• GraniteM@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I think I saw someone do an intensive breakdown of this scene where they estimated the density of the logs, calculated their velocity by counting the number of frames it took them to collide with the walker, then calculated the crush resistance of the walker’s frame by measuring how much it deformed in response to the amount of energy the logs put into it.

    IIRC, the AT-ST walker has a frame approximately as durable as a family minivan. So… not like terrible… assuming you weren’t taking your walker anywhere more dangerous than soccer practice, but not very impressive for military hardware.

    • Chickenstalker@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The prevalent weapon in the SW universe are energy weapons. It could be that the AT-ST was armoured against energy weapons and not kinetic weapons. They are also scout vehicles analogous to WWII wheeled scout cars which were lightly armoured.

      • Transporter Room 3@startrek.website
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        1 year ago

        While not common, kinetic weapons do still exist, and are widely used by outlaws and pirates because of how cheap and easy they are to keep running.

        Since I’d wager most of what the empire does by 5BBY is clearing outlaw gathering places, putting down civilian riots, and not fighting against fully equipped rebels (at least not on a scale large enough to matter in terms of designing entirely new units) they would come up against kinetics fairly often. Often enough that they would either need a separate vehicle for patrolling such areas, or the general purpose unit needs more structural integrity.

        The empire does like making “good enough” units that can be deployed everywhere, so they really should make the ATST stronger.

        They constantly underestimate their opponents, though.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      If you want to get realistic then we first have to ask why anyone would actually design an AT-ST when they can just take pictures from orbit. Why was there ground combat at all when the ships can drop kinetic weapons from orbit that have the impact of a nuke with none of the radioactivity?

      Let’s just enjoy the fantasy.

    • DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe
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      1 year ago

      Lucas decided the trees on Endor are part metal and are therefore hyperdense or some such nonsense

      This solves all problems with the scene

      Stop asking questions or the Ewoks will shit in your shoe.

      • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        That would mean when the Ewoks are cooking food metal fillings were ending up in smoke and hence food? Would explain why they are all so short, maybe they are basically kids since all of them die at a young age from metal toxicity.

        • GraniteM@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          No, it means that they’re like those undersea vent snails that ingest heavy metals. Ewoks are short, but they’re freaky strong because of ultra dense bones and muscles!