From the Introduction on page 5, we have some stuff that's just generally relevant to Star Wars technology. I'll list most of what's on the page.
So, as you can see, the new canon has absorbed some Saxtonian BS via osmosis. But, seeing how Disney treats the rest of the Legends material, there's no reason to think that this hypermatter is the same stuff as Saxton's hypermatter - just like the canonical Mandalore isn't the same planet as the Legends Mandalore.HYPERDRIVES
Hyperdrives allow ships to travel faster than light, crossing the void between stars through the alternate dimension of hyperspace. Hypermatter particles hurl a ship into hyperspace while preserving its mass/energy profile, sending it along a programmed course until it drops back into normal space at its destination. Large objects in normal space cast "mass shadows" in hyperspace, so hyperspace jums must be precisely calculated to avoid deadly collisions.
It also talks about gravity technology (repulsorlifts, interdictors) and sensor technology, but there isn't all that much interesting stuff in those sections. So, on to:
So, we basically have blaster-gas that gets somehow turned into a particle beam. No explanation is made of the decidedly non-relativistic velocities of the beam on screen. The "cracking a planet's core" thing is so obviously incongruous with everything we've seen of Star Wars capital ship weaponry that I can only conclude that they're talking about Death-Star and Star-Killer type weapons. Which indicates that blasters, laser cannons, turbolasers, and superlasers are all basically the same sort of thing, just on different scales. The "clouds of high-velocity proton particles" are very interesting for reasons we shall see in a moment. But first, let's talk about:ENERGY WEAPONS
Laser cannons and turbolasers are based on the same principle as handheld blasters: energy-rich gas is converted to a glowing particle beam that can melt through targets. The largest such weapons are powerful enough to crack a planet's core. Starships also use ion cannons, which overwhelm electronic systems with ionized energy bursts, and physical ordnance such as concussion missiles and proton torpedoes, whose energy warheads release clouds of high-velocity proton particles.
So we have hypermatter-annihilation cores as a component of fusion systems. Moreover, for one reason or another, these are only cost effective on large starships (which can be nearly twice the size of capital ships in the Original Trilogy). The earliest (in-universe) Disney-canon mention of hypermatter has to do with the Death Star, and the immovable canon of the OT, PT, TCW, and associated novelizations indicate that "fusion furnaces" powered "everything from starships to Podracers" during the Late Republic era. Thus, we see a progression: pure fusion almost exclusively in the Republic, then hypermatter-annihilation-augmented fusion in moon-sized space stations in the Galactic Empire, and finally hypermatter-annihilation-augmented fusion in 3-kilometer starships for the First Order. Incidentally, there are many indications throughout the book that the First Order has been doing a lot of cutting-edge research that makes it much more formidable than the Galactic Empire ever was, but there will be time for that in a moment. First, let's hear what there is to say about:POWER SOURCES
Vehicles use a range of power technologies, most of which date back to the Republic's earliest days. The most common are chemical, fission, or fusion reactors, which consume a variety of fuels based on local resources. Large starships opt for fusion systems that contain hypermatter-annihilation cores, generating vast amounts of power. Many starship fuels are hazardous to organic beings, circulating in ship systems as corrosive liquids or combustible and poisonous gases.
This is pretty basic stuff. Note the description of ray shields acting by what appears to be a refractive mechanism. Such a mechanism would be very effective against a weapon relies on focusing a lot of power on a very small area. The description of particle shields as "diffusing" impacts is less informative.SHIELDS
Shields are protective force fields that repel solid objects or absorb energy. Concussion shields repel space debris, while two varieties of deflector shield protect craft in battle. Ray shields deflect or scatter energy beams, while particle shields diffuse impacts from high-velocity projectiles and proton weapons. A shield's intensity gradually diminishes with distance from its projector. Most starships use a combination of ray and particle shielding for the most reliable protection.
Now, we know that particle shields are pretty crappy. Why? Because on page twelve, where they describe the X-wing, we learn the following:
Let the following two phrases sink deeply into your minds:PACKING A PUNCH
The original X-wing's designers envisioned a fighter with the speed and power to attack Imperial Star Destroyers, and delivered on that promise. Just like its predecessor, the T-70 has powerful wingtip cannons that can fire in single, dual, or quad mode, and it can punch through deflector shields with its eight proton torpedoes.
"...a fighter with the speed and power to attack Imperial Star Destroyers...
"...it can punch through deflector shields with its eight proton torpedoes."
Now, in context, this is pretty friggin' sad for those deflector shields. The missile weapon carried by the T-70 X-wing is a "Miniaturized MG7-A proton torpedo." It is about as thick as a roll of wrapping paper, and not much longer than Poe's calf. About 80% of that length is the "torpedo casing," the remainder is a conical "proton warhead." There is an image of one of the torpedoes being fired. The casing remains in the X-wing, the warhead turns into a glowing streak about as long as a pencil and a little bit thicker than Poe's finger. The spent casings are retained in the X-wing. Presumably, it is this little streak that will release a "cloud of high velocity proton particles." Eight of these little streaks will "punch through deflector shields," and endow the X-wing with the "power to attack Imperial Star Destroyers."
One shudders to think what a full spread of photon torpedoes would do. But I digress.
The next couple of quotes come from page 16, which is about the Command Shuttle, and are interesting primarily due to what they suggest about how the First Order got all of its fancy new toys, though the second one also has some interesting stuff about hyperspace.
Advanced sensor suites in the upper wings monitor communications and scan for potential enemies long before they reach firing range, while the lower wings are lined with efficient shield projectors and powerful jammers. These technologies are the products of secret research conducted in the First Order's hidden shipyards and laboratories.
So the remnants of the Empire ran away and started building secret labs. Why is this important? Because - when combined with the facts from Lucas' immovable canon - it means that the hypermatter-annihilation reactors small enough to fit in a ship and the kyber-crystal enhanced turbolasers capable of slagging planets (we'll come to those momentarily) are innovations.IMPERIAL SECRETS
When the Empire collapsed, the Emperor's servants fled into the Unknown Regions with some of his regime's greatest secrets. For years, military scout ships had explored far beyond the galactic frontier, surveying star systems and blazing hyperspace routes known only to a select few. Far from the prying eyes of the New Republic, the remnants of the Empire established new bases, shipyards, and weapons labs, and began plotting a return to power.
We also have confirmation that blazing new hyperspace routes is possible, but (without prior maps) takes years.
Now, on to the most debate-relevant thing in the book: The Finalizer. The following quotes are the most interesting bits from the fold-out spread that I'm not sure how to number.
This emphasizes the offensive role of starfighters (as opposed to onboard weaponry) in the Star Wars universe. The bit about the redundant command center (the cut-away has a Emergency Bridge labeled some 700-800 meters closer to the bow than the Command Bridge) has an interesting implication: Imperial-era star destroyers didn't have redundant command and control systems.EVOKING THE PAST
While its size evokes the command ships of the Empire, the Finalizer's design recalls those of Republic-era capital ships from the Clone Wars. Her dorsal flight deck, side hangers, and prominent keel are similar to elements of the Venator-class Star Destroyer, reflecting a renewed appreciation among First Order tacticians for capital ships' role as carriers. The Finalizer can launch her full complement of starfighters and assault ships much more quickly than her predecessors in the Imperial Navy could. Other Imperial-era design flaws have also been rectified - the need for a better-protected command bridge with increased redundancy in command and control systems was a hard lesson learned from the loss of the Executor at the Battle of Endor.
Other than the implication that capital ships only use missiles to attack "more nimble enemies," the only debate-relevant bit is the claim that turbolasers can "reduce planetary surfaces to molten slag." This is some more Saxtonian BS absorbed by osmosis, but it doesn't necessarily amount to a vindication of "Base Delta Zero." For one thing, it doesn't mention the number of ships required to pull it off, or the amount of time, but there's what the last quote has to say:MILITARY MIGHT
Massive turbolaser turrets and heavy ion cannons dot the flanks of the Finalizer's upper hull, with an additional brace of lower batteries set on either side of the bow. Designed for orbital assaults and slugging matches with enemy capital ships, these turbolasers can overload shields, punch through thick armor, and reduce planetary surfaces to molten slag. Smaller point-defense turrets and missile emplacements complement these heavy weapons, tracking more nimble enemies, while the Finalizer's TIEs stand ready to destroy starfighters ship-to-ship.
So First Order turbolasers are more powerful and have a higher fire rate than Imperial turbolasers. Why? Because they have kyber focusing crystals. Clearly, these crystals are more than mere focusing elements - if they were, they would have no effect on firepower and recharge rate. It seems reasonable to think that these kyber crystals act like the kyber crystal in the Clone Wars story reels: energy amplifiers. 1 Mt goes in, 100 Mt or more goes out. This explains how capital ships suddenly have the ability to slag planets - something the immovable canon of Lucas never even hinted at.SECRETS OF THE ORDER
The Resurgent-class's turbolasers deliver more firepower than Imperial-era weapons and boast a faster recharge rate. This advantage stems from Kyber focusing crystals harvested from a secret source deep in the Unknown Regions. Other First Order captains have clamored for upgrades to their own warships, but military-grade crystals are in short supply. Rumors abound that they are delivered to secret weapons labs, forbidden to all but the First Order's uppermost ranks.
Also interesting to note is that the Finalizer's weapons aren't merely superior to Imperial era weapons - they're superior to most other First Order weapons as well! This isn't something that every warship in the First Order is armed with.
The main technologically interesting stuff in the rest of the book has to do with TIE fighters.
First Order research has endowed ordinary TIEs with shields - implying that Imperial-era TIEs lacked them. Ordinary TIEs don't have hyperdrives. The wings are indeed solar panels, but the energy they collect is used to "trigger emissions from a high-pressure radioactive fuel." The First Order views fighter pilots as military assets - in contrast to the Galactic Empire, which saw them as expendable.
Special Forces TIE fighters have hyperdrives. It has not one, but two "ion reactors," and supplements them with "banks of high-yield deuterium cells that provide additional power to the engines, weapons, or shields and can be recharged from the TIE's solar panels." It has a bottom-mounted heavy laser turret/warhead launcher in addition to its pair of forward-facing laser canons. The launcher can let loose concussion missiles and mag-pulse warheads. All of this extra stuff gives the TIE/sf a serious heat-rejection problem. Evidently, they attempt to solve it with "an experimental ion-flux cooling system."
A lot of interesting stuff. The biggest boon to the Trek side of the debate is the fact that capital ship particle shields are vulnerable to the teeny-tiny little proton torpedoes on the X-wing. The biggest bane to the Trek side of the debate is the sudden canonicity of BDZ-style planet slagging.
Thoughts, questions, concerns, challenges, or corrections, anyone?