The DEATH STAR is a Terrible Idea according to the Pentagon
I've always wondered where the empire got all that damn money to build not only one but two Death Stars. In a previous article at io9 it would cost $15.6 Septillion, 1.4 Trillion Times the US Debt to build a Death Star. Now, that's just ridiculous. Not only that, but then they end up building them where they can easily be destroyed by a guy firing his X-Wing torpedoes while flying at high speeds, with his eyes closed. I guess they underestimated the force.
There was an awesomely fun and accurate article in the Pentagon’s in-house acquisition journal, Defense AT&L Magazine, where Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Ward goes into detail and discusses why and how the production of a Death Star would just be a complete nightmare to work on. I don't know why or how this Star Wars inspired article got posted in the Pentagon's defense magazine, but it's awesome. Here's what Ward had to say,
The truth is, Death Stars are about as practical as a metal bikini. Sure, they look cool, but they aren't very sensible. Specifically, Death Stars can't possibly be built on time or on budget, require pathological leadership styles and, as we've noted, keep getting blown up. Also, nobody can build enough of them to make a real difference in the field. ...
In the single most realistic scene in the whole double-trilogy, Darth Vader complains that the second Death Star construction project is ... behind schedule. ... In the Star Wars universe, robots are self-aware, every ship has its own gravity, Jedi Knights use the Force, tiny green Muppets are formidable warriors and a piece of junk like theMillennium Falcon can make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. But even the florid imagination of George Lucas could not envision a project like the Death Star coming in on time, on budget.
I love when he points out Darth Vader's complaint of the Death Star being behind schedule, and that ever Lucas couldn't envision a project like the Death Star coming in on time, on budget. What are your thoughts on what Ward had to say about the Death Star?
And just for the hell of it, here's some Robot Chicken Death Star greatness: