Darths and Droids III: Search Your DNA Report

[Traab]

What's that in regular Starwarsese? I don't remember Tuna Booze Oil.

Naboo's soil. Tasty drinks

[BannedInSchool]

Tuna Booze Oil: http://darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0016.html

Edit: D'oh! Page break faux-ninjaed.

[The Glyphstone]

Oh, right.

[BannedInSchool]

On a second read, "There's nothing magical or mystical about midi-chlorians" seems a bit of a jab at the second trilogy, but that could be my own opinion coloring that.

[Traab]

Actually I think its just a continuation of the prequels. The DM was all set to explain the mystical monk power source when jim or sally or someone hijacked it and talked about midiclorians. Here.

[BannedInSchool]

The DM was all set to explain the mystical monk power source when jim or sally or someone hijacked it and talked about midiclorians. Here.

Well that's flat-out calling midi-chlorians ridiculous then. Maybe they'd be better as just batteries.

[EnragedFilia]

For the purposes of a campaign, ridiculous can be a good thing.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Midi-chlorians are one of the many, many things - starting probably from Han's "parsecs" comment in the original film - Star Wars fans have just had to squint at quizzically and make up their own subtext about to get them to fit the rest of the film.

Personally based on the name I like to think of them as extra-sensory mitochondria - symbionts in every cell of most living things without which life as we know it couldn't exist, or at least couldn't produce energy very efficiently. Except replace life with "life's ability to tap into the Force".

[Kato]

Midi-chlorians are one of the many, many things - starting probably from Han's "parsecs" comment in the original film - Star Wars fans have just had to squint at quizzically and make up their own subtext about to get them to fit the rest of the film.

Personally based on the name I like to think of them as extra-sensory mitochondria - symbionts in every cell of most living things without which life as we know it couldn't exist, or at least couldn't produce energy very efficiently. Except replace life with "life's ability to tap into the Force".

Yeah... that's pretty much what I got from them. I do have less of a problem with it then with the parsecs comment, really. It's not that I feel it adds anything to the story but... yeah.


I'm always kind of amazed at how much people can argue about tracking. Sure, sometimes it is impossible and sometimes it is really easy but most of the time I feel it's basically done in the way most convenient to the plot. It is useful to have a dog or something around if you really want to track something, I guess.

[BannedInSchool]

The midi-chlorians could also be seen as taking the Force from being a fantasy that would be neat if true to something entirely fictional. Boo!

[Rogar Demonblud]

After that reveal, I just rewrote it in my games so that midis are parasites that feed on the Force. So the stronger you are in the Force, the more of them you have.

And then used Order 66 to explain why they aren't around any more. Karmic backlash.

Sad to say, a couple decisions made late at night when near-blitzed on allergy meds makes more sense than what canon is.

[EnragedFilia]

On today's update comment:
A simple and utilitarian device like that scanner doesn't require much processing power at all, and unlike all forms of modern portable consumer electronics it's pretty important that it won't break as soon as it gets hit or dropped on its corner, and that it still work in a blizzard. Hence the "box with giant antennae" design paradigm that emphasizes durability and not much else.

Discuss!

[Traab]

On today's update comment:
A simple and utilitarian device like that scanner doesn't require much processing power at all, and unlike all forms of modern portable consumer electronics it's pretty important that it won't break as soon as it gets hit or dropped on its corner, and that it still work in a blizzard. Hence the "box with giant antennae" design paradigm that emphasizes durability and not much else.

Discuss!

To me I see it more as envisioning a different path of development. We are fully capable of building devices like you mentioned without making them big and bulky. Its probably mostly the antennae that causes the disconnect of a "high tech" tool that doesnt look that way. Mainly because as tech has advanced, in reality we have mostly eliminated the need for external ones. I still remember the good old days where you had telescoping antennae to boost signal reception and such, so when I see that in star wars I think of how old that makes it look.

That being said, I think its interesting how view of sci fi have changed over the years. Now we have the little magic box. A handheld computer that can do virtually anything, like the star trek tricorders. It doesnt look like much, its small, compact, and there is no real explanation for how it works, but it can do virtually anything, from communications, to scanning, to remotely activating other tech, to whatever the plot demands. Being able to further miniaturize things while at the same time making them even better faster stronger smarter is the new tech path we are on. Just like wireless tech was the new wonder back then. What will we see in another 30 years? There is no way to be sure, but I cant wait to see it.

[Kato]

While I do have to agree with the minimalist approach of "put in only what you need" a scanner like this could still use some processing power, e.g. for resolution, saving, zooming in, etc. There's a bunch more you would like the scanner to do than just be a high tech dowse rod.


Also, in Jim's defense... sometimes people are oblivious to the easiest solutions... happened often enough to me.

[Rogar Demonblud]

On today's update comment:
A simple and utilitarian device like that scanner doesn't require much processing power at all, and unlike all forms of modern portable consumer electronics it's pretty important that it won't break as soon as it gets hit or dropped on its corner, and that it still work in a blizzard. Hence the "box with giant antennae" design paradigm that emphasizes durability and not much else.

Discuss!

You could easily put a desktop's level of processor inside that scanner case, with room left over for additional padding and heatsinks. Not to mention a fractal antenna and what goes with all of that.

Good point on our current stuff being design to be broken and thrown away in short order, though. Massive waste of resources, but we won't learn until something runs out (probably one of the alloys that goes into the microprocessor).

[EnragedFilia]

Good point on our current stuff being design to be broken and thrown away in short order, though. Massive waste of resources, but we won't learn until something runs out (probably one of the alloys that goes into the microprocessor).

I imagine we may also learn as soon as someone in a war zone figures out how to quickly and easily disable 99% of modern electronics because we don't believe in things like EM shielding or shock absorption anymore. On the other hand of course, modern military hardware may defy those flimsy design principles more than I'm giving it credit for, but I wouldn't really know. In any event, part of what I was trying to get at is that the rebellion is actively engaged in serious warfare, and their equipment may reflect that at least as much as it reflects '70s ideas about what technology should look like.

[Surfing HalfOrc]

I'm wondering if Rich Burlew reads Darths and Droids... Just for the Summer Monster Minis, and Bigger Fish was one of the minis... All the other monsters we're Large, Huge or Gargantuan, like the way WotC normally does it.

[St Fan]

Nnnoo..., that's pretty much when it shows up in the film. All we've missed are some establishing shots of the Imperial fleet right at the beginning.

ISTR that in film canon the wampas didn't show up on the rebel scanners for some reason; there's a cut scene where this is explained.

Fun fact: there is actually a real-life case of this, with polar bears.

Scientists have once tried to track polar bears population with infrared cameras, only to discover they didn't appear on them. As it happen, polar bears are so well insulated from the cold, their bodies basically let escape very little heat, and thus they have very low infrared signatures.

If wampas have a similar metabolism, as is likely, they wouldn't be detected through infrared scans.

[ThePhantom]

Jim, Jim, jim. Your'e a silly one. Excellent!

[Legato Endless]

Is anyone getting slightly creeped by the (admittedly temporary) romantic subplot Annie's running with Luke?

[The Glyphstone]

Only because we know how it actually works out in the actual script. No guarantees that'll be true in D&D-canon.

[Rockphed]

Is anyone getting slightly creeped by the (admittedly temporary) romantic subplot Annie's running with Luke?

She has been running this subplot ever since the two characters met. And she is smart enough to catch on that they are twin siblings.

I think that only she and Ben know. Sally might figure it out, but I don't think she has bothered.

[Benthesquid]

Only because we know how it actually works out in the actual script. No guarantees that'll be true in D&D-canon.

Well, I think we can pretty safely conclude that Luke is still the other twin that we saw Kenobi give to the moisture farmers.

[Radar]

Wild theory: is the blue milk some sort of Force inhibitor given to Luke and Leia in order to hide them from their father?

[hamishspence]

Any thoughts on the most recent of the special strips - that are done once for every 50 normal ones?

Misadventures and Marionettes

[Legato Endless]

Any thoughts on the most recent of the special strips - that are done once for every 50 normal ones?

Misadventures and Marionettes

I call shenanigans. Invisible people controlling fields might actually be testible, which is far more grounded than actual string theory!

Pete playing a sensitive pianist? That game must have been hideously dull for him.

She has been running this subplot ever since the two characters met. And she is smart enough to catch on that they are twin siblings.

I think that only she and Ben know. Sally might figure it out, but I don't think she has bothered.

Exactly. She hasn't wasted a chance whenever they're together to build to a surprise incest twist. It's...impressive.

[Kato]

Any thoughts on the most recent of the special strips - that are done once for every 50 normal ones?

Misadventures and Marionettes

As I'm totally unfamiliar with Thunderbirds my biggest surprise is in the "Jason and the Argonauts" special Patrick Troughton's "greatest role" is listed as "Robin Hood" because... well, with or without Jason, I think any quick search tells you WHAT he is actually most famous for.



Regarding Annie... Well, we always knew she was the best role player of the bunch.

[Kornaki]

http://darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0949.html

So ixnay on the... advice-ay, and now we learn that Han is deliberately playing dumb. I think Han actually is the traitor, and is telling Chewie not to talk about Bespin because he's relaying his secrets through Lando to Darth Vader (when we get to Bespin we will find out that Lando and Vader are working together to trap everyone). Han is frozen in carbonite to keep his cover or something.

[Seerow]

http://darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0949.html

So ixnay on the... advice-ay, and now we learn that Han is deliberately playing dumb. I think Han actually is the traitor, and is telling Chewie not to talk about Bespin because he's relaying his secrets through Lando to Darth Vader (when we get to Bespin we will find out that Lando and Vader are working together to trap everyone). Han is frozen in carbonite to keep his cover or something.

We've known Han is being played deliberately dumb since he was Qui-gon Jin. This isn't new information to anyone but Luke's player.

My personal suspicion: Luke himself is the traitor. It will tie in perfectly with the scenes in the last movie, from where Luke separates from the group up until the end.

[Benthesquid]

We've known Han is being played deliberately dumb since he was Qui-gon Jin. This isn't new information to anyone but Luke's player.

Eh, I always read Qui-Gon as Jim playing him goofily, because D&D is what he does for fun, and he enjoys being goofy. Since Annie started playing, I think he's put more effort into playing a character, rather than just playing the game. So I do think there is a difference, although what the long term character arc ramifications for Han/Greedo might be remain to be seen/