site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   2373 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for March 21, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

3
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Sublight drive is a Star wars fan fiction. I started reading this based on a recommendation from either here or /r/rational. If it was here, thank you to whomever recommended it. Very enjoyable.

A person from earth is reincarnated in the star wars universe, and they are a ship captain with the separatists during the clone wars. The mc has some basic knowledge of star wars.

There is no boring lead up. It jumps right into the space opera action.

The characters are smart and facing very tough problems. But they are also not all perfectly intelligent. For example Jedi generals are often skilled in the force and have advantages that they use well, but they can often be outsmarted by other characters in fleet battles.

Related: I was complaining to a friend last week about the hollow worldbuilding in Star Wars, specifically about how automation should have eliminated most of the need for manual labor in this universe (but hasn't) and he sent me this surprisingly detailed Reddit post explaining how this could be explained by the story being set in a universe where P = NP: https://old.reddit.com/r/MawInstallation/comments/oysben/does_p_np_a_contemplation_of_electronic_security/

There is a proposed science-fiction genre, 'rocketpunk', which exists to respond to the basic problem of hard sci-fi: namely, computers are better in space than people. If I was a better writer with more time I'd make some. The basic idea is that it's an alternate reality where computer technology hit a wall very early on, justifying manned missions. I suspect to have workable science fiction, even as soft as star wars, then you need something on the spectrum at least.

In any case, we don't get a lot of glimpses of what the civilian economy in star wars looks like. It could be that the vast majority of the population lives on welfare and droids do the actual work.

The economics of Star Wars are a complete mess. They can build moon-sized battlestations that vaporize planets (not to mention Starkiller Base!), implying Kardashev II capabilities in mass and energy manipulation... that aren't displayed anywhere else in the setting.

Better not to think about it too hard. It really doesn't make sense for all key political events to be decided by the outcome of 1v1 lightsaber duels either but it's cool!

It really doesn't make sense for all key political events to be decided by the outcome of 1v1 lightsaber duels either but it's cool!

How about this: Jedis can see the future except where other Jedis are involved. If they tell an underling to do something, other Jedi/Sith will pretty much instantly know their plans. So, as much as possible, they have to:

  • Play things close to the chest. Give people instructions to put them in the right place at the right time, then call them once they're there and everything is set up to tell them what they'll actually be doing, just before they are to do it.
  • Do as much as possible personally. No Jedi can predict another Jedi (the possibilities of recursive precog quickly become unmanageable) so they're the only ones capable of truly secret movement.

I think you could write this into a pretty good setting--at its limits it totally justifies main character syndrome, because the Jedi are the only real agents in the universe.

All that is interesting, but why not bring say... ten droidekas with you as a personal escort, so you can beat any Jedi that pop out at you? Stalin had maybe 15-25 NKVD protecting him at all times but Yoda can walk right up to Darth Sidious in his throne room, knock out two guards and fight in a totally deserted senate hall?

Why weren't there at least 100 elite clone commandoes equipped with anti-jedi weaponry protecting the supreme chancellor in the hours after he launches a purge of the Jedi temple? None of it makes sense!

I think you'd say that the anti-precog field doesn't extend beyond your person. So a Jedi with an entourage is virtually undefeatable, yes, but also predictable and thus avoidable.

But yeah, this is obviously not what's actually happening in the setting, I just think it would be a fun tweak that would make for some interesting possibilities.

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats