Star Wars and the Han "parsec" comment

[4_Legs_Good]

Does anyone want to spend their time justifying the reason Han said in Star Wars...

"you've never heard of the Millennium Falc? It's the ship that made the Cessel Run in less than 12 parsecs"

Of course parsec is a measurement of distance not time. I'm sure Lucas didn't know this at the time, but I'm sure there's a way to justify it.

Any takers?

david

[Ready4Change]

1. Bugged me the first time I heard it. Here's my excuse.

A ship travels through hyperspace in a series of leaps, from one gravity well stress point to another.

But each jump takes time. If a ship has powerful drives it can leap across larger voids of space to gravity wells other ships can't reach.

So, if you were travelling from one side of a stellar rift to the other, being able to go directly across, rather than all the way around the edge, would be an advantage. You'd also wind up covering less distance.

I know, it's stretching for an excuse. But I loved that movie so much I just HAD to figure a justification.

[4_Legs_Good]

2. That's about the best I've been able to come with too

Great explanation!

I loved Star Wars too, of course, and will spend time justifying just about anything in the first trilogy. I spend more time, however, pointing out absurd inconsistencies in the so-called 2nd trilogy.

david

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

3. Well, I heard this, and it makes sense to me

The Kessel Run is plagued by black holes, which require you to respect them at a GREAT distance. That means you have to go way out of your way to avoid the gravity wells of said black holes.
The faster your hyperdrive, the closer you can get to the event horizon of a black hole and still escape the gravity well. Thus, you shave distance off your trip.
Since the Falcon goes "point five past lightspeed", it could skirt closer to the event horizon of the black holes along the Kessel Run, making the entire distance of the run under 12 parsecs.

<Removes Star Wars Geek Helmet™>

Wha? Did I just say something???

[4_Legs_Good]

4. That's F*cking fantastic!!!

I don't think there was actually even a term "event horizon" in 1978, but I could be wrong.

Fantastic explanation, though.

point five past light speed. That still cracks me up.

May Star Wars live forever.

david

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

6. I can't take credit for it. I heard it somewhere...

And that was recently, but the theory is sound. (As sound as theories can go in the Star Wars universe.)

I've been fascinated by black holes since I first heard of them.
Even went to that *shudder* movie put out by Disney: The Black Hole.
Oh boy. :scared: (Actually, the movie didn't bother me nearly HALF as much as the movie trailer for "When a Stranger Calls" which aired before the movie. THAT freaked me out.)

[parasim]

5. no doubt...

39.12 ly is pretty damn good for the Kessel Run...

[4_Legs_Good]

7. LMAO!!!!