A Long Time Ago In a Galaxy Far, Far Away.... - Star Wars General Discussion

[Axaday]

IF in universe the Battle of Yavin happened to fall on their version of January 1, then MAYBE the New Republic might start counting years from that to sweep away the Imperial Calendar, but I doubt it.

We are living in 2025 AD or CE. A monk figured up what year Jesus Christ was born and Charlemagne had the clout to change the whole calendar to match it. Everyone who studies it now says the target was wrong. And someone who objects to saying "In the year of our Lord" changed it to Common Era, but left it right where it is, because switching up the years is very difficult on everyone and you'd need a fantastically important reason to do it in order to get it done.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

IF in universe the Battle of Yavin happened to fall on their version of January 1, then MAYBE the New Republic might start counting years from that to sweep away the Imperial Calendar, but I doubt it.

You... did read my response to Signal Lancer Fan on the previous page, yes?

At any rate, the short point of information is that it took place on the eighth day of the third month, and despite that (as well as a perfectly good apolitical dating system still being used by the galaxy at large), the New Republic Historical Council did push hard to make it a New Start Point.

(Usage of said point out of universe was likely bolstered by the fact that casual fans and general film audiences have handy points of reference for Yavin and Endor, compared to other events in the GFFA.)

We're not told what Obroa-skai thought of that, or whether this was a reason that New Republic support was broad but not deep beyond certain key worlds, but there we are.

 

[#1 Signal Lancer Fan]

I think the issue for those like Axaday is that BBY is for fans "Before Battle of Yavin" in universe, there is no reason to have the year like that, as no one knows that there will be a Battle at Yavin. Using BBY and ABY seems to be for fans or viewers only. I am somewhere in between. It feels like something that on the Computers in-universe should use something different, and have narrative OOC info presented in an OOC fashion. But then, I also just don't give enough of a hug to actually be bothered about it despite my feelings.

The way I've always viewed it is that the Battle of Yavin was the significant turning point in the war with the Empire, and it was used as a dating system much, much later. Each Star Wars movie starts with "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away", so the idea is that this story is being told long after the fact. To my knowledge, BBY and ABY have never been used by the actual characters in the story.

Compare to B.C. and A.D. These dating systems were created long after the actual time as a fixed point from which to reference dates. the Battle of Yavin would be a solid fixed point that they could use.

 

[Axaday]

You... did read my response to Signal Lancer Fan on the previous page, yes?

I skimmed it. My patience for stuff dug out of resource books is not very good.

Compare to B.C. and A.D. These dating systems were created long after the actual time as a fixed point from which to reference dates. the Battle of Yavin would be a solid fixed point that they could use.

It tickles the brain to think the years we count, AD or CE, were almost halfway up to us before very many people used them. Charlemagne really got it going and even then a lot of countries just used their own regnal years. The last European country to get on board was Portugal in 1422. Russia not until 1700.

 

[NovaSaber]

IF in universe the Battle of Yavin happened to fall on their version of January 1, then MAYBE the New Republic might start counting years from that to sweep away the Imperial Calendar, but I doubt it.

We are living in 2025 AD or CE. A monk figured up what year Jesus Christ was born and Charlemagne had the clout to change the whole calendar to match it. Everyone who studies it now says the target was wrong. And someone who objects to saying "In the year of our Lord" changed it to Common Era, but left it right where it is, because switching up the years is very difficult on everyone and you'd need a fantastically important reason to do it in order to get it done.

And the only reason our numbering system lacks a year zero is because it was invented in Europe before Europeans had a symbol for zero, by a mathematically illiterate monk.

There's no way people who changed their calendar system after already having spaceflight would repeat that same error.

(Also yeah, the rare attempts to ever change the numbering to date from a recent-at-the-time event have failed for the obvious reason that no one wants to have to use negative numbers for recent history.)

 

[Axaday]

Although the episode provides some tension, I guess we ultimately know that anything the Empire managed to get from Luthen's incomplete destruction of his shop was not bad enough.

But isn't it a little hard to accept that the shop wasn't prepared to be remotely destroyed in a way that could be covered up?

 

[#1 Signal Lancer Fan]

Although the episode provides some tension, I guess we ultimately know that anything the Empire managed to get from Luthen's incomplete destruction of his shop was not bad enough.

But isn't it a little hard to accept that the shop wasn't prepared to be remotely destroyed in a way that could be covered up?

Maybe I missed it, but I thought the only thing they got from his shop was how his radio system worked, which is what allowed them to track down Kleya. I may be mistaken, but it didn't seem like there was anything else valuable (intelligence wise) there.

As for why it wasn't rigged to blow, knowing Luthen I think that he'd be too suspicious that someone would betray him and use his own explosives against him.

 

[Axaday]

I don't know what may have been there intelligence wise, but there was more to it than saving Kleya. If there wasn't something in the shop needing destroyed, they would have gone straight to his spaceship and flown off the planet and never come back. I can't remember what he tells her to do when he is heading back to the shop.

The scene didn't show them figuring out how the radio system worked. She was signaling for rescue and the panel was made to receive that signal. But they also found a white back room and I don't know what all was in there. Maybe analysis of the system is just how they find out that the Rebels are using pulse signals or something, but I was thinking maybe the system would reveal frequencies and maybe indications of where the transmitters were.

If all that was needed was for acid to be poured on the patch bay, I definitely think that could have been set up to be automated.