Random nerd thread unrelated to orig. topic. Current: Tanks vs Mechs!

[Quinton]

(Then a Plate-class GSV appears, effectors the fuck out of all remaining computer systems and tells everyone to stop being silly.  )

Neither the Empire nor the Federation can come anywhere near the Culture for quality ship names....

[Rishathra]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_(The_Culture)

[Draegan]

BSG > DS9 but Galactica would always lose to any other sci-fi basically.

Oh that reminds me, I need to download Babylon 5 and watch it again.

[fuser]

Oh that reminds me, I need to download Babylon 5 and watch it again.

Damm you, I hate *aspects* of Crusade so much but love the Victory/Excalibur ships.

[UnSub]

I'm sorry I posted in this thread to remind people it existed. 

[WindupAtheist]

Star Wars wins. Period.

http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/

I used to hang around that site a lot years ago. It's actually the one other place I was posting the old "box office roundup" back when I was doing that. Yeah, sorry Lum, the ISD can stand there and laugh while the Galaxy runs its guns dry and it won't make any difference.

I mean Voyager gets lost in a different quadrant and the near-impossible task of getting home is the narrative of an entire series. Qui-Gon and friends need to go from the Outer Rim to the Galactic Core in Phantom Menace, and they spend more time procuring a new hyperdrive from a backwater junkyard than they do traveling. That's the difference in technology we're talking about, transporters and fancy machines for making tea aside.

It's also the deciding factor in any campaign larger than a one-on-one ship battle. Even if a Star Destroyer hit no harder than a shuttlecraft, the Empire is going to win a war due to the fact that any Federation fleet is virtually immobile by Imperial standards.

Yes, I know I'm a horrible geek. What the fuck ever.

As an aside, even the most rabid Star Wars partisan knows that the Culture would wipe the floor with the Empire without even breaking a sweat. Suggesting otherwise on stardestroyer would get you laughed off the boards. If I recall correctly Dune, Star Wars, and 40k are all supposed to be in the same ballpark in terms of strength.

[Lum]

I think SW is exagerrating a WEE tad regarding its Galactic scale, simply because an Empire spanning millions of stars would be impossible to control, even for the guy in the funky purple robe. Thus similarly I tend to blow off "official" figures like 70 quadjillion megajoules of shielding on an ISD!!!1!

Because, yes, Star Trek and its dilithium powered warp factor squid is SO much more realistic. 

Regardless, Batman could kick everyone's ass.

[schild]

I think SW is exagerrating a WEE tad regarding its Galactic scale, simply because an Empire spanning millions of stars would be impossible to control, even for the guy in the funky purple robe. Thus similarly I tend to blow off "official" figures like 70 quadjillion megajoules of shielding on an ISD!!!1!

Because, yes, Star Trek and its dilithium powered warp factor squid is SO much more realistic. 

Regardless, Batman could kick everyone's ass.

I couldn't decipher this post with the Rosetta Stone.

[WindupAtheist]

How exactly does one story or side "exaggerate" when it's a given that everything being discussed is total fiction?

[Ratman_tf]

How exactly does one story or side "exaggerate" when it's a given that everything being discussed is total fiction?

Parsecs.

(Although I'm on the side that thinks Han was bullshitting the rubes and the Kessel Run is the equivalent of muffler bearings.)

[WindupAtheist]

That's not exaggerating, that's just George Lucas failing at vocabulary.

[DraconianOne]

That's not exaggerating, that's just George Lucas failing at vocabulary.

Or maybe he just used it because it sounded cool and would do for a measurement of time in a universe which is unbounded by the constrains of our own laws of physics.  I mean we could go all Frege and argue Sinn und Bedeutung but really, what's the point?

Regardless, Batman could kick everyone's ass.

The ability to fight crime while dressed as a flying rat is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

[Fordel]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_(The_Culture)

Those are some mighty fine ship names 



Halo has some good ship names too, little more prophetic then those from Culture.

UNSC:

In Amber Clad
Pillar of Autumn
Forward Unto Dawn
All Under Heaven
Point of No Return
Two for Flinching


Covenant Ships are all 'righteous' in their naming.

Sublime Transcendence
Ascendant Justice
Shadow of Intent
Triumphant Declaration
Truth and Reconciliation

[schild]

Coming up with cool names for things like ships is purely a matter of mental masturbation. Even the dimmest of wits can come up with spiffy names.

This obviously does not include Joss Whedon, George Lucas, or any of the Star Trek guys. Remember, I said dimmest of wits, not people who constantly go full retard.

[Ratman_tf]

That's not exaggerating, that's just George Lucas failing at vocabulary.

Brother Maynard! Bring us the holy shooting script!

BEN
Yes, indeed. If it's a fast ship.

HAN
Fast ship? You've never heard
of the Millennium Falcon?

BEN
Should I have?

HAN
It's the ship that made the Kessel
run in less than twelve parsecs!

Ben reacts to Solo's stupid attempt to impress them with obvious misinformation.

http://www.starwarz.com/starkiller/scripts/thestarwars_revised_fourth_draft_jan.htm

[UnSub]

Regardless, Batman could kick everyone's ass.

The ability to fight crime while dressed as a flying rat is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

... said a man with a latex fetish who shows little ability to do anything other than minor telekinesis.

[DraconianOne]

... said a man with a latex fetish who shows little ability to do anything other than minor telekinesis.

I think you'll find it's mostly leather.

[WindupAtheist]

Coming up with cool names for things like ships is purely a matter of mental masturbation.

I looked at that Wikipedia article. Calling a warship the 'So Much For Subtlety' is some damn fine masturbation. 

[Merusk]

Coming up with cool names for things like ships is purely a matter of mental masturbation. Even the dimmest of wits can come up with spiffy names.

This obviously does not include Joss Whedon, George Lucas, or any of the Star Trek guys. Remember, I said dimmest of wits, not people who constantly go full retard.

I give a pass to Star Trek because they, for some bizarre reason only Roddenberry could tell us, are following Naval tradition with names.  Potempkin, Enterprise, Hood, etc.   

[Ard]

Regardless, Batman could kick everyone's ass.

The ability to fight crime while dressed as a flying rat is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

Which doesn't matter at the end of the day, since they're about to kill the flying rat off... again, if what I've read is correct.  So there won't be much ass kicking going on, unless we're talking a zombie Batman, in which case, I'd have to hide in a cellar and keep a chainsaw handy.

[Venkman]

... since they're about to kill the flying rat off... again, if what I've read is correct. 

Wuh?

[raydeen]

And yet none of these would be able to stand up to one little man in a funny little blue telephone booth with a silly little tire pressure gauge that goes 'whiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrr'.

What the hell was this thread about again?

[IainC]

And yet none of these would be able to stand up to one little man in a funny little blue telephone booth with a silly little tire pressure gauge that goes 'whiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrr'.

What the hell was this thread about again?

It's somewhat fitting that a thread about Richard Garriot should devolve into who's space peen is the largest.

[Ard]

... since they're about to kill the flying rat off... again, if what I've read is correct. 

Wuh?

Google the words "battle for the cowl" if you really want to know.

[WindupAtheist]

And yet none of these would be able to stand up to one little man in a funny little blue telephone booth with a silly little tire pressure gauge that goes 'whiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrr'.

What the hell was this thread about again?

I think this thread is beyond having a topic and has condensed into a pool of pure geek, having gone from an MMO, to JRPG versus Western RPG, to Star Trek fighting Star Wars, to comic books.

Anyway yeah, anything related to Dr. Who is in the heavyweight category as far as versus-fights go. Star Wars and things on that level are pretty much middleweights, and Trek is toward the top of the lightweight class. I was never THAT into these sorts of debates, but I always found them good clean nerd fun to read.

[Vash]

Not to derail the high quality nerd fight but I thought it was common knowledge now that TR was getting canned.....

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/87610-Tabula-Rasa-Shutting-Down

[Venkman]

Google the words "battle for the cowl" if you really want to know.

Ah. Everything's about who'll replace him. But what can you point me to that talks the origin of the Batman RIP story arc? Or will this be a graphic novel I can pick up in the Spring or something?

I love the debates about who'll take over, but heck, I remember the same debates from when Bane broke Wayne's back and Archangel took over for a bit (Nightwing turned him down and the third Robin was too young yet) while Wayne got himself all trained back up. What was that, 15 years ago now?

[Ard]

Google the words "battle for the cowl" if you really want to know.

Ah. Everything's about who'll replace him. But what can you point me to that talks the origin of the Batman RIP story arc? Or will this be a graphic novel I can pick up in the Spring or something?

I love the debates about who'll take over, but heck, I remember the same debates from when Bane broke Wayne's back and Archangel took over for a bit (Nightwing turned him down and the third Robin was too young yet) while Wayne got himself all trained back up. What was that, 15 years ago now?

I honestly don't know anything about Batman RIP.  I haven't actively followed comics in a long long time.  I just randomly stumbled across this a few days ago somewhere, and it annoys me.  I mean, at the end of the day, we all know they're going to magically bring him back from the dead.  Again.  Just like they've done for every major super hero in DC or Marvel for the last 20 years.

[Ratman_tf]

I honestly don't know anything about Batman RIP.  I haven't actively followed comics in a long long time.  I just randomly stumbled across this a few days ago somewhere, and it annoys me.  I mean, at the end of the day, we all know they're going to magically bring him back from the dead.  Again.  Just like they've done for every major super hero in DC or Marvel for the last 20 years.

It's why I don't read comics from the "Big Two" anymore. It happens so often the need to hang a lampshade on it and just have all the bystanders shrug and move on whenever a major hero character dies.

[Draegan]

So I've never heard of The Culture.  I think I'll have to read it after I finish the Malazan series.

[Riggswolfe]

How exactly does one story or side "exaggerate" when it's a given that everything being discussed is total fiction?

Parsecs.

(Although I'm on the side that thinks Han was bullshitting the rubes and the Kessel Run is the equivalent of muffler bearings.)

The interesting thing is that WEG made a way for Han's statement to make sense. See, the most direct route to Kessel passes by a bunch of black holes so most pilots have to swing wide. But Han is so good at astrogation,and his ship is so fast, he was able to pass really close to the black holes, so he made the trip in "less than 12 parsecs."

I do feel better to know that the script shows it was BS. Which explains the look on Ben's face like he just ate something that tasted bad when Han says it, while Luke looks impressed.

[IainC]

So I've never heard of The Culture.  I think I'll have to read it after I finish the Malazan series.

Start with Excession or Player of Games. The more recent ones are longer and more introspective. Still great but there are a lot of base assumptions that you won't get if you haven't read at least a couple of the earlier ones.

[Venkman]

How exactly does one story or side "exaggerate" when it's a given that everything being discussed is total fiction?

Parsecs.

(Although I'm on the side that thinks Han was bullshitting the rubes and the Kessel Run is the equivalent of muffler bearings.)

The interesting thing is that WEG made a way for Han's statement to make sense. See, the most direct route to Kessel passes by a bunch of black holes so most pilots have to swing wide. But Han is so good at astrogation,and his ship is so fast, he was able to pass really close to the black holes, so he made the trip in "less than 12 parsecs."

This exact topic came up in, err, shit, I think the Indiana Jones Crystal Skull thread in Movies. And I made the exact same point. And they're still mocking me. 

Kidding. The cw on this is that GL screwed up and the expanded universe material fixed it by creating the events that made it plausible. Back in Ep4, there was nothing said of a Maw Cluster [the region of black holes around which he went] nor that Parsec was specifically stated to be a distance in Han's use rather than time. My personal opinion is that the script was accurate and that parsecs was used as intended because in the way hyperspace works in that universe, time in hyperspace is less important in determining "speed" and efficiency than the distance traveled. It's not unbelievable that there were a few geeks like us working on the geekiest film to launch in that decade.

This also corrolates with 3POs use of the quote "spice mines of Kessel". Kessel was an established place. Han was an established smuggler. Spice was an established good to be smuggled. QED, "Kessel Run". Once there, it's not so hard to believe that some writer mapped the galaxy, mapped where Kessel was and it's destination (the name escapes me atm), and figured out why the distance between those two points is more important than the time, in corrolation again to how hyperspace was said to have worked (plotting courses, not running into stars, etc).

[Draegan]

I like Darniaq's response best.

[Trippy]

Astronavigation is clearly a component of Hyperspace travel in Star Wars, as Han Solo tells Luke, "It ain't like dustin crops boy, we could plow through an asteroid field or bounce to close to a super nova, that'd end your trip real quick!". The fact that Han gives a distance rather than measure of time is simply a boast of his navigation skills.