Skip to main content

return of the jedi - If the Galactic Empire had over 25,000 Star Destroyers, why were only 27 at the Battle of Endor?


At the height of its power, the Galactic Empire operated over 25,000 Imperial class Star Destroyers. Only 27 of them participated in the Battle of Endor.



Why were so few at the battle?


Scene where rebel fleet pulls back from Death Star 2 to see 27 Imperial Star Destroyers trapping them at Endor. Side note: the link for the Battle of Endor says there were 27 ISD's there, but I count 32 within this image from the movie.


enter image description here


Were the other 24,973 of them deployed around the galaxy? In maintenance shops getting new parts?


Was the Emperor overconfident in his navy? Or overconfident in Death Star 2?





The destroyers were there only to prevent the rebels from escaping, and it might be easier to do that with 50 or a 100 ships instead of a mere 27.


Bottom line: it would be a better trap if the Empire had brought in more firepower.



what-if #13,


I prefer answers from canon sources instead of speculative answers.


Edit to Add: Thanks to Nat for tracking down the source of the number of Imperial Star Destroyers. The number comes from the June 1993 edition of the book, "Star Wars Imperial Sourcebook" by Greg Gorden. The number is also mentioned in the game, Star Wars Uprising.



Answer



From the script (with my emphasis):



MON MOTHMA: The data brought to us by the Bothan spies pinpoints the exact location of the Emperor's new battle station. We also know that the weapon systems of this Death Star are not yet operational. With the Imperial Fleet spread throughout the galaxy in a vain effort to engage us, it is relatively unprotected.



So yes, the rest of the fleet was indeed deployed elsewhere around the galaxy.


However:




LUKE: Your overconfidence is your weakness.



And:



EMPEROR: From here you will witness the final destruction of the Alliance, and the end of your insignificant Rebellion.



And:



VADER: What of the reports of the Rebel fleet massing near Sullust?



EMPEROR: It is of no concern. Soon the Rebellion will be crushed and young Skywalker will be one of us! Your work here is finished, my friend. Go out to the command ship and await my orders.



And:



EMPEROR: It was I who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the shield generator. It is quite safe from your pitiful little band. An entire legion of my best troops awaits them.



So yes, the Emperor was indeed also overconfident.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

harry potter - How could Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra?

I want to be very careful about how I ask this question – I am not asking How did Voldemort die? [CLOSED] Below the text is the relevant passages from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows if anyone wants to review them (I'm sorry for the amount of text). How did Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra and kill Voldemort? I feel the reason Harry's Expelliarmus overpowered Voldemort's Avada Kedavra curse has to do with who was master of the Elder Wand and how the Elder Wand works. I've always had trouble understanding fully how the Elder Wand works, though. How much did the fact that Voldemort never truly won or mastered the Elder Wand factor into how Expelliarmus reacted to Avada Kedavra and caused Avada Kedavra to rebound and kill Voldemort? An answer based in book canon would be especially welcome, but any canon source really is fine. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he, too, yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco’s wand: ‘ Avada Kedavra !’ ‘ Expelliarmus !...
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?
Post a Comment
Read more