I read somewhere that computer tech in star wars is strictly hard wired. There is no holonet data base, wireless data transfers or the like. Is that correct? So Leia couldn't have just transmitted the deathstar plans tosomebody, they had to be physically carried. A computer network can only reach as far as its wires are run? Something like an imperial database would have to be constantly updated by couriers coming in from across the galaxy with updated files. Is that about right?

Not technically.

"Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies."

I've always taken the thought that people in Star Wars already went through the wireless phase, but then a whole lot of punks started hacking everything, and now it's all hardwired for security reasons. Yes, I know it's because we just hadn't thought of it when the originals were made, but that's kind of my take on it. Especially the Imperials, that sounds just like some massive government missive, "No wireless access anywhere." For security reasons.

When I run my games, I just say wireless is freely available, unless they are accessing any system that is even remotely (see what I did there?) capable of having secure data.

That's just my uninformed take on it though. Someone else probably has a more official answer.

Good point on Vader quote. I totally forgot that.also a good approach to the issue. So if a character asked for the arrival time of a freighter in another system, as it's not a matter of security the authorities would have that info? And if so, how? Is there an FTL intergalactic net?

I always just assumed beaming the total blueprints of a flying planet would take too long and draw attention.

Think about what was possible in the 70s, then add intelligent machines that can mess with things as fast as they can think. So, specific beaming could happen, much like how the Voyager probes and such sent data back to Earth from space, but generalized wifi and their ilk would be the death of any living being. Think how the Republic would have fallen during the Clone Wars given that the other side was a massive army of machines.

Or for another example, go watch Battlestar Galactica. At least the rebooted version from 2003. With access to the computer network, the Cylons completely crippled the 12 colonies in one blow. Only the older ships that hadn't been upgraded yet were spared from the commands to shutdown.

I imagine planets are capable of wireless technology to a degree, but all essential services are wired and any signals sent between planets are also "wired" unless you have a transmitter set up to message a particular point in space rather then another planet. Everything between planets is monitored for key buzzwords via transceiver stations, but these stations are automatively manned, thus for a well trained hacker team being able to access a station allows one to skim through the service details of anything sent through the link within a particular timeframe, probably a few months.

Wireless tech is very limited in usage, with most essential services having hard ports. That being said. I imagine that would vary greatly between planets. I imagine Na Sheddar to be a wireless heaven.

There is also the fact that most computers are sentient/sapient in star wars. Artoo had to plug in and talk to them. The internet as most people know it, browsing cat videos, posting memes on RPG forums, etc., doesn't really happen.

There is also the fact that most computers are sentient/sapient in star wars. Artoo had to plug in and talk to them. The internet as most people know it, browsing cat videos, posting memes on RPG forums, etc., doesn't really happen.

Maybe that was part of the reason, an over-abundance of Loth-cat and tooka videos clogging up the tubes

Wifi exists, but isn't really used for transmitting important data. The Holonet is basically the Star Wars version of the internet backbone and it goes through relay stations set up at the outskirts of a system with each inhabited planet getting a satellite that functions as a hub for that planet's traffic. There are ground stations in every major city that transfers the information from the satellite to the planet and use a wireless connection to beam it around. The ground stations also send a signal back up to the satellite which in turn gets put onto the system relay. This way the galaxy can keep abreast of numerous news events occurring across the galaxy. However, since the Empire controls most of the network there are censors there to monitor the traffic and pre-empt news from getting beyond a planet that is being attacked by the Empire. This way the Empire can fabricate a story about how they're liberating a world from those Rebel terrorists.

For sending important data, they use point to point transmission protocol that would be a VPN equivalent. No one outside of the link will know what exactly was transmitted, but they will know something was sent. Point to point can be done locally between ships etc... as long as there is an open communications link. Point to point can also be done using the Holonet, but it is far less secure.

For ship to ship communications, it is done like point to point and can be encrypted. All it takes to break into a ship's computer system is using slicing gear and a low powered open communications link. Usually the link goes through a port that isn't blocked by the hardware firewall and does require the ships to be relatively close to each other. This is what enables slicers to gain access to another ship's computers during combat. Want to confuse the enemy? Slice his computer and have his sensors pop up additional targets or throw the aim point of his weapons off. Want to take control of the ship with minimal losses and damage? Slice the computer and turn off life support plus power down the engines then prevent a restart using a special code.

I play it according to 70s logic, I do not allow my game to have "wi-fi" or "internet".

Some local planetary communication is probably available (on rim planets), or networks of information from specific info kiosk or for VIP clients, but always local. The government and anything large as it, have the galactic communication, but probably has huge lag due to technology difficulty.

Also-

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Relay_station

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Subspace_relay_station

Well there was instant comm between various characters at vast interstellar distances demonstrated several times in the movies. Seems data could be transfered the same way. So even if there is no actual Internet, info could be updated galaxy wide by an organized system of satellites and relay stations. Even a remote location could get its daily data dump and update its records. A local there would have access to the latest public information. (Ie. Who won the latest pod race on Tatooine, what's the current market value of bacta etc.)

I hadn't really thought about the "Cylon" angle before. That answer is enough to put the nit-picky side of my brain to rest on this matter.

There is also the fact that most computers are sentient/sapient in star wars. Artoo had to plug in and talk to them. The internet as most people know it, browsing cat videos, posting memes on RPG forums, etc., doesn't really happen.

I don't think "wi-fi" as we consider it exists in the Star Wars universe. If it did, datapads (if used like tablets on 21st Century Earth) would be way too powerful.

I, too, think about it in a 70's technology, but also consider some the things they refer to in the movies and the consideration that that there are technological advances in their universe.

I've thought specifically about that part of the movie about beaming transmissions. It wouldn't be that much different than picking up an old UHF channel and recording that on a VHS tape. But that channel was broadcast directly to the Tantive IV. At least that's how I always considered transmission to be broadcast and captured, etc. But that's my opinion.

There is no wireless in my Star Wars games. The Holonet, to me, is like cable TV. If you have communications capabilities (legitimate or pirated), you can broadcast information on the Holonet. If you want to access a computer system, you have to be able to slice into it directly, in person.

Even though it's never said, datapads seem to act like wireless tablets sometimes.

The only way that the Imperials would know that a transmission was sent specifically to the Tantive IV would be if there were "addressed" data communications in the manner of the real internet. Unless there's some identifying information at the source that reveals the intended recipient, you can't really tell who a signal was sent to.

(Really, though, I think the people making ANH probably just had an "NCIS technology" moment...)

I'm inclined to gradually incorporate things like Wi-Fi, but my rationale basically ended with "whelp, nothing's actually changed." One of the biggest limits, I figure, is that fringe worlds don't always have the best connection. Relays age and break down, and with the Empire controlling the HoloNet, it's often more effort than it's worth to replace, repair or install new ones. And datapads work mostly like tablets as long as they can connect to the HoloNet, which isn't always possible, so the user has to rely on whatever is downloaded ahead of time. And when you're dealing with starships, it really depends on what you can connect to, if you can find something.

In the Imperial era, I just play it as if they have everything we have and more, but regulated like today's China. Mostly it's because I have zero interest in trying to frame the boundaries on the issue...they are completely nebulous and there are a lot of them...it just interferes with the story. The last thing I need is to derail a session because the technician wants to "hack" something and we get into a debate about what's "real" in the Star Wars universe.

I always just assumed beaming the total blueprints of a flying planet would take too long and draw attention.

Plus, god forbid, you have network packet errors or something. "You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point. The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermKIJNBH*&@^!@(*&^&"

[CARRIER LOST]

In the Imperial era, I just play it as if they have everything we have and more, but regulated like today's China. Mostly it's because I have zero interest in trying to frame the boundaries on the issue...they are completely nebulous and there are a lot of them...it just interferes with the story. The last thing I need is to derail a session because the technician wants to "hack" something and we get into a debate about what's "real" in the Star Wars universe.

"Sadly" our gaming group of old consisted of a very technology and science savvy bunch -- if I wanted to mention anything about genetics, for example, I'd have to spend hours and hours doing research, because one of them has masters in botany and entomology. If anything might ever come up regarding computers and networking, I had to put a ton of work before the campaign started establishing how everything worked, because one of them was a programmer and network administrator.

I come by my obsession with hardcore worldbuilding at least in part through far too many session-derailing arguments... and that's also why I sit here and cringe at the "just wing it" or "it's all just set-dressing to serve the narrative" comments that are sometimes made here.

Between my own deep-seated desire for verisimilitude and all those years gaming with those guys, the fake storefronts of a western movie set town, with nothing but some 2x4 bracing behind them, will never be enough.

...because one of them has masters in botany and entomology. If anything might ever come up regarding computers and networking, I had to put a ton of work before the campaign started establishing how everything worked, because one of them was programmer and administrator...

I'm neither of those things, but I -did- stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, so I feel your pain.

(Sorry if unfunny joke is unfunny.)

There is also the fact that most computers are sentient/sapient in star wars. Artoo had to plug in and talk to them. The internet as most people know it, browsing cat videos, posting memes on RPG forums, etc., doesn't really happen.

Take a look at some of the old WEG d6 books, such as Fragments from the Rim, or a couple of the gear compendiums. At least in that context, there's something resembling a Star-Wars-ified version of the days when "the internet" was becoming "the web".

(I know it's not "canon", but it could serve as a good starting point for a GM who wanted to include something along those lines.)

One of the reasons you see analog data transmissions in the OT is because the Rebellion is an underground military insurgency. The only "secure" way to get information from A to B is in person.

I play my games' data/wifi/internet using a combination of themes, which relies on slight extrapolations of canon sources:

-- Empire/Wealthy/Powerful systems have access to the Galactic Holonet. We see the Empire/Republic/Jedi/Trade Federation using it in the OT/PT, and it's reasonable to assume it is a "service" in relatively common use (by those of means, at the very least). Extrapolating only a very little bit from these sources, it's also reasonable to assume that if visual data can be transmitted, that other types of data can be as well. This means that with the right equipment -- a droid, a ship, or the right type of communicator -- that one can essentially access a Galactic info superhighway. This is, essentially, an inter-system network of data, which is vastly powerful when given the ability to relay information seamlessly and real-time across vast distances. It would be a priority for any Empire or major inter-system government to set up a relay system between areas of control -- this is why we see military and political figures using these methods in the films. While this means that people living on Coruscant or other highly developed worlds can use this service, it probably isn't free, which means that most people are using the next option (below).

-- Poor/Underdeveloped/Remote systems use "local" system networks: It would be a bit silly to think that in a universe that had developed both computers and communications technology that there wouldn't be some kind of wireless data communication option. But unlike the Galactic Holonet (above), poorer systems or those outside of Empire control would not be able to afford Galactic relay options. Instead, it's possible they would use planetary/"local system" data options. This isn't to say that all planets would have it, but we can probably assume "local" could mean different things in different circumstances. (A capital city of an underdeveloped world might have great wireless but the remote colonies on the planet might have squat.) Much of this would depend on who controls the planets, if they use satellites, etc. And I also imagine even highly-developed planets have "local" internets (or "planetary/system" internets) that operate on a different "channel" than the Galactic Holonet.

Fundamentally, each are very "location-dependent" (or "resource-dependent"). Both of the above concepts would still rely on some kind of tech to use/relay communications. Are they integrated/cybernetic? External, like a droid or a ship terminal? I wouldn't see any reason to be too limiting on the options for access.

The abundance of slicers in the Star Wars universe would still mean many of these methods are unsecure, meaning Leia's technique of data transmission would still be a reasonable option for anyone trying to avoid detection.

In the Imperial era, I just play it as if they have everything we have and more, but regulated like today's China. Mostly it's because I have zero interest in trying to frame the boundaries on the issue...they are completely nebulous and there are a lot of them...it just interferes with the story. The last thing I need is to derail a session because the technician wants to "hack" something and we get into a debate about what's "real" in the Star Wars universe.

"Sadly" our gaming group of old consisted of a very technology and science savvy bunch -- if I wanted to mention anything about genetics, for example, I'd have to spend hours and hours doing research, because one of them has masters in botany and entomology. If anything might ever come up regarding computers and networking, I had to put a ton of work before the campaign started establishing how everything worked, because one of them was a programmer and network administrator.

I come by my obsession with hardcore worldbuilding at least in part through far too many session-derailing arguments... and that's also why I sit here and cringe at the "just wing it" or "it's all just set-dressing to serve the narrative" comments that are sometimes made here.

Between my own deep-seated desire for verisimilitude and all those years gaming with those guys, the fake storefronts of a western movie set town, with nothing but some 2x4 bracing behind them, will never be enough.

As a well-practiced "winger", I don't know what you're talking about. It's relatively easy to dive into whatever level of detail is required.

Maybe on the tech side it's easy for me, being a software developer. But even so, I don't see the need to account for all the "fiddly bits", in the same way we don't account for every blaster shot in combat. If I ever had to explain why the PCs USB v542 doesn't fit the new Imperial USB v543, I hope somebody nukes my table from orbit. But even if some specific detail was needed for the story, I make my life a lot easier if I can tell the techie player about some real world analogue rather than having to invent some detail they need to pay attention to, and then retro-rationalize that just because the movies obfuscate the issue.

It's interesting to watch the evolution of "tech interaction" in TCW. The PT was all about the "one button" approach to tech, it's almost a gag line. TCW started that way, but the year after the iPhone was introduced, those episodes made a point of introducing "gestures". Tech in Star Wars is a "living document".

Half of my table is either tech dorks on the level of senior network engineer for PayPal and a supervisor for Cybercom-USN, or the other half military vets with multiple combat deployments/decades of tactical experience, and none of us beat each other up over details too badly. Immersion in any fictional/fantastical genre requires buy in by the participants.

Half of my table is either tech dorks on the level of senior network engineer for PayPal and a supervisor for Cybercom-USN, or the other half military vets with multiple combat deployments/decades of tactical experience, and none of us beat each other up over details too badly. Immersion in any fictional/fantastical genre requires buy in by the participants.

"You've been to Afghanistan, right? So no wireless out in the desert. Sound reasonable?"

"Remember when you were in New York and could get wireless anywhere? Same deal."

Half of my table is either tech dorks on the level of senior network engineer for PayPal and a supervisor for Cybercom-USN, or the other half military vets with multiple combat deployments/decades of tactical experience, and none of us beat each other up over details too badly. Immersion in any fictional/fantastical genre requires buy in by the participants.

It's not a matter of "beating up", it's a matter of "Oh, how does that work?" and wanting more details, more information, more specifics...