MovieChat Forums > Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Discussion > Things that don't make sense

Things that don't make sense

posted 2 years ago by Flybynight45 (165)
22 replies | jump to latest

Don't get me wrong, I love, love LOOOOVE Empire. But lets be real and admit there's a lot of shit that doesn't make sense.

1) The opening of the film with Luke alone on Hoth.

Makes no sense. He's a high ranking Rebel leader and he's out alone on a desolate, dangerous planet. What if he runs into the Empire? It's like having Rommel out in the dessert riding a camel, having a look around. And how can the speeders have a problem with the cold? They can build ships that travel through space which is much colder than a planet with an atmosphere and allowable breathing.

2) The scene where the walkers attack

It's really stupid that the Rebels just kind of sit there firing ordinary lasers at the Imperial Walkers that are heavily armored. The Rebels must know that the Walkers are like giant tanks. What are they hoping to accomplish? Why do they sit around like cannon fodder?

[–] Ace_Spade (9400) 2 years ago

I sorta chalk a lot of it up to how under-equipped the Rebels are. Luke's a captain, but he still has to do a couple patrols because their staff are stretched thin. (While I appreciate the analogy, it's not quite accurate since Rommel was a general). They don't have enough anti AT-AT weapons to level them at the walkers, so they just peck at them.

Additionally, the feeble defence line was just to put up enough of an annoyance struggle that the Rebels could escape. If they're shooting at the walkers, they draw fire and maybe slow them down just a tad. The speeders weren't seriously intended to take them out, either, just slow them down long enough to allow the bulk of the Rebels to flee Hoth.

Cold atmosphere and outer space vacuum are two different environments, and they don't necessarily have the equipment to cover all of it. The speeders are atmospheric ships that they're converting into cold-friendly ships, but it's hard because (again) they aren't as well-funded as the Empire.

[–] Theman (1072) 2 years ago

Lead from the front.

[–] Karl Aksel (1453) 2 years ago

Makes no sense. He's a high ranking Rebel leader and he's out alone on a desolate, dangerous planet. What if he runs into the Empire? It's like having Rommel out in the dessert riding a camel, having a look around.

Rommel wasn't a high ranking officer, though, he was the commander of the Afrika Korps. And even so, Rommel did go out on numerous scouting expeditions on his own. Either with his driver in an armoured car or on his own in a recon plane (he had a pilot's license) or with a spotter. His constant risk taking endeared him to his men, but worried his staff.

And how can the speeders have a problem with the cold? They can build ships that travel through space which is much colder than a planet with an atmosphere and allowable breathing.

Space doesn't have humidity, though. Water expands when freezing, which can cause damage. And ice will also cause more friction where present, acting even as an adhesive between components, making it hard for machinery to get started.

Besides, we have got things that travel through space, and we still have things which have a problem with cold. The thing is, we build things for the environment they're meant for. To build to withstand everything is wasteful. The speeders were made on a warmer planet for warmer environments, so there'd be no reason to build them for the cold.

[–] moviechatterer (13530) 2 years ago

He's a high ranking Rebel leader and he's out alone on a ...

is he ? looked like to was conscripted and given a xwing only months earlier
and being doing grunt / flyboy work