[Flipside]

Know an efficient way to battle? Create a black hole using red matter
Wrong Universe, but still

That pissed me off so much.  I mean, come on, they should have used dark matter instead of red.
By doing so they'd have made a reference to something that actually has a basis in real physics, a terminology that sounds much more foreboding, and a means for having something that looks much more badass than using a ridiculously delicious cinnamon ball as a weapon! So WTF.

* watsisname is so nerd-rage.

As SFDebris put it regarding Red Matter:

"Physics aside, The film shows that you need about a teaspoon of the stuff to create a black hole big enough to suck up a Supernova, so why did they bring what looks like a 10 gallon tank of it?"

With regards to the Interdictor, it always confused me a little because the Rebels relied on Hit and Fade tactics, so, ironically, it's one of the few situations where an orbital system would probably be far more useful than a Star Destroyer class, since an Interdiction platform in orbit around an important planet would mean the Rebels would have to come to it, rather than vice versa.

[Scotty]

Hardly.  An Interdictor cruiser is a mobile bubble of "HA HA, CAN'T GET ME" to the hit-and-fade crowd, properly supported.  Not to mention being able to cut off a retreat is a nice tactical option to have.

[Flipside]

Perhaps so, but the Rebels main focus was not on tackling the Imperial Fleet head on, they knew they would lose in that situation, so they focussed on attacking installations and support structures. A small Interdiction platform in Geostationary orbit with a support fleet over important installations would have made surprise attacks that much more difficult.

[Kadaeux]

Perhaps so, but the Rebels main focus was not on tackling the Imperial Fleet head on, they knew they would lose in that situation, so they focussed on attacking installations and support structures. A small Interdiction platform in Geostationary orbit with a support fleet over important installations would have made surprise attacks that much more difficult.

Except that would be like putting a club lock on a car with no wheels.

Planets already interdict attempts to go FTL, it's why they have to escape the planets gravity well, and all an Interdictor does is simulate a planets gravity well...

Not to mention the potentially negative effects of activating a gravity well generator in orbit of a planet that supports life. We're talking tidal effects etc.

[Flipside]

Well, Star Wars physics have always been a bit selective in that department, relying heavily on what Pratchett calls 'Narrativium' It's like asking how an Interdictor could launch Tie Fighters when the generators are on (which often happened in the games).

[headdie]

If i recall correctly Interdictor could only affect a relatively small area to the point there are examples of fighter squadrons being pulled out of hyperspace in range of the cruisers guns.

As for using Hyperdrive technology on missiles. That is seriously not going to work, they couldn't fit Shields or Hyperdrives on the TIE Fighters let alone missiles.

Shields and hyperdrives were not fitted to TIEs to save weight, power usage and more importantly cost.  even during ANH the Empire was experimenting with TIE designs with these features added to counter rebel hit and run tactics

[LordMelvin]

Also don't forget the single awesomest use of interdictor technology from the EU, the technique Thrawn used at Sluis Van - a focused interdictor beam on an enemy target, plus a precisely coordinated hyperjump by a nearby Star Destroyer... instant close range heavy firepower, plus truly impressive shock factor.

[Mefustae]

As for using Hyperdrive technology on missiles. That is seriously not going to work, they couldn't fit Shields or Hyperdrives on the TIE Fighters let alone missiles.

Shields and hyperdrives were not fitted to TIEs to save weight, power usage and more importantly cost.  even during ANH the Empire was experimenting with TIE designs with these features added to counter rebel hit and run tactics

Culminating in the TIE Defender, which easily had the survivability of an X-Wing. The down side was that it also probably cost as much as an X-Wing, thereby undermining the entire reason for the TIE series.

[Kadaeux]

If i recall correctly Interdictor could only affect a relatively small area to the point there are examples of fighter squadrons being pulled out of hyperspace in range of the cruisers guns.

As for using Hyperdrive technology on missiles. That is seriously not going to work, they couldn't fit Shields or Hyperdrives on the TIE Fighters let alone missiles.

Shields and hyperdrives were not fitted to TIEs to save weight, power usage and more importantly cost.  even during ANH the Empire was experimenting with TIE designs with these features added to counter rebel hit and run tactics

As pointed out, culminating in the Tie Defender, AND the occassional modified TIE Interceptor and Bomber.

Also bear in mind that a Proton Torpedo or Concussion Missile are what? 1/100th of the Tie Fighters mass>?

[esarai]

What thesizzler said.  If you can't fit a hyperdrive to it, you're not building a large enough missile.  And we're pretty certain my terminal-c missile is not a long-range weapon, it's for knife fight range.  And yes, lasers cannot be intercepted, but it takes a lot of them to be an effective anti-ship armament.  A few terminal-c missiles of decent size would carry a lot more hitting power than the laser banks of most star destroyers. 

 Also... given the prevalence of black hole-based systems in SW, is it possible to make a weapon that simply causes a singularity near its target, damaging and/or shattering the hull? 

Or better yet, combine the two, so you have a black hole traveling at relativistic speeds.  Energy requirements are gonna be a *****, but this is SW, since when has that made any difference?

[headdie]

What thesizzler said.  If you can't fit a hyperdrive to it, you're not building a large enough missile.  And we're pretty certain my terminal-c missile is not a long-range weapon, it's for knife fight range.  And yes, lasers cannot be intercepted, but it takes a lot of them to be an effective anti-ship armament.  A few terminal-c missiles of decent size would carry a lot more hitting power than the laser banks of most star destroyers. 

 Also... given the prevalence of black hole-based systems in SW, is it possible to make a weapon that simply causes a singularity near its target, damaging and/or shattering the hull? 

Or better yet, combine the two, so you have a black hole traveling at relativistic speeds.  Energy requirements are gonna be a *****, but this is SW, since when has that made any difference?

post Yuuzhan Vong war this would be viable

[Firstdragon34]

The Yuuzhan Vong black hole devices of course had a weak spot and the New Repblic exploited it. The Yuuzhan Vong conquered several hundred worlds and killed One Hundred trillion lives.

[deathfun]

Energy requirements are gonna be a *****, but this is SW, since when has that made any difference?

Best way to explain this is a perpetual energy system

[Firstdragon34]

A perpetual energy system? Maybe Matter-Antimater or a Fusion Reactor.

[headdie]

A perpetual energy system? Maybe Matter-Antimater or a Fusion Reactor.

I believe the reactor in the death stars and test ISDs was a hyper matter reactor using matter drawn from hyperspace in a matter anitmatter style reactor

[Firstdragon34]

Why didn't I think of that? Of course! When the Second Death Star exploded it created a brief wormhole.

[Grizzly]

What thesizzler said.  If you can't fit a hyperdrive to it, you're not building a large enough missile.  And we're pretty certain my terminal-c missile is not a long-range weapon, it's for knife fight range.  And yes, lasers cannot be intercepted, but it takes a lot of them to be an effective anti-ship armament.  A few terminal-c missiles of decent size would carry a lot more hitting power than the laser banks of most star destroyers. 

 Also... given the prevalence of black hole-based systems in SW, is it possible to make a weapon that simply causes a singularity near its target, damaging and/or shattering the hull? 

Or better yet, combine the two, so you have a black hole traveling at relativistic speeds.  Energy requirements are gonna be a *****, but this is SW, since when has that made any difference?

Hmm. If you are hyperdriving a missile, how are you going to control it after it has exited hyperspace, assuming that you are launching it from another system?

You are also building... you know... a hyperdrive into a suicide machine. Its probably really expensive.

And if something is big enough to fit a hyperdrive, its probably also big enough to be intercepted...

[headdie]

What thesizzler said.  If you can't fit a hyperdrive to it, you're not building a large enough missile.  And we're pretty certain my terminal-c missile is not a long-range weapon, it's for knife fight range.  And yes, lasers cannot be intercepted, but it takes a lot of them to be an effective anti-ship armament.  A few terminal-c missiles of decent size would carry a lot more hitting power than the laser banks of most star destroyers. 

 Also... given the prevalence of black hole-based systems in SW, is it possible to make a weapon that simply causes a singularity near its target, damaging and/or shattering the hull? 

Or better yet, combine the two, so you have a black hole traveling at relativistic speeds.  Energy requirements are gonna be a *****, but this is SW, since when has that made any difference?

Hmm. If you are hyperdriving a missile, how are you going to control it after it has exited hyperspace, assuming that you are launching it from another system?

You are also building... you know... a hyperdrive into a suicide machine. Its probably really expensive.

And if something is big enough to fit a hyperdrive, its probably also big enough to be intercepted...

fair point on both counts with the cost and size though perhaps more justifiable as a missile delivery system.  on the range, I am unaware of any minimum jump distances and indeed the starwars wiki

Intrasystem hyperdriving was quite uncommon, but was sometimes used strategically to surprise an enemy.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hyperspace#Hyperdrive_usage

so it would seem feasible within the the physics of the SW universe.

[Mefustae]

Hmm. If you are hyperdriving a missile, how are you going to control it after it has exited hyperspace, assuming that you are launching it from another system?

You are also building... you know... a hyperdrive into a suicide machine. Its probably really expensive.

And if something is big enough to fit a hyperdrive, its probably also big enough to be intercepted...

It's not exactly without precedent. See: The Galaxy Gun. I giant gun-like phallic symbol built by the resurrected Emperor to shoot giant hyperdrive cruise missiles to other systems. Unlike the ship-to-ship missiles suggested here, these things took out planets. Of course, they were ridiculously armored, bristling with weaponry of their own, and almost impossible to stop in their terminal phase. From this, we can gather that hyperdrive missiles are fundamentally possible, but given the scarcity of them they are most likely highly expensive and therefore inherently inefficient.

[Firstdragon34]

When was the Galaxy Gun constructed? Before or after the Yuuzhan Vong War?