending the plans via an encrypted transmission.

And they knew they would be followed/tracked! So they decided to go directly to Rebel HQ and invite the Death Star.

They could have waged an assault on it while it was wandering around Lost In Space... X-Wings do have hyperspace capabilities.

If this movie was released today, it would be nitpicked to death. Just the opening is bad enough: The Star Destroyer gunners, and their commander, allow an escape pod (with droids) to get away because it has "no life signs," completely forgetting that they live in a reality with sentient droids on basically every street corner, even in back alleys of Mos Eisley.

Not to mention, they weren't looking for life forms, they were trying to stop the spread of Death Star plans, which won't turn up on life scanners.

That insane lack of internal logic is the only reason the Death Star plans escaped in the first place.

[–] crc32 (2584) 6 years ago

The film can be forgiven a little though. People and movie producers may not have been that aware of digital transmissions as well as encryption. Note that liar putting the plans into R2D2 follow the concept of floppy disks of the late 70s rather then a modem or digital transmitter. Computers are still depicted as being centralized mainframes that every one interfaces rather then little computers located everywhere connected or not.

I find the depiction of computers a little charming but watching rouge one was when I realized all the problems episode 4 had depicting technology. Empire strikes back clearly shows us that a probe droid can transmit what looks like analog video over hyperspace which again makes us wonder why the death star plans weren't transmitted. That the video is still analog but it shows hyperspace communication is a reality.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

But by the time Serenity came around in 2005 Joss Wheden should have realised its easier to send an email with a password on it than fight your way through two battling armadas and every resource the Empire can throw at you. and that guy with the sword.

[–] Arghhhh (804) 6 years ago

It's not exactly a retcon when you're doing it in in the same movie.

[–] crc32 (2584) 6 years ago

Not only did it always feel out of place to send the old guy off to deal with technology, but he's been living in a desert for about 20 years after the collapse of the Republic he was familiar with... What would he know about disabling tractor beams on the NEW Imperial Death Star?

Plot device to get him to face vader alone. More likely though he was probably to old to fight off storm troopers so sneaking around to shut off the tractor beam was probably the task best for him. (Lower risk I suppose). Compared to sneaking into the detention center.