Star Power V: The Final Yawntier

[Kantaki]

A better question is why enforcers for an Evil Empire have "living camcorder" as part of their standard power set

For the same reason they can operate the portal-network and had a personal hyperspace drive.
I mean even Palpatine got that you don't let your mooks have long range travel.
For a galaxy spanning empire the lizards weren't very smart.
I mean just look how they ended.
The last of them is prisoner to a peaceful alliance of explorers and diplomats.
Pathetic.

[random11]

A better question is why enforcers for an Evil Empire have "living camcorder" as part of their standard power set

Think about it like a camera on police cars.
Starpowers are given a lot of power, at the very least there should be an option to monitor what they do to prevent corruption, as well as prevent accusations and being more open to the public.

I'm more bothered on why it auto-started when just talking about the option to do that.
Good thing the trigger wasn't someone talking about "how star-powered take a shower" or something like similar, that could have been awkward.

[Welf]

A better question is why enforcers for an Evil Empire have "living camcorder" as part of their standard power set

Spoiler

Show

Okay, it totally makes sense for Evil Minions to have an involuntary playback effect since no Tyrant worth her salt is going to accept their word for anything. But I wanted to remind everyone of the origins of the SPS since we're in New Powers As Plot Demands territory and I can guarantee that Mookie is not going to have the SPS origins in mind when he's making up new powers

In story, I actually can believe that. The SPS are elite troops, and perfect for reconnaissance. They can jump into another star system and get behind enemy lines. Giving them advanced surveillance and recording technology makes a lot of sense. They even are called "Sentinels". Who have Power. From Stars.
Out story, yes he is making up new powers. The upgrade process is a cheap device for that. I wonder what we get at 90% and 100%?

[Traab]

Ok, I officially am disgusted by this comic. I put up with a lot of the crap that goes on here, even finding entertainment in some of it, but now mookie no longer even is PRETENDING to do anything but rule zero his way through this campaign to make sure everything works out exactly how his railroad wants it to. I fully expect the upgrade rate to slow down so every percentage gets announced along with how that latest percentage magically fixes the problem that literally just happened.

"76% complete, activating auto peace protocols"

"Hey, why were we fighting? Lets all be friends now!"

"Whew, thank goodness I dont have to investigate anything now that the star power fixed their entire history of mutual hatred."

I also expect to find out that 100% unlocks god mode. Danica is omniscient and omnipotent, and the story ends with her visiting dominic deegan and suggesting she and luna the great tag team him.

[Zaq]

How long until we get super- space-weaving?

[Vinyadan]

chairs atop balls

Good synth pop album title, I'll take note ;)

I am a bit off with the whole scientific approach they are taking. Actually, it makes no sense: diplomacy isn't like natural sciences, at all. Anthropologists went there, took a look, took notes, and their observations were respected and useful. It's more like in a trial, you can't tell the witness "sorry sir, you got no film", just as an officer can't just tell his scout "sorry, our lives are on the line and we must go scientifically about your sighting of an enemy squad around this building".

[Traab]

Oh lordy, please danica, please dont go awol over this. Its not your job to fix this. You have no idea whats going on, who the good and bad guys are, or whatever. Yes its sounding like the scorp angels were possibly escaping slaves or some such thing, but there could be way more to it than that. And at least mookie is willing to admit that danicas new abilities are stupidly convenient. Honestly, I would have preferred to see her get something similar to sydneys talent tree from grrl power. Basically, she downloads this update and is given a number of points to assign to various things. Think of it as a customizable power set for each star power. "This is the diplomat tree, this is the warrior tree, this is the traveling tree," etc etc etc. Then she holds back on assigning points until she finds she needs them. It would feel less random than this because we get a laundry list of powers and upgrades she could get in the future, some of which are red herrings, others of which arent really plot relevant to keep readers guessing and when a problem pops up in the future we can go, "Oooh! She can use her translate any language skill here!" Or maybe even be caught off guard by what choices she makes. If mookie wanted he could even retcon things a bit here. When the update finishes we learn thats actually exactly what the case is, its just, while it was downloading it auto allocated skill points as needed and now she can manually control the points she has left.

[random11]

Great plan guys!

Give her an upgrade to her powers.
Do NOT instruct or prepare her in any way.
Wait for an international crisis.
If she fails to reach some hypothetical goals, kill her.

Remind me why they are all gone and she is the only one left?

[Kantaki]

Great plan guys!

Give her an upgrade to her powers.
Do NOT instruct or prepare her in any way.
Wait for an international crisis.
If she fails to reach some hypothetical goals, kill her.

Remind me why they are all gone and she is the only one left?

What do you expect?
They were founded by „reformed” members of a race so cartoonishly evil that they considered love and compassion the naughtiest words in the known universe.
There can't have been that much brainpower involved in anything concerning the Sentinels.

And of course a organization that wiped itself out trying to protect genocidal monsters from the wrath of their former victims even as said monsters try their best to murder them for said kindness would choose to... remove anyone from their ranks that is even marginally less dedicated to their cause.

[Shogo]

Whoa! Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. False concept of a greater good?

I don't think I like the standards you're operating under.

I also don't know why he thinks he can solo her.

[AMX]

Whoa! Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. False concept of a greater good?

I don't think I like the standards you're operating under.

I also don't know why he thinks he can solo her.

I'm more concerned about the blatant hypocrisy.

If she starts sacrificing people "for the greater good" the robot will kill her, for the greater good.

[Kantaki]

Whoa! Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. False concept of a greater good?

I don't think I like the standards you're operating under.

I also don't know why he thinks he can solo her.

Didn't the robot (or at least others of its type) have weapons that can get through the Sentinels' force-fields?
So it's not impossible it could beat her. If it gets her by surprise.
Preferably while powered down.

[Traab]

For all we know he is programmed with a manual override of the star power. I mean, it IS a computer system after all.

[Celestia]

More than likely, Danica will simply convince the robot to ignore its programming and follow her way of doing things because she's just that much more awesome than everyone.

[Traab]

Nah, most likely she will pass the tests because of just how great she is. (so great)

[Vinyadan]

So, Tom's like the Aquaking. Remember that he had that special lance that probably could have killed Danica, if she hadn't passed the test?

I can't wait for Tom to take off like a space shuttle during normal conversation, destroying SSSSSSSSS in the process. "Sorry, gotta go! Frr----KrakaWHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!"

[random11]

Indeed, you do have to go back.

But before that, you need a little thing called "a plan". "Any idea what's going on" will also be fine.

[Vinyadan]

Mavpel Candy, quick!

Also, well drawn page.

[Celestia]

Well, she got over that existential crisis rather quickly.

[halfeye]

Well, she got over that existential crisis rather quickly.

In rather a lot of panels, however.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Well, she got over that existential crisis rather quickly.

Remember, crying is like puking for the soul!

[tonberrian]

Remember, crying is like puking for the soul!

That was very poetic. Thanks for that.

[Celestia]

Remember, crying is like puking for the soul!

Man, that's deep. I wonder what kind of profoundly gifted sage wrote that.

[random11]

A bit too late for this...

No arguments about the intelligence she needs to gather, but that mission briefing should have been done before the last time Danica went there.

[guttering flame]

A bit too late for this...

No arguments about the intelligence she needs to gather, but that mission briefing should have been done before the last time Danica went there.

Don't forget the good sidekick's first rule: Never question, never explain. Let the super be Super.

[Traab]

A bit too late for this...

No arguments about the intelligence she needs to gather, but that mission briefing should have been done before the last time Danica went there.

Meh, I give it a pass due to it being a distress call scenario. Now they have time to prepare and go through all the steps needed.

[random11]

Meh, I give it a pass due to it being a distress call scenario. Now they have time to prepare and go through all the steps needed.

I don't give it a pass ESPECIALLY because it was a distress call.
A distress call from an unknown location, unknown people, unknown war.

[Traab]

I don't give it a pass ESPECIALLY because it was a distress call.
A distress call from an unknown location, unknown people, unknown war.

When you hear a ship is going down in the bering sea, you dont take a couple hours to research the history of the ship, and review the standard procedures for how a rescue operation works. You get the location, get your crew, and you answer the distress call. When you are trying to track down how the ship got there, why it was in trouble, and all that stuff, THEN you can take your time because there isnt as much of a rush. Danica went into an imminent threat situation where there wasnt time to waste. Now she is going back to learn what she can about things, so there is time to plan it all out.

[Shogo]

Kind of making some potentially dangerous assumptions. Them being space elves doesn't mean their body language is going to be identical to what humans display. I mean, damn, it's not like body language is even universal among humans.

[Welf]

Good to know Grex only murderd bad people. And was only accomplice to war crimes.