It's Amazing The Useless Things People Get Worked Up Over on Usenet...

C'Pi wrote:
> Josh Nolan wrote:
>
>>C'Pi wrote:
>>
>>>Josh Nolan wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>C'Pi wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>Unless, as above, it took Farmboy out, in which case it would have
>>>>>>been senseless.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Remember, Wedge and Biggs were staying far enough in back of
>>>>>Farmboy in order to cover him. There was no chance an exploding
>>>>>Tie could have taken him out. If that was the case then Han was
>>>>>putting him in danger when he destroyed the Ties.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Yet, because Wedge's stabiliser made him a threat to the others in
>>>>the trench, then it would appear there was a definite chance the
>>>>debris from exploding fighters could hit Farmboy. Maybe Han *was*
>>>>putting Luke in danger when he vaped 'em, but not nearly as much
>>>>danger as if he sat back and let them shoot.
>>>
>>>
>>>You're making all this up. Wedge's complaint was that he could no
>>>longer keep up with Luke, not that he couldn't control his ship.
>>>
>>
>>His stabiliser was hit, yes? Now what do you suppose stabilisers do?
>
>
> Who says his stabilizers were hit? Not the movie. Not the novelization.
>
> Wedge: "I'm hit! I can't stay with you." Nothing about stabilizers.
>
It's a bit clearer in the X-Wing books when Wedge is having a guilt
attack about having to leave the trench. If you don't accept the X-Wing
books, then what are you doing here?

> Unless you are confusing Wedge with Farmboy who complained to R2 about a
> stabilizer that had broken loose.

Possible, though if I had the books in front of me I could track down
the quote.
>
>
>>>>Besides, the lead TIE was shielded, right? So if Wedge had rammed
>>>>his unshielded butt into Vader, it might have hurt the fighter but
>>>>wouldn't have destroyed it, thus being suicide, not a sacrifice.
>>>
>>>
>>>Nonsense. You think shields would have protected Vader's Tie from a
>>>X-Wing hurtling into his ship?
>>>
>>
>>Well spotted, given that that's what shields do. Would Vader's TIE
>>have made it out without damage? Hell, no. Would it have made it
>>out? Hell, yes.
>
>
> Shields are designed to deflect or absorb laser energy, not huge pieces of
> metal hurtling at thousands of miles per hour. Or is it your hypothesis
> that a ship crashing into the Death Star with shields on would bounce off?
>
Here's a tip. Read what people actually write, not what you would like
them to write. I'm sick of repeating myself. And no, shields are not
purely against laser energy. The DS's exhaust port had ray shielding
only, hence the necessity to use torpedoes, but starfighters have more
rounded protection.

>
>>Anything else?
>
>
> Could you start making sense and dealing with reality?
>
On a Star Wars newsgroup? Debating shields and spaceships that zoom and
swoosh like aircraft? What leve of 'reality' are you talking here?

And I make a lot more sense when you actually read what I say.

Josh.