Star Wars. what era are you playing in? Or who isn't playing in Legacy?

[jeffh]

My plans are for my next major campaign (under either lightly house-ruled Saga or a system of my own, standing in roughly the same relationship to Iron Heroes as d20 Modern does to D&D) to take place during the Great Sith Wars (2000 BBY - 1000 BBY) with the stipulation that nothing that isn't in the New Essential Chronology is necessarily canon. That means I need be bound only by the broad strokes of the various comics about that period, and that only for ones published before a certain date, and not their fine details. That gives a lot of freedom and an interesting, only lightly used era with just as many built-in conflicts as the movie or KotOR eras.

 

[Klaus]

And I'm revoking your Star Wars privilages.

You're too young to do that, Youngling.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

You're too young to do that, Youngling.

Age, like size, matters not.

...old man

 

[Nifft]

Technology, like space-crossing vessels, advances at "speed of plot".

That's a cute phrase back from B5 days, but it still begs the question: why is the speed of plot going backwards?

Why is there lost technology? Why are there secret ancient ruins that can do things we can't do today?

The "real" answer is that Star Wars is space fantasy, not science fiction, but IMHO that's an unsatisfying answer. I'd rather have an in-game justification for the setting.

Possible answers:

1/ "Slowness" encroaches -- there are regions of space where hyperdrives, droids and astrogation computers fail to function. Every 1,000 years or so, this Slowness envelops the whole galaxy and planets which were major trade-hubs fall into ruin (due to their dependence on droids or outside supplies of food or whatever). Look to some Vernor Vinge books for possible implications.

2/ "Tech Noir" -- sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Specifically, Dark magic. All advanced technology is dangerous, because of the risk that it will tap into the malevolent energies of the Dark Side. (This is why all droids are not force sensitive. Every sensitive droid immediately fell to the Dark Side and was destroyed in the factory. This is also why it is dangerous to build your own droid.) So people do research, but they are careful. Too many advances and your creations may turn against you -- or may influence your colleagues to turn against you -- or may turn you into an evil Dark Side scientist! Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha!! Darth Beaker!!! Look to the huge body of "technology is evil" works for inspiration.

... but I want more. What can y'all think of?

Cheers, -- N

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Well, if you're not breaking with canon, there aren't steps backwards or slowdowns in technology. Hyperdrive doesn't disappear, or get worse, etc. None of that happens. Yes, there are ancient empires and such that have fallen, but they're very, very far back in history. Well over 5,000 years before the movies, even.

What DOES happen is just that there aren't any major advancements...for whatever reason. Technology is just rather stagnant, but there are some developments.

Lightsabers are a good example. Early Jedi's lightsabers were more like frozen blasters, connected to a powerpack on the belt by a cable at all times. They were also weaker(as were blasters of the time), but eventually developed to the hilt-only style we're all used to seeing.

But the thing is, the advancement of technology isn't important to Star Wars, so its left vague like it is.

 

[Nifft]

Well, if you're not breaking with canon, there aren't steps backwards or slowdowns in technology. [...]
But the thing is, the advancement of technology isn't important to Star Wars, so its left vague like it is.

Ah well. I guess it's just one of those things I'll have to resign myself to being needlessly annoyed by. :\

Thanks anyway, -- N

 

[Remus Lupin]

It strikes me that the problem is that you're assuming the technological advances of the last 1,000 to 500 years in the west to be normative, but it need not be. Consider: During the same period, technology in China did not advance at nearly the rate it did in the West, and the same could be said for the Islamic world during the same period.

So, you could look at the rapid technological advancement in the West as ABNORMAL, and simply assume long, uninterrupted periods of technological stagnation are the norm, not the exception.

 

[M.L. Martin]

It should be remembered that the Star Wars Galaxy tends to get torn apart by massive, nearly-the-end-of-civilization wars every millenium or so. The New Sith Wars of 2000-1000 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin--i.e., Episode IV) did so much damage that the Republic itself nearly fell (or did fall by some reckonings), and the Old Sith Wars of c. 4000 BBY were probably nearly as destructive. And you've got pre-Republic civilizations such as the Rakata, the builders of the Corellian system, and others who are even older than that. Plenty of room for lost technology.

Oh, and Ankh-Mopork Guard, a word of advice I learned from Episode 7 of Clone Wars--in Star Wars, never piss off the old man.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

It should be remembered that the Star Wars Galaxy tends to get torn apart by massive, nearly-the-end-of-civilization wars every millenium or so. The New Sith Wars of 2000-1000 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin--i.e., Episode IV) did so much damage that the Republic itself nearly fell (or did fall by some reckonings), and the Old Sith Wars of c. 4000 BBY were probably nearly as destructive. And you've got pre-Republic civilizations such as the Rakata, the builders of the Corellian system, and others who are even older than that. Plenty of room for lost technology.

Thing is, even with the rise of the Sith starting around 5,000 BBY, the wars are violent and destructive, but things just aren't lost. In fact, those are the times where we see the advances in technology. Especially after the Great Sith War in 4,000 BBY, you get a massive jump in technology when the KotOR games pop up after, with stronger starships, weapons, and a galaxy that's been better explored.

Once the Republic gets estabolished, technology pretty much hits a point that maintains a status quo. There are always blasters, lightsabers, hyperdrives, starships, etc. Its just the degree of effectiveness of these things that increase over time.

Now the pre-Republic stuff definitely leaves some room open for ancient ruins, but sticking by canon, you pretty much only have Centerpoint Station left of those kind of pre-Republic things by the time of the Old Republic. Course, it would be easy to put something into the vast space that is the Unknown Regions or even the Deep Core.

To be truthful, I feel like the two KoTOR games killed a lot of the look of advancing technology. Before them, we had the original movies, a couple of the prequels showing a similar level of technology that was a bit less military focused, and then the old Tales of the Jedi comics set in the 4,000 BBY era. Everything in the comics looked different and older. Ships weren't steamlined, buildings were completely different, and just everything had a much more less-advanced feel.

But the KotOR games were set 50 years after that...and the technology there looked almost exactly like prequel era stuff. So we basically have a 50 year period after the Great Sith War and the KotOR games where there is that huge period of rapid technological development. Though it seems to be the only such time period like that in the history of the Republic.

Oh, and Ankh-Mopork Guard, a word of advice I learned from Episode 7 of Clone Wars--in Star Wars, never piss off the old man.

Took you watching Clone Wars for that? I knew not to mess with the old guys by Empire Strikes Back. Yoda may have just been all talk then, but you just knew he could put that cane to good use if he didn't like what you said.

 

[M.L. Martin]

To be truthful, I feel like the two KoTOR games killed a lot of the look of advancing technology. Before them, we had the original movies, a couple of the prequels showing a similar level of technology that was a bit less military focused, and then the old Tales of the Jedi comics set in the 4,000 BBY era. Everything in the comics looked different and older. Ships weren't steamlined, buildings were completely different, and just everything had a much more less-advanced feel.

But the KotOR games were set 50 years after that...and the technology there looked almost exactly like prequel era stuff. So we basically have a 50 year period after the Great Sith War and the KotOR games where there is that huge period of rapid technological development. Though it seems to be the only such time period like that in the history of the Republic.

Ah, I see. I haven't played the games; my knowledge of the period comes from the comics, the Darth Bane novel (sequel coming in December, for those of you who are interested) and the NEC, so the technology of 4000 BBY looking like that of the films hasn't really sunk in for me.

Took you watching Clone Wars for that? I knew not to mess with the old guys by Empire Strikes Back. Yoda may have just been all talk then, but you just knew he could put that cane to good use if he didn't like what you said.

Well, it was Ventress' line to Dooku--"You are a foolish old man who knows nothing of the Dark Side"--and him nailing her with Force Lightning that crystallized it. After watching the films--especially after Episode II--I think we all knew it at some level.