Speed of Y-wings in the Battle of the Kaliida Nebula

[Mike DiCenso]

A rocket with less fuel, but still consumes the same amount of fuel per second, should have an easier time pushing itself. Less fuel means lesser momentum for the same force. Now if for some reason, the combustible reaction's efficiency decreases, then that's something else.

I think that it's safe to say that SW ships rely on fusion power, not chemical combustion to propel themselves. So I can accept them having relatively small fuel sources, and can still get decent thrust and efficiency.

Oh besides the physics are fucked up. At least in the movies, the explosions stick to the ships.
In TCW, there are trails of flames when ships are hit, and when the Malevolence is on fire, the flames and smoke rise... ....

Well, duh. It's only largely been a staple of SW since 1977 to show everything in space act as though it were moving around in an atmosphere. In fact, we hadn't seen anyone use an actual spacesuit in the SW movies until late in RoTS. Prior to that, one would think all you needed as a little oxygen mask.

I know that nukes and rocket trails are rarely correctly represented, but this is particularly horrible.
That and the absurd speed at which the pancake of doom moved when it neared the fighters, when we've seen it rush against capital ships.

A dramatic inconsistency with no real "in-world" explanation, which in turn makes the Y-wing acceleration suck all the more. It might be why we see the craft 20 some odd years later in ANH and RoTJ with the outer aerodynamic coverings removed; to improve performance by cutting excess weight. This is what the original movie production designers were thinking of back in the 1970's as per this quote from page 83 of the old Star Wars Sketchbook:

"The smooth 'Grand Prix Car" shapes of the protruding pilot pod end abruptly in a mechanic's nightmare of engine and wing assembly. Conceptually, the slick body shell once covered the length of the craft until Rebel mechanics, tired of frequent breakdowns, simply left the 'hood' off. The Y-wing has been hot-rodded and stripped down to fighting weight."

The TCW folks are obviously going back to that concept, which is nice to see.
-Mike