Forum:FC:Café Fanfic XXVIII



Café Fanfic is a discussion topic centered around fan-fiction. Authors are encouraged to contribute to the café's monthly discussion, which are designed to stimulate ideas and encourage engagement between members of the SWF fan-fiction writing community in a criticism-free zone.

Participants in Café Fanfic are also welcome to submit ideas for the next month's topic of discussion.

Previous topics can be found in the archival list at the bottom of the page.

There are three basic premises for Café Fanfic
 * 1) Please restrict this to stuff from your fan-fiction (written or possibly just conceptualized).
 * 2) You can suggest and make observations, but no condemning other people's work
 * 3) "I don't know" is a perfectly acceptable answer.


 * October's topic: Talk about a particular vehicle or spaceship that is of importance to your series. What kind of ship is it? What kind of adventures have happened using that ship? What is its significance to its owners?

Sholush
HRM. I think having a ship that a lot of the story takes place in is one of the things about Star Wars, whether we notice it consciously or not in our writing. Wheras, normally, "home base" would be a building or an office or a house, in Star Wars it's a mobile ship. At least until we get into Prequels, where it's the Jedi Temple. >.>

This in mind, it makes sense that in most stories regarding Star Wars that an author would think of a home ship, even if they don't realize it's something they're unconsciously doing. And why not? Your home base can be a cool ship, and it can double as a method of escape or a way to fight off enemies. It's quite serviceable to a plot. We need them to go here? No need to worry about having to establish a new location, it's still they're home base. Very economical.

Not saying that all Star Wars stories do this, of course they don't, but in stories where there's a lot of traveling it make sense. In stories where everything takes place in only a couple locations, not so much. For instance, in three of the four ficcy things I've really written (or am writing LOOOL), there's a main ship. Most of the story might not take place in them, but there's a ship that's associated with at least one of the characters, because they travel around. It has a special, definite design, usually with a few set rooms (though in one case it's just a cockpit), and with a few definite limitations and strengths that are known to the reader to both build tension and familiarity. Only one of my stories doesn't feature a Home Ship, or any ship at all for that matter: "Rakata." For obvious reasons - there's really only one location.

AS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL SHIPS....

Okay, I don't remember what the name of the ship was in my first ficcy thing (DISCLAIMER: My first ficcy thing sucked. Hard). Anyhoo, it was the one that was essentially just a fighter ship, though it had hyperdrive capabilities (because of course it did ), and was black to make it hard to see in space (this is before I was educated enough to know about heat sigs -_-;). It was used by an assassin. There was no emotional attachment to it - it was practical. It was a way to move the character from here to there in a "cool" looking ship.

The second ficcy thing was a more serial adventure-type thing involving two characters, mostly - a guy and his wife - travelling around the galaxy, getting in various adventures, so the main ship was almost a character in itself. It was called the Bird of Prey and was shaped like a bird's head (I was a dumb kid). It was also blue and silver, so you know it was fabulous. Lemme see if I still have a pic of the dumb thing, I got rid of most of my old stuff.........

I DO! >_<; it so dum. lol

In Fate, there is a kind of home ship, but to tell you guys too much about it might be kinda spoiler-y. Ataru, you poor soul, you know what I'm talking about. :p

So yeah.

ANYHOO. That was long-winded. whatevs. DEAL WIF IT. - Solus  Talk to the Hand 21:26, October 4, 2013 (UTC)

MPK
First off, I'd like to thank Ataru for not making the topic be Halloween-related.

Yeah, once again I don't have a lot that I can draw from stuff I've actually written. Some of my stories involve vehicles and starships, but not to any significant degree, as far as this topic's concerned. River has a nondescript ship in it that ferries its main hero to the place where everything happens, Through Glass has no vehicles, Burning Bright has some nondescript war machines, The Beast of Rutan has a nondescript landspeeder, and Your Weapon, Your Life has "maglevs" because this is the future and we don't call them trains. That's really about it.

That said, I quite agree with Solus in the appropriateness of the protagonists' home base being a starship in this setting. In fact, when I brainstorm for all of my bigger stories that I haven't actually written, I'm usually rather aware of the importance of such an element. It's really cool when a writer is able to make a ship really feel like it's part of the cast like the Falcon does in the OT films. It's very tempting, however, to attempt to do this by just dumping a really tricked-out ship into the hero's lap and leaving it at that. We've seen this in bad fanon all the way down from the beginning of time, like Swerto Dragonouve (in his circa 2007 incarnation in particular). As if a TIE Avenger or TIE Defender isn't enough for him, the tosser gets a super-upgraded Jedi Interceptor and shit, plus about eight other super-fighters.

Showing restraint in the capabilities of a hero's trademark ship ought to be emphasized. Crosscurrent is one of my favorite examples of this because its "home base" ship is the Junker, a YT-2400 transport that's been modified, but not with sixty more guns and painted invisible-black and can turn into a space-submarine. Its owners are salvagers or cargo runners or whatever; it hasn't got weapons, but it does a cool little shuttle that can be launched from it in case the good guys have to split up. The thing's unique, and it's unique in a way that reflects the characters. In this case, it's part of Khedryn Faal, who for most of Crosscurrent is saying, "I don't fight, I run" and spends the story dealing with that inner conflict. That's the kind of thing that a great writer does with a vehicle. -MPK , Free Man  00:46, October 5, 2013 (UTC)
 * As something of a TFU aficionado, how does the Rogue Shadow fit into your dichotomy? On the one hand, it is a fanboy's wet dream in terms of capability (it even comes with a hot blonde pilot with a British accent). On the other hand, having a tricked-out ride befits Starkiller's role as Vader's Vader (so-to-speak) and there's not an easy alternate method for the storytellers to include a love-interest-who-must-be-rescued-at-least-once-per-game. Atarumaster88  ( Talk page ) 15:09, October 25, 2013 (UTC)
 * I would hesitate to call the Rogue Shadow a "fanboy's wet dream" because that term's a bit negatively loaded, and I would argue that it shows enough restraint to be acceptable. For instance, its main strengths appear to be limited to speed and stealth; it's not armed to the teeth (I don't think it even has any missiles), and despite all Juno's bragging about being an awesomesauce pilot, we never see her (or Starkiller) dogfighting an entire squadron of TIEs (or any, for that matter) and winning. According to behind-the-scenes videos, the developers were deliberately trying to thematically invoke a sort of "evil Millennium Falcon" shtick, and while you could argue either way about whether they succeeded, they certainly could've done a lot worse. If the average fan was asked to think of a ship for a secret apprentice of Vader, they'd probably turn in a black-painted Missile Boat with a cloaking device and mini-refridgerator. -MPK , Free Man  22:07, October 25, 2013 (UTC)
 * You make a good point about it being lightly armed compared to a lot of other ships, which helps avoid that "1337-est ship evar!!111" feel&mdash;though I daresay it almost certainly has a mini-fridge! Atarumaster88  ( Talk page ) 23:38, October 25, 2013 (UTC)
 * Granted, but at least it's actually big enough for one. :P -MPK , Free Man  00:46, October 26, 2013 (UTC)

Brandon
My answer is that I don’t have an answer to this, at least not a direct one. As I read the question, I realize that the current fan fic I am working on doesn’t have a central ship for the characters. Now that you’ve asked the question, it made me realize that that wasn’t a very good idea, and I should find a way to make one work. Star Wars, at its original trilogy best, always took characters from planet to planet, but their home was always in the stars. It’s important that there be a ship like the Millennium Falcon, so thanks for the reminder. - Brandon Rhea (talk) 01:04, October 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * That's it??? The wordy, philosophical B-Rhea has only 700 characters to say? Come on, I know you can wax poetical on this subject! YOU CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER! >:[ - Solus  Talk to the Hand 01:19, October 26, 2013 (UTC)

The Millennium Falcon is more than a ship, more than just a bucket of bolts that can make point five past light speed. It's a home, a home for heroes. From one generation to the next, it has served as a chariot to the stars, one that serves to protect all who enter its halls. Beyond the floorboards and the wires and everything else that goes into it, it is made of memories. They are the memories of a smuggler who became one of the galaxy's greatest heroes; of a farm boy who overcame the dark side and became a Jedi Knight; of a princess who led her people in battle and destroyed an empire; and a mighty Wookiee who let out his last growl after he was killed by a moon, the only thing strong enough to defeat him.

You see, a Star Wars ship must be more than a means of getting characters from one place to another. It’s why the ships in the prequels are so forgettable. It’s like the Enterprise in Star Trek; a great ship is a character in her own right. For Star Wars to be at its best, writers should always remember that it the story is set in a space frontier aboard an iron horse&mdash;or probably durasteel in this case, but let's not ruin the metaphor.

There. GET OFF MY BACK WOMAN - Brandon Rhea (talk) 01:27, October 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * Much better. ^-^ - Solus          Talk to the Hand  17:10, October 26, 2013 (UTC)

Sophia
Not sure if I am allowed to post here, but here's my 2 cents.

To me, even though it's not posted, the most important ship of my series, would have to be the Echelon-class dreadnought. Although it is marked as a dreadnought, that doesn't mean it's a Super Star Destroyer. It's not. Resembles a Star Destroyer, but is different in so many ways. First off, it is faster, better, harder, and stronger (Reference to Daft Punk :P). It may be small, but hey! Who says small things aren't better?

~ Sophia   Christina  01:54, October 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * You're more than welcome to hang out in the cafe. Sit down, have a drink, get to know the other patrons. Since it's not posted, I have a few questions about your ship. What is its purpose in your storyline? I don't know if you have access to The Essential Guide to Warfare, but in that source, the term "dreadnaught" refers to ships of a certain size (larger than an Imperial Star Destroyer). Does your ship fit that pattern, or is it classified under a different system? Atarumaster88  ( Talk page ) 04:01, October 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * Good question. To be honest, the Echelon-class dreadnought serves a variety of purposes, from battle cruiser, to just a simple transport. It is a proud fighting ship for anyone who wishes to use such a craft. As for the other question, yes, the Echelon-class is bigger than an Imperial Star Destroyer, hence why it is a dreadnought. ~ Sophia   Christina  19:45, October 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * P.S. You may now read some of the details on the Echelon-class, right here :) ~ Sophia   Christina  22:58, October 28, 2013 (UTC)

Sakaros
A lot of this has (so far) only been discussed in articles or chat RP, but I have published The Fall of Keltrayu, and I'm becoming tempted to work up something set during the Nightmare War, so now it's fair game. And thank goodness, too, I was counting the days until it went live because I really liked this question.

The Sith Star is, without a doubt, the most important ship in my work and my collaborative RP with Jade-Starrz and Fermata13. Although it's substantially larger than the , it occupies sort of the same role MPK mentioned—it's almost a character in and of itself.

The ship started on designs Khrado Ragnos unearthed from the old Sith Empire and had his Massassi build into reality, but it's pretty much unrecognizable from its original form. Khrado, Tak Sakaros after him, and Tak's daughter Rin after him have all had a policy of taking some ships they captured in battle and physically incorporating them into the Sith Star—knocking down walls, rerouting power lines, and attaching the new ships to the Star. It went from being around a kilometer long to now six-and-a-half kilometers (as of 149 ABY), and it has dreadnaughts, Star Destroyers, Tetrarchy ships, and other random vessels "added on". It took months to map when Rin "acquired" it from Tak, and after the ship was badly damaged during the Battle of Dolomir, it took a month to repair in drydock, mostly because the engineers couldn't figure out what went where, or turn off the lights on one deck without accidentally deactivating life support six decks up. Rin, Tariun, and all the Centurions know the ship is a hodgepodge, so it's become kind of a running joke for them. More than once we've RPed somebody getting lost in it.

Dolomir wasn't the Star 's first close call; it took some damage at Khar Delba, Kartok almost lost it at Nar Shaddaa, and Rin almost lost it at Hudrel. Because it's always been the biggest ship in whatever fleet it's attached to, it's always the flagship, and the raw firepower it packs means it's usually on the front lines going to guns with enemy ships. It can usually chew through enemy formations, but it's taken one heck of a beating over the decades. It's big and well-armed, but also ponderously slow; size and speed can turn it into a flying bullseye if its captain isn't careful.

The ship has a lot of meaning to everyone closely associated with it.
 * For Khrado Ragnos, it was his flagship, and he was vain enough that his presence onboard made it that much more important to him. It was the spearpoint of his conquest campaigns.
 * For Tak Sakaros, the Sith Star (and its fleet) were the most important things he inherited from his blood-brother Khrado. They gave him an edge over a lot of enemies. However, they also affected his outlook on life; in receiving Khrado's fleet and his Massassi army, Tak kind of felt he was obliged to don the mantle of "Sith conqueror", even though he wasn't nearly as powerful or as committed to a reborn Sith Empire as Khrado had been. As Rin later remarked, his heart wasn't really in it; the Sith Star embodies that concept of obligation rather than desire for Tak.
 * For Rin, who forcibly took the Star and the fleet from Tak after dueling him, it was initially a rite of passage. In defeating her father, Rin not only proved herself stronger, but also worthy to possess his fleet and command his legions. As she's gone on, however, the Star has become more important to her and to the Golden Empire she founded. The Empire has no permanent capital world; the capital is wherever Rin has to be, but most government leaders (including almost everyone on the Grand Council of the Golden Empire) regularly resides on the Star. Rin likes to keep mobile and be responsive to the needs of the Empire, and the Star allows her to do that in relative safety; she's going from trouble spot to trouble spot, but at least she's doing it in what is essentially a spaceborne fortress. Rin has repeatedly noted how much rides on the Star (literally and figuratively); destroying it could largely cripple the Empire's government in a single blow. That realization is what compelled her to commission a Super Star Destroyer for the Empire, to transition some of the combat leadership to another ship.
 * To the Order of Keltrayu, the Star is just home. The Citadel is aboard, and so most Novices spend at least a decade living out of the Star. The Prefect's office is in the Citadel, so he's always there and accessible to the Sovereign. Even commissioned Centurions are encouraged to visit their "younger siblings" when they have free time or are between missions, and the Citadel (and by extension the Sith Star) are the Order's home base.
 * In the Royal Navy, the Star is the flagship of the entire fleet, and the ship's captain is (for ceremonial purposes) the seniormost captain of the entire Navy, regardless of actual time in service.

In keeping with the last three, and what Solus and MPK already remarked about a ship being "home", it was a big deal when the Reawakened boarded the Sith Star during the battle of Dolomir. The Star has been in dozens of battles, but the enemy has always been "out there", attacking the exterior of the ship; now the devils are inside the walls. To the Royal side, it was less like a ship-to-ship boarding and more like a planetary invasion; their home had been attacked, and the Centurions and Massassi (and even stranded crew members) put up a particularly ferocious fight as a result.

Even in The Fall of Keltrayu, the Star is the safe haven where the Empire's leaders can plan and strategize in (relative) peace, contrasted against the chaos that is the Battle of Tizgo V.

Sakaros Talk 02:58, October 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * Any influences from other "ship = home" series like Star Trek, Stargate: Universe, or Battlestar Galactica? Atarumaster88  ( Talk page ) 04:03, October 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * I have to confess to being a bad (or narrowly focused) geek and say I've actually never seen any of them, except the one Star Trek with the whales, and that when I was a kid. I'm not sure I could name any influences, although I suppose the  might have been one subconsciously—regardless of what territory the Empire controlled, the real center of power was with Thrawn personally, and by extension on his chosen flagship.  Sakaros Talk 04:19, October 26, 2013 (UTC)

Leiamoody of Ysonesse
(The following will not make sense to anyone, except myself...)

I have several ships in my universe, but the one that plays the most central role is an Olympos-class passenger liner called the Merani Alsan. (Olympos-class liners are based upon the generalized M-class passenger liners and the name is inspired by the Olympic-class liners that included a ship from that boat movie by James Cameron). The Merani Alsan has a bit of a disaster when it runs afoul of a "wandering" black hole and is destroyed. Total loss of life, obviously, which creates a lot of angry souls in the Afterlife. Its significance to my stories lies in the fact that my soul counselor character, Meaithe, has never dealt with so many souls who died in such a violent manner at one time. She feels guilty about the souls' predicament, and it forces her out of the "business" of counseling the recent dead. The Overseers, her bosses in the Afterlife, don't take kindly to her leaving a role that was assigned to her by them. Eventually she agrees to "atone" for her disobedience by taking on a lifetime (other words: she's born, she lives, she dies!) and records the efforts of Luke Skywalker when he establishes the New Jedi Order. She's also a living source of information on what exists after death, how to become a Force ghost, etc.

(Note: I write a very non-canon version of the universe that comes after ROTJ, so I've got my own explanation for the whole Force ghost process that probably doesn't mesh with anything in the EU. So like I said before, none of what I said will make any sense to anyone but myself. So there).

Leiamoody of YsonesseTalk 21:15, October 27, 2013 (UTC)