I challenge darkstar to a debate

[Praeothmin]

The Trade Federation numbers for blockading Naboo only range for a few tens of Lucrehulks,

I have to disagree with this...
While the best picture I could find is this one, when I watched the movie I saw a lot more ships in the distance, clearly circling the planet...

I saw an estimate over at SDN which pegged the ship count at 3200 or something (which I found suspicious), and when I used my DVD on my 42" screen and did a quick count, I calculated, based on what I saw, at least 1200 ships for the blockade...

But, I do agree these numbers pale in comparison the DS9's Battle of Cardassia numbers...

[Mike DiCenso]

I don't see how you're getting those numbers, especially with the available blockade scenes available that clearly only show a line of TF battleships that are in a formation only a few km deep, about 10 or so km thick, and perhaps 25-50 km wide. That limits you to about 30 or so ships based on the average 3-5 km spacing between ships. I really don't see how you can get a thousand ships out of that, unless you are pulling information from the novelization.

So please show your work. Also your second link didn't go to anything except an ST Expanded Universe page.
-Mike

[Praeothmin]

I'll try to find a clearer image for the battle of Naboo...

As for the second image, the page the link brongs you to has many images on it, just look for the fourth or fifth one...

[Admiral Breetai]

Admiral Breetai,Mike DiCenso I see your responses and merely ask you indulge my tardiness a little bit longer. I will not be able to properly respond for the next few days, please forgive and I will try to respond as soon as I am able. Again sorry for any inconvience.

by all means take your time

[Mike DiCenso]

I'll try to find a clearer image for the battle of Naboo...

As for the second image, the page the link brongs you to has many images on it, just look for the fourth or fifth one...

I look forward to seeing it. Is there a particular scene you have in mind that clinches it?
-Mike

[Praeothmin]

If you're talking about the battle of Naboo, it's simply the first time the Jedi arrive there to "negociate"... :)

We see the Trade Federation ships and they seem to surround the planet, and the image is much, much clearer on my HD 42" screen... :)

As for the Cardassian fleet, the image you're looking for is one you had linked before, where you see the big Dominion cruiser and a multitude of other ships in the background...


EDIT: This is a better picture, from TFN...
If the Trade Federation were indeed blockading Naboo, logic would dictate that they were surrounding the planet, else it would not have been a successful blockade...

[Mike DiCenso]

I can still only count seventeen ships in the blockade, and it is clear that the blockade is not much more than 10 km deep or high, with no ships covering anything well above or below those Lucrehulks. So even if the blockade were to stretch another 1,000 km, it'd still be the most inefficient one ever. There are other angles showing the blockade, and we don't see it stretching around the limb of the planet as tiny little clouds of dots like we do the Dominion fleet in WYLB.
-Mike

[Khas]

Maybe the TF guys were thinking that they could move their ships around quickly. Or maybe, everyone involved is just mentally retarded.

[Mike DiCenso]

Probably both your answers are right.
-Mike

[Kor_Dahar_Master]

Not a lot of overall coverage there really.





That many ships should have been able to pick up a unauthorized launch and blast it as it exited the bay rather than dicking around and waiting until it was well outside the atmosphere.

In trek a single launch is typically picked up by a feddy ships sensors.

[Praeothmin]

I'll take a look at it tonight on my DVD and see what I get...

And I agree, it's not that big, and certainly does not compare to the fleets in DS9...
I'll try to find the original calculations...

[Admiral Breetai]

how much of that planet looks settled? aside from Theed, the Tf may not have needed any more ships than that, covering for only a few millions people and two or three major space ports and if any ship took off from said ports and flew to a non covered area of the planet they'd be able to detect it and dispatch fighters?

[Kor_Dahar_Master]

how much of that planet looks settled? aside from Theed, the Tf may not have needed any more ships than that, covering for only a few millions people and two or three major space ports and if any ship took off from said ports and flew to a non covered area of the planet they'd be able to detect it and dispatch fighters?

Id hate to try and support any claims regarding settlement from that image.

[Mike DiCenso]

Let's also remember that the TF only had one droid control ship, and that ship in turn had no other capital ships sitting anywhere nearby it. If the TF leaders had been smarter, they'd have had at least 3 droid control ships operating all simultaneously, and several more back up control ships on hot standby just in case.
-Mike

[Mike DiCenso]

That many ships should have been able to pick up a unauthorized launch and blast it as it exited the bay rather than dicking around and waiting until it was well outside the atmosphere.

In trek a single launch is typically picked up by a feddy ships sensors.

I could have seen the TF ships not opening fire right away, if they were taking a few seconds to transmit a warning to the Naboo royal cruiser to stand down and prepare to be boarded. But that's not what happened, obviously.
-Mike