Some crazy Star Wars thoughts while we wait for this whole thing to come crashing down.
Star Destroyers are the answer to ever-enbiggening military requirements during the Clone Wars, eventually simply containing all needs for a military venture under one command. As they have the entirity of an arsenal needed to take over a solar system, they become a one-stop solution to all military problems. Have some rebels? Send in an ISD. Some rebels get away from an ISD? Send a few ISDs. Vader lose his keys? Send an ISD. Need to subdue a population? ISD.
etc. An ISD is not mission-specific, but rather mission neutral.
Consider instead four smaller ships, each half the length of an ISD and each specializing. Dreadnought, carrier, Division transport, and supply ship. Each has a fraction of the capabilities of a star destroyer, except in one area where they meet an ISD. In all other areas, each of these four is lesser than an ISD.
For example:
ISD: 60 turbolasers / 72 starfighters / 9,000 troops / 40,000 cargo tons.
Dreadnought: 60 turbolasers / 12 starfighters / 250 troops / 2,000 cargo tons
Carrier: 10 turbolasers / 72 starfighters / 250 troops / 2,000 cargo tons
Transport: 10 turbolasers / 12 starfighters / 9,000 troops / 2,000 cargo tons
Cargo: 10 turbolasers / 12 starfighters / 250 troops / 9,000 troops
Now, imagine a a fifth vessel. While an ISD has the firepower to go versus a solar system, this may only be able to subdue a planet:
Victory Star Destroyer: 20 turbolasers / 24 starfighters / 1,500 troops / 8,000 cargo tons.
That is: At this level, there are specialist vessels and still room for a vessel that has a wide variety of missions it can take on. It would not be able to take on as wide or as deep a mission parameter as it's larger sibling. While an ISD has many ATATs, different weather gear for troops, specialist starfighters, and the firepower to decimate a small fleet, the Victory star destroyer is missing the specialist cases.
Finally: There could well be generalist-ships like a Star Destroyer at the 800, 400, 200, and even 100 meter ranges. Admittedly, at the 100 meter, the ship has one starfighter and barely deserves to be thought of the same.
Ships needed a crew of around 10 are in the 50 meter range. This includes Free Traders, Firefly, Pirate ships, etc. At best, you get two externally mounted shuttles as subsidiary craft, not dozes of star fighters.
.... You guys, for whatever reason my brain will not stop doing this math. Over and over again. It's like a fucking loop.
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I had an edition of How to Make War as a lad and spent hours studying the differences between US and Russian ship design and working out the math so I could create space combat games that didn't forget things like access space for repairs, and stores for parts.
ReplyDeleteI feel this.
I did this for a Star Trek game that I never ran. There weren't enough Federation ships so I build a whole fleet.
ReplyDeleteYou guys get me and my insanity. I'm glad.
ReplyDeleteAlso: You could scale the specialist ships UP to the size of a star destroyer. Maybe the specialists would have 180 turbolasers, 250 star destroyers, or 30,000 troops.
You know, the requirements for a super star destroyer.
I'd rather scale down. The Tantive IV is like 150 meters, so right between the 100 and 200 meter versions. Because it's not an Imperial design, so is according to very different parameters.
ReplyDeleteAs you scale down, you eventually stop wanting turbo lasers (big guns), and it starts to make sense to have laser cannons (little guns). And having ships with no star fighters starts making sense, though they are quite good as scouts even with only a few.
ReplyDeleteWorth pointing out that Han and Obi Wan talk about TIE fighters traveling in convoys?
ReplyDeleteFrom the script:
ReplyDeleteThe pirateship zooms over the camera and away into the
vastness of space after the Imperial TIE fighter.
INT. MILLENNIUM FALCON - COCKPIT
The tension mounts as the pirateship gains on the tiny
fighter. In the distance, one of the stars becomes brighter
until it is obvious that the TIE ship is heading for it. Ben
stands behind Chewbacca.
BEN
A fighter that size couldn't get
this deep into space on its own.
LUKE
It must have gotten lost, been part
of a convoy or something.
HAN
Well, he ain't going to be around
long enough to tell anyone about us.
EXT. SPACE
The TIE fighter is losing ground to the larger pirateship as
they race toward camera and disappear over head.
INT. MILLENNIUM FALCON - COCKPIT
The distant star can be distinguished as a small moon or
planet.
LUKE
Look at him. He's headed for that
small moon.
HAN
I think I can get him before he gets
there... he's almost in range.
The small moon begins to take on the appearance of a monstrous
spherical battle station.
BEN
That's no moon! It's a space station.
HAN
It's too big to be a space station.
LUKE
I have a very bad feeling about this.
HAN
Yeah, I think your right. Full
reverse! Chewie, lock in the auxiliary
power.
The pirateship shudders and the TIE fighter accelerates away
toward the gargantuan battle station.
(So: It's the cracker farm boy who talks about a convoy.)
ReplyDeleteThe Gozanti Cruiser was 63.8 m and carried 4 Ties.
ReplyDeleteDaaaang. That ratio ... Imma gonna guess it wasn't also a place where people, like, lived?
ReplyDeleteHere's a deck plan for it: i.imgur.com
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice ship!
ReplyDeleteIt was a pre Clone Wars era freighter modified for a variety of purposes most particularly small unit infantry drop ship.
ReplyDeleteProbably best thought of as the Star Wars equivalent of a flight of Black Hawk Helicopters capable of dropping in troopers and a couple AT-ATs while providing it's own air cover.
Exactly. Ralph Mazza! They sold them to the Imperial government as well as planetary governments, so they ended up on both sides of the rebellion, as well as ending up in the hands of mercs. They were a nice escort vessel as well.
ReplyDelete