What could a scientist in my Star Wars fan fic be working on?

[Lvl 2 Expert]

The bow is a tiny lightsaber, and the strings are even smaller lightsabers. Each one has a different type of crystal/color, so when the bow touches the the clashing crackling noise is slightly different. It has been this scientist's life's work to compose a Symphony in Kyber Flat.

That would honestly be awesome.

Not as super-relevant and mega-plotdevicy als hypospace, but cool to imagine.

[The Jack]

The battle droids were programmed with incomptence to force buyers to purchase more advanced models that have bigger premiums attached. It's kinda like how computer manufacturers still make pentiums, celerons and whatever AMD's budget model is. They merely exist so that super-battle droids look better and more valuable. The seperatist army is after all, largely corporate and they're waging war for business reasons.


As for the war.
Space navies and ground vehicles make up more of the fighting than infantry. Of course narratively it's good to focus on infantry because it's more personal, which is why most people think of America's involvement in WW2's pacific war as an island-hopping campaign rather than a naval war, but really warships, planes, tanks and big guns are more important in a total war than infantry.


I do really think the basic battle droids are wasted though. The design is intimidating, the way they act isn't. If they were a mass of silent killers who stoically endured all loses as they marched forward in line formation, they would've been terrifying and the prequels would've improved dramatically.

[Peelee]

The battle droids were programmed with incomptence to force buyers to purchase more advanced models that have bigger premiums attached.

Which is no less ridiculous than them being incompetent for any other reason to begin with.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Which is no less ridiculous than them being incompetent for any other reason to begin with.

It is a bit like saying car manufacturer A makes their low end cars extra crappy so people will buy the high end cars...

In practice people looking for a cheap car will just opt for manufacturer B.

[The Jack]

Nah, really, with computers they totally do it because there's about two companies for every piece of hardware that can be manufactured.

And for cars, well, here's the rabbit hole for ya:
Different brands are often owned by one company. That company will own both high-end and low-end brands for high and low end products.


It makes total sense for droids to be the same.


(I mean, really, the incompetence of battle droids is atrocious. The poor accuracy is a fine little thing to purposely put into a budget model, but the slapstick personalities aren't good business.)

[Peelee]

Nah, really, with computers they totally do it because there's about two companies for every piece of hardware that can be manufactured.

Low-end computers aren't made with the goal of getting people to pay for the higher-end ones, they're made for people who want to spend less money and either don't want, don't need, or can't afford the specs that the higher-end ones offer.

It's not like a low-end computer, it's like shipping out cheaper computers deliberately infested with malware (not bloatware) to get the customers to buy the higher-priced ones.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

The poor accuracy is a fine little thing to purposely put into a budget model, but the slapstick personalities aren't good business.)

Remember, whatever process Star Wars droid manufacturers use to create/grow/whatever their AI templates leads to droids developing personalities and quirks over time if not memory-wiped regularly. So it's less a Baktoid sales rep saying "Let's give our battle droids a sense of humor, that'll definitely drive sales!" and more a Trade Federation mechanic saying "Well I'm not going to be the one to reimage a few hundred thousand droids every week. Screw it, I can get used to that annoying 'Roger roger!' thing."

[The Jack]

Low-end computers aren't made with the goal of getting people to pay for the higher-end ones, they're made for people who want to spend less money and either don't want, don't need, or can't afford the specs that the higher-end ones offer.
.

Nope.

When you've got the infastructure for it, a celeron/pentium cpu is produced at a similar price to a higher end cpu, but their market value is drastically different and higher end CPU's are thus more of a 'luxury' item do to the presence of low end stuff. Furthermore, GPU's... Oh boi. Computer parts rapidly decline in value with age, but every year there's a slightly better low/med/high end GPU release. Roughly speaking Last year's high end GPU'll be better than this years middle quality GPU, but it'll also be cheaper. A store will scrap the better and cheaper goods so it can maintain set prices. The industry's broke.
Also, both my dad and brother have worked computer retail. They refer to it as 'a scam', like their entire job, working in the nation's largest hardware chain store.


People legitimately make crap to sell more, they deliberately insert flaws into designs. Look up 'planned obsolescence'. The computer industry is horrifying, and I doubt Star Wars's robots are any better.

[Peelee]

When you've got the infastructure for it, a celeron/pentium cpu is produced at a similar price to a higher end cpu, but their market value is drastically different and higher end CPU's are thus more of a 'luxury' item do to the presence of low end stuff.

Manufacturers artificially inflate the prices of different-performing items that cost the same to produce? Hold on, I'll need to get my clutching pearls.

Still not analogous to incompetent battle droids.
Also, both my dad and brother have worked computer retail. They refer to it as 'a scam', like their entire job, working in the nation's largest hardware chain store. [/QUOTE]
Forget the clutching pearls, I'll need my fainting couch!

[BeerMug Paladin]

The battle droids were programmed with incomptence to force buyers to purchase more advanced models that have bigger premiums attached.

So there could be a hacker in Star Wars who just jailbreaks droids and resells them as deluxe models?

Oh boy, I know next to nothing about Star Wars, but I totally have a character/story in mind now. Jailbreaking droids and earning a decent living with private purchasers until their exploits are discovered. Trying to put a stop to the practice, the company lobbies to get lawmen from the Empire and enforcers from the rebellion against them in an effort to quell the intellectual property rights infringement.

One by one, they become a fugitive among all sufficiently sized political factions. Eventually the character has no choice but to break the monopoly/duopoly/whateveropoly these people are operating who supply all sides with arms in every conflict in the galaxy.

Eventually, those who sell arms to all sides go bust from overextending themselves (as a result of the attempted crackdown on the jailbreaking tech the character spreads to everywhere they can) and the market crashes big. With nobody to supply the droids in the quantities needed for further conflict, peace is uneasily achieved.

With outright wars throughout the galaxy quelled and in its place only a few sparks of conflict remaining, the hero must figure out a completely new career ahead of them with not much to show for all their efforts.

Oh, and I guess someone somewhere has some force powers or something. Pew pew pew. I recognize that Star Wars is silly, but I didn't realize it was this silly.

[The Jack]

So there could be a hacker in Star Wars who just jailbreaks droids and resells them as deluxe models?

There's a gap between hardware and software. Most of the battlefroids are likely victim of poor targeting computers, limb movement motors that might not line up with sensors, and the stupidity could be from a logic processor that's designed to break down.

Fixing this stuff is likely more expensive than just buying the working version.

[Brother Oni]

Jailbreaking droids and earning a decent living with private purchasers until their exploits are discovered.

Sounds like something a computer scientist would do.

[Maximum77]

Computers huh? Interesting angle!

What could the scientist be working on in order to make navicomputers better or more efficient?

[Peelee]

Hyperchips. Holoprocessors. Lightmemory.

....hypochips?

[BeerMug Paladin]

Hyperchips. Holoprocessors. Lightmemory.

....hypochips?

Hyposcience and hypoengineering is going to be a thing with you now, isn't it?

[Peelee]

Hyposcience and hypoengineering is going to be a thing with you now, isn't it?

They're the fastest growing fields currently!

[The Glyphstone]

They're the fastest growing fields currently!

Wouldnt they be a shrinking field, not a growing field?

[Lvl 2 Expert]

They're the fastest growing fields currently!

It's getting a lot of hype!

[Peelee]

Wouldnt they be a shrinking field, not a growing field?

No, it's just a smaller infinity.

It's getting a lot of hype!

Ooohh, that's clever. Very sad I couldn't find a screengrab of Nixon's Head saying that.

[Maximum77]

One of the first possible ideas given to me in this thread was by Excession. It was the "Pharmacological applications of sarlacc gut bacteria". I asked him to elaborate, but he admitted he didn't know what it could be. This intrigues me because Sarlaccs are generally very rare and its not the wisest thing to stick your hand in one....until circa 24 ABY, when my scientist is nutty enough to try. Sarlaccs take 1000 years to digest their food. That much I know. What could be used from that? What could the pharmacological applications of sarlacc gut bacteria be?

[Peelee]

One of the first possible ideas given to me in this thread was by Excession. It was the "Pharmacological applications of sarlacc gut bacteria". I asked him to elaborate, but he admitted he didn't know what it could be. This intrigues me because Sarlaccs are generally very rare and its not the wisest thing to stick your hand in one....until circa 24 ABY, when my scientist is nutty enough to try. Sarlaccs take 1000 years to digest their food. That much I know. What could be used from that? What could the pharmacological applications of sarlacc gut bacteria be?

Hyperchips. Holoprocessors. Lightmemory.

....hypochips?

[Brother Oni]

What could the pharmacological applications of sarlacc gut bacteria be?

We don't know. That's why it's called research.

[Peelee]

We don't know. That's why it's called research.

Spoiler: There's also other ways for Maxey to figure it out.

Show

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Hyperchips. Holoprocessors. Lightmemory.

....hypochips?

Hypochondriasis?

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Microorganisms with unknown, possibly physics-breaking properties, hmm...

...hypochlorians?

[Brother Oni]

...hypochlorians?

So hypochlorians are processed in the sarlaac's gut to become midichlorians?

I'm just imagining the Jedi Order's primary source of funding being its line of pro-biotic yogurts now...

"Hmmm, new Jedi Order Yogurt drink, gain power of the Force you will!" /Yoda

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Microorganisms with unknown, possibly physics-breaking properties, hmm...

...hypochlorians?

That's the hypothesis...

[AdmiralCheez]

Sarlaccs take 1000 years to digest their food. That much I know. What could be used from that? What could the pharmacological applications of sarlacc gut bacteria be?

I seem to recall that the sarlacc is also supposed to keep their victims alive the entire time they're being digested, so research could be into some kind of food preservative, or an emergency medical kit to keep critically wounded soldiers alive long enough to get them to a full hospital.

[Peelee]

So hypochlorians are processed in the sarlaac's gut to become midichlorians?

I'm just imagining the Jedi Order's primary source of funding being its line of pro-biotic yogurts now...

"Hmmm, new Jedi Order Yogurt drink, gain power of the Force you will!" /Yoda

It helps keep the Jedi regular.

[Maximum77]

Yes. I know everyone is going to get mad but this is my last ditch effort. I decided that I’m going to have my scientist study an astrological body BUT it’s something that we haven’t identified in the real world. I’m no good at physics so I don’t know what kind of new astrological body I can make up. Does anybody have ideas for a fictional celestial body? Like something in the class of a quasar or a pulsar or a black hole