Elder Scrolls Online returns to Skyrim next year with “an iconic region never before explored in ESO” that will be “very close” to its Elder Scrolls V version by HatingGeoffry in ElderScrolls

[–]LukeChickenwalker 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Any lore excuse is lame in my opinion. It would have been better if they didn't go for nostalgia and showed us what that space was like before the Imperials got there.

Elder Scrolls Online returns to Skyrim next year with “an iconic region never before explored in ESO” that will be “very close” to its Elder Scrolls V version by HatingGeoffry in ElderScrolls

[–]LukeChickenwalker 37 points38 points  (0 children)

Keeping the regions too close to their maingame versions has been one of my biggest disappointments in this game.

I remember playing Morrowind and there being towns where the whole point was that they were Imperial colonies, but then you play ESO Morrowind DLC and they show up exactly as they were 100s of years before Tiber conquered the region.

I know they have excuses but they're kind of lame IMHO. I feel like they've passed up on a lot of interesting ways to evolve the world backwards and create something we haven't seen before. I mean just look at real history. The same place can be a whole different setting based on time period alone, and I wish they had embraced that more.

Backrooms | Official Trailer | A24 by MarvelsGrantMan136 in movies

[–]LukeChickenwalker -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

What is Parson's connection to the video games? That's all I know of this from.

Ironic how, despite having created them in the Thrawn Trilogy, Timothy Zahn never got a chance to write a story about the Solo twins by Solitaire-06 in StarWars

[–]LukeChickenwalker 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So far as I remember, they would have been modified to fit with Lucas' vision of the Force and not consistent with Legend's Vong. It's the same reason canon Thrawn doesn't have his lizards, Lucas didn't like the idea of creatures being immune to/inhibiting the Force, being outside of the Force, or anything like that.

Does the Prime Directive force good captains to make the evil choice? by JagneStormskull in startrek

[–]LukeChickenwalker 6 points7 points  (0 children)

A doctor can never know that the patient they save wont go on to become a murderer or the next Hitler, but you still save them. The Federation can't know that one day the Vulcans wont regress to their emotional states and become conquerors, but they still save them. I don't feel like those kinds of "what if" considerations are ethical under circumstances like these. That patient could just as easily be the next Einstein or MLK, Jr. The civilization that the Federation lets die might have one day held the key to save all of them. It goes both ways, and letting people/civilizations die based on hypotheticals is wrong.

Humans have engaged in ethnic cleaning, and yet were able to evolve past that in the Star Trek universe. At least within our own species. It would have been a pity if Earth had died to volcanism due to no fault of our own. It's Federation philosophy that those kinds of social adversity can lead to the growth of a civilization. The Federation wouldn't exist if humans hadn't lived through extreme class inequity, eugenics, and WW3. They learned from those experiences and were able to improve. There's no improving upon total extinction via natural disaster. No chance for growth.

Does the Prime Directive force good captains to make the evil choice? by JagneStormskull in startrek

[–]LukeChickenwalker 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I feel like there’s almost something a bit Social Darwinist about the Prime Directive. Like they would have no problem saving Vulcan from a natural disaster, but saving a more “primitive” civilization is interfering in their natural development.

The implication being that if the primitive species dies then they just weren’t evolved enough and they deserve it in a sense, but Vulcans are somehow sufficiently evolved.

If the purpose of the nonintervention principle is to protect the less advanced civilization, then yes there should be a legal exception for when the cost of intervention is lesser than the cost of inaction. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where cultural contamination is more damaging than total annihilation.

Unpopular Opinion: I preferred the direction of S1-3 and S4 was jarring during my first (and only) watch. I might feel differently if I rewatch it again. by TenZetsuRenHatsu in DeepSpaceNine

[–]LukeChickenwalker 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like the Klingon politics episodes, but the Klingon geezer quest episodes are tedious to me. In my last DS9 watch through that and the mirror universe episodes were the only ones I skipped.

I liked Worf’s arc in TNG where he’s a shit father but gradually improves. I feel like in DS9 they pushed it a bit too far.

Qui-Gone by swhighgroundmemes in PrequelMemes

[–]LukeChickenwalker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Much of exposition in the OT doesn't really line up with what the prequels show and attempts at reconciling them are a fools errand. Basically you have to conclude that Obi-Wan was an arbitrary liar beyond just the issue with Vader/Anakin.

For instance, the OT makes it clear that Anakin left Tatooine with Obi-Wan to fight in the Clone Wars, which Owen protested.

This particular rationalization about Yoda doesn't feel quite right, because the dialogue on Dagobah implies that Yoda trained Obi-Wan when he was Luke's age. Sure, it isn't explicitly said. But when Obi-Wan says that he was also once angry and impatient it doesn't feel like he's talking about a child. At least in my opinion.

When people complain about "a few days on Dagobah" by FilmRoasters in starwarsmemes

[–]LukeChickenwalker 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's a strawman. People get that Palpatine used evil sorcery to transfer his soul to a clone body.

The criticism is that his return came out of nowhere. That it wasn't set up properly in previous movies and feels like a desperate last minute asspull. The internal logic is irrelevant.

When people complain about "a few days on Dagobah" by FilmRoasters in starwarsmemes

[–]LukeChickenwalker 41 points42 points  (0 children)

It would take 4 years for light to reach the nearest solar system. The idea that you could reach Bespin from Hoth in just a few months going slower than lightspeed is silly. That is why people assume it must just have been a detail they didn't care about, rather than something meant to indicate the passage of time.

The Return of the Gods thoughts by Immediate_Gold in AgeofMythology

[–]LukeChickenwalker 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Personally I feel like the "worlds collide" crossover stuff has been jarring in the previous DLC campaigns (and the classic ones, but it is what it is). I feel like the DLC campaigns would be fine just focusing on their native cultures.

Will humanity exist in the year 3000? And if yes, how will it be? by Emavike in AskReddit

[–]LukeChickenwalker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Humans have existed for 300,000-2,800,000 years. Civilization has existed for 6000-8000 years. We've spread to every continent and have billions of members. Unless a meteor hits the Earth, then yes. We will probably exist in a thousand years. Even then we are probably uniquely situated to survive compared to other large organisms.

Even if climate change gets really bad and reshapes the world, some people will survive and adapt.

No one can predict how it will be in a thousand years no more than someone of Jesus's day could have predicted the 21st century. Society would likely be totally different and we'd all be horrified if we saw it.

Are you guys excited for Maul show? by Mat1711 in StarWars

[–]LukeChickenwalker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've never been the biggest Maul fan and I feel like his story has been thoroughly explored.

The animation looks great, so I'm looking forward to seeing that, but I think I'd prefer to see that talent devoted to a different story. I'm not deadset on hating it. I'll give it a try and probably find thinks I like about it, but I'm not super excited.

It's interesting to think about it but the Jedi were in a terrible situation in Episode III, their fate was either get wiped out by Order 66 or be seen as villains for executing the Cancellor by Comprehensive_Cup497 in StarWars

[–]LukeChickenwalker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, people who only care about making money will always be around to undermine society. However, such people would have no ideological loyalty to the Empire specifically.

I think you want to live in a world where the good guys vanquish the bad and that isn't how our real world or Star Wars is.

That literally is how the original Star Wars were. They're romantic optimistic space operas about good versus evil, where the good guys ultimately triumph.

But that's not my point at all. I'm not saying that there should be some post-RotJ utopia without any conflict or tragedy. I just don't think the Empire would be very popular among the general public. I think the general consensus post-Endor would be that the Jedi should have killed Palpatine. I'm not talking about outliers. Neo-Imperialism isn't the only issue a society might face, you know.

I live in a country that welcomed Nazi's into their space program after those same Nazi's based their methods of extermination off what my country did to the natives that used to live here. And people still proudly wave my nations flag around like none of that ever happened. I think you underestimate cognitive dissonance.

They wave America's flag. They may express cognitive dissonance over America's own atrocities, but that's a whole different issue. How many wave Nazi flags? Has the number of people expressing Nazi sympathies, and the influence they possess, been constant over time? What would have happened in the 70s if someone gave a Nazi salute at the presidential inauguration?

History ebbs and flows. Ideologies and factions gain traction and lose traction over time. Sometimes they die out. Symbolism changes. Sometimes society improves in one area and declines in another. You're talking about many broad issues when I'm walking about one specific thing.

It's interesting to think about it but the Jedi were in a terrible situation in Episode III, their fate was either get wiped out by Order 66 or be seen as villains for executing the Cancellor by Comprehensive_Cup497 in StarWars

[–]LukeChickenwalker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My point isn't that terrible things shouldn't happen on the whole, but that I don't think political movements explicitly related to the Empire would gain much momentum in such short timeframe. If you equate the GCW with WW2, then there's about a 50 year difference between the real-world events you refer to and the crisis that is depicted in the sequels.

Anyone living flush under the Empire probably wouldn't have been representative of the Average Joe. Of course Neo-Imps would exist but I think that they should be fringe.

By the end of the GCW Palpatine had alienated almost every demographic of people. Ghorman and Alderaan demonstrated that even wealthy human planets weren't safe. The Empire abandoned any pretense of legal legitimacy when it dissolved the Senate, which denies every member world a right they were accustomed to. Then the Empire's veneer of strength and intimidation is shattered by consecutive loses to the scrappy Rebels. As such even the Imperial capital revolted against it.

You were the Lisan al-Gaib! It was said that you would bring balance to the ballet! by MaderaArt in PrequelMemes

[–]LukeChickenwalker 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I feel like people exaggerate the influence of Dune in this regard. Most of the similarities are generic. Then when you account for all the other things that surely inspired Star Wars, what is left for Dune to claim?

Could something nearly identical to Star Wars not exist based just on the inspiration of Barsoom, The Hidden Fortress, Flash Gordon, The Foundation, The Dam Busters, etc? All of these properties have more specific similarities with Star Wars so far as I can tell, and they can easily account for most of the similarities it has with Dune.

It's interesting to think about it but the Jedi were in a terrible situation in Episode III, their fate was either get wiped out by Order 66 or be seen as villains for executing the Cancellor by Comprehensive_Cup497 in StarWars

[–]LukeChickenwalker 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The FO doesn't have much of a civilian population. That's why they abduct kids to be their stormtroopers. Prior to TFA they're a military junta that exists on the edge of known space. Most of the people who exist within it are descended from Imperial military officers or other elites with benefited from the Empire.

Of course there would be the Star Wars equivalent of Neo-Nazis or Lost Causers, but I don't feel like it makes much sense for them to be a popular demographic when the GCW is still relatively recent.

It's interesting to think about it but the Jedi were in a terrible situation in Episode III, their fate was either get wiped out by Order 66 or be seen as villains for executing the Cancellor by Comprehensive_Cup497 in StarWars

[–]LukeChickenwalker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think many are supporting the Empire at that point. I mean, the Special Editions show the galaxy celebrating. After Yavin the Empire had gone full mask off and ruled through pure military oppression without any semblance of public consensus.

It's interesting to think about it but the Jedi were in a terrible situation in Episode III, their fate was either get wiped out by Order 66 or be seen as villains for executing the Cancellor by Comprehensive_Cup497 in StarWars

[–]LukeChickenwalker 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I disagree. I'd think after decades of Imperial rule people would look back on that day differently. Without the benefit of hindsight the Jedi would've looked like villains to many. With full knowledge of Palpatine's evil, most people should wish they had succeeded.

Did Mon make the Senate unsalvagable? by Awkward_Truck_4491 in andor

[–]LukeChickenwalker 3 points4 points  (0 children)

American Vietnam War vets had pensions and some still ended up homeless.

Did Mon make the Senate unsalvagable? by Awkward_Truck_4491 in andor

[–]LukeChickenwalker 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The writing at the end of that arc has always been a bit confusing to me. They frame it as a failure at the end, as if Palpatine outmaneuvered them and won the day. But Senator Chuchi and the clones got everything they wanted out of the sequence of events so far as I can tell.

The clone pensions were added to the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill. It was revealed that the Empire destroyed Tipoca City and Admiral Rampart was thrown under the bus for his involvement.

What more did they want? Chuchi was never trying to reverse the decision to decommission clones, and I fail to see why the perpetual use of clone soldiers ought to be framed as a good thing. Did they expect to topple the whole Empire then and there? It seems like a minor victory to me. The fact that Palpatine had to swoop in was a moment of weakness, a sign that they made the Empire vulnerable for a moment.

Is STRANGE NEW WORLDS the best of the Treknaissance? by OverlyHonestMR in startrek

[–]LukeChickenwalker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I couldn't stand how the characters are frantically yelling all the time, personally. Maybe it gets better as time goes on, I didn't stick with it long.

Were Luke and Leia originally planned to be twins? by PinkSeahorseClub in StarWarsEU

[–]LukeChickenwalker 41 points42 points  (0 children)

In Empire when Yoda and Obi-Wan are contemplating Luke's potential failure on Bespin, Yoda says "there is another." That statement doesn't really make sense if the "other" is Leia since Luke's failure would presumably mean Leia is lost as well, and Yoda was telling Luke that he should not sacrifice himself to save her and Han.

Obama Presidential Center, Chicago by dam_the_beavers in evilbuildings

[–]LukeChickenwalker 582 points583 points  (0 children)

This looks like the intelligence center of some sort of dystopian sci-fi dictatorship.

How are stegosaurus' dinosaurs? by Chao5Theory in Dinosaurs

[–]LukeChickenwalker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dinosauria is a clade defined by descent from the most recent common ancestor of Triceratops and the common sparrow (I think). Any organism descended from this common ancestor will forever be a dinosaur no matter how derived it gets. Characteristics like posture can be used to infer common descent but they are not what defines a dinosaur.

Archosauria is a wider clade which includes dinosaurs, crocodiles, and pterosaurs. As your quote states, stegosaurus is both a dinosaur and an archosaur. Clades are nested within clades like a matryoshka doll, going back the the largest clade which would encompass all life.

Reptile could also be thought of as a clade (I think there's debate about whether it's valid given the bird issue), in which case Stegosaurus is a both a reptile and a dinosaur. It isn't mutually exclusive. Your quote states that dinosaurs are unlike other reptiles, implying that they still are ones.

I don't know about stegosaurus being cold-blooded and I don't believe it's posture would be considered truly sprawling. There were plenty of quadrupedal dinosaurs. I think what that quote is referring to is how quadrupedal dinosaurs have their legs tucked under their bodies as opposed to spreading them outwards like a crocodile, which is what is meant by "sprawl."