Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2005 11:30:04 -0400 (EDT)
From: dicconf <dicconf at radix.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Take that Darth Vader, thwack! , was  Sith and  before

On Thu, 16 Jun 2005, Mike B. wrote:

> At 10:25 PM 6/15/05 -0400, Ted White wrote:
>>
>> It's a Proud And Lonely Thing to have been right about STAR WARS.
>
> You were?  Hmmm...
>
>> It's as stupid today as it was then, full of misused words (like "parsec")
> and plot frauds.
>
> When did they misuse "parsec"?  Are you talking about the "Kessel run"
> thing in the first movie (#4)?  If so, that's easily explained...the FTL
> drive they use just warps space you see, so "Making the Kessel run in under
> xxx parsecs" is just a way of bragging about how *much* it could warp
> space, and thus shorten/speed the trip.
>
> Since we are making up the entire universe along with the drive, we might
> as well make up a bit more so it all fits together well, right?

There's an even easier explanation.  The bragging was being done by a ready-
for-aught tramp-ship skipper who didn't really know that much
mathematical astronomy.  You wouldn't _expect_ Humphrey Bogart to use
nautical expressions accurately, unless he were playing Captain Queeg.

-- Dick Eney