But It Was So Artistically Done: THE STAR WARS THREAD

[Uinted Communist of Africa]

Can we just take a second give a round of applause for the OP...he really is keeping the poll up to date.

[Alekseandrea]

Also, the whole point of TIE fighters is that they are cheap and easy to mass produce, meaning they aren't actually that good compared to other similar fighters. Doesn't much makes sense to make a disposable ship if you care about the pilot.

Well, the pilots wear life-support gear, so presumably they could eject themselves.

[Alvecia]

Also, the whole point of TIE fighters is that they are cheap and easy to mass produce, meaning they aren't actually that good compared to other similar fighters. Doesn't much makes sense to make a disposable ship if you care about the pilot.

Well, the pilots wear life-support gear, so presumably they could eject themselves.

A quick google and it seems like they could. I was aware. Dramatically increases their survival chances in my estimation.

[The first Galactic Republic]

Because floating around in space all by yourself is real safe.

Would you rather die painlessly in a brief explosion or freeze and asphyxiate?

[Alvecia]

Because floating around in space all by yourself is real safe.

Would you rather die painlessly in a brief explosion or freeze and asphyxiate?

Like Alekseandrea said, they do have life support gear, and I imagine their suits are well insulated. Most space suits tend to be.
It's a matter of hoping someone comes to retrieve you before you run out of oxygen I guess.

[Alekseandrea]

Because floating around in space all by yourself is real safe.

Would you rather die painlessly in a brief explosion or freeze and asphyxiate?

Like Alekseandrea said, they do have life support gear, and I imagine their suits are well insulated. Most space suits tend to be.
It's a matter of hoping someone comes to retrieve you before you run out of oxygen I guess.

Oxygen wouldn't be an issue, the suit of TIE-pilots contains their ONLY life support.
And since TIE's have no hyperdrive, the pilots will always eject near an empire base, star destroyer or other TIE-carrier.

[The first Galactic Republic]

Because floating around in space all by yourself is real safe.

Would you rather die painlessly in a brief explosion or freeze and asphyxiate?

Like Alekseandrea said, they do have life support gear, and I imagine their suits are well insulated. Most space suits tend to be.
It's a matter of hoping someone comes to retrieve you before you run out of oxygen I guess.

You don't get it. You will die eventually if they don't pick you up. Those space battles we all see take place over thousands and thousands of kilometers, and when you eject you'll keep the speed of your starfighter, which was probably going pretty fast. You could end up a significant distance away from where you ejected in a short amount of time. Meanwhile the battle is still raging. It might still be going on when your oxygen runs low.

The odds that an Empire who treats its pilots about as well as the Trade Federation treated its battle droids will come get you aren't great, and they may never find you no matter how hard they look, which won't be very hard at all.

You have the chance of being saved with significant odds of dying slowly, or you can die painlessly when your ships goes up in a brief fireball.

The Empire even trained TIE pilots to think of themselves as expendable and to put the mission in front of threatened wingmen. The only reason why they wear life support is because there's no air in the actual cockpit. The Empire just does not care about most of its pilots.

[Alvecia]

Like Alekseandrea said, they do have life support gear, and I imagine their suits are well insulated. Most space suits tend to be.
It's a matter of hoping someone comes to retrieve you before you run out of oxygen I guess.

You don't get it. You will die eventually if they don't pick you up. Those space battles we all see take place over thousands and thousands of kilometers, and when you eject you'll keep the speed of your starfighter, which was probably going pretty fast. You could end up a significant distance away from where you ejected in a short amount of time. Meanwhile the battle is still raging. It might still be going on when your oxygen runs low.

The odds that an Empire who treats its pilots about as well as the Trade Federation treated its battle droids will come get you aren't great, and they may never find you no matter how hard they look, which won't be very hard at all.

You have the chance of being saved with significant odds of dying slowly, or you can die painlessly when your ships goes up in a brief fireball.

The Empire even trained TIE pilots to think of themselves as expendable and to put the mission in front of threatened wingmen. The only reason why they wear life support is because there's no air in the actual cockpit. The Empire just does not care about most of its pilots.

I think you'd find that when it comes to the choice between death, and the possibility of life, no matter how small, the vast majority of people would take the latter option.
Besides, the number of people retrieved only needs to be non-null to be beneficial to the Empire.
I also imagine that just having that small glimmer of hope is better for morale amongst pilots than the certainty that you either don't get hit or you die.

[The first Galactic Republic]

You don't get it. You will die eventually if they don't pick you up. Those space battles we all see take place over thousands and thousands of kilometers, and when you eject you'll keep the speed of your starfighter, which was probably going pretty fast. You could end up a significant distance away from where you ejected in a short amount of time. Meanwhile the battle is still raging. It might still be going on when your oxygen runs low.

The odds that an Empire who treats its pilots about as well as the Trade Federation treated its battle droids will come get you aren't great, and they may never find you no matter how hard they look, which won't be very hard at all.

You have the chance of being saved with significant odds of dying slowly, or you can die painlessly when your ships goes up in a brief fireball.

The Empire even trained TIE pilots to think of themselves as expendable and to put the mission in front of threatened wingmen. The only reason why they wear life support is because there's no air in the actual cockpit. The Empire just does not care about most of its pilots.

I think you'd find that when it comes to the choice between death, and the possibility of life, no matter how small, the vast majority of people would take the latter option.
Besides, the number of people retrieved only needs to be non-null to be beneficial to the Empire.
I also imagine that just having that small glimmer of hope is better for morale amongst pilots than the certainty that you either don't get hit or you die.

Maybe but TIE pilots aren't mentally stable. Their training is just as much about thinking of themselves as expendable and being willing to do anything for the Empire as it is about actually learning to fly.

So when a TIE fighter is damaged, the last thought going through the pilot's mind probably isn't "Oh I have to get out of here", it's probably more like "Can I kill one more rebel before I go?"

You're thinking of them as normal people, but they're thoroughly brainwashed. That's true even in the new canon. The Empire basically turns them into Vulture droids.

[Alekseandrea]

You don't get it. You will die eventually if they don't pick you up.

If.

Those space battles we all see take place over thousands and thousands of kilometers, and when you eject you'll keep the speed of your starfighter, which was probably going pretty fast. You could end up a significant distance away from where you ejected in a short amount of time. Meanwhile the battle is still raging.

It might still be going on when your oxygen runs low.

The pilot will slow down, actually.
In star wars, space is an ocean.

How do we know this?
The engines are always visibly working if a ship moves in space.
If there was no space-friction thus wouldn't be necessary.

Ergo, there is space friction, thus the pilot will slow down.

The odds that an Empire who treats its pilots about as well as the Trade Federation treated its battle droids will come get you aren't great, and they may never find you no matter how hard they look, which won't be very hard at all.

You do realise there is a difference between stupid and evil?
They won't have to look hard because there are sensors who can detect life signs.
Really why wouldn't they pick them up?

I doubt that even the dimmest superior would not accept "we could but we didn't feel like it" as a valid reason.

You have the chance of being saved with significant odds of dying slowly, or you can die painlessly when your ships goes up in a brief fireball.

X-wings and Y-wings aren't that much tougher. Remember the trench run?
Those angled deflector shields weren't worth anything.

Rebel pilots, on the other hand are REALLY screwed if they eject.

The Empire even trained TIE pilots to think of themselves as expendable and to put the mission in front of threatened wingmen.

Well, there aren't many cases where saving a single pilot will outweigh achieving the objective. Achieving the objective will, in most cases, save more imperial lives in the long run.

The only reason why they wear life support is because there's no air in the actual cockpit.

And that's bad because?
The location of the life support shouldn't really matter.

Maybe but TIE pilots aren't mentally stable. Their training is just as much about thinking of themselves as expendable and being willing to do anything for the Empire as it is about actually learning to fly.

Mental stability and loyalty to a cause are two different things. Are you trying to dehumanize the TIE-pilots?

So when a TIE fighter is damaged, the last thought going through the pilot's mind probably isn't "Oh I have to get out of here", it's probably more like "Can I kill one more rebel before I go?"

Well. It isn't like a TIE can take much hits. If the TIE isn't vaporised, it's reasonable to assume nothing vital is hit and to continue to hunt rebels.

You're thinking of them as normal people, but they're thoroughly brainwashed. That's true even in the new canon. The Empire basically turns them into Vulture droids.

You are dehumanising the TIE-pilots, aren't you?

[Anywhere Else But Here]

I wonder how their sensors detect "life signs". It's a pretty common sci-fi trope, but what are they actually detecting? If someone's just floating in a vacuum, there can't be much to detect. If their suits allow them to survive long outside, they must be well insulated, so you won't see a lot of radiation coming off a pilot (and even if you did, I imagine a space battlefield has fragments of hot metal and such all over the place).

[The first Galactic Republic]

The pilot will slow down, actually.
In star wars, space is an ocean.

How do we know this?
The engines are always visibly working if a ship moves in space.
If there was no space-friction thus wouldn't be necessary.

Ergo, there is space friction, thus the pilot will slow down.

Dafuq?

Unless there's a canon source that actually says otherwise, physics in Star Wars works like it does in real life. The always on engines are to look cool.

Another example, things in space make noise in Star Wars, but there's a canon source stating that in universe there are no sonic vibrations in space.

You do realise there is a difference between stupid and evil?
They won't have to look hard because there are sensors who can detect life signs.
Really why wouldn't they pick them up?

I doubt that even the dimmest superior would not accept "we could but we didn't feel like it" as a valid reason.

"They literally called me expendable in training, but they'll come get me... right?"

"Right?"

"Right?"

I don't know if those sensors work across tens of thousands of kilometers, especially if the pilot has ended up in a different area in the time since he ejected.

X-wings and Y-wings aren't that much tougher. Remember the trench run?
Those angled deflector shields weren't worth anything.

In Episode IV X-Wings and Y-Wings can sometimes continue flying after taking damage, and when destroyed they break apart. TIE fighters pop after anything happens to them. They seem less durable.

And that's bad because?
The location of the life support shouldn't really matter.

The suggestion that the Empire cares that its pilots can survive in the vacuum because it gives them life support is irrelevant when you remember that the life support is not designed for vacuum. It's designed for the cockpit. If can safely handle the stresses of the cockpit, but it's not designed for long term exposure to vacuum.

Actual EVA suits in Star Wars look different.

You are dehumanising the TIE-pilots, aren't you?

I can't help you if you won't familiarize yourself with the sources because it's not like I came up with all this.

EU sources were calling them brainwashed and expendable before I was even born, and canon writers have so far decided not to change that.

[Alvecia]

I wonder how their sensors detect "life signs". It's a pretty common sci-fi trope, but what are they actually detecting? If someone's just floating in a vacuum, there can't be much to detect. If their suits allow them to survive long outside, they must be well insulated, so you won't see a lot of radiation coming off a pilot (and even if you did, I imagine a space battlefield has fragments of hot metal and such all over the place).

I dunno, even well insulated I reckon you'd be able to pick them up on a heat sensor. You're right though debris from a fight and the like would make it harder.

[Dylar]

I wonder how their sensors detect "life signs". It's a pretty common sci-fi trope, but what are they actually detecting? If someone's just floating in a vacuum, there can't be much to detect. If their suits allow them to survive long outside, they must be well insulated, so you won't see a lot of radiation coming off a pilot (and even if you did, I imagine a space battlefield has fragments of hot metal and such all over the place).

I dunno, even well insulated I reckon you'd be able to pick them up on a heat sensor. You're right though debris from a fight and the like would make it harder.

It could probably be two sensors. One sensor scans for carbon based substances, and when it finds one, it switches to something similar to an X-ray where it can see if the pulse and heart are still beating.

[Uinted Communist of Africa]

I dunno, even well insulated I reckon you'd be able to pick them up on a heat sensor. You're right though debris from a fight and the like would make it harder.

It could probably be two sensors. One sensor scans for carbon based substances, and when it finds one, it switches to something similar to an X-ray where it can see if the pulse and heart are still beating.

needless to say the empire isn't going to send resources to find scum that couldn't survive one space battle....unless they magically grew a heart over night

[Dylar]

It could probably be two sensors. One sensor scans for carbon based substances, and when it finds one, it switches to something similar to an X-ray where it can see if the pulse and heart are still beating.

needless to say the empire isn't going to send resources to find scum that couldn't survive one space battle....unless they magically grew a heart over night

You're right in that they wouldn't send ships out to find one Starfighter Corps. graduate that couldn't survive one space battle, but they'll most likely send ships out to find their aces like Baron Fel.

[Uinted Communist of Africa]

needless to say the empire isn't going to send resources to find scum that couldn't survive one space battle....unless they magically grew a heart over night

You're right in that they wouldn't send ships out to find one Starfighter Corps. graduate that couldn't survive one space battle, but they'll most likely send ships out to find their aces like Baron Fel.

touché

[Anywhere Else But Here]

I dunno, even well insulated I reckon you'd be able to pick them up on a heat sensor. You're right though debris from a fight and the like would make it harder.

It could probably be two sensors. One sensor scans for carbon based substances, and when it finds one, it switches to something similar to an X-ray where it can see if the pulse and heart are still beating.

But how do those sensors work? How does it "scan" for carbon*? What exactly is "hitting" the detector? Infrared radiation is the only obvious one, but the practicality of that over large distances on a battlefield is dubious at best, even if there is a significant difference between a suited pilot and the background.

*I realise I'm nitpicking at what is basically space fantasy, but I enjoy nitpicking, dammit!

[Ism]

It could probably be two sensors. One sensor scans for carbon based substances, and when it finds one, it switches to something similar to an X-ray where it can see if the pulse and heart are still beating.

But how do those sensors work? How does it "scan" for carbon*? What exactly is "hitting" the detector? Infrared radiation is the only obvious one, but the practicality of that over large distances on a battlefield is dubious at best, even if there is a significant difference between a suited pilot and the background.

*I realise I'm nitpicking at what is basically space fantasy, but I enjoy nitpicking, dammit!

Could be something that detects Force energy. All all organic life (except the Vong) is connected to the Force to some degree, but inorganic matter does not, so you would only detect living beings.

[Dylar]

But how do those sensors work? How does it "scan" for carbon*? What exactly is "hitting" the detector? Infrared radiation is the only obvious one, but the practicality of that over large distances on a battlefield is dubious at best, even if there is a significant difference between a suited pilot and the background.

*I realise I'm nitpicking at what is basically space fantasy, but I enjoy nitpicking, dammit!

Could be something that detects Force energy. All all organic life (except the Vong) is connected to the Force to some degree, but inorganic matter does not, so you would only detect living beings.

Finally something useful for midichlorians!

[Anywhere Else But Here]

But how do those sensors work? How does it "scan" for carbon*? What exactly is "hitting" the detector? Infrared radiation is the only obvious one, but the practicality of that over large distances on a battlefield is dubious at best, even if there is a significant difference between a suited pilot and the background.

*I realise I'm nitpicking at what is basically space fantasy, but I enjoy nitpicking, dammit!

Could be something that detects Force energy. All all organic life (except the Vong) is connected to the Force to some degree, but inorganic matter does not, so you would only detect living beings.

That would be interesting. I'd love to see technology that took advantage of the fact that the force is an energy field (Force bosons, anyone?), but I doubt many audiences would appreciate it.

[Ism]

Could be something that detects Force energy. All all organic life (except the Vong) is connected to the Force to some degree, but inorganic matter does not, so you would only detect living beings.

That would be interesting. I'd love to see technology that took advantage of the fact that the force is an energy field (Force bosons, anyone?), but I doubt many audiences would appreciate it.

Considering what happened with midichlorians, I doubt we'll see anything like that.

[Anywhere Else But Here]

That would be interesting. I'd love to see technology that took advantage of the fact that the force is an energy field (Force bosons, anyone?), but I doubt many audiences would appreciate it.

Considering what happened with midichlorians, I doubt we'll see anything like that.

I liked midichlorians.

[Ism]

Considering what happened with midichlorians, I doubt we'll see anything like that.

I liked midichlorians.

As do I, but most do not.

[Bearon]

In Canon TIE pilots are elite fighter pilots who a lot of training is invested into so I imagine they would feel the loss tbh.

I thought the regular TIE pilots were just the grunts, but those that survived moved on to other divisions and variants.

Also, the whole point of TIE fighters is that they are cheap and easy to mass produce, meaning they aren't actually that good compared to other similar fighters. Doesn't much makes sense to make a disposable ship if you care about the pilot.

I'm not talking Imperial propaganda "elite." I'm talking about actually above average pilots.

They don't go in OG TIE fighters because those are designed with no survivability in mind.

The Inferno Squad novel seems to disagree. The main character monologues that only the best pilots fly TIE's because they sacrifice durability for speed and maneuverability.