Post by Galdaart Fel on Dec 9, 2015 7:54:43 GMT -8
The criteria -- that by which each crew shall be ranked.
Ship (/10) Captain (/10) Piloting skill (aerial threat /10), Affiliations (/10) Crew (sub-categories: personality traits, muscle, skills /5 for each sub category) Jobs (/10) Success Ratio (/10)
suggestions for more criteria?
I have watched smuggling crews with the same intensity most watch lightsabre battles, and I have done it for years. Sought it out. Mentally ranked them. Built my own, both here on JvS and in my head. I know what works. I know why it works. I understand the tropes, and what makes a crew successful as on-screen legend / heroes, as watchable bankable action film protagonists, and even (theoretically) as a viable criminal organization. This will be an ongoing series of posts. I welcome all comments, but the final points tally is mine to make the call. Remember, I'm going by screen time ONLY. EU, or other mediums are not considered herein. Let me be likewise clear: I understand that a lot of the things I'm giving 'negative marks' for are in fact positive things for driving plot and character arc forward. My negative marks are from a purely practical standpoint.
1. Crew of the Millenium Falcon
Ship: The Millenium Falcon. Mark: 9/10
"What a piece of junk!" - Some Farmer
"She'll make .5 past light speed. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid." - Han Solo
Review: Highly modified CEC YT-1300 light freighter. The ship that needs no introduction. You all know the details. The Kessel Run, One of only two ships with two death stars painted on its flanks, a central character in the Star Wars Saga (original trilogy) in its own right. The Millenium Falcon is an incredible ship, though highly prone to glitching out. Personal modifications from many owners (few if any of whom could have called themselves engineers) have left her a twitchy, volatile, temperamental beast. And that's part of what makes her great. At the hands of a great pilot (and you'd have to be a great pilot to coax the best out of her) the same idiosyncrasies that serve to make her a mechanic's worst nightmare come alive to make her a fantastic transport. Over the course of the three original SW films, the Falcon evades capital ships, fights off a squadron of TIE fighters, blows up two Death Stars, survives the sub-light navigation of an asteroid field, flies into and out of several near-impossible situations (Cloud City, Hoth, the Exogorth) and performs the single ballsiest maneuver in smuggling history (moving into attack position against an Imperial Star Destroyer.) She is shown to be a stable weapons platform, both with her main guns (Ep.IV) and in fleet battle (Ep.VI) and highly maneuverable (throughout the films, but most impressively after blasting out of Hoth orbit and discovering the hyperdrive is offline.) Negative marks for being prone to electrical malfunction general maintenance troubles owing to age and shoddy customization.
Captain: Han Solo. Mark: 9/10
"Why you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder!" - Her Worshipfulness
"Who's scruffy-lookin'?" - Han Solo
Review: Han Solo created the archetype. Let's not forget that. He is boastful, cocky, childish, arrogant, foolish, impulsive, and flawed a hundred different ways. But he is also a damn good pilot, a hell of a shot with a blaster, handsome, stylish, cunning, tactically shrewd, courageous, and heroic (in the very best possible way.) If I had to define a list of skills for Han, it would be extensive and varied, as he shows himself to be a jack of all trades, and a master of more than a few. His situation is thrust upon him, and as such he is a reluctant hero, fighting his own instincts. He is a great leader, though he'd never admit it. He is a self-serving anarchist, which suits his line of work and his lifestyle (there is perhaps no character that more clearly defines the 'Chaotic Neutral' D&D alignment.) Negative marks for being so incredibly slow to trust, which forces him to keep everyone at arms' length, and is the likely reason Chewbacca is his sole crew-member.
Piloting skill: 10/10
"Sir, the odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720:1!" - Goldenrod
"Never tell me the odds." - Han Solo
Review: Solo is very, very good at what he does. He may be arrogant, but he has the skill to back it up. He brings the right amount of swagger, devil-may-care, and out of the box thinking to the game, and that unpredictable behavior may be what makes him great. I'll pick two moments: the first, moving into attack position against the Imp-II Avenger -- was it a brilliant tactic, or was it an off-the-cuff reaction to losing rear shields? Maybe a bit of both. It doesn't help the assessment that Solo wears an 'I don't know... I'm making this up as I go' look on his face the whole time. And that also makes it great. The second moment, losing his tail of four TIE fighters in an asteroid field (and at the time his ship has no rear shields.) For much of this scene, including one of my favorite Solo moments, "well, we can still out-maneuver them" Solo's face is a mask of grim determination. Leia mentions that he doesn't need to do any of it to impress her, but to Solo there are no choices. This is all there is, and so this is what must be done. It is this attitude that makes a Smuggler Captain great. The options are few and all of them suck, and to triumph under such circumstances makes the win -- though it may be small -- extra sweet.
Affiliations: 5/10
Jabba the Hutt (crime syndicate, an uneasy partnership.) The Rebel Alliance (subversive military / political organization, brings loads of trouble -- and eventually, romance and friendship -- to Han's boat.) Lando Calrissian (smuggler / gambler / 'businessman.' An allegiance of convenience, though genuine feelings of friendship exist.) Overall, Han is not a good businessman. His contacts and alliances are few and troublesome, and over the course of the first two films, his luck is running out.
Crew: 12/15 (personality traits 3/5, muscle 5/5, skills 4/5)
"It's not wise to upset a Wookiee" - Han Solo
"But sir, nobody worries about upsetting a droid..." - Tin Man
"That's 'cause a droid don't pull peoples arms outta their sockets when they lose." - Han
This is problematic, and will open me up to criticism from many, as I know it is alluded to throughout the films that Han would choose to view Luke (and thereby 3PO and R2) as a crew-member. He even openly offers him the job at the end of Ep. IV. The romantic attachment and screen-time spent aboard the Falcon would also open the argument that Leia could also be considered a crew-member, or that Lando, based on his seemingly altruistic actions at the end of Ep. V, could be classed a crew-member -- but I discount all of this. Luke, Ben and the droids are passengers. Luke turns down the offer of a place on the crew. Leia is thrown together with Han while escaping Hoth. And while Lando's actions to rescue Han from Boba Fett are clearly friendly, none of these characters are crew members. Only Chewbacca is a member of the Falcon's crew. And a formidable crew member. A capable pilot and mechanic. Intimidating. Loyal. Strong. Courageous. Surprisingly empathetic and compassionate.
Jobs: 7/10
Transport of two passengers (and two droids) to Alderaan. C10,000, negotiated to C17,000 upon delivery (paid in full.) It is mentioned that Solo failed in a job previously to transport spice on behalf of Jabba the Hutt, resulting in a Bounty on his head. Of course, the EU describes several other jobs throughout Solo's career, but over the course of the three SW films, these are all we hear about. Once Solo gets wrapped up in the Rebellion, he also successfully saves his friend (and helps destroy a Death Star in the process) and covertly infiltrates an Imperial stronghold... but these are not smuggling jobs, per se.
Success Ratio: 5/10
Based solely on smuggling gigs. Factor in the work undertaken for the Rebel Alliance, and romantic endeavors, and the mark goes up significantly. But this is smuggling-only.
Total Mark: 57/75
NEXT: The Crew of the 'Serenity.'
Ship (/10) Captain (/10) Piloting skill (aerial threat /10), Affiliations (/10) Crew (sub-categories: personality traits, muscle, skills /5 for each sub category) Jobs (/10) Success Ratio (/10)
suggestions for more criteria?
I have watched smuggling crews with the same intensity most watch lightsabre battles, and I have done it for years. Sought it out. Mentally ranked them. Built my own, both here on JvS and in my head. I know what works. I know why it works. I understand the tropes, and what makes a crew successful as on-screen legend / heroes, as watchable bankable action film protagonists, and even (theoretically) as a viable criminal organization. This will be an ongoing series of posts. I welcome all comments, but the final points tally is mine to make the call. Remember, I'm going by screen time ONLY. EU, or other mediums are not considered herein. Let me be likewise clear: I understand that a lot of the things I'm giving 'negative marks' for are in fact positive things for driving plot and character arc forward. My negative marks are from a purely practical standpoint.
1. Crew of the Millenium Falcon
Ship: The Millenium Falcon. Mark: 9/10
"What a piece of junk!" - Some Farmer
"She'll make .5 past light speed. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid." - Han Solo
Review: Highly modified CEC YT-1300 light freighter. The ship that needs no introduction. You all know the details. The Kessel Run, One of only two ships with two death stars painted on its flanks, a central character in the Star Wars Saga (original trilogy) in its own right. The Millenium Falcon is an incredible ship, though highly prone to glitching out. Personal modifications from many owners (few if any of whom could have called themselves engineers) have left her a twitchy, volatile, temperamental beast. And that's part of what makes her great. At the hands of a great pilot (and you'd have to be a great pilot to coax the best out of her) the same idiosyncrasies that serve to make her a mechanic's worst nightmare come alive to make her a fantastic transport. Over the course of the three original SW films, the Falcon evades capital ships, fights off a squadron of TIE fighters, blows up two Death Stars, survives the sub-light navigation of an asteroid field, flies into and out of several near-impossible situations (Cloud City, Hoth, the Exogorth) and performs the single ballsiest maneuver in smuggling history (moving into attack position against an Imperial Star Destroyer.) She is shown to be a stable weapons platform, both with her main guns (Ep.IV) and in fleet battle (Ep.VI) and highly maneuverable (throughout the films, but most impressively after blasting out of Hoth orbit and discovering the hyperdrive is offline.) Negative marks for being prone to electrical malfunction general maintenance troubles owing to age and shoddy customization.
Captain: Han Solo. Mark: 9/10
"Why you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder!" - Her Worshipfulness
"Who's scruffy-lookin'?" - Han Solo
Review: Han Solo created the archetype. Let's not forget that. He is boastful, cocky, childish, arrogant, foolish, impulsive, and flawed a hundred different ways. But he is also a damn good pilot, a hell of a shot with a blaster, handsome, stylish, cunning, tactically shrewd, courageous, and heroic (in the very best possible way.) If I had to define a list of skills for Han, it would be extensive and varied, as he shows himself to be a jack of all trades, and a master of more than a few. His situation is thrust upon him, and as such he is a reluctant hero, fighting his own instincts. He is a great leader, though he'd never admit it. He is a self-serving anarchist, which suits his line of work and his lifestyle (there is perhaps no character that more clearly defines the 'Chaotic Neutral' D&D alignment.) Negative marks for being so incredibly slow to trust, which forces him to keep everyone at arms' length, and is the likely reason Chewbacca is his sole crew-member.
Piloting skill: 10/10
"Sir, the odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720:1!" - Goldenrod
"Never tell me the odds." - Han Solo
Review: Solo is very, very good at what he does. He may be arrogant, but he has the skill to back it up. He brings the right amount of swagger, devil-may-care, and out of the box thinking to the game, and that unpredictable behavior may be what makes him great. I'll pick two moments: the first, moving into attack position against the Imp-II Avenger -- was it a brilliant tactic, or was it an off-the-cuff reaction to losing rear shields? Maybe a bit of both. It doesn't help the assessment that Solo wears an 'I don't know... I'm making this up as I go' look on his face the whole time. And that also makes it great. The second moment, losing his tail of four TIE fighters in an asteroid field (and at the time his ship has no rear shields.) For much of this scene, including one of my favorite Solo moments, "well, we can still out-maneuver them" Solo's face is a mask of grim determination. Leia mentions that he doesn't need to do any of it to impress her, but to Solo there are no choices. This is all there is, and so this is what must be done. It is this attitude that makes a Smuggler Captain great. The options are few and all of them suck, and to triumph under such circumstances makes the win -- though it may be small -- extra sweet.
Affiliations: 5/10
Jabba the Hutt (crime syndicate, an uneasy partnership.) The Rebel Alliance (subversive military / political organization, brings loads of trouble -- and eventually, romance and friendship -- to Han's boat.) Lando Calrissian (smuggler / gambler / 'businessman.' An allegiance of convenience, though genuine feelings of friendship exist.) Overall, Han is not a good businessman. His contacts and alliances are few and troublesome, and over the course of the first two films, his luck is running out.
Crew: 12/15 (personality traits 3/5, muscle 5/5, skills 4/5)
"It's not wise to upset a Wookiee" - Han Solo
"But sir, nobody worries about upsetting a droid..." - Tin Man
"That's 'cause a droid don't pull peoples arms outta their sockets when they lose." - Han
This is problematic, and will open me up to criticism from many, as I know it is alluded to throughout the films that Han would choose to view Luke (and thereby 3PO and R2) as a crew-member. He even openly offers him the job at the end of Ep. IV. The romantic attachment and screen-time spent aboard the Falcon would also open the argument that Leia could also be considered a crew-member, or that Lando, based on his seemingly altruistic actions at the end of Ep. V, could be classed a crew-member -- but I discount all of this. Luke, Ben and the droids are passengers. Luke turns down the offer of a place on the crew. Leia is thrown together with Han while escaping Hoth. And while Lando's actions to rescue Han from Boba Fett are clearly friendly, none of these characters are crew members. Only Chewbacca is a member of the Falcon's crew. And a formidable crew member. A capable pilot and mechanic. Intimidating. Loyal. Strong. Courageous. Surprisingly empathetic and compassionate.
Jobs: 7/10
Transport of two passengers (and two droids) to Alderaan. C10,000, negotiated to C17,000 upon delivery (paid in full.) It is mentioned that Solo failed in a job previously to transport spice on behalf of Jabba the Hutt, resulting in a Bounty on his head. Of course, the EU describes several other jobs throughout Solo's career, but over the course of the three SW films, these are all we hear about. Once Solo gets wrapped up in the Rebellion, he also successfully saves his friend (and helps destroy a Death Star in the process) and covertly infiltrates an Imperial stronghold... but these are not smuggling jobs, per se.
Success Ratio: 5/10
Based solely on smuggling gigs. Factor in the work undertaken for the Rebel Alliance, and romantic endeavors, and the mark goes up significantly. But this is smuggling-only.
Total Mark: 57/75
NEXT: The Crew of the 'Serenity.'