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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
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Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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 Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2023 5:13 pm Post subject: Hyperdrive Booster Rings |
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I have issues with the Hyperdrive Rings. It works passably in peacetime roles for Jedi transportation(although an armed scout/courier would be a better fit, IMO), it has huge tactical disadvantages in a conflict like the Clone Wars. Specifically, any fighter using it for entry into a hostile system is then tied to a single point (where they dropped the booster ring) that they have to return to if they want to depart. Any enemy forces can simply deploy in force at the ring’s location, or simply destroy it (since it’s stationary and defenseless when not attached to a fighter).
I’ve put some thought into this, and I’ve come up with a possible solution. Some sources call these devices Hyperdrive Booster Rings; to me, “booster” implies an enhancement of something already there. Based on that read, my take is that starfighters that use Booster Rings have integral hyperdrives in the x10-x20 range, and the Booster Ring interfaces with that drive, boosting it to a range of x1-x2. This gives the starfighter a much higher degree of tactical mobility within a star system.
For example, rather than having to leave the Ring parked somewhere within sensor range of potential enemy forces, the pilot can park it somewhere in the system fringes (out in the Oort Cloud, where the Ring can blend in with untold billions of other objects), then jump in-system on its internal drive (albeit much more slowly). This conceals the Ring’s location from enemy forces and gives the fighter the ability to jump around within the system and/or return to the Ring’s “parking spot” by a circuitous route to throw off pursuit.
As an added bonus from a world-building standpoint, giving starfighters of that era slower integrated hyperdrives provides an interim technological step between “hyperdrive in booster ring roughly the same size as fighter” and “full-up hyperdrive fully integrated into the starfighter”.
Thoughts?
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KageRyu
Commodore
Joined: 06 Jul 2005
Posts: 1391
Location: Lost in the cracks
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| Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2023 9:32 pm Post subject: Re: Hyperdrive Booster Rings |
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| CRMcNeill wrote: |
Thoughts? |
I actually have quite a few about the logistics and uses of these rings, but I need time to organize and collect them - let me get back to you.
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Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)
Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 10435
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy
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| Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2023 9:33 pm Post subject: Re: Hyperdrive Booster Rings |
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I just wanted to warn everyone that final two episodes of Ahsoka are still protected by the spoiler policy.
| CRMcNeill wrote: | I’ve put some thought into this, and I’ve come up with a possible solution. Some sources call these devices Hyperdrive Booster Rings; to me, “booster” implies an enhancement of something already there. Based on that read, my take is that starfighters that use Booster Rings have integral hyperdrives in the x10-x20 range, and the Booster Ring interfaces with that drive, boosting it to a range of x1-x2. This gives the starfighter a much higher degree of tactical mobility within a star system.
For example, rather than having to leave the Ring parked somewhere within sensor range of potential enemy forces, the pilot can park it somewhere in the system fringes (out in the Oort Cloud, where the Ring can blend in with untold billions of other objects), then jump in-system on its internal drive (albeit much more slowly). This conceals the Ring’s location from enemy forces and gives the fighter the ability to jump around within the system and/or return to the Ring’s “parking spot” by a circuitous route to throw off pursuit. |
That's all quite reasonable. But the x10-20 hyperdrives wouldn't be that slow for in-system scales because the distances are much lower than interstellar travel. Neptune is about 4 light hours from Earth. Normal x1-x2 hyperdrives are many thousands of times faster than the speed of light which means even extreme intra-system travel like that would still be nearly instantaneous. The slower hyperdrives being 10 times slower could still travel such a distance in a matter of seconds, and you probably could usually park your ring much closer to the final destination than a system's oort cloud or even Neptune to Earth.
| Quote: | | I have issues with the Hyperdrive Rings. It works passably in peacetime roles for Jedi transportation(although an armed scout/courier would be a better fit, IMO), it has huge tactical disadvantages in a conflict like the Clone Wars. Specifically, any fighter using it for entry into a hostile system is then tied to a single point (where they dropped the booster ring) that they have to return to if they want to depart. Any enemy forces can simply deploy in force at the ring’s location, or simply destroy it (since it’s stationary and defenseless when not attached to a fighter). |
In the films we only see a ring used before the Clone War begins, so there is no filmic evidence they were used after the war started. It is suggested (but not explicit) that the Jedi fighters in RotS have their own hyperdrive so no longer need a ring...
| Quote: | | As an added bonus from a world-building standpoint, giving starfighters of that era slower integrated hyperdrives provides an interim technological step between “hyperdrive in booster ring roughly the same size as fighter” and “full-up hyperdrive fully integrated into the starfighter”. |
It is also not explicit in the films that any spacefighters even have hyperdrives before the Clone War. Senator Amidala's ship carried the Naboo fighters per lore, but the same lore indicates that they do have short range hyperdrives.
I like to think that no fighters have hyperdrives before the war, and that tech was invented as a war tech advance. Your suggestion could still be a technological step between fighters having no hyperdrives at all and true starfighters that have full hyperdrives.
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pakman
Commander
Joined: 20 Jul 2021
Posts: 441
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| Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2023 10:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | I have issues with the Hyperdrive Rings. It works passably in peacetime roles for Jedi transportation(although an armed scout/courier would be a better fit, IMO), it has huge tactical disadvantages in a conflict like the Clone Wars.
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I would say ok...that is why later - those ships were replaced.
I would look at it as they were never intended to be interstellar space craft - so the ring was a way to get more utility out of existing models. Either they were carried by other vessels, etc.
(like putting a attachable trailer hitch on a vehicle that did not have one, or the tragic attempt at equipping sherman tanks with amphibious capability for Dday).
So I think the question is not "why would they build a ship meant to fight in other systems with such a bad design" but "how might they give hyper capability to ships that dont have it before the new models can be produced"
I partially justify non-hyper ships in my game by saying that hyperdrives and fuel for them - are really expensive.
It was not until the jedi become more embroiled directly into combat, that a jedi fighter WITH hyper built in became a priority.
Just my 2 credits....
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16320
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2023 11:29 pm Post subject: Re: Hyperdrive Booster Rings |
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| Whill wrote: | | The slower hyperdrives being 10 times slower could still travel such a distance in a matter of seconds, and you probably could usually park your ring much closer to the final destination than a system's oort cloud or even Neptune to Earth. |
I'm just using that as an example. The idea is to park the Ring somewhere that the vastness of space is its own form of camouflage. I suppose it will depend on how far out planetary systems place their sensor nets.
| Quote: | | In the films we only see a ring used before the Clone War begins, so there is no filmic evidence they were used after the war started. It is suggested (but not explicit) that the Jedi fighters in RotS have their own hyperdrive so no longer need a ring... |
In RotS, Obi-Wan uses a Ring in combination with his Eta-2 Actis to jump to Utapau, as seen here, so they were clearly still in service right up until the end of the Clone Wars.
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16320
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2023 11:39 pm Post subject: |
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| pakman wrote: | | Just my 2 credits.... |
But as I pointed out above, Hyperdrive Rings were still in use by elite, front-line forces (Generals Kenobi and Skywalker, to be specific) right up until the end of the Clone Wars. Some fighters, such as Grievous' Belbullab-22 Heavy Fighter and the ARC-170, were equipped with full-up drives, so the tech was certainly getting there, but wasn't quite small enough to be miniaturized into light fighters yet.
Another advantage I neglected to mention in the first post: putting slow hyperdrives into things like the Aethersprite, Eta-2, V-19. V-Wing, etc, will make it a lot easier to upgrade them to x1 or x2 hyperdrives for use in the Rebellion era...
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)
Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 10435
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy
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| Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2023 8:03 pm Post subject: Re: Hyperdrive Booster Rings |
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| CRMcNeill wrote: | | Quote: | | In the films we only see a ring used before the Clone War begins... |
In RotS, Obi-Wan uses a Ring in combination with his Eta-2 Actis to jump to Utapau, as seen here, so they were clearly still in service right up until the end of the Clone Wars. |
You're quite right. I stand corrected. I forgot about that. I had only been thinking of the beginning of the film that showed Obi-Wan and Anakin after they already arrived at Coruscant. I had been thinking that Obi-Wan flew to Utapau from the capital ship without jumping to hyperspace, as if they had already been in the Utapau system. But no.
| CRMcNeill wrote: | | Some fighters, such as Grievous' Belbullab-22 Heavy Fighter and the ARC-170, were equipped with full-up drives, so the tech was certainly getting there, but wasn't quite small enough to be miniaturized into light fighters yet. |
Yep. Grievous' fighter has a full hyperdrive so the tech definitely existed in some starfighters by the end of the clone war.
It is still that case that no spacefighter is explicitly shown to not need a hyperdrive ring before RotS, so I still maintain for my SWU that starfighters with full hyperdrives are a technological advancement of the clone war. It is defintely the case that some spacefighters still used rings afterward, and ring fighters still be exist in the classic era as well. It is clearly an advantage to not need one though.
| CRMcNeill wrote: | | Another advantage I neglected to mention in the first post: putting slow hyperdrives into things like the Aethersprite, Eta-2, V-19. V-Wing, etc, will make it a lot easier to upgrade them to x1 or x2 hyperdrives for use in the Rebellion era... |
Cool. I foresee stats for clone war fighters upgraded for use in the classic era.
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Inquisitor1138
Captain
Joined: 28 Nov 2021
Posts: 607
Location: Hoth. Or Ilum...
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| Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2023 8:32 am Post subject: Re: Hyperdrive Booster Rings |
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Rereading info on the V-19 Torrent Starfighter, they originally had no hyperdrive at all. Then some were modified to use hyperdrive rings, then some others were given the built-in hyperdrive. After that they came from the factory with hyperdrives, & most but not all older V-19s got refit with hyperdrives. In the Imperial era they stopped refitting the older V-19s either selling them off or relegating them to garrisons & outposts.
Fun stuff!
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