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.
1999-12-20
- Added remarks about the disproportions and missing features
on the old RPG drawing of an star destroyer,
as observed by S.Haughton.
1999-12-16
1999-12-11
- Added several more Darksaber
novel references, suggested by L.Vang.
1999-12-08
- Added the "bleeding" theory about Ackbar's runny nose,
in Mon Calamari.
- Added further explanations for the lack of shield protection
during the TIE Interceptor collision into a cavity of a
Mon Calamari Warship
in ROTJ.
- Added observations about the articulation of the AT-AT foot,
in Military Walkers,
thanks to F.Bonura.
Images by R.Brown also added.
- Appended the published diameter of the Hoth shield,
in Planets,
after suggestion by L.Vang.
- Qualified the comments about
TESB p.108,
after suggestions by D.Forbes.
1999-11-24
- Added speculation about Neimoidian facial features
and possible gender of Tey How,
in the Trade Federation commentary,
after suggestion by C.Rowley.
1999-11-23
- Added more thoughts about the probable presence of vowels
and the phonetic nature of written Basic,
in Text & Graphics.
- Refined and qualified the discussion of the "reptilian"
character of tauntauns, in Zoology,
after suggestions by M.Brazeau.
- Added a section about the prospects for
rationalisation
of ship lengths in the literature,
in "Super Star Destroyers".
1999-11-12
- I'm buried in e-mail again; I'll try to catch up with it this weekend.
This week I've been distracted and exhausted by my voluntary activities
in connection with a certain national referendum, and the amazing afterglow.
- Added previews of Martyn Griffiths' carefully proportioned,
photogrammetry-based Executor blueprints
to the "Super Star Destroyer" page.
1999-11-03
- Added further remarks and qualifications about the memories of the droids
between prequel and classic trilogies,
in The Phantom Menace: Continuity,
after suggestions by J.McFadden, B.Sheriff and P.Gustine.
- Received a generous gift of a Zipshot video digitiser from
B.Young.
Many of this web site's older images captured from videotape
will be progressively replaced
by higher-quality, newer versions.
- Added images of the large, apparently bipedal
walker from the Droids cartoon.
1999-11-01
- Added remarks about the (non-)relationship between the Avenger
and the main communications ship in Return of the Jedi,
in Warships of the Empire: Catalogue,
after observations by T.Bradshaw.
- The rate of updates at this site will remain slow for the next few weeks.
I'm buried in e-mail and real-life obligations.
1999-10-26
1999-10-22
- Minor updates to the comments about
the controversial Vector Prime map,
after argument with D.Wallace,
in Astrophysical Concerns.
- Added names of several more Coruscant-like city-worlds,
from the Dark Empire Sorucebook,
in Astrophysical Concerns.
- Noted the published fighter and walker capacity of the Sovereign,
as prompted by J.Holm,
in Warships of the Empire: Catalogue.
- Added more suggestions about the nature of the disk-like satellite
around Alderaan, from M.Dawson,
in Planets.
1999-10-19
- Reshuffled some of the commentary about the structure of the galaxy
in Astrophysical Concerns,
to make room for future elaboration.
The new subsections are galaxy,
regions, and
sectors.
- Added scans of the Vector Prime map
(thanks to A.Gehrls)
and comments to reconcile it with established representations of the galaxy;
in Astrophysical Concerns.
NB. The book isn't in Australia yet and I haven't seen it in person;
I'll treat it in more detail when all the evidence is before me.
- Divided this site history page into separate pages by year.
- Added an explanation for the "/rc" lable of the TIE Vanguard,
due to M.Dawson, in TIE Fighters
1999-10-15
- Finished typing the last of my reference notes for
TMA;
I hope to transcribe more of my accumulated novel notes soon.
- Personal note: today I formally handed in my PhD thesis for examination.
Once I've improved my employment situation,
I might be able to afford more time to catch up with hobbies
(perhaps including some more substantial pages for this site).
I hope that there will be no interruption to my InterNet access
in the interim.
1999-10-05
- Briefly elaborated the introduction to my page about
The Phantom Menace Continuity,
to clarify the motivation of the page,
and the attitude I take when writing those particular commentaries.
- Added chapter dividers and most of my remaining reference notes for
The Mandalorian Armour.
- Added more observations about the distribution of cliffs near Theed,
in the Naboo sub-page of
The Phantom Menace Topics.
- Added links to two marked illustrations showing
locations of several ground-level scenes in aerial views of Theed,
within the commentary text
in the Naboo sub-page of
The Phantom Menace Topics.
- Added quotations from M.Clayson concerning the discovery of
the real-world constituents of rebel and Imperial rank plaques,
in Rebel Alliance Insignia.
Also added his description of the Imperial
code cylinder props.
1999-10-02
- Added some extra alternative theories about the role of the AT-AT,
attempting to rationalise the low (published) troop complement of 40,
after suggestions by K.Dole,
in Military Walkers.
1999-09-29
- Added an appendix page with a few miscellaneous ship measurements,
Warships of the Empire: Dimensional Data.
The page is intended as a rough notebook of ship measurements
behind the commentaries.
Data concerning other ships will be added progressively.
1999-09-26
- Added several more images of the
Executor's
brim trench windows, from B.Young.
- Added approximate measurments of some of the widths of the AT-AT to
Military Walkers.
1999-09-23
- Added a few more references to the novel notes for
Return of the Jedi
(with page numbering from the Illustrated Edition),
and marked the chapter boundaries
in order to make referencing easier for users of other editions of the book.
1999-09-20
- Distinguished the two versions of Luke Skywalkers
comlink-button badges in
Rebel Alliance Insignia,
upon advice by A.Petty Jr.
1999-09-18
- Added new screenshots by B.Young and a count estimate for
the number of heavy gun turrets on the dorsal hull of the
Executor.
- Added comments about the star hauler by M.Horne,
to Warships of the Empire: Catalogue.
1999-09-14
- Added a theory linking AT-ST presence and stormtrooper performance
at the Battle of Endor,
in Military Walkers,
suggested by L.Vang.
- Added a few more novel reference notes concerning
The Mandalorian Armour.
1999-09-10
1999-09-09
1999-09-05
- Added a scan of the toy version of the extended-hull
TIE Fighter.
- Added image of the Hoth shoulder patch of a rebel who appears to be
Major Derlin, in Rebel Alliance Insignia.
- Acknowledged a possible second example of
[anonymous cruiser #1]
in Dark Empire, as point out by F.Gerratana.
- Added a couple of novel references from R.Dalton,
regarding DA
and COTF.
1999-08-29
1999-08-26
- Minor updates to several sections and subsections of
The Phantom Menace Topics.
More is to come, after I manage to control the glut of my e-mail inbox.
1999-08-22
1999-08-18
1999-08-17
1999-08-14
1999-08-12
- Added screenshots from Balance of Power
depicting an interdictor,
in Warships of the Empire: Catalogue,
thanks to E.Platten.
- Completed some reorganisation of image file directories,
which should not be noticeable if I made no mistakes.
1999-08-03
1999-08-02
- Added more reference notes for
The Courtship of Princess Leia:
pp. 51-52, 196, 198, 201, 203, 206, 207, 214, 220, 251-252 and 310
in the hardcover edition.
- Updated the TPM: Technology page
with an aside that contrasts personal shields
in The Phantom Menace with the example described in
The Courtship of Princess Leia.
- Progress is slow lately due to technical problems with my home ISP,
which is slowing my editing of the files in the offline local version
of my pages.
1999-07-20
1999-07-19
- Minor updates have been made to
The Phantom Menace Topics,
including subdivision into topic sub-pages
and the adoption of a blue colour scheme
(which is a temporary indicator of pages with prequel spoiler content).
Further updates will occur in the near future.
- Added a subsection dealing with the insignia of
X-Wing: Alliance,
in Rebel Alliance Insignia,
as described by J.Smith.
1999-07-15
- Added more remarks to the discussion of shields in
The Phantom Menace Topics,
after input from C.Jensen.
- Also added qualifications and remarks about
the visitation in Truce at Bakura
and the Jedi scanners in Jedi Search,
after advice from A.Feldman,
in subsections of
The Phantom Menace Topics.
-
Added to Injuries of Darth Vader
some ideas regarding the interpretation of Mara Jade's,
the cosmetic normality of Vader's face,
and the attraction of lighting to his artificial vertebrae,
from C.Barnaby.
1999-07-14
1999-07-12
1999-07-06
- Added notes about some high-ranking army officers
seen in Mysteries of the Sith,
as reported by J.Smith,
in Rebel Alliance Insignia.
1999-07-05
1999-06-27
- Made several updates to sections of
The Phantom Menace Topics,
including the addition of an initial discussion of the geography of Theed.
1999-06-24
1999-06-23
- Added remarks about the presence of an earlier ship named Defiance
in Warships of the Mon Calamari,
after independent observations by R.Steffens and F.Wu.
- Acknowledged the possibility of variant destroyer droids
(with respect to their defences) as suggested by B.Carletti,
in
The Phantom Menace Topics.
1999-06-22
1999-06-18
1999-06-17
- Added a few remarks about the importance of
the known cloning of Jedi and Sith
in the novels and comics,
as suggested by R.Thorn and C.Nichols,
in the "midi-chlorians" subsection of
The Phantom Menace Topics.
There will be more updates as as my schedule permits.
1999-06-14
- Added a new transitional page,
The Phantom Menace Topics,
to give brief response to an assortment of technical issues
raised by the new episode.
This page contains SPOILER information.
1999-06-12
- Revised the comments about Vader's vision,
in Injuries of Darth Vader,
considering the fact that his eyes are sometimes visible
in A New Hope,
as pointed out by J.Wildrick-Cole.
1999-06-11
- Added a scan of the wupiupi coins of Tatooine
to Standard Units,
as seen in The Phantom Menace: Visual Dictionary.
1999-06-09
- Belatedly added screenshots of the Executor tower flyby
and an attack on a star destroyer tower
[from Return of the Jedi]
to Bridge Towers
and Super Star Destroyers,
courtesy of D.Black.
1999-06-08
- Reorganised some sections of
Super Star Destroyers;
added a small section about the bridges;
and added images from a
Cronkite show
depicting the Executor,
as kindly sent by A.Tully.
1999-06-03
1999-06-02
- Added clarifying remarks about the roles and ranks of the higher
Imperial officers, and the relationships between the Moffs and the services,
in Imperial Insignia: Officers,
after discussion with J.Temporado.
- Added novel reference notes for
The Rising Force.
1999-05-28
- Added a new theory on the meaning of MGLT from D.Baughman,
and elaborated with necessary qualifications,
in Standard Units.
1999-05-27
- Added images of several Mon Calamari warships
from X-Wing: Alliance,
especially the MC40a,
thanks to S.Pierce.
- Rearranged and updated the discussion of
the Home One bridge location
in Warships of the Mon Calamari
after suggestions by C.Boggs.
1999-05-25
- Progress on the online pages has slowed
over the past few weeks,
as I attend to pressing "real life" duties
and as I prepare to face
The Phantom Menace
(due for Australian release on 3 June).
- Added a measurement of the Executor
main hull thickness,
according to W.Poe and M.Griffiths.
1999-05-05
- Added to Endor Holocaust
a diagram to graphically illustrate the relative positions and sizes of
the Endor sanctuary moon and Death Star II.
1999-05-04
- Moved the commentary about Naboo from
Astrophysical Concerns
to Planets.
Also added several new images and remarks about erosion on Naboo.
- Added a new image of a Galactic Senate saucer to
Astrophysical Concerns.
- Added a new image of Tatooine and a moon to
Planets.
- Added a QuickTime animation of the motion of
star destroyers
represented on an Imperial computer screen,
courtesy of B.Young.
1999-05-03
- Ammended and qualified the description of Vengeance
in Balance of Power after advice by R.Cullinan;
in Super Star Destroyers.S
- Added more comments to reference notes for
The Paradise Snare p.250,
after advice from J.Bockes.
- Added a scan of the Galactic Senate hall seen in
The Sith War to
Astrophysical Concerns.
- Added a scan of a photograph of the Sith Infiltrator
to TIE Fighters.
1999-04-30
- Updated the remarks about the Galactic Senate in
Astrophysical Concerns,
according to new information on the STAR WARS Official Site.
1999-04-26
- Added a few novel references to
Isard's Revenge
from W.Poe and M.Wong.
I have not yet seen the book here in Australia;
more extensive comments will have to wait.
- Added a final paragraph to the limbs
section of Injuries of Darth Vader
recognising the Lucas' revelation about the condition of Vader's legs and arms
in a TIME interview.
- Added more reference notes for
The Mandalorian Armour.
1999-04-02
1999-04-01
1999-03-30
- Updated the discussion of Darth Maul's vessel as glimpsed in the trailer,
with revised and qualified commentary on the wings
and possible radiators.
In TIE Fighters.
- Added descriptions of previously unseen
TIE fighers from
X-Wing: Alliance, as described by C.Maier.
- Revised the comments about
walker crew uniforms,
according to RPG book information sent by M.Flegal.
- Updated the Star Destroyer
ship listing according to advice from J.Boivin and A.Hsiao.
- Added remarks about the effect of destroying scanner globes
on Victory-class star destroyers in TIE Fighter,
as observed by A.Hsiao,
in Bridge Towers.
1999-03-21
- Updated discussion of the windows of
Military Walkers.
- Added another theory about the Imperial walker crew uniforms,
based on suggestions by K.Dole,
to Military Walkers.
- Expanded the discussion of the Galactic Senate
in Astrophysical Concerns
after suggestions by and discussion with M.Horne.
1999-03-20
- Added some observations about Darth Maul's vessel
(as seen in The Phantom Menace trailer)
to TIE Fighters,
although it is not yet proven to have any relationship with true TIEs.
- Updated Astrophysical Concerns
regarding the composition and population of the galaxy,
using information pointed out by K.Casto.
1999-03-16
- Added an image of Amanaman reclining,
from J.Wolfe.
- Added closeup photo of Bubo
to Zoology, kindly sent by J.Wolfe.
1999-03-15
1999-03-13
- Added comment on the scale of the Galactic Senate chamber
seen in The Phantom Menace trailer,
in Astrophysical Concerns.
1999-03-12
- Added Coruscant sunset scene
from The Phantom Menace trailer,
and performed initial calculations of the size of the sun and one moon,
in the Planets page.
- Added global view of Tatooine from the trailer
to Planets.
- Added another orbital view of Naboo, from the trailer,
to Astrophysical Concerns.
- Added a few trailer images to
Star Destroyers
as a demonstration of the power of planetary bombardment,
although not carried out by Imperial ships.
1999-03-10
- Added a new page: Planets.
This is the first result from my recent attempts to close the open ends
on a number of commentaries that have been offline but nearly complete
since 1996 or earlier.
Unfortunately I don't have much spare time for entirely new topics,
but I'm trying to harvest my earlier unseen works.
The planets page involves some hard science and realistic statistics,
and I make no apology for that.
Several previous sources have catalogued the planets of STAR WARS
as places and biospheres,
but without giving them much attention as measurable physical objects.
My page seeks to address that omission.
1999-03-09
- Added references to
The Mandalorian Armour
[pp.52,293-294]
due to M.Wong.
- Other updates are going to be scarce while I attempt to keep up with my
e-mail influx and obligations of "real life."
1999-03-06
1999-02-28
- Added an image of a relief aboard Jabba's space yacht,
from Dark Forces,
as sent by J.Shepard;
in Jabba's Decorations.
- Added a Rogue Squadron screenshot to
TIE Fighters,
suggesting that the TIE Interceptor existed three months
after the Battle of Yavin.
Picture kindly sent by S.Pierce.
1999-02-26
- S.Hayford identified the second
animal head in Jabba's palace
as a Jerba.
- Added scans of several TIE models and variants
from STAR WARS Adventure Journal #10.
- Added another scan of a picture of Devastator's docking bay to
Star Destroyers.
1999-02-24
- R.Bowman has discovered the definitive, canonical answer to the problem
of "sound in space",
as reported in Astrophysical Concerns.
1999-02-22
- Added images of Mon Calamari from
Behind the Magic, and information sent by J.Smith.
- Extended the discussion of the possible cranial gills of
Mon Calamari,
after advice from S.Petersen.
- Added further discussion of the Amanaman
homeworld, on advice from S.Petersen.
- Remarked on the possible docking bay of the Sovereign in
Warships of the Empire: Catalogue,
due to observations by M.Santoro.
1999-02-20
1999-02-18
- Added a picture from Behind the Magic to
Amanaman, kindly provided by J.Smith.
- Updated the discussion of the
Mon Calamari head,
considering SW Galaxy #98 card sent by C.Maier.
1999-02-16
- Added a few remarks about the medium transports at Endor
to Endor Holocaust,
in reply to suggestions by S.Pierce.
1999-02-12
- Added an image of Shenir Rix to
Mon Calamari,
thanks to S.Pierce.
- C.Miller Jr. sent a decisive extract from Bantha Tracks
proving that the Mon Calamari
homeworld is named Dac.
1999-02-10
- Added a few remarks about the absence of duty/specialisation decorations
on the uniforms of Imperial
Enlisted Personnel.
- Added mention of a brown Mon Calamarian
according to S.Pierce.
- Added a theory about the wingtip cannons of the TIE Sentinel,
from S.Pierce, to TIE Fighters
- Added another paragraph to
Star Destroyers
considering the predicament of planetary landings, launches and strandings.
1999-02-09
- Added a picture of the TIE Defender
from the game Rebellion, kindly sent by S.Pierce.
1999-02-07
1999-02-06
1999-02-05
1999-02-03
- Added mention of the Behind the Magic inconsistency
concerning the Executor's size,
and a few words about the flight of the Millennium Falcon
through the command ship's hangars
(reference suggested by A.Tully).
- Added
The Courtship of Princess Leia
novel reference,
p.55 (paperback edition), from L.Andrade.
- Added several more novel reference items for
Slave Ship.
- Added remarks about that after-effects of Force lighting,
as shown in The Truce at Bakura,
as pointed out by A.Street,
in Injuries of Darth Vader.
1999-01-25
1999-01-21
- A fundamental development has come to light.
C.Miller sent a quotation from Bantha Tracks #6
confirming a 102 mile (165km) diameter for the first
Death Star.
R.Brown verified the quotation and its context.
- Added five new images of the TIE Defender, from various angles,
to the TIE Fighters page,
thanks to S.Pierce.
1999-01-18
1999-01-17
- Considering the popularity of my recent comments clarifying
the physical nature of the Unknown Regions,
in Astrophysical Concerns,
I have elaborated and expanded them
to deal with more specifics in references to the existing literature.
- Added a screenshot of LucasArts' official map of the galaxy
in Astrophysical Concerns,
thanks to R.Brown.
- Added a few speculations about the
Mon Calamari
brain, prompted by W.Gould.S
- Minor updates to the Star Destroyers
ship listing, suggested by D.Baughman and J.Boivin.
1999-01-16
1999-01-15
1999-01-14
1999-01-10
1999-01-08
1999-01-07
- Added suggestion about the function of the TIE Fighter targeting
control knobs, from J.Horn, to TIE Fighters.
1999-01-01
- Added quotation from ANH Radio Drama,
sent by E.Platten.
1999-01-01
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Original content is © copyright Curtis Saxton 1999.
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