Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back/Other Corrections

## TV Tropes

### Hoth

1. While checking for lifeforms on Hoth with their high-tech sensors, Luke and Han conclude there's nothing living there...moments before a big, very big, critter jumps up and takes out Luke and his steed. How'd they miss him? **Depends on what the sensors were looking for exactly. I have no idea what kind of life signs could be picked up remotely, unless they were scanning for heat sources. So, the sensors they planted were IR scanners. Now let us assume that the Wampa is a creature superbly evolved to live on Hoth, one whose fur holds body heat in so well that it radiates at almost the same level as the surroundings; in other words, a creature that doesn't show up on an IR scan. Maybe this is a common adaptation for all the native life forms of Hoth, or at least a good many, which would be why it seemed that there "isn't enough life to fill a space cruiser". Or- maybe the wampa hides under the snow, waiting for prey to pass, which would have the same effect. Either way, it didn't show up on infra-red.**
2. Why did Obi-Wan wait so long to tell Luke to go to Dagobah? Three years passed between the end of A New Hope and the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back. We see that Obi-Wan is able to communicate with Luke at the end of New Hope, when he tells him that the Force will be with him always. Why wait three years? After all, Yoda is old, so old that died of old age in Return of the Jedi, which is set one year after Empire. So they do not exactly have limitless time to spare. And they had to worry that Luke might get killed before getting to Dagobah; he almost did get killed by the Wampa on Hoth. So why waste three years? **Either they'd been hoping Luke would progress well enough on his own only for him to hit a wall with his self training, he'd hit the point in his training where falling to the dark side was more likely, or maybe Yoda decided it was time to check him out, perhaps sensing Vader's growing obsession with catching Luke?**
3. At the Battle of Hoth, the soldiers who were in the trenches didn't do a damn thing. The whole battle was carried by the snow speeders. For instance, after Wedge and Jansen took down an AT-AT, there was one soldier who saw it and said "Come on!", and started running towards it only for it to be destroyed by another snow speeder a few seconds later. Even taking into account that this was all a distraction, if you removed them from the battle altogether, nobody would notice. **Given the harsh conditions on Hoth, the Rebels were probably expecting an Infantry assault, likely augmented by TIE fighters. The Rebel speeders had to be modified in order to work on Hoth, so it was likely assumed that the walkers wouldn't be of any use. The shield would prohibit Imperial bombardment, and Rouge Squadron was on hand in case any fighters/bombers were sent in. The problem (as we see) is that the walkers obviously did work, and thus outclassed 90% of what had been prepared for the battle.
The whole point of the Rebel defense on Hoth was to buy time for the escape. While largely unseen, I always assumed that there were some Imperial ground troops as well who were prevented from storming the trenches.**
4. Luke claims the armour on the AT-ATs is too strong for blasters, thus meaning the speeders have to trip them up with cables. We see one trip up then a pair of speeders shoot it with lasers...and it blows up. So... what happened to "that armour is too strong for blasters"? **There's a weak spot in their armour behind their heads.
What, so Luke "I used to bullseye Womp rats in my T-16 back home" Skywalker can't hit this spot of a huge machine that moves at about two miles per hour and has to have it come to a complete stop first?
The weak spot is not exposed to any feasible approach vector. Blasters don't arc; the only way that Luke could have got a shot at the walker's weak point while it was walking was if he dived at it from directly above the walker. Which, suffice to say, would not have been very feasible.
Why not? There were no anti-air weapons on the thing's top or back.
Actually, the target he was aiming at could only be hit from the front. Where the AT-AT's blasters are located.**
5. During the Battle of Hoth, was there any impediment to the snow speeders flanking the AT-ATs or coming up behind them? Every approach in the movie comes from the front, where they can be easily shot down by those massive forward batteries on the thing's head. Since AT-ATs don't seem to have rear-facing artillery, the speeders could have just flown past them from out of range, turned around, then attacked (or fired their tow cables) from behind. **Could be that the walkers came in waves, and with each successive wave the speeders had to approach head-on due to time constraints. 4 walkers don't carry enough troops to attack an entrenched enemy base, especially with walkers being destroyed on the way in.
The walkers are heading towards the base. The snow speeders have to launch from the base. They're thus going to have to come around from the front, at least at the start. It's either that or loop way around, and they don't really have time for that.
Plus, this isn't so much a battle as it is diversionary action. Rogue Squadron wants the AT-ATs shooting at them so they're not attacking the base or the transports that are trying to get off world. They're flying in from the front because they want—need—to get the Empire's attention right away.**
6. During the Battle of Hoth, snow-speeder pilots realize that their guns can't penetrate the AT-AT's, so they trip one using a cable. They they shoot at it, and it explodes. So, the snow-speeder guns suddenly got more effective after the AT-AT was tripped. How? **It's easier to make a called shot to a weak point on a target that isn't moving any more.
The crashing fall might have loosened some of the armor, or damaged the chassis, making it more vulnerable.
The neck is the weak point of the AT-ATs, thus it getting shot at from the neck would cause it to explode.**
7. Why no air support at Hoth? Couldn't the Empire have just sent down fighters to help the walkers? **Planetary shield around the base. Also the Rebels mention that the speeders had to be modified to work in the cold of Hoth, so it's likely the Empire simply didn't do the same for their fighters. Alternatively, they were holding the fighters in reserve to take on whatever fighter escorts the escaping rebel ships had.
If you take five minutes to consider the strategic outlook of the war and the tactical situation of the specific battle, it becomes obvious that in any interstellar war between space-faring militaries/civilizations (that is, assuming neither party has access to some kind of planet-to-planet teleportation technology), maintaining naval supremacy above a targeted planet would almost always assume a higher priority of importance than any form of ground assault. Ships sitting in orbit could either bombard the co-ordinates of the rebel base or maintain a blockade until more Imperial reinforcements arrive (or both). It makes sense to concentrate every vessel capable of space-flight above orbit, since the rebels have to get past them sooner or later. Remember that the reason the ground assault was really necessary was purely to destroy the shields of the base. Its extraordinarily unlikely that a fleet's worth of ground assault units wouldn't be able to manage that, but even if they didn't... so what? The rebels have to leave as quickly as possible, or the Imperial presence will just get stronger and stronger until escape is impossible. The argument could be made that the Empire needed a stronger assault force on the base because they also needed to take out that ion cannon, but firstly to my best recollection the Imperial force didn't know they had one until it opened fire (and therefore its a hindsight observation), and secondly it gives the rebels a much better chance at dividing and conquering their enemies.**
8. A better question still: why didn't the Empire send some of those fast, agile ground assault vehicles from the prequels, rather than slow and cumbersome mechanical camels? **The camels, while slower, were also better protected from mines and had an important advantage over the fast, agile vehicles: armor. A single missile could take out the older vehicles, whereas the only AT-ATs that are destroyed are taken out by a Jedi and Sir Isaac Newton. Also, the AT-ATs were enclosed, while the older vehicles often weren't, offering more protection from enemy fire and the cold. Given the distance to be traversed and the conditions that had to be dealt with, the AT-ATs were the better option.
The Empire DID send some of their fast, agile ground assault vehicles: AT-STs accompanied the AT-ATs, as can be seen in the film. According to supplementary materials, one of their roles was to use their sensors to ensure that the heavy AT-ATs had a safe path that could bear their weight.
They did have Orbital Support in the form of the Star Destroyer that was glad to see the first ships leave the surface. They were apparently not prepared for the ION Cannon strike. One could argue that all the lack of prep was due to Vader sending out forces all over the galaxy searching for his son. He sure was not looking for the rebels. He could not have cared less about the rebels. All he wanted was Luke. And the Empire forces on Hoth suffered for his hard focus.**
9. Good grief, the entire battle of Hoth is one massive plot hole. So the Rebels have their planetary shield up, right? And the Imperials can't fire through that shield to bombard the base. The Rebels, meanwhile, have an ion cannon that CAN fire through the shield (from the inside), and it can temporarily incapacitate a Star Destroyer in a few shots. So...why didn't they just take out the Imperial fleet, then fly blithely out with all troops and technology intact while the Imperials try to regain power? Or, failing that, just take out the drop ships that are carrying the AT-ATs, or just use the ion cannon to shoot the AT-ATs themselves. Seriously, that ion cannon could have won the battle in like three different ways. Or even, maybe, I don't know, USE THE BOMBERS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO TAKE OUT HEAVY ARMOR, RATHER THAN THE AIR SPEEDERS WITH WEAK BLASTERS AND NO SHIELDS??????? Seriously, the Y-wings would have taken down those walkers easily. Or, even, since it's clear that when there's a clear shot, a few blaster shots can take out an AT-AT when hitting the neck, just fly up to the side, stop in midair (these are repulsorcraft, remember, not fixed-wing aircraft), point at the neck, and shoot! Seriously. **Because the ion cannon only incapacitates the Star Destroyers, as you said, temporarily. As in, just enough time to stop them from actually intercepting a ship.
As for using the Ion Cannon to take out the AT-ATs or those drop ships, did you even see it? It's a giant mounted gun pointed straight up. It simply does not have anywhere near the articulation to hit something near the ground, and was probably only able to hit the Star Destroyers because they're frigging huge.
As for using the Y-Wings, they're slow as hell (i.e., great targets), and there's a throwaway line about the speeders having to be modified to work in the conditions on Hoth—presumably that's what's keeping them from using the Y-Wings.**

### Escape from Hoth

1. When Han tries to jump to hyperspace, C-3PO is the one to break the news that the hyperdrive motivator is damaged. As far as we know C-3PO is not a starship mechanic, yet he is able to recognize that the hyperdrive is damaged. If the damage is that obvious, how did it escape the notice of Han and Chewie? And shouldn't obvious damage be pretty easy to fix? **Han and Chewie were in a hurry, so they didn't exactly do a full pre-flight checklist. Threepio just happened to look at a damaged component while they were busy with other things. And obvious damage is not necessarily easy to fix. If I smash a lightbulb, the damage is obvious, but it's not easy to fix.**
2. Why do the good guys in the Millennium Falcon seemingly fly right "up" relative to where the base is (i.e right where all the star destroyers are currently waiting) rather than at least try flying to to opposite side of the planet before going into space? Even given Han doesn't know the hyperdrive doesn't work yet it still seems pretty risky. **Hyperspace doesn't work near planets. If you want to get to hyperspace as soon as possible, then you have to fly directly away from the planet in a straight line. Keeping a non-hyperspace altitude just gives the enemy more time to hunt you down. *SeniramUK (talk) 10:47, 20 December 2022 (UTC)*In any case, for all Han knows, there may be other Imperial ships on the other side of the planet, positioned on the off chance of Rebel ships trying to escape that way.**
3. Maybe a dumb question but when Luke goes from Hoth to Dagobah why do no Imperial ships attack him? Are they just to busy with the transports and Falcon? **Short answer: Yes, they are. Longer answer: In one of the Rogue Squadron games, you play Hoth (yet again), only with an added bit where Luke trades in his snowspeeder for an X-Wing and flies up to help escort the transports through the blockade by taking down Imperial fighters.
Luke's X-Wing had a working primary Hyper Drive unlike the Falcon. Nigh impossible to track and he could have activated as soon as he was clear of the planet unlike Han and crew having to fight through the Destroyer's.**
4. Other than showcasing their Belligerent Sexual Tension, was there any good reason for Leia to stay in the cockpit of the Falcon snarking at Han while they were fleeing from Hoth under fire from TIE fighters rather than, you know, going to one of the Falcon's blaster turrets and shooting back? **While it's never explicitly said in the film, you can divine that none of the Falcon's cannons are working at that time (not even the forward guns, whether from wear-or-tear or just having been disassembled for maintenance on Hoth) from the fact that they never use them at any point in the film.
There may also be physical limitations. As seen in the first film, the gun turrets were quite large and bulky, and difficult enough for Luke and Han to operate them. Although Leia certainly can handle a blaster, given her tiny size, it may simply not have been physically possible for her to operate a turret.
Also, Chewie was performing repairs just before they were leaving, and had to jerryrig to make the Falcon flightworthy in time. The guns weren't as important as escaping, and if the hyperdrive was down, odds are the guns might not pewpew, either.
Chewbacca didn't disable the Falcon's guns for repair/maintenance. Han tore a strip off Chewie for taking the landing gear apart earlier; I doubt Chewie would follow that goof up by disabling their main weaponry. Also, just before their hurried takeoff, Han blasts the Snowtroopers with a smaller belly gun to effect their escape. If that one was in working order, there's no reason the main guns wouldn't be. And as for Leia being "too small" to work the gun turret- Rey is maybe a couple of inches taller than the Princess at the most, and she managed the belly turret just fine in The Last Jedi. I always figured either Leia hadn't been checked out in the Falcon's turrets, or perhaps Han's frantic maneuvers prevented her from targeting pursuing TIE fighters effectively.**
5. Why don't the Imperials manage to locate the Falcon while its in the asteroid, I mean it flew down a hole a good 50 freakin' meters across, are you trying to tell me that none of the pilots even saw the thing? **They probably did find the hole, eventually, but by that point that space slug was likely already there, and their sensors showed it (keep in mind that Imperial war machines likely have more consistently reliable tech than the cobbled-together Falcon). The idea that the Falcon was inside the slug as anything other than digested dinner likely didn't occur to them.**
6. A minor quibble but when they are in the asteroid "cave" and Han suspects it's more than just a cave he shoots the ground and we hear the space slug roar in pain. Considering how huge the thing is (almost 1 km long according to legends) would it really even feel anything? I would think it would be like if a single eyelash mite bit you. **The inside of the mouth is some of the most sensitive tissue in most living things' bodies. I submit as evidence every child who's kicked their dentist when they got poked in the gums too hard.**
7. If mynocks are known for chewing the power cables then what for the first mynock Leia sees attacks itself to the window with the mouth open ? Mynok don't feed on glass, do they ? **Well, the inside of the Falcon is loaded with power cables, so presumably mynocks have some ability to sense the electricity but aren't smart enough to figure out that the glass is keeping them from getting to it.**
8. Han hides the Millennium Falcon by landing on the backside of a Star Destroyer's island...superstructure, whatever. The Falcon looks tiny by comparison. TIE fighters are shown to be very small—certainly not substantially larger than the Falcon. Yet late in RotJ, a TIE fighter appears to explode against the superstructure and it's almost the same size. **Perspective. The TIE was closer to the camera when it kabooms, plus that particular Star Destroyer had an enlarged command tower, since it was serving as a communications vessel. Yes, one of the blasts from the X-Wing hit that SD, but a. Deflector Shields and b. The X-Wing probably snap-rolled left to avoid the TIE's debris, and it's final shot just went off during/after the maneuver.**
9. This is perhaps bordering on Fridge Horror (or maybe it should be "Fridge Pragmatism"?), but Boba Fett knew what trick Han pulled to escape Imperial pursuit because Obi-Wan Kenobi pulled substantially the same trick on his father (as seen in "Attack of the Clones"), enabling him to track the Millennium Falcon to Bespin. With like a word to Vader or an Imperial officer he could have tipped them off to the Falcon's presence, leading to Han and Co.'s capture much earlier. Fett obviously wanted sole credit for capturing Solo and friends, so screw that. But seeing as how Fett's silence pretty much led to Captain Needa's subsequent Death By Force Choke, it comes off as pretty cold, and right in line with Boba Fett's canny, mercenary character. **Yes and no. Captain Needa absolutely Failed a Spot Check for finding the Falcon. Whether he was killed for losing the Falcon or for some no–account, shoddy mercenary in a homebuilt starship was the one to find it, he was dead either way.**
10. Why does no one in the other ships notice that the Millennium Falcon is hiding on the back of the star destroyer's bridge? Even given that it's partially in shadow it is darker in color than the star destroyer so shouldn't be impossible to spot unless all the other ships just happened to be "below" or in front of that star destroyer the whole time. **Because they weren't looking for it. They expected it to be in the debris field and not doing something as ballsy and outright insane as latching onto their back. We get a nice, clear close-up, but nobody else in-universe is going to have anything like that view.**
11. Surely Tie Fighter pilots ought to have seen it when they were reconnoitring? **They're looking in the debris field and they dock with the Star Destroyers in the front and sides, not the back.**