Site History
[2006|2005|2004|2003|2002|2001|2000|1999|1998|1997|1996|1995]
This is a record of major and minor events in the existence of
the STAR WARS Technical Commentaries web site.
The listing is incomplete, since I began tracking progress only very recently.
The list is mainly meant as an aid for readers seeking the newest updates.
Progress on unreleased pages is not documented.
At any given time, at least five times as much activity is devoted to
incomplete, offline pages as to the documents which are visible to the public.
The number of pages under construction greatly outnumbers those which are
presently available for viewing.
1998-12-31
- The change of server for this site is now public.
1998-12-22
- Corrected the novel reference regarding Ackbar's interpretation of
human facial features,
in Mon Calamari,
thanks to F.Gerratana.
- Added references (p.4-5, p43) to the tabulated notes for
The Courtship of Princess Leia,
and also added markers for the chapters in the hardcover edition,
to make referencing easier for owners of other editions.
- Added references BTS
18, 19, 20, 21, thanks to E.Platten.
1998-12-21
- Added Mon Calamari page,
to discuss a few obscure and technical aspects of the second-most abundant
nonhuman species in the STAR WARS canon
(discounting jawas, which are not directly seen).
1998-12-16
- Added new thoughts to Injuries of Darth Vader
regarding his teeth, pressure in his mask, the brightness of his bones,
and the time taken to achieve death by anoxia.
In elaboration upon and reply to suggestions by E.Grant and J.Myllyluoma.
1998-12-14
- Uploaded the site to the server of TheForce.net
and began updating the internal links
to deal with the fact that all of the text, graphics and icons
are now in the same server
(whereas they were on three different machines in the past).
- Added an AVI animation of the fly past the underside of
[anonymous destroyer #5] in
Warships of the Empire: Catalogue,
generously donated by B.Young.
- Added a new sub-page:
Warships of the Empire: Visual Identification,
at the suggestion of F.Gerratana.
1998-12-09
- Added a few remarks about "uglies" to
TIE Fighters,
at suggestions from C.Maier and R.Brown.
1998-11-29
1998-11-27
1998-11-24
-
Tabulated in-game statistics for missile weapons in TIE Fighter
as reported by L.Panfil,
in Standard Units.
-
Added mention of the angular size of the Death Star seen from Endor,
in Death Stars,
after prompting by E.Eckard.
-
Mentioned the peculiar kinematic implications of the dark Force nexus
discovered near Endor by Princess Leia in Dark Force Rising,
in Endor Holocaust.
Responding to query by S.Pierce.
-
Added suggestions regarding the purpose of the distinctive wings of the
TIE Scimitar, from S.Pierce,
to the TIE Fighters page.
1998-11-23
- Added scans of SWCCG cards depicting TIE Avenger
and Defender, plus a scan of the extended TIE figher from
The Warrior Princess
to TIE Fighters.
- Added scan of the SWCCG card depicting Jabba's tattoo
to Jabba's Decorations.
- Added descriptions of ship designs seen in
Jedi Academy: Leviathan,
as pointed out by C.Maier,
to Warships of the Empire: Catalogue.
1998-11-17
- Added mention of the firing range from Yavin 4
to the Death Star,
on a suggestion by W.Poe.
1998-11-16
- Clarified the wording of the second paragraph of the
"shoulder patches" section of the
Rebel Alliance Insignia commentary,
at the suggestion of D.Bristow.
- Added details of a little-seen and presently unclassified type of
Imperial enlisted serviceman
in Imperial Military Uniforms.
The new addition is the blue-black clothed entry.
1998-11-14
1998-11-09
-
Added a new small page,
Jabba's Decorations,
in order to respond to persistent requests for Hutt-related commentaries.
1998-11-07
- Added a reworded version of the section of the
Imperial Insignia pages
dealing with officers.
This version should be clearer to read,
although there aren't many changes to the underlying logic.
1998-11-06
1998-11-03
1998-11-02
- Added novel reference notes for
Jedi Knight.
- Added references to Slave Ship
from M.Wong;
and I, Jedi
from J.Ng.
-
Added extrapolative speculation about the possible statistics of the real
Executor to Executor: Game Stats.
-
Added five screenshots from the TIE Fighter game's tech room
to the subsection dealing with the TIE Defender
in the TIE Fighters page.
-
Added comments about the practicalities and tactical implications
of the placement of weapons on various
TIE Fighter designs;
as suggested by M.Kozik.
1998-10-22
- Added a paragraph to Endor Holocaust
considering the possiblity of gravitational self-collapse of the
Death Star II.
- Added a brief remark about the possiblity that the
Tarkin
was based on ion cannon technology rather than superlaser;
as pointed out be D.Baughman.
- Noted the new designation of the linear array on
KDY warship towers,
found in Behind the Magic
and STAR WARS Incredible Cross-Sections,
as pointed out by D.Winclechter.
1998-10-19
- Added a reference to Slave Ship,
offered by E.Platten.
- Added a partial table of reference notes about
The Mandalorian Armour.
- Modified the notes about star destroyer
weaponry
to take account of the distinctive details of the ISD-I subclass
as shown in STAR WARS incredible Cross-Sections.
- Added sections to Death Stars
dealing with the implications of
the main reactor scaling shown
in STAR WARS Incredible Cross-Sections,
as pointed out by M.Marincic.
- Added reference to XWWS p.162,
suggested by A.Marra.
1998-10-10
- Answered a novel reference question regarding
XWWS p.95,
by J.Goodenbery.
1998-10-09
- Added some initial thoughts about the physical nature of Naboo,
as described in Behind the Magic,
in Astrophysical Concerns.
This discussion deliberately ignores prevalent prequel gossip
and is purely based on official public information;
therefore it does not contain any spoiler material.
- Embellished novel reference notes
XWWS 348-349,
according to information from B.Carletti.
1998-10-06
1998-10-05
- Added screenshots from Behind the Magic to
Home One
and Liberty
subsections of Warships of the Mon Calamari;
courtesy of B.Young.
- Added "speed" chart screenshot from Behind the Magic
to Standard Units,
courtesy of M.Wong.
- Noted statements about the Executor length
from Behind the Magic,
in History of the Five-Mile Fallacy,
thanks to M.Wong and D.Bonilla.
- M.Wong contributed DFR 375
to the novel reference notes.
- Qualified some comments on XWTKT 233
according to suggestions by S.Green.
1998-09-24
- Added a few new thoughts about the location of missile tubes to
Star Destroyers;
and possible minor drawbacks of the weapons-upgraded interceptors in
TIE Fighters.
1998-09-20
1998-09-17
- Added a couple of pictures of the reduced-radiator TIEs to
TIE Fighters.
1998-09-16
- We have temporary problems with the server which handles the icons
for the site.
The text and illustrations should be unaffected.
- Server problems are fixed.
1998-09-13
- Added a new subsection to
the Astrophysical Concerns page
in response to queries about interstellar evacuations and supernovae,
by M.Horne.
- Noted the observation by G.Comstock
that a spiral galaxy viewed at a distance to match the scene
at the end of The Empire Strikes Back
should be much dimmer.
- Added many more novel references for
The Empire Strikes back
from W.Poe.
- Finished transcribing my reading notes from
Rebel Dawn.
Other newer novels will follow.
- Added mention of the viewscreen in the Devastator bridge
storyboard, pointed out by R.Brown,
to the Towers page.
- Modified the wording of the section about the
multi-bridge tower
to recognise the possiblity that it belongs to the otherwise-unseen
"communications ship
in Return of the Jedi,
as suggested by A.Tully.
- Added mention of the reduced radiators on the wings of
TIE Fighters on Cilpar,
first noticed by C.Maier.
1998-09-11
- Progress is slow because of the demands of my real-life work.
However I'm experimenting with minor changes of page format.
1998-09-07
- The server containing this site's graphics icons
is going down in less than five minutes,
but it should be up again within a day.
Access to the pages and the illustrations will continue;
only the icons will be affected.
- The server is back.
1998-08-22
1998-08-21
- Considated the organisation of many of the illustrations
in their directory structure.
If all went well, there should be no obvious side-effects.
- W.Gould suggests that the
communications ship
in the Battle of Endor might be identifiable in views from
the Emperor's throne room.
B.Young sent an imageto help test this contention.
1998-08-16
- Added mention of the Quarren in
official Episode I publicity photos,
in Continuity, Canon & Apocrypha.
Suggested by C.Maier.
- Added more references for
Rebel Dawn;
references for the newer novels will probably follow in a week or so.
1998-08-15
- Added to the TIE Fighters page
a response to a suggestion about a possible tactical advantage of bent wings,
from C.Hart.
1998-08-13
- Added a paragraph about the known properties of the cockpit window
to TIE Fighters.
1998-08-09
- Added a section discussing the "communications ship"
at the Battle of Endor,
in Warships of the Empire: Catalogue;
also noted a possible visual identification of this vessel.
1998-08-06
- I am very busy writing my thesis,
and the amount of time I can spare for this site
and for answering e-mail is diminishing atrociously.
In recognition of this circumstance,
I have formulated a tougher policy for economising
my time spent replying to correspondence.
A summary has been added to section 1.5
of the site FAQ.
-
This site will continue to exist for at least the remainder of 1998.
Updates are becoming infrequent, due to my workload in "real life".
A dozen priority topics for new pages have been selected;
several of these new pages have been on the verge of completion for a while.
Some of them may be online before the end of the year,
but I make no promises.
-
Novel reference notes for several recent books
have been compiled and are being typed into appropriate pages.
This is more time-consuming than working on other pages,
so it won't be finished immediately.
1998-07-29
1998-07-25
- Rearranged some of the Imperial Insignia
pages, in preparation for the introduction of some more concise newer versions.
1998-07-24
1998-07-22
- Added mention of the indecipherable insignia from
Return of the Jedi in
Rebel Alliance Insignia.
- Considered the possibility that the two main characters of the
Droids comics and cartoons
are similar but not exactly the same individuals
as the R2-D2 and C-3PO who feature in the STAR WARS movies;
in Continuity, Canon & Apocrypha,
suggested by D.Campbell.
1998-07-19
1998-07-16
1998-07-14
- Added screenshots of Calamarian cruiser and destroyer schematics from
TIE Fighter computer game.
1998-07-03
1998-07-02
- Improved the lower limit on propulsive energy available to
TIE craft,
using Bespin's escape velocity,
at the suggestion of B.Young.
1998-06-29
1998-06-26
- Added and refuted another original but improbable
theory of TIE wing function, courtesy of M.Marincola,
to the TIE Fighters page.
- Updated
Imperial Insignia: Enlisted Personnel
with suggestions from K.Dole and M.Horne;
also added several more image links for illustration.
1998-06-25
1998-06-20
- Transcribed more of my reading notes for
Rebel Dawn.
More will follow.
1998-06-19
1998-06-17
1998-06-15
- Added to the notes on the Gree hypergates,
with observations from A.Forge,
in the Hyperspace page.
1998-06-13
- Replaced the old Imperial rank badge graphic elements with newer,
clearer versions donated by E.Platten.
See Imperial Insignia.
1998-06-11
- Noted the existence of the ewok colony on Svivren,
thanks to K.Dole,
in Endor Holocaust.
1998-06-10
- Added an introduction section to the
Endor Holocaust page.
Calculated the velocities of Death Star II debris
in the debris section.
Further new information about the distribution of debris will be added later.
1998-06-07
- Added comments about possible hyperwave function for the linear array,
in Bridge Towers.
- Added silhouette of the flat-winged, triple-hulled TIE transport
to the catalogue diagram in TIE Fighters.
- Also added approximate measurements of length and radiator area statistics
for the TIE Sentinel
and V38.
1998-06-06
- Added more remarks about the effects of wake rotation
in Hyperspace,
based on observations by W.Poe.
1998-06-05
- Added comments on the interconversion of ILM, LucasArts and WEG
units for starship propulsion,
in sections of Standard Units
and TIE Fighters.
- Notice to all of the people who have sent lengthy and interesting
comments regarding various pages recently:
I am not ignoring you.
The problem is that I have a backlog of hundreds of unanswered e-mail messages.
I hope that the problem will be under control in a week or so;
meanwhile I am systematically working through my inbox.
1998-06-03
- Added results of a calculation of
an upper limit on the energy of the Alderaan blast,
in the Death Stars page.
- Added mention of stasis fields [from Rebel Dawn] to the
Hyperspace page,
explaining their significance as the solution to practical hyperspace travel.
Described in the Hyperspace: Glossary
also.
- Corrected most of the spelling errors in the
TIE Fighters page.
1998-06-01
- Added an image of the officer named Cass to
Imperial Insignia,
courtesy of F.Gerratana.
- Added a clickable imagemap to the
TIE Fighters
page.
A silhouette of the flat-winged TIE transport ship will be added
at a later stage.
1998-05-31
- Added a description of a newly discovered class of heavy destroyer
in Return of the Jedi,
described for the first time in
Warships of the Empire.
Screenshots will follow later.
- Added scan of an image of a MC80a, the Naritus to
Warships of the Mon Calamari.
- Added a new page: TIE Fighters.
The text is mostly finished.
Some of the illustrations are yet to be completed,
but I promised myself that I'd present this page before the end of the weekend.
(In particular, the silhouettes will eventually be arranged more neatly,
more will be added, and the main diagram will become a clickable imagemap.)
1998-05-26
1998-05-24
- E.Platten suggested a method for justifying the text of these pages;
it will be progressively implemented.
- Section 2.6 is added to the site FAQ.
1998-05-19
- Added several more remarks about video standards to section
2.5 of the site FAQ.
1998-05-18
- Reorganised parts of the image collections and their directories,
in preparation for the needs of an upcoming page.
If the process was successful,
readers will not yet notice any differences in the pages.
1998-05-17
- Added a paragraph commenting about the independence of fire rates of
different weapons emplacements,
suggested by B.Young,
on the Star Destroyers page.
- Added observation of the density of brim trench guns
on the Executor
to the Super Star Destroyers page.
1998-05-16
- Updated the calculation of Home One's length in
Warships of the Mon Calamari,
using measurements of the original ILM model,
kindly provided by Dr David West Reynolds.
1998-05-09
1998-05-08
1998-05-03
- Added a section 1.4.1 to the site FAQ.
- Added a scan of the new SWCCG rancor card
to the Zoology page.
- Reorganised the structure of directories containing scans of cards.
If the process was successful, there should be no visible changes
in the pages.
1998-04-29
1998-04-22
- Replaced the old image-link icon in
Injuries of Darth Vader
with one that is better suited to the topic.
The discarded icon was derived from an emblem in a comic series.
That symbol once seemed to signify the status of Dark Lord of the Sith
but it now seems to have been a personal mark of only one of
Anakin Skywalker's predecessors.
1998-04-21
- Added a few more general remarks about star destroyer names to the
Star Destroyers page.
1998-04-20
1998-04-19
1998-04-18
- Added an equisite scan of the box art from Balance of Power
to the Super Star Destroyers page,
courtesy of R.Brown.
1998-04-17
- There are problems with one of the servers used for
the site's illustrations.
It should be fixed within a few hours.
- Updated much of the text of the original page of this site,
Super Star Destroyers,
including results from direct measurements of the Executor model
provided by David West Reynolds.
1998-04-14
- Added six points of elaboration to part 5.2.3
of the site FAQ, on the suggestion of W.Poe.
1998-04-12
1998-04-10
- Provisionally added Reckoning to the ship list on
the Star Destroyers page.
1998-04-08
- Added a paragraph outlining a lower limit to the range of
star destroyer weapons, in
Star Destroyers.
- Revised and added an alternative partial interpretation of coloured
shoulder pauldrons to
Stormtrooper Insignia,
according to suggestions from M.Clayson.
1998-04-07
1998-04-06
- Added a FAQ about the web site,
which summarises some of the most frequently misunderstood basics
and conclusions of the site.
1998-04-02
- Added a scan of an ILM starfighter propulsion comparison chart
to Standard Units.
- Calculated a lower limit to the realistic value of the acceleration
unit MGLT, as proposed by R.Brown;
in Standard Units.
1998-03-26
- For the record, I note that The "cameraman" aboard
the Executor always really was Dengar in the original version
of The Empire Strikes Back.
1998-03-22
-
Added a section speculating on the Death Star's possible
magnetosphere.
-
Noted the names of two ships from Crimson Empire #4
in Star Destroyers
-
Added novel references for
Tales from the Empire,
suggested by B.Carletti.
-
Added approximately half of my novel references for
Rebel Agent.
More will follow.
1998-03-20
- Added another image of the bridge forum
and concluded the status of the control pods
in Warships of the Mon Calamari.
- Retracted my false identification of a cameraman on the Executor
during the bounty hunter scene,
thanks to a sharp-eyed Dengar expert named
Gabor Csuka.
Graphic confirmation comes from regular contributor Brian Young.
The foreground object is Dengar's backpack
(which is missing from the new Kenner action figure).
Refer to his images:
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
I have not yet confirmed that Dengar was there in the original edition
of the film;
he might have been superimposed over a cameraman
for the Special Edition.
1998-03-18
- Added several more images of unfilmed and anonymous
Warships of the Mon Calamari,
inlcuding one vessel which is explictly scaled at one mile long.
The subsection about the anonymous unfilmed vessels has been expanded
to six distinct classes.
- Added image and commentary on the uniform used by TIE pilots for
atmospheric flight on hospitable worlds,
in Starfighter Forces.
- I now have scanner access again.
Completion of new pages and enhancement of existing pages will be mildly
accelerated.
1998-03-16
1998-03-15
- Completed and consolidated my notes for
X-Wing: Wraith Squadron,
combining them with those given by F.Gerratana and J.Ng.
- Added a sub-page dealing with the uniforms of the Galactic Empire's
Starfighter Forces.
It will be elaborated later.
1998-03-14
- Tabulated the majority of my notes for
X-Wing: Wraith Squadron.
The rest will be added tomorrow,
and then consolidated with contributions from other readers.
1998-03-13
- Renamed, rationalised and consolidated 191 of the image files
already used in the site.
If I made no errors, none of the pages will be visibly different.
1998-03-10
- Added some more speculation on the meaning of the unit acronyms in the
computer games, suggested by F.Cafferata.
In Standard Units.
1998-03-09
1998-03-05
- Added more XWWS novel references,
courtesy of J.Ng.
1998-03-04
- Added images of various regional 1000-credit coins to
Standard Units, courtesy of R.Brown.
- Added to discussion of the circumstances of the construction
of the first and second Death Stars.
1998-03-03
- Added a page of preliminary references to
X-Wing: Wraith Squadron,
incorporating the notes I've made so far
(reading the first third of the book);
and a second table from F.Gerratana.
both tables will be consolidated, and other submissions added,
after I have finished the book and am able to examine the notes without spoiling
the book for myself.
1998-03-02
- Added mention of the tauntaun in Jabba's palace, courtesy of J.Maier,
to the Zoology page.
1998-02-28
- Added extensive analysis of computer game units by M.Kalofolias,
in Standard Units.
- Organised the weaponry section of the
Star Destroyers page into subsections.
- A subsection dealing with missile weapons
has been added to the
Star Destroyers page.
- Estimated the capacity of the Star Destroyer
shields, based on measurments of the LucasArts simulations
by M.Kalofolias.
- Added brief descriptions of the Calamarian warship designs from
TIE Fighter:
Warships of the Mon Calamari,
courtesy of C.Tengroth.
- Minor refinements to the distinction between mass and weight in
Standard Units.
1998-02-27
- Added results from experimental measurement of the MGLT by C.Tengroth.
See Standard Units.
1998-02-26
- Refined commentary on naming of cruiser designs
Warships of the Mon Calamari,
due to debate from W.Obringer and M.Steiner.
- Added a minor qualification regarding the fitting of star destroyers
in the Death Star equatorial trench.
1998-02-23
- Added to Standard Units
a WAV soundfile of the Coruscant clock from
Return of the Jedi,
courtesy of B.Young.
1998-02-22
- Elaborated text in several sections of
Standard Units
and added several images courtesy of B.Young.
1998-02-21
- Reorganised the Novel References pages
so that each novel is treated on a separate page.
- Added reference notes for the first half of
Soldier for the Empire.
- Added a new minor page:
Standard Units.
This document summarises some of the standards of measurement use in the
STAR WARS galaxy.
Further sections and illustrations will be added to the page in due course.
1998-02-20
1998-02-17
- Added image of asteroid exploding on contact with Avenger's
shields;
Star Destroyers page,
courtesy of B.Young.
- Added summary of the implications of the Tyrant's
uncontrolled spin at Hoth,
in Star Destroyers.
Suggested by B.Young.
1998-02-16
- Added images of the star destroyer Avenger vaporising an asteroid,
courtesy of B.Young;
Star Destroyers page.
1998-02-13
- Added images of turbolaser bolts of various lengths to
Star Destroyers,
courtesy of B.Young.
1998-02-08
1998-01-31
- Added one clear picture of Mon Remonda to
Warships of the Mon Calamari.
- Scanner is kaput,
temporarily spoiling my plans for addition
of more illustrations to various pages.
1998-01-30
1998-01-29
- Added comments on tidal effects of
Death Stars,
suggested by A.Kayvee'n.
- Refined speculation about the individual meaning of blue, red and yellow
rank squares in
Imperial Officer Insignia.
1998-01-28
- Added pictures of the "Macan"-type interdictor/destroyer
from The Last Command to
Warships of the Empire.
The second image was donated by F.Gerratana.
1998-01-19
- Cleaned the organisation of the design
section of Warships of the Mon Calamari.
- Defined the term "capital ship"
and several other levels of distinction in
Warships of the Empire.
- Noted the existence of a star destroyer which had lost its shields
at the Battle of Endor, with intact scanner globes.
Courtesy of M.Wong; noted in
Bridge Towers.
- Elaborated the timescale reasoning regarding Base Delta Zero operations,
in Star Destroyers.
1998-01-18
- Added detailed assessment of Lord Vader's spinal injuries to
Injuries of Darth Vader,
courtesy of physiotherapist B.Young.
1998-01-16
1998-01-15
-
I have returned to campus and will be regularly online again.
I'll be making a number of overdue updates in the next few days,
as I attempt to act on all myaccumulated e-mail advice.
-
Updated section on Vengeance,
with screenshots from Balance of Power,
in Super Star Destroyers: Five Mile Fallacy.
Information provided by J.Helper, E.Shadowhawk, and others.
-
Updated the list of Mon Calamari warship names,
using information from J.Erwin and F.Gerratana.
-
Updated weaponry section of
Star Destroyers.
-
Added some brief notes about effects of the Death Star explosion near
Yavin to
Endor Holocaust.
1998-01-06
- Noted existence of colour of rank cylinders in
Imperial Military Insignia,
thanks to V.Starre.
- Updated notes regarding [anonymous destroyer #4]
in Warships of the Empire.
- Still on vacation; InterNet access very patchy.
Will do more work when I return to campus in a week.
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Original content is © copyright Curtis Saxton 1999.
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