THE MILLENNIUM FALCON - Ship Of The Week #2 11/29/14

[Admiral2]

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…

SHIP OF​

THE WEEK​

Ship II:​

THE MILLENNIUM FALCON​

It is a time of great conflict in the galaxy, when the heroic REBEL ALLIANCE fights to break the tyrannical grip of the evil GALACTIC EMPIRE!


Into this conflict flies the MILLENNIUM FALCON, the venerable old but agile Corellian YT-1300 freighter. Built by the Corellian Engineering Corporation some sixty years before the Battle of Yavin, ownership of the vessel has passed through many hands, bringing on many name changes and extensive modifications.


Her current owner, the smuggler captain Han Solo, has made the most extensive modifcations of all, improving her armament, shielding and, most importantly, speed, making her the equal of the fastest fighter ships at sublight speeds and capable of going “point five past lightspeed” in interstellar flight.


Freighter, smuggler, rebel fighter...the Millennium Falcon has proved to be tough and versatile in a run or in a fight and has earned a place among the most iconic ships in galactic history.

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STAR WARS​

Star Wars is the groundbreaking, epic, sci-fi adventure series created by George Lucas. The Millennium Falcon first appeared in Episode IV: “A New Hope”, and along with the roguish Captain Han Solo and his Wookiee first mate Chewbacca, she became an instant fan favorite. Her next appearance will be in the upcoming Episode VII, after a long absence brought on by the creators’ focus on the prequel series.

“What a piece of junk!”​

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[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2CRs8PAhzg[/yt]​

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[scotpens]

I've just never found the Millennium Falcon to be a particularly original, inspired or esthetic design. It's basically a flying saucer with a lot of random greeblies stuck all over it. And those cargo-loading mandibles in front -- just how are they supposed to work?

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Is Rubbish or Awesome the positive option here? I thought being rubbish was part of its charm...

 

[Admiral2]

Is Rubbish or Awesome the positive option here? I thought being rubbish was part of its charm...

Awesome is the positive, so if you think its rubbishness is just there to hide its awesomeness, you vote Awesome!

Hope that cleared everything up.

I've just never found the Millennium Falcon to be a particularly original, inspired or esthetic design. It's basically a flying saucer with a lot of random greeblies stuck all over it.

Yup, Purdy much...

And those cargo-loading mandibles in front -- just how are they supposed to work?

I honestly don't know. Maybe they generate some massive anti-grav field for loading really big cargo. I voted awesome mainly for stuff the ship does that has nothing to do with cargo.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Mmmm, dat ass.

I'd hit that with a Falcon Punch.

 

[intrinsical]

I voted meh. Han Solo is awesome. His ship, not so much.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

millenium falcon is a pretty cool guy
eh dodges asteroids and doesnt afraid of anything

 

[Ithekro]

"Fastest hunk of junk in the Galaxy".

~Lando Calrissian

 

[CorporalClegg]

Meh. Too old. Maybe 30 years ago.

 

[Push The Button]

I've just never found the Millennium Falcon to be a particularly original, inspired or esthetic design. It's basically a flying saucer with a lot of random greeblies stuck all over it. And those cargo-loading mandibles in front -- just how are they supposed to work?

Unlike the Enterprise, which was designed as a best guess of what an actual space faring vessel might look like someday, the ships in Star Wars had no such thought or care put into their designs.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

Awesome. But the franchise has far awesomer. Where's mah Nebulon-B?

Mark

 

[Admiral2]

Meh. Too old. Maybe 30 years ago.

I was waiting for someone to post this. Now we have a thread!

 

[Admiral2]

Unlike the Enterprise, which was designed as a best guess of what an actual space faring vessel might look like someday, the ships in Star Wars had no such thought or care put into their designs.

Not quite true on both counts.

The original Enterprise was designed by an aviation artist who based the concept mostly on what he knew about airplanes, not spacecraft. The Enterprise has more in common with an A-10 Warthog than anybody's idea of a realistic future spaceship.

Meanwhile, Lucas and his production designers put a lot of thought and consideration into the ships and aircraft that are depicted in SW. They simply didn't approach it from the perspective of people from Earth and what we know about space travel. The people of the Far-Away Galaxy have had interstellar travel and other technologies we've only dreamed of for thousands of years. It's only natural that their ship designs wouldn't conform to what we think of as sensible.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Unlike the Enterprise, which was designed as a best guess of what an actual space faring vessel might look like someday, the ships in Star Wars had no such thought or care put into their designs.

Yeah, they were designed by that clown Ralph McQuarrie. What does he know about proper spaceship design? I hope that slacker never worked on Star Trek or mentored any of the Trek designers and poisoned them with his carelessness.

 

[Admiral2]

Unlike the Enterprise, which was designed as a best guess of what an actual space faring vessel might look like someday, the ships in Star Wars had no such thought or care put into their designs.

Yeah, they were designed by that clown Ralph McQuarrie. What does he know about proper spaceship design? I hope that slacker never worked on Star Trek or mentored any of the Trek designers and poisoned them with his carelessness.

Hah. Didn't know all that. Thanks, LoB.

 

[J.T.B.]

It's a little greebly for the sake of greebliness, but the ship has loads of personality. A real break from the long, thin 2001-Space 1999 spaceships of the early '70s, which Lucas intended. The off-center cockpit is totally distinctive and original. It wasn't thought out in terms of in-universe practicality, maybe, but that's in keeping with Star Wars's original sci-fantasy take. An all-time classic.

Yeah, they were designed by that clown Ralph McQuarrie.

The Falcon was Joe Johnston and John Stears, with concept direction by Lucas.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Yeah, they were designed by that clown Ralph McQuarrie.

The Falcon was Joe Johnston and John Stears, with concept direction by Lucas.

"...the ships in Star Wars had no such thought or care put into their designs."

He said "Star Wars ships," plural. I wasn't talking about the Falcon.

And MacQuarrie actually did design the first incarnation of the Falcon before it was decided to change it because it somewhat resembled the Eagle Transporter from Space: 1999. That design with further modifications went on to become the Rebel Blockade Runner, and other variants became Qui-Gon's Republic Cruiser from TPM and the Corellian Gunship from the EU.

 

[J.T.B.]

He said "Star Wars ships," plural. I wasn't talking about the Falcon.

Understood, but they weren't all "designed" by McQuarrie. Just giving credit where due.

And MacQuarrie actually did design the first incarnation of the Falcon before it was decided to change it because it somewhat resembled the Eagle Transporter from Space: 1999. That design with further modifications went on to become the Rebel Blockade Runner, and other variants became Qui-Gon's Republic Cruiser from TPM and the Corellian Gunship from the EU.

Colin Cantwell designed and built the first "pirate ship" models; Joe Johnston, with input from John Dykstra, sketched refinements that became the final design, and Grant McCune and Bill and Jamie Shourt built the model that would later be re-purposed into the blockade runner. McQuarrie painted based on their work, though I've no doubt he gave input of his own at various points. ETA: The republic cruiser was basically an adaptation of an earlier Johnston sketch.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Just giving credit where due.

Then perhaps instead of unnecessarily providing a rundown on everyone who worked in the Star Wars art department instead of the guy who worked in both Trek and Wars and mentored Andrew Probert that I was using as a relevant example to his post, your energies would be better spent correcting the issue I was replying to, namely the insinuation that the SW ship designers were thoughtless and careless?

 

[J.T.B.]

Then perhaps instead of unnecessarily providing a rundown on everyone who worked in the Star Wars art department instead of the guy who worked in both Trek and Wars and mentored Andrew Probert that I was using as a relevant example to his post, your energies would be better spent correcting the issue I was replying to, namely the insinuation that the SW ship designers were thoughtless and careless?

OK, you think it's unnecessary to give credit to the people who did the design work that was ascribed to someone else, I don't. Sorry that offended you.