Biggest design flaws ever!

[Blackstar the Chakat]

Dusk is right. Wouldn't the ship have some sort of crash avoidance override system? It's a big expensive ship, shouldn't it have some sort of computer override to avoid crashing into other ships, planets, or huge ass space stations? Modern aircraft have a warning system, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch to assume that this type of program could be modified to help avoid a collision.

The Executor's crash avoidance override system didn't activate because of the Force.

Except all the force users were on the Death Star at the time

[Sionnach Glic]

Blackstar, I think he was joking.

Anyway, the ship may not have had any sort of automated crash-avoidance systems. We know that since the Katana Fleet debacle the Empire has been pretty cautious about putting too much automation on the ship. Any avoidance systems would likely be just along the lines of a big siren that lets you know when you're going to hit something. And then we're right back to the whole reaction time bit, which, whatever way you look at it, caused the destruction on the Executor.

[Blackstar the Chakat]

Anyway, the ship may not have had any sort of automated crash-avoidance systems

Well, that's just stupid. Why is the empire so afraid of automation. Hell, why is Star Trek, and about half of the other sci-fi series afraid of automation.

[Sionnach Glic]

Because the last time they gave ships that level of automation they ended up having 200 ships jump into hyperspace and never come back. They obviously don't want such a thing to happen again, and I can see why they wouldn't want the ship flying itself.
What happened to the Executor was a freak incident that simply wouldn't happen in any other situation. If the bridge had been destroyed in a normal fleet engagement, then any ship stupid enough to get in the way would have been vaped by the turbolasers, and the ship would have had more than enough mass to simply go through the ship in any case. If it had been over a planet then the crew would have had plenty of time to reposition the ship.
Quite simply, there was no need to put such a system on the ship, even if it was 100% safe, as there were no conventional situations in which the ship would have needed to move out of the way so quickly without the command of its crew. None of the designers ever anticipated that the ship may one day lose all of its senior officers and nosedive into a small moon sized object from a height of just a few dozen kilometres.

[Blackstar the Chakat]

Only 200 ships? I thought the imperial fleet numbered in the hundreds of thousands at the very least, according to the EU. As for the navigation stuff...I guess you're right. After all, who would expect someone to build a huge battle station and then have the enemy attack in the middle of construction?

[Sionnach Glic]

Only 200 ships? I thought the imperial fleet numbered in the hundreds of thousands at the very least, according to the EU.

In the millions, most likely. While losing 200 ships isn't exactly serious (regardless of what Mr. Zahn thinks) they are still 200 ships and their crews that will need to be replaced. Who knows how many ships would have been lost in total if the entire navy had been fitted out with those systems.

After all, who would expect someone to build a huge battle station and then have the enemy attack in the middle of construction?

Not just that, but who would have expected the ship to lose all of its senior officers while hovering just a dozen or so kilometres above (basicaly) a small moon?

[Blackstar the Chakat]

Not just that, but who would have expected the ship to lose all of its senior officers while hovering just a dozen or so kilometres above (basicaly) a small moon?

Well, the bridge was relativly exposed, but a lot of sci-fi is guilty of that. But that battle was really fraked up from the start.

[Sionnach Glic]

Indeed.
Another thing: they probably never expected the ship to get into a situation where enemy warships were firing at it, but it was restricted from firing back.

[Blackstar the Chakat]

Indeed.
Another thing: they probably never expected the ship to get into a situation where enemy warships were firing at it, but it was restricted from firing back.

Yes, the Empire tried to show off when they should've been obliterating the Rebel fleet. They could've crippled the Rebels for good.

[Sionnach Glic]

It was the Emperor's arrogance that led to that defeat. The Imperial fleet had taken the Rebels completely by surprise, and had them trapped. If they had simply opened fire then the entire Rebel fleet would have been obliterated.

[Mikey]

"Pride goeth before the fall."

The Empire by that time had already had a history of trying to prove a point and impress/cow people; this was one instance of that tendency taking precedence over common sense and over taking advantage of an opportunity.

[SuperSaiyaMan12]

"Pride goeth before the fall."

The Empire by that time had already had a history of trying to prove a point and impress/cow people; this was one instance of that tendency taking precedence over common sense and over taking advantage of an opportunity.

If Thrawn had been in command...the Empire would have crushed the Rebellion.

[Sionnach Glic]

If virtualy anyone other than the Emperor had been in command the Rebels would have been completely screwed.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

There was massive hubris and errors in Endor. Simply razing the area around the bunker and establishing a 'kill-zone' would've kept the shields up. Unleashing the Navy would've wiped them out. Luke... that's a bit of a problem. Probably Palps and Vader team up against him, or simply Palps kills him right then and there.

Oh, and no empty pits in the throne room! Yeesh...

[Mikey]

There was massive hubris and errors in Endor. Simply razing the area around the bunker and establishing a 'kill-zone' would've kept the shields up. Unleashing the Navy would've wiped them out. Luke... that's a bit of a problem. Probably Palps and Vader team up against him, or simply Palps kills him right then and there.

Oh, and no empty pits in the throne room! Yeesh...

Which pits lead directly to the reactor, no less... I can see how useful that would be...