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Kiero
2007-07-17, 09:19 AM
This is a setting question for those who like to play, and indeed play Star Wars games. Often one of the important decisions that has to be made in playing a game is just when (if at all) the game takes place in the official timeline.

Once upon a time that wasn't really a question to ask; it was Rebellion-era or nothing. Now with the plethora of Expanded Universe material out there in the form of books, comics, games and RPG material as well, there are more options.

I can't post a poll, but what I can do is use the definitions from Wookiepedia (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page) on Eras (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Era) to help identify when people are playing.

So if you're responding, could you identify which of the following is your preferred era, and why:

Old Republic era (25,000–1,000 BBY) (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Era#Old_Republic_era_.2825.2C000.E2.80.931.2C000_B BY.29) - which includes the Knights of the Old Republic games and comics (old and new), and the Darth Bane stuff as well. Major events include the Great Hyperspace War, the Sith War, Mandalorian War and Jedi Civil War.
Rise of the Empire era (1,000–0 BBY) (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Era#Rise_of_the_Empire_era_.281.2C000.E2.80.930_BB Y.29) - This is the prequels era, also covering The Dark Times between the trilogies (key delineating event here is the Great Jedi Purge (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Great_Jedi_Purge)).
Rebellion era (0–5 ABY) (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Era#Rebellion_era_.280.E2.80.935_ABY.29) - the classic timeframe of the original trilogy.
New Republic era (5–25 ABY) (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Era#New_Republic_era_.285.E2.80.9325_ABY.29) - period of the first batch of novels, with the characters from the OT helping to form the New Republic that supplants the Empire, and Luke going about restoring the Jedi Order.
New Jedi Order era (25–40 ABY) (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Era#New_Jedi_Order_era_.2825.E2.80.9340_ABY.29) - Later post-Rebellion stuff with the children of the main characters and the controversial Yuzuan Vong.
Legacy era (40 ABY-) (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Era#Legacy_era_.2840_ABY.E2.80.93.29) - Future of the setting after the Vong war.
Infinities (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Era#Infinities)- which for the purpose of this survey means anything outside of the official timeline. If you've gone alt-history, it's Infinities. If you're long before the Old Republic or thousands of years after the Rebellion, it's Infinities.


So your preferred one(s) and why, what you're actually playing and how you generally feel about all that choice.

Talya
2007-07-17, 09:29 AM
Old Republic offers the most opportunity and flexibility. Jedi abound, as do Sith. You don't need convoluted explanations as to how you survived the jedi purge, there are more opportunities for lightsaber combat, etc.

I just don't like the New Jedi Order setting, although it allows similar. The Vuzong Vong are stupid. I don't want to read all the books to keep up with them, I lost track a long time ago (stopped reading right around the time Greedo shot first.)

Anxe
2007-07-17, 09:42 AM
The one campaign I designed took place in the New Republic. The reason was only because of all the new technologies that come out then. The campaign could've taken place at any time except during the Empire as the players were being hired by the Republic to take out some Sith. My players unfortunately hate the idea of playing in a Star Wars galaxy where they don't have fireballs.

Overlard
2007-07-17, 09:55 AM
Rebellion era. That's real Star Wars to me.

A friend of mine tried running an old republic game, but it just felt like generic sci-fi with lightsabres.

EntilZha
2007-07-17, 09:59 AM
Old Republic offers the most opportunity and flexibility. Jedi abound, as do Sith. You don't need convoluted explanations as to how you survived the jedi purge, there are more opportunities for lightsaber combat, etc.

I just don't like the New Jedi Order setting, although it allows similar. The Vuzong Vong are stupid. I don't want to read all the books to keep up with them, I lost track a long time ago (stopped reading right around the time Greedo shot first.)

I agree with you about NJO. The Yuuzhan Vong were stupid. Not only is the name stupid, but an enemy race that can't be sensed or affected by the Force? To quote Tom Servo from MST3K, "Welcome to Plot Convenience Playhouse."

Oh, to stay on topic, I prefer the Rebellion era.

Attilargh
2007-07-17, 10:12 AM
Rebellion Era, no contest. It feels much more down-to-earth (Tatooine?) than the Rise of the Empire era, with not everything being all clean and polished. It's got Vader, the Emperor, Jabba, Fett, legions of Stormtroopers, all the cool guys. Most importantly, it just says "Star Wars" in a way no other era has been able to replicate.

Amiria
2007-07-17, 12:18 PM
Rise of the Empire or Old Republic. Lots of classical Jedi and a good balance of prgenerated material and room for GM freedom. If I were to GM a campaign I would probably start it some years before the Clone Wars, maybe in the time of The Phantom Menace.

SpikeFightwicky
2007-07-17, 12:40 PM
I agree with you about NJO. The Yuuzhan Vong were stupid. Not only is the name stupid, but an enemy race that can't be sensed or affected by the Force? To quote Tom Servo from MST3K, "Welcome to Plot Convenience Playhouse."

Oh, to stay on topic, I prefer the Rebellion era.

Yeah, I mean, it's not like the Ysalamiri were ever used by the enemy :smallamused:

I like the New Republic era. Lots of opportunity for fledgling jedi and some of the best space combat in Star Wars.

Second fav. would be old republic.

Overall list:
1 - New Republic
2 - Old Republic
3 - Rebellion
4 - Rise of the Empire
5 - NJO
6 - Legacy
7 - Infinities

I'd put NJO era higher on the list, but I'm the only one in my group who's read all the books (hit or miss depending on the author - Stackpole and Aliston FTW) ,and there's ALOT going on at the era, so the other players wouldn't find it as enjoyable (and it's the only novelized timeline where one of the authors received multiple deat threats from extremist fanboys in response to his book).

Galvanic
2007-07-17, 01:04 PM
Hmmm...picking one Era is tough for me.

I really like the Old Republic era since there is lots of sith and jedi goodness for everyone.

Though if I were to run a game it would probably be in the Rebellion Era since it has a built in bad guys and is a setting everyone is familiar with, even new players who have only ever seen the movies. It's a good setting for players who have goals that their characters want to acheive. And there is a lot of room for games to fit in around the cannon story elements of the movies.

I'm really intrigued to see what the "force unleashed" setting will be like for the new Saga edition of the game. That time between episodes 3 and 4 is wide open for new stuff but still has the built in bad guys and still has the potential for jedi who survived the purge.

lukelightning
2007-07-17, 01:06 PM
I like the rebellion era the best. I was running a game set in a "derailed" rebellion era...it was right after the Battle of Yavin, and actions the PCs were taking would determine whether or not the Empire would find the rebel's base on Hoth. The players, in the middle of an adventure, encountered a probe droid and shot it up, without any idea why it was there. This lead the Empire to conclude that the rebel base was on that planet and not Hoth....which would lead to the rebels never going to Cloud City and getting captured by Vader, etc.

The game ended before things could unfold much, but I was planning on having Luke turn dark and join Vader and destroy the Emperor, while the PCs became the heroes.

TheThan
2007-07-17, 01:09 PM
I’m a big fan of the rebellion era because it’s classic starwars. The other eras are ok, but I was disappointed with the rise of the empire era.

Now about the Ysalamiri, you have to first off learn about them. Then you have to learn where they are found and how to safely remove them. Then you need to construct special backpacks and perches so they can survive once you pluck them from their favorite tree. So they’re a lot more elaborate and complicated than the Yuuzhan Vong’s force immunity, which to me seems like a cheep cop out. Instead of creating villains that were skilled enough and smart enough to take on Jedi, they created a bad guy that gave writers an easy way of fighting Jedi.

ZeroNumerous
2007-07-17, 01:14 PM
Definitely an Old Republic fan (Specifically the Great Hyperspace War or the Mandalorian Wars). Theres plenty of stuff already existing if you don't want to make things yourself, but theres also quite alot of freedom for GMs who prefer to make their own planets/adventures.

It's particularly fun for Jedi because the Sith are always a relevant threat. The only problem I've ever been faced with is the distinct lack of usable abilities for non-Jedi when facing off against Sith.

RamrodTheWizard
2007-07-17, 01:23 PM
If i ever was to game in the universe i would definetly choose either old republic or rise of the empire because it lends itself to a wider variety of options and ideas. The Rebellion era, or just the imperial era are constantly just struggles against the empire, and humans are the only dominant race.

TheThan
2007-07-17, 01:31 PM
If i ever was to game in the universe i would definetly choose either old republic or rise of the empire because it lends itself to a wider variety of options and ideas. The Rebellion era, or just the imperial era are constantly just struggles against the empire, and humans are the only dominant race.


Unless you adventure in the outer rim, there you'll find smugglers, pirates, mercenary groups, slavers, hutts, all sorts of things to fight. Non-humans are also heavily dominant out in the rim as well.

Stareyes
2007-07-17, 01:51 PM
The one Star Wars game I played was kind of a Legacy/Infinities hybrid -- it was set long enough after the NJO that most of the movie-age was retired or dead, but then I didn't have to justify many advances in technology from that in the EU. Thankfully, my co-GM (aka the player with an insane knowledge of the Star Wars universe and a devious mind) could keep the canon straight while I played with the story I wanted to tell. (Basically, a crime lord got a hold of some Sith teachings and some old Imperial brainwashing techniques and was trying to both destabilize things by setting up the Jedi versus some of the other Force traditions and create his own army of (dark) Force users.)

SpikeFightwicky
2007-07-17, 01:55 PM
I’m a big fan of the rebellion era because it’s classic starwars. The other eras are ok, but I was disappointed with the rise of the empire era.

Now about the Ysalamiri, you have to first off learn about them. Then you have to learn where they are found and how to safely remove them. Then you need to construct special backpacks and perches so they can survive once you pluck them from their favorite tree. So they’re a lot more elaborate and complicated than the Yuuzhan Vong’s force immunity, which to me seems like a cheep cop out. Instead of creating villains that were skilled enough and smart enough to take on Jedi, they created a bad guy that gave writers an easy way of fighting Jedi.

I completely agree that the Vong were very much a sort of Deus Ex Machina to give the writers a 'threat' to a Jedi 1-on-1 (though in Saga edition, stuff like force lightning is 100% effective against them, unlike in the books where they were resistant to it, so at least it's something). That and they had tons of Ysalamiri but never knew of their 'anti-force bubble' so they never used them. Ever since the Rogue/Wraith squadron books, I've been more of a space combat fan than jedi fan.

lukelightning
2007-07-17, 01:56 PM
Instead of creating villains that were skilled enough and smart enough to take on Jedi, they created a bad guy that gave writers an easy way of fighting Jedi.

Just like DM's using anti-magic fields in D&D.

ALOR
2007-07-17, 02:16 PM
well it depends on what type of campaign we are running
if it's a jedi game then old republic hands down.
if it's a smuggler, bounty hunter or military campaign then the rebellion era is perfect. sadly i can't get my group to play anything but jedi's so when we do play it's in the old republic. I did run one game right after episode 3 where they played surviving jedi being hunted, that was fun.

Dark Knight Renee
2007-07-17, 03:14 PM
My two favorites to play in are Late Rise of the Empire era through Rebellion era (18 BBY to 4 ABY, basically everything Empire pre-Endor; if I had to pick from the list, it'd be Rebellion era), and Infinities.

My prefrence for the Empire era is mainly, I suspect, because I grew up with that theme, and that's what I feel Star Wars is: Small groups of rebels vs. the Evil Galactic Empire. I've only recently began to include the part of the timeline closer to RotS in this catagory, but it does count.

Most often, I play Infinities, usually post-New Republic. Almost inevitably, there will be Dark Jedi/Sith, Jedi will be limited in number but available as PCs, and there will be an Evil Empire, usually THE Empire. It's more flexible than standard Empire era, because Yoda, Obi-Wan and Luke aren't the only/almost only Jedi, and I don't have to deal with Palpy and Vader unless I feel like it.

My main game is an Infinities game, currently set waaaaay in the future with some really, really wacky multiverse/crossover stuff having worked it's way in. Originally, it was a 24 ABY game which took latest point of the timeline established at the time and went from there. This was at least a decade ago, so the NJO didn't exist at the time, and neither did Vision of the The Hand of Thrawn Duology, or Episode I.



I'm not really familiar with the Old Republic era, because most of the useful source material is in comics rather than novels, and for whatever reason I never started collecting them. Otherwise, I'm sure I'd probably like it a lot. As it is, I've never used it.

As for the NJO... Lets just say that if my game takes place in 25+ ABY, it is an Infinities game by definition, because the Vong don't exist. What I've heard of the post-NJO eras doesn't strike my fancy, either.

Kiero
2007-07-18, 06:48 PM
A lot of love for the Rebellion era, but that's to be expected, I guess.

Damionte
2007-07-18, 07:08 PM
Old republic and new republic eras. That may more people can be jedi without the spanish inquisition.

Taurus
2007-07-19, 12:22 AM
Old Republic era. As has been pointed out, there's an incredible amount of flexibility, and plenty of material to use in case you're stumped, or want something that's already around. Lots of Sith, and lots of Jedi. That's generally what people want, and that's what you get. There's also Mandalorians. That's just awesome.

I run into ZeroNumerous' problem as well. It just sucks to fight other force-users when you're not one. Especially those silly Sith and refusing to hold back the big guns 'cause they're not afraid of a another Dark Side Point.

SydneyLosstarot
2007-07-19, 04:41 AM
The Old Republic Era, around the end of Mandalorian Wars and also around the rise of Malak's empire.


It just has a whole lot of amazing things such as mandalorians, Sith academy, Sith special forces(ahoy Atton), the Star Forge and old design astrodroids =)

Breaon
2007-07-19, 04:47 AM
Either Old Republic, or a pre-Old Republic variant, where the Sith are just one aspect of the Force practitioners; the yang to the Jedi yin. (yes, homebrew stuff, but I like how it works, and sets up some GREAT character conflict, which can lead to the split/expulsion/whatever you want to use to explain Old Republic setup.)

Swordguy
2007-07-19, 05:35 AM
Old Republic or Rise of the Empire, followed distantly by the movie-era stuff. The post-movie expanded universe (and a lot of the pre-movie stuff that's just silly, for that matter), as far as I'm concerned, doesn't exist.

Crystal-powered lightsabres. Utter BS.

Bah.

dr.cello
2007-07-19, 08:00 AM
Rebellion Era is my favorite, followed closely by Rise of the Empire just before the Rebellion, and New Republic shortly after the Rebellion. I have a strong aversion to Jedi unless they are done very well. I'll play with them but I'm opposed to DMing them.

I prefer to play as criminals and smugglers, or, occasionally, law enforcement/intelligence officials. This style of play works well in the Rebellion era; you have ubiquitous Imperials to serve as your enemies, and as a law enforcer you have Imperial law to uphold, but usually enough trouble from the Rebels that it's becoming problematic. The pre-Rebellion Rise of the Empire era has a similar feel, with less rebels and more hopelessness.

Early New Republic, I like because you have the potential for a proper full-scale war. You also have a sudden outbreak of warlords and pirates who style themselves as warlords, depending on when, exactly, you do it. Thrawn makes for a wonderful campaign setting, and campaigns like hunting down Zsinj is a fun one. (Also, playing as the Imperials can be quite enjoyable, whatever the era.)

I might eventually do some campaigns set after Thrawn. If the Empire is definitely losing at that point, the players would probably have to be Imperials. Possibly even working for Ysanne Isard or something...

Usually when I DM a Star Wars campaign, I incorporate elements from previous campaigns I've either played or run. Primarily I take characters (PCs, especially) and some organizations. There's nothing more fun than taking my lovingly crafted characters and using them as villains for the next PCs to play with (or allies, if they play their cards right)--it usually guarantees a fun fight and a good character, to boot. It usually requires some manipulating the timeline, of course. Unfortunately, my campaigns have been unlucky, and events beyond my control have ended all of them. So there are no legendary, heroic characters to serve as villains... yet.

I don't consider it alt-history, but the PCs will, in the event they stumble across its events, have the chance to affect the timeline. It'd feel cheap if the movies dictated a 'things must go this way' thing, but it makes sense if 'things will go this way if nobody interferes.'

Talya
2007-07-19, 08:09 AM
Old Republic or Rise of the Empire, followed distantly by the movie-era stuff. The post-movie expanded universe (and a lot of the pre-movie stuff that's just silly, for that matter), as far as I'm concerned, doesn't exist.

Crystal-powered lightsabres. Utter BS.

Bah.

Crystal-focused lightsabers have been canonical since 1977.

Post-movie EU is hit and miss. Some of it was really good, much was decent, a lot was utter crap. (That's inevitable when you release 3 billion books by various authors.) To make it worse, the "prequel trilogy" conflicted with some of the best of the EU books. The Prequel Trilogy, while having some great moments, was some of the worst star wars crap ever foisted upon the fans, so it's with great reluctance that I accept midichlorians, order 66 and jango fett as canon over Grand Admiral Thrawn, but hey, what can you do.

Best star wars storyline ever made, beyond the OT, was made in a videogame by Bioware, set 4000 years prior to the OT. it's also official canon in the SW universe (With the condition that Revan was male, did not return to the darkside, and Bastilla was redeemed.)

Truthseeker
2007-07-19, 08:29 AM
I'm currently running a Rebellion-era game, still plugging along with WEG's old rules. My players could theoretically foul up the natural course of film events, and I'm almost hoping that they do. Right now they're off in the boondocks where it's not likely to happen, though.

Why the Rebellion era? We have found that Jedi (and Sith) are like ninja, only on a galactic scale. In the same way that many ninja are a walkover and a single ninja is a crisis, Jedi are useless (and boring) when they're everywhere. Once you're down to a handful in all the galaxy, they're glorious. Well, with EU proclivities it's looking more like a double-handful or a full score even now, but that's another issue.

Talya
2007-07-19, 08:39 AM
Why the Rebellion era? We have found that Jedi (and Sith) are like ninja, only on a galactic scale. In the same way that many ninja are a walkover and a single ninja is a crisis, Jedi are useless (and boring) when they're everywhere. Once you're down to a handful in all the galaxy, they're glorious. Well, with EU proclivities it's looking more like a double-handful or a full score even now, but that's another issue.

Jedi have never been numerous. At the height of the republic, there were never more than a couple hundred, and most of those were younglings and padawan learners. Now, consider that the galaxy has tens of millions of inhabited planets, each with millions or even billions of people on it. Even then, about one in a hundred trillion people had ever even seen a jedi, one in a million might even have been on a planet with a jedi on it at the same time...if that.

Attilargh
2007-07-19, 09:17 AM
Jedi have never been numerous. At the height of the republic, there were never more than a couple hundred, and most of those were younglings and padawan learners.
Couple of thousand, as pointed out by Obi-Wan Kenobi during the First Battle of Jabiim. Were they counted only in the hundreds, there would not be room for any new Jedi by now. :smallwink:

Swordguy
2007-07-19, 12:17 PM
Crystal-focused lightsabers have been canonical since 1977.


NOTE: THERE'S A THUNDERSTORM OUTSIDE, SO I'M PUTTING CHUNKS UP AS I TYPE SO I DON'T LOSE THE POST IF THE POWER CUTS

Here we go...

Sources accepted as canon: Movies, novelizations, radio plays (in that order of hierarchy). A particular item is canon unless directly contradicted by a source further up in the hierarchy.

Eliminating sources that mention lightsaber parts:
The movies don't mention it. We only see the inside of a lightsaber twice - once when Maul's sabre is cut in half (no conclusive evidence) and once when Anakin gets his sabre destroyed in the Geonosis Droid factory (again, sparks and a blue glow - but no 'crystal').

Novelizations never mention crystals:



"He handed Luke a small innocuous looking device, which the Youth studied with interest.

It consisted primarily of a short, thick handgrip with a couple of small switches set into the grip. Above this small post was a circular metal disc barely larger in diameter than his spread palm. A number of unfamiliar jewel-like components were built into both handle and disc, including what looked like the smallest power cell Luke had ever seen. The reverse side of the disc was polished to a mirror brightness. But it was the power cell that puzzled Luke the most. Whatever the thing was, it required a great deal of energy, according to the rating form of the cell.

Despite the claim that it had belonged to his father, the gizmo looked newly manufactured. Kenobi had obviously kept it carefully. Only a number of minute scratches on the handgrip hinted at previous usage. [...]

Luke noticed that Kenobi was watching him with interest, 'What is it?' he finally asked [...]
'Your father's lightsabre,' Kenobi told him, 'At one time they were widely used. Still are, in certain galactic quarters.'

Luke examined the controls on the handle, then tentatively touched a brightly coloured button up near the mirrored pommel. Instantly the disk put forth a blue-white beam as thick around as his thumb. It was dense to the point of opacity and a little over a metre in length. It did not fade, but remained as brilliant and intense as its far end as it did next to the disc. Strangely, Luke felt no heat from it, though he was very careful not to touch it. He knew what a lightsabre could do, though he had never seen one before. It could drill a hole right through the rock wall of Kenobi's cave - or through a human being.

'This was the formal weapon of a Jedi knight,' explained Kenobi. 'Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. More skill than simple sight was required for its use. An elegant weapon. It was a symbol as well. Anyone can use a blaster or fusioncutter - but to use a lightsabre well was a mark of someone a cut above the ordinary.


"Tanned hands, holding arcane tools, extended from the sleeves of a caftanlike robe. The figure crouched on the ground, working. Before him lay a discoid device of strange design, wires trailing from it at one end, symbols etched into its flat surface. He connected the wired end to a tubular, smooth handle, pulled through an organic-looking connector, locked it in place with another tool."

Now, the ROTJ RadioPlay does make a mention of crystals...but not necessarily in a "focusing" role. It should be point out, however, that the late Brian Daley wrote this RadoPlay very late - after the Zahn novels had been release, IIRC. Hence, ideas from the just-beginning-to-appear EU may have (I hate this word, but I can't think of another) contaminated the writing process. Be that as it may, it is still canon.


"Sound: Luke tinkering with tools. Click of metal on metal, fitting plugs into sockets, small whirr of a handheld drill, turning screws, etc.
Sound: Page turn.
LUKE: Let's see ... (READING TO HIMSELF) 'The crystal alignment must be precise if the energy beam is to maintain its density ..." [...]
LUKE: ... I had to come back to Ben's house to do this. I needed the tools and books... [...] Sound: Page turn.
LUKE: (READING TO HIMSELF AGAIN) 'Adegan crystals are recommended for maximum density and purity.' Yeah well, I guess these will do.
Sound: Tinkering stops. Crystals clinking together in his palm, then inserted into metal cylinder. Under next, the cylinder will slip, and all objects will clatter to the ground.
LUKE: (EFFORT OF CONCENTRATION) al...most... got it - ahhh! Not again! Artoo, get that focal lens for me...[...] Sound: Artoo humming away as Luke tinkers. Page turn.
LUKE: (READING ALOUD) 'The concave surface of the focal lens must rest within a two-degree arc of ...' (STOPS SUDDENLY) What am I doing? I've read the instructions a dozen times. And a dozen times I have failed. 'Always with you it cannot be done.' Master Yoda, can I forget so soon? I don't need this. Sound: Tosses book aside. he begins to feel the Force guiding him. More tinkering timed to next lines. the tinkering is smooth and steady.
LUKE: Artoo, hand me the superconductor ...
ARTOO: BLEEPS IN COMPLIANCE.
LUKE: ... and now the power cell ...
ARTOO: BLEEPS AGAIN
LUKE: ... and the crystals. Sound: Tinkering accelerates with smooth confidence, there is a final 'click!' of things snapping into place, and all sound stops abruptly.
LUKE: There! It's done."


Especially from this last bit in the radioplay, we can make several conclusions:
# There are some crystals involved INSIDE the device - a concept not supported by any other canon source - nor directly denied.
# The crystals must be aligned or else blade density may be effected.
# Luke's second sabre is definitely being built in Kenobi's hut ... probably out of Ben's spare parts.
# "Adegan" crystals are recommended, but seemingly NOT absolutely necessary.
# There is a "focal lens" - *BUT* that lens need NOT necessarily be one of the crystals!
# The lens has a concave surface.
# There is a power cell.
# There is a superconductor - possibly the 'organic' object from the RoTJ novel?


The crystal element of the sabre is the single most problematic, misunderstood and confused aspect of the sabre mechanics. Crystals were almost certainly originally written into the design as some sort of 'New Age' alternative technology - they seem to serve as a sort of 'black box' whenever 'exotic' technology is required ...

* There is NO CANONICAL REASON to assume that the 'crystal' has to be a faceted JEWEL.
* There is NO CANONICAL REASON to assume that the crystal is actually is the 'focusing lens'

So what does the crystal do?

Crystals are used in terrestrial physics to regulate harmonic and vibration-based mechanisms. There is a lump of quartz inside your digital watch.

The lightsabre almost certainly also generates a vibration - you can HEAR it HUMMING! Whether its a field, or an induced spin in a plasmoid, or even the frequency of a standingwave arc, something is vibrating and SOMETHING must be regulating that vibration ... that something is most probably the crystal.

There have been two cutaways of lightsabres done by LFL, both of them "Official", which is to say, non-canonical. If they support evidence denied on-screen, or in a canonical source, then they are incorrect.

The first is from a rare late 1970's SciFi review book; MECHANISMO featured cutaway interpretations of the Stormtrooper Blaster carbine, and of Obi-Wan Kenobi's Lightsabre. The design follows an OPTICAL model - assuming that the blade is in fact some form of concentrated 'laser-light'. We know that this simply cannot be the case - the optical is the most easily discarded one (and will be discussed at length below). In essence, this doesn't even count - since on-screen evidence proves this one to be incorrect.

The second is from the STARWARS Visual Dictionary, and is shown here:
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n294/wolffe42/swvd-ls.jpg

The SWVD article features a cutaway prop sabre - specifically built for the book, according to Dr Reynold's personal design. It follows the general trend in apocryphal sabre interpretations, not surprisingly, but it has a few important points to note:

* the crystals are mounted about halfway down - well away from the emitter - they may in fact never be anywhere near the actual sabre blade, which is said to be generated be generated near the tip.
* the crystals are NOT jewels - they are rough and irregular with NO clear facets and obviously NO simple optical function.
* the crystals SEEM to be some sort of linkage between the power source and the blade generating components.

Crystalline conclusions:
The concept of a focusing 'jewel' is very much in question. The comics, apocryphal novels and WestEndGames all support the focusing jewel theory, but it does NOT appear in the original writings at all. The canonical RoTJ RadioPlay says 'crystal' - not jewel. It refers to a 'focusing lens' but does not directly link that object to the crystal!

Since the system is NOT optical, since the crystal isn't a jewel, since the lens isn't the crystal, the FOCUSING that is happening is (in fact) the TUNING and regulating of some vibration - perhaps an energy field of some sort.

So what the heck is a lightsabre? (Continued below the ravings of a poster who doesn't feel like thinking about a topic instead of blindly supporting whatever LFL says.)

Kiero
2007-07-19, 12:39 PM
Canon-facism: 100% guaranteed to suck the fun out of any Star Wars conversation.

Ditto
2007-07-19, 12:54 PM
In any event, I don't understand why the way your lightsabre is powered would be a big turn-off.

New Republic is my favorite, simply because you have so many options open to you. If you're set on dealing with the Empire, you have the Remnant and all the little warlords lying about. The Republic isn't absolutely solid (for the first 5 or 10 years, anyway), so it's not like you have an indomitable backer in everything you doHaving a Jedi in your adventuring party isn't a reason to be constantly hunted, and as someone has already said, scads of Jedi is *boring*. I would probably only want one Jedi in a party of 4 or 5, maybe a second as a student. Rebellion era is my next choice, and all around tops (so seems to run the opinion of this thread, anyway :smallsmile: ).

Swordguy
2007-07-19, 12:59 PM
A Lightsabre is NOT an optical phenomenon!

These blades are not JUST LIGHT. The blades may not pass through one another either. They not only block the passage of one another, but seem to 'cling' and interact with considerable amounts of waste energy thrown off as sparks, noise and light bursts.

It must be stated here that the lightsabre is not simply a 'laser' sword. You must discard the optical models of lightsabre physics. If you have strong feelings about the (largely apocryphal) use of words such as 'lens' and 'focus' - then you will learn, as you read on, that there are NON-OPTICAL mechanisms that can still be described with these words!
The nature of light itself is not fully understood by terrestrial physics, and there may be aspects of light that can be employed in a sabre blade - HOWEVER, the sabre blade is simply not the product of mere reflection, refraction or other mundane optical techniques. It is NOT a laser-beam!

Right...so what is it?

Try this: it's is FAR more solidly based in REAL physics than optical theories, and is a FAR better match for the observed sabre behaviours! It provides a theoretical answer to ''where does the 'stuff' of the blade come from'' *AND* actually NEEDS both a fields AND rotation!


According to astrophysicist Yakov Borisovich Zel'dovich, a rapidly spinning conductor will cause the creation of virtual particle radiation at its surface. Particle production is controlled by the charge, angular velocity (of rotation) and radius of this charged conductor.

If we imagine a rod shaped charged field of atomic-scale cross-section, which is superconducting and rotating at near-lightspeed, then charge regulation becomes the control for the particle emission type and quantity. Such charged fields would tend to repel one-another (if they are of like polarity), which means the blades would BLOCK one another.

NOTE: a sabre would have to be built carefully and tuned correctly! A badly adjusted sabre would subject its user (and everyone in range) with considerable amounts of gamma radiation!.

The glow of the sabre blade consists of virtual-photons energised by the rotating field into real photons ... virtual light make real! The opaque 'thumb-thick' blade shape may be a swirl of ionised atmospheric particles (the AIR) drawn in and swirling about the core. When you IONISE a gas, you actually have a PLASMA (as it is meant by terrestrial physics) ... and this would glow JUST LIKE A FLUORESCENT TUBE (which is ALSO a plasma!) ... BUT this thumb-thick plasma zone is merely a by-product ... the REAL cutting is performed by minuscule core of the true blade ... leaving almost microscopically thin cuts. (The blade would STILL glow fiercely in even in a vacuum, as it throws off 'virtual photons - made real' ... but the thumb-thick core may not be visible.)

Such a tight rapidly spinning charged superconducting field would rend (tear) through most matter by stripping off electrons which bind atoms together. The ionized matter about the 'cut', as well as field-excited atomic movement in the localized area of the 'cut', would mimic great point-of-contact heat (similar to how a microwave excites electrons in your food, producing heat). A wound to a soft-tissue organic being would appear to be a microscopically thin BURN - and such a wound would usually tend to be cauterized (depending on how slowly the blade passed through - a large blood vessel cut too quickly may not be sufficiently 'burned' to cauterize).

Dense metals which have loosely bound electrons (which are free to wander about their lattice structure) would be more resistant to cutting. The 'atom stripping' effect would take a little longer to cut through, because such materials have more electrons 'to spare' before their lattice structure becomes 'torn'. Metals are also more highly conductive, and the localized 'heat' effects are minimized because the heat is carried away and dispersed through the material more quickly.

This means that even though with varying amounts of effort, a lightsabre could cut through virtually anything, some materials would offer more resistance to a sabre blade, and therefore we can now understand how Lord Vader's armour was able to ward off most of Luke's glancing blow, saving his life.

Dr. Albert Forge has gone further, and has postulated a mechanism for the generation of the spinning field which creates the blade described above. Imagine a tiny sphere of unknown composition (perhaps some of the 'hypermatter' referred to in the SWICS & SWVD books by LFL's Dr. Reynolds). Rapidly spin this into a disk by the effect of inducing fields (probably EM). The disk deformed and elongated into a tube, or rod (imagine the sleeve of a shirt being turned inside out) by an axially mounted and powerful electron gun (like the tube of your TV). Field extension/retraction would be controlled by altering the output of the electron gun (which incidentally also controlled the charge of the conducting field ... the spin rate is determined by the inducing EM fields that created the disk from the sphere in the first place).

'Focussing' in this case may then be the very-rapid application of 'tuning' precession forces upon the extended field in order to 'follow' the orientation of the hilt, as left to itself it would tend to gyroscopically resist orientation changes.

# it SPINS - matching my 'gyroscopic angular inertia' ideas (independently supported by the SWVD)
# no 'plasma' or 'fuel' required other than raw power
# the blade is PURE energy (effectively massless)
# the blade is opaque (thus providing the blade shadows seen onscreen)
# there is a sensible 'focusing' (tuning) role for crystals which COULD see them able to adjust the color!
# the blades would block one another AND blaster bolts!
# it hums
# it glows, even in a vacuum! (I think the colored glow, BTW, is a "tracer effect", so the user can more easily track the movement on the massless blade as a safety measure, but that's my opinion.)
# the cuts are microscopically thin
# it cuts by 'shearing away' and exciting the electrons in the substance, leaving a locally 'induced' heat-like reaction - in other words, leaving burns & cauterized wounds! (Dense metallic surfaces with many stray electrons in their matrix would provide higher resistance to the 'electron stripping' cutting action ... thus Vader's armour stops the glancing blow from killing him!)

Additionally, this same model works identically with a very small (monomolecular) chain of molecules being extended from the hilt via a magnetic field and rotated at a significant fraction of c. This rotation would also account for the way sabre blades tend to "skip" off of each other when they hit, and why it takes effort to hold them in place - it's like fighting with very fast-spinning chainsaws.


...


So tell me, if a model exists that works with real physics exists that supports ALL the evidence presented in canon sources, why not adopt it? Isn't that the best of both worlds?

Savageman
2007-07-19, 01:22 PM
I’m a big fan of the rebellion era because it’s classic starwars. The other eras are ok, but I was disappointed with the rise of the empire era.

Now about the Ysalamiri, you have to first off learn about them. Then you have to learn where they are found and how to safely remove them. Then you need to construct special backpacks and perches so they can survive once you pluck them from their favorite tree. So they’re a lot more elaborate and complicated than the Yuuzhan Vong’s force immunity, which to me seems like a cheep cop out. Instead of creating villains that were skilled enough and smart enough to take on Jedi, they created a bad guy that gave writers an easy way of fighting Jedi.

Someone might have already replied to this, but:
The Vong are not force immune. They just cannot be sensed through the force. I have not read all the books of this era but my friend has, and I am told at one point Luke enters a room full of Vong and fries them all channeling emerald (force) lightning through his lightsaber.
2) An easy way of fighting Jedi? A powerful jedi is damn near unstoppable ecept by an army or another powerful jedi. The Vong are a skilled warrior race with combat skills equal to those of a jedi. The immunity to force sense is a simple way of leveling the playing field, as jedi can't predict their attacks.
3)Vong are not from the galaxy with jedi. It kinda makes sense.
I was never really into SW books until the Vong era, and I think that they are some of the better enemies presented. I'm still not that into them, but as a SW fan I wanted to clear this up.
And just to add my further 2cp, Salvatore wins all. I really wish they had kept him through the series.

Swordguy
2007-07-19, 01:44 PM
In any event, I don't understand why the way your lightsabre is powered would be a big turn-off.


That one's just a really big pet peeve of mine. It really crystallized (erm...so to speak) in I, Jedi, where Corran is able to power a lightsabre with a bit of paste (fake!) crystal. It doesn't matter that it burns out in about 3 seconds. It shouldn't have worked in the first place.

That's what encapsulates everything wrong about the EU - it's a bunch of authors running roughshod over continuity, using the same 10 characters on the same 5 planets in the same situations over and over and over again. Something doesn't fit with continuity? Who cares! Instead of writing their way carefully and with the slightest modicum of respect for the source material, they give us "magic crystals" that make everything better, or "Luke finds a new reservoir of previously untapped Force energy", which is SciFi for "a wizard did it"...and people accept this!

Don't get me wrong, there's some (very little) good stuff in the EU, mostly dealing with the Old Republic, and that's one of the reasons I choose to play in that era - it gives me the most freedom and won't conflict with someone else's bad writing.

Ha! Back on topic! :smallbiggrin:

Diggorian
2007-07-19, 02:01 PM
I ran my two campaigns during the Rise of Empire era a century before the prequels so I had free space to operate.

I liked the uncharteredness of it. The Republic is in decline but the problems in the new movies wasnt acute yet. Jedi are in full swing, yet their enemies are politically nebulous and varied. No grand easily labeled bad guys yet; tons of scheming and intrigue.

Running during other periods makes me feel obligated to include crappy canon from poorly written novels and games for continuity's sake. A new player wanted to to play a veteran of the Jedi Civil (from KOTOR, which I never played). He tells me my setting, 90 years before Ep 1, is just after this historical saga I missed. Come to find out it was centuries before. Read an article on the game's backstory, disgusting: Concept Denied.

Had PCs in two campaigns: one a variant timeline with all types of lameness ( "The Vader Apology"? ), another Rebel era that was pretty good.

TheRiov
2007-07-19, 02:06 PM
Someone might have already replied to this, but:
The Vong are not force immune. They just cannot be sensed through the force. I have not read all the books of this era but my friend has, and I am told at one point Luke enters a room full of Vong and fries them all channeling emerald (force) lightning through his lightsaber.


This is accurate. Jaina Solo and several Shadow Academy students use force lightning on them as early Star by Star. They cannot be gripped through the force by those with conventional understanding, though both Anikin and Jacen develop some ability to sense them.
The Yuuzahn Vong are a force void for a reason.


2) An easy way of fighting Jedi? A powerful jedi is damn near unstoppable ecept by an army or another powerful jedi. The Vong are a skilled warrior race with combat skills equal to those of a jedi. The immunity to force sense is a simple way of leveling the playing field, as jedi can't predict their attacks.
3)Vong are not from the galaxy with jedi. It kinda makes sense.
I was never really into SW books until the Vong era, and I think that they are some of the better enemies presented. I'm still not that into them, but as a SW fan I wanted to clear this up.
I am about 2/3rds the way through this series now. I've grown to appreciate just how much depth they add to the nature of the Force. Its been a growing movment among star wars writers (and game designers) to step away from pure dark/light. (Darth Treya, Darth Sidious, Mace Windu Vergere all have voiced that pure dark/light interpreation is simplistic)

One of the reasons I shun the Rebellion era is that its SO hard to draw jedi into the story. There are a VERY few jedi floating around the era but as a GM you can't realistically throw Jedi on either side into the plot. Jedi are INTEGRAL to the star wars universe. Yoda may have gotten the count a LITTLE wrong but not that wrong.

The second reason is that the deeper interpreation of the Force didnt exist during the Rebellion era. The story of Fall/Redemption is key to making it a star wars tale. If the choice is always black and white, its a boring story. Luke's 'near fall' in ROTJ just is so weak, compared to Annikin Skywalker's fall. (not that for an instant I think Hayden Christiansen's acting portrayed that, but thats another story) Its far more interesting to watch a character fall in degrees.



That said: You CAN lead a good Rebellion era story *IF* you're willing to give up some elements --take the Jedi out, even the minor ones. If you have more than one guy with a lightsaber in your campaign in this era NPC or PC--you're over the line.

Take out the major battles. Your conflicts must be smaller scale (cruiser, couple of frigates etc, nothing more)

Plenty of room for smuggling, black ops, etc stories, but you ARE limited.

Talya
2007-07-19, 02:06 PM
I've never considered it a "laser sword" for just that reason, although I see no reason to try to explain it with "real" science, as nothing in star wars is based on real science. I've always been content with the "energy sword" moniker, with the type and nature of the energy left vague and near-mystical. (Note that only Jedi know how to make the things, the tech-geniuses of the galaxy find them as mysterious as we do, they actually have to use the force while making them, manufacturing your own saber is like a rite of passage from padawan to knight.)

Dervag
2007-07-19, 02:36 PM
A Lightsabre is NOT an optical phenomenon!...While his righteous indignation on the subject surprises me, I must agree that Swordguy is correct.

If lightsaber blades were beams of light, they'd act like flashlights or laser pointers. You wouldn't be able to see them except when they hit some solid object like a wall or dust in the air, they'd pass through each other without interacting, and they'd keep going in a straight line to infinity, spreading out as they go.

Lightsabers that worked like that would be almost indistinguishable from a sort of continuous-fire blaster. They would be so much less cool than the lightsabers we actually see in the movies.


I've never considered it a "laser sword" for just that reason, although I see no reason to try to explain it with "real" science, as nothing in star wars is based on real science. I've always been content with the "energy sword" moniker, with the type and nature of the energy left vague and near-mystical. (Note that only Jedi know how to make the things, the tech-geniuses of the galaxy find them as mysterious as we do, they actually have to use the force while making them, manufacturing your own saber is like a rite of passage from padawan to knight.)Hmm. Hadn't quite thought of it like that. But it's a good point. The fact that nobody but Jedi, Sith, and maybe some of their trainees (I don't know) can build the things suggests that there's no instruction manual that can tell you how to build it, and that the assembly process isn't purely physical.

Otherwise, lightsabers would be among the galaxy's most popular industrial power tools. Even a crude pseudo-lightsaber that couldn't run without being plugged into a wall socket would be a valuable tool.

Talya
2007-07-19, 02:42 PM
Hmm. Hadn't quite thought of it like that. But it's a good point. The fact that nobody but Jedi, Sith, and maybe some of their trainees (I don't know) can build the things suggests that there's no instruction manual that can tell you how to build it, and that the assembly process isn't purely physical.

"I see you have built a new lightsaber. Indeed you are powerful, as the Emperor has forseen."

Kiero
2007-07-19, 02:45 PM
The fact that nobody but Jedi, Sith, and maybe some of their trainees (I don't know) can build the things suggests that there's no instruction manual that can tell you how to build it, and that the assembly process isn't purely physical.

Or it's just a well-guarded secret.

TheRiov
2007-07-19, 02:46 PM
While his righteous indignation on the subject surprises me, I must agree that Swordguy is correct.

If lightsaber blades were beams of light, they'd act like flashlights or laser pointers. You wouldn't be able to see them except when they hit some solid object like a wall or dust in the air, they'd pass through each other without interacting, and they'd keep going in a straight line to infinity, spreading out as they go.

Lightsabers that worked like that would be almost indistinguishable from a sort of continuous-fire blaster. They would be so much less cool than the lightsabers we actually see in the movies.

Hmm. Hadn't quite thought of it like that. But it's a good point. The fact that nobody but Jedi, Sith, and maybe some of their trainees (I don't know) can build the things suggests that there's no instruction manual that can tell you how to build it, and that the assembly process isn't purely physical.

Otherwise, lightsabers would be among the galaxy's most popular industrial power tools. Even a crude pseudo-lightsaber that couldn't run without being plugged into a wall socket would be a valuable tool.

canonically, others HAVE built lightsabers, but the construction of one helps the Jedi 'bond with it'

It is preferred that the Jedi build their own. BTW Lightsabers are not powered by crystals--merely focused by them. they have a seperate power source.

Dervag
2007-07-19, 02:54 PM
Or it's just a well-guarded secret.Given that the technology has been around for 25000 years (right?), and that a galaxy contains many, many scientists and engineers, I find it hard to believe that the secret could have been kept that long unless there were some mystical aspect to the construction that ordinary engineers couldn't duplicate.


canonically, others HAVE built lightsabers, but the construction of one helps the Jedi 'bond with it'

It is preferred that the Jedi build their own. BTW Lightsabers are not powered by crystals--merely focused by them. they have a seperate power source.OK, but are the others who have built lightsabers an exception, or a rule? And is it necessarily true that they did so without tapping into the Force, knowingly or unknowingly, to do so?

Swordguy
2007-07-19, 03:07 PM
OK, but are the others who have built lightsabers an exception, or a rule? And is it necessarily true that they did so without tapping into the Force, knowingly or unknowingly, to do so?

I could make an argument that Luke calls upon the Force to help him build a lightsabre because he's becoming frusturated and angry at some fiddly components. It's not "required", but he need the help to calm his nerves and boost his confidence. (My source is the RadioPlay script excerpt I listed above.)

There's a few sources that imply lightsabres aren't only Jedi weapons. In The Phantom Menace, when young Anakin catches a glimpse of Qui-Gon Jinn's sabre, he immediately thinks he must be a Jedi, since only Jedi have lightsabres do they not? Qui-Gon replies that perhaps he killed jedi and took his sabre. Anakin's response isn't "no, only Jedi can use a lightsabre", it's "nobody can kill a Jedi". True, it's from a 9-year old, but still...

Also, from the original ANH novel (emphasis mine):


Luke noticed that Kenobi was watching him with interest, 'What is it?' he finally asked [...]
'Your father's lightsabre,' Kenobi told him, 'At one time they were widely used. Still are, in certain galactic quarters.'


Obiwan, Vader, Palpy, and Yoda are the only Jedi remaining. Who's using these sabres enough to be considered "widely"?

The question is why would anyone but a Jedi use them as a default weapon. The things are dangerous - the whole "massless blade" theory. It may not that people can't make them - it's that they don't want to and/or have no reason to do so. Cultural imperatives, for one thing. Tactical imperatives (only a Jedi can use them to deflect ranged fire, so I can't, ergot I'd rather have a gun). Not wanting to borrow trouble (if sabre=Jedi, then I don't want to be carrying a sabre if I can't "walk the walk").

And we don't know WHAT gets used in industrial applications. It's just lack of data there.

As for your second question, regarding "prove someone who wasn't a Jedi didn't tap into the Force to make one"...you're asking someone to prove a negative.

....
2007-07-19, 03:43 PM
Rebellion. MAYBE NJO.

I hate having Jedi in my SW games, I find it a whole lot more fun to make the Force strange and unknown, rather than having armies of people with energy-swords duking it out while normal people wait for all the flashy SFX to end.

Talya
2007-07-19, 03:44 PM
Novelization of the original Star Wars is so filled with continuity issues compared to the later movies it's almost unusuable. Lucas himself wrote it, and we all know he makes plot direction changes out of the blue, and loves pulling coincidences (i prefer the non-word coincidii, because it's fun) out of his ass. He doesn't even respect the stuff he's already shown on the screen. If he rereleases it, he changes stuff. If he can't, he ignores stuff.

(Han shot first, Leia remembers her mother looking after her as a child. Huh?)

Drakron
2007-07-19, 04:00 PM
You are talking about the prequels were instead of adapting his script to the OT he decided to simply ignore it.

That is why we have "child Anakin","elected Queen","rule-of-two","demilitarized Republic","death of broken heart", etc ... it was thing he wanted to do but really did not meshed well (or at all) with the OT.

That is the reason its hard for me to get mad when some EU novel tramps all over the setting, Lucas did just that with the prequels.

To me it would Old Republic without the KotOR games so I can take away the stench of the prequels from the Old Republic.

Kiero
2007-07-19, 04:33 PM
Given that the technology has been around for 25000 years (right?), and that a galaxy contains many, many scientists and engineers, I find it hard to believe that the secret could have been kept that long unless there were some mystical aspect to the construction that ordinary engineers couldn't duplicate.

Or perhaps they're just not interested. A vibroblade is a much safer alternative if you want a close combat weapon. You've got starship-sized energy shielding technology (which scales down all the way to snubfighters), so I doubt it's really a "secret" technology that someone couldn't replicate if there was a genuinely profitable application for it.

SpikeFightwicky
2007-07-19, 04:47 PM
This is accurate. Jaina Solo and several Shadow Academy students use force lightning on them as early Star by Star. They cannot be gripped through the force by those with conventional understanding, though both Anikin and Jacen develop some ability to sense them.
The Yuuzahn Vong are a force void for a reason.

Tahiri also came close to asphyxiating a few of them by making the air hyper-dense (or the other way around). The first time someone used force lightning on them, it didn't have too much effect (I think that due to the desperation of the situation over Myrkr, they didn't show much/any restraint of dark side powers, so it was much more effective).



The second reason is that the deeper interpreation of the Force didnt exist during the Rebellion era. The story of Fall/Redemption is key to making it a star wars tale. If the choice is always black and white, its a boring story. Luke's 'near fall' in ROTJ just is so weak, compared to Annikin Skywalker's fall. (not that for an instant I think Hayden Christiansen's acting portrayed that, but thats another story) Its far more interesting to watch a character fall in degrees

That said: You CAN lead a good Rebellion era story *IF* you're willing to give up some elements --take the Jedi out, even the minor ones. If you have more than one guy with a lightsaber in your campaign in this era NPC or PC--you're over the line.

Take out the major battles. Your conflicts must be smaller scale (cruiser, couple of frigates etc, nothing more)

Plenty of room for smuggling, black ops, etc stories, but you ARE limited.

- That's the problem I have with Rebellion era games. People will always want to play Jedi, but they don't mesh quite well with the setting. However, almost everyong who knows Star Wars knows all about the era, so it's the easiest era to play in (unless you count episodes 1,2,3 as part of the classic trilogy).

Superglucose
2007-07-19, 10:24 PM
Never played (except KotoR etc) but I really want to play, and I really want to play Old Republic. I think all the new jedi are lame, as well as the new sith lords. I want to putz about fighting Freedom Nadd, etc.

Matthew
2007-07-22, 04:01 PM
You know, I don't worry about what era of Star Wars I play, just so long as I can exclude material that I deem 'rubbish'. This pretty much includes all the recent film nonesense and any books from around or after the time that Chewie was killed by a falling Moon.

Jarchh
2007-07-22, 05:13 PM
Well when my group first picked up the star wars rpg, we all wanted to play the NJO series. Mostly because that Era's less touched upon then the ones closer to the film, so there was alot more flexability but it's still pretty well fluffed out already. It went well for a few sessions, but that time we found was far too jedi orientated, and we struggled to feed in many none jedi characters with half the party wanting to play them. My favourite personally is probably rebellion era though, it's got a lovely feel, and the whole extreme lack of jedi makes the game more fair/fun on the players who dont want to play them.

EntilZha
2007-07-22, 05:25 PM
Eliminating sources that mention lightsaber parts:
The movies don't mention it. We only see the inside of a lightsaber twice - once when Maul's sabre is cut in half (no conclusive evidence) and once when Anakin gets his sabre destroyed in the Geonosis Droid factory (again, sparks and a blue glow - but no 'crystal').



In the "Clone Wars" cartoons, a crystal key is a part of the lightsaber Barriss Offee assembles using the Force in the presence of her master, Luminara Unduli. And the Jedi temple on Ilum is rich in similar crystals, the implication being it is the source of the crystal that the Jedi use in their lightsabers. The cartoons are as canon as the movies. Luminara herself said "The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined. The crystal, the blade, the Jedi. You are one."