1 minute ago, That Blasted Samophlange said:

There is a good chance these are b-wings mark 2, the cockpit of which was used to make the resistance transport.

This ship was cobbled together.

As to the red mist, we know First Order stormtrooper armour does not filter toxins, so maybe a chemical weapon. The mist could be incendiary in nature, launching a bomb into the mist could ignite it.

Highly doubt the ship is going be mk2 anything, although they could have been cobbled together from other vehicles. The design is definitely based on the B-wing, but reducing the proud heavy fighter to a glorified sand skiff.... nah, no way they would do that. Unless there crashed/wrecked mk2's, and they've been repurposed for atmospheric fights, which is why they are barely flying so they have the center strut to hold them up.

Also the good guys probably aren't gassing their enemies. Cliche as it may be, maybe the smoke is hiding tow cables?

They may have been designed for mining the red stuff trapped beneath the baked surface by raking it and releasing it into the air where these or other ships of some kind would collect it.

What the red stuff actually is I have no idea.

Khyber crystal dust ....

Now when do we get to play the game, how much of this will actually be in the movie?

Maybe they're air speeders, but that stick is a pogo stick they can use to jump a little higher in the air.

Maybe some sort of raiders? It matches the salvaged look of the ships. The red trail could be an intimidation tactic. Think War Boys from Mad Max.

Since we already have one atmospheric flyer in the game in the form of the TIE Striker, have to wonder if these will make it in in addition to ye olde T-47?

11 hours ago, Force Majeure said:

@Suhawk75 That is a really smart idea.

It could be an intimidation technique. I don't know much about true historical methods used in real battles, but I'm remidned of the line of warriors from William Wallace hooting and howling before they clash with the enemy in Braveheart, or even when the choppers are blasting Flight of the Valkyries in Apocolypse Now.

Brave Heart is one of the most historically inacurrate movies ever ^^

2 hours ago, flyboymb said:

Since we already have one atmospheric flyer in the game in the form of the TIE Striker, have to wonder if these will make it in in addition to ye olde T-47?

Considering they are open topped: no

The Striker is in the game because it is capable of lower orbital flight.

And the red dust is most likely just that. Dust. And the upper layer of the ground is not red because it's dried out by the sun.

7 hours ago, FlyingAnchors said:

If you knew how many sith were really out there, you'd sheev your pants.... and then have to clean up the Dooku, because your pants were darth mauled.

...I bet they're all SWTOR/KOTOR fans too...

2 hours ago, RogueLeader42 said:

Considering they are open topped: no

The Striker is in the game because it is capable of lower orbital flight.

And the red dust is most likely just that. Dust. And the upper layer of the ground is not red because it's dried out by the sun.

This. ^

Yes, this is blood

Honestly thought they were bringing back pod racing.

5 hours ago, RogueLeader42 said:

Considering they are open topped: no

The Striker is in the game because it is capable of lower orbital flight.

And the red dust is most likely just that. Dust. And the upper layer of the ground is not red because it's dried out by the sun.

I think you're right. The red dust kicks up when that craft crash lands.

5 hours ago, RogueLeader42 said:

Considering they are open topped: no

The Striker is in the game because it is capable of lower orbital flight.

Then why don't I have my T-16 Skyhoppers yet?!

Quote

And the red dust is most likely just that. Dust. And the upper layer of the ground is not red because it's dried out by the sun.

I thought this was obvious, but then I forgot which forum I was on: The High Functioning Aspergers support group

Who are you calling high-functioning?!?

the red is definitely the sand being kicked up, you can see it kick up when the bottom of the cockpit hits the sand as well.

My guess is that the repulser lift on those skiffs isn't strong enough to hold them more than a metre or two above the ground, so its probably hard to turn, hence a connection to the ground to give a point of friction around which to rotate.

also i don't think these are being flown by the resistance. I think this is going to be somewhere towards the start of the movie showing the growing strength of the first order as they conquer outer rim planets which have to rely on their own local militias.

Orbital support ? Like special forces "painting a target" or directional bombing support?

Maybe pods that are dropped down with purpose (so the one in the middle is not crashing, or hopping/stumbling over something, but instead clumsily landing?)

As much as it pains me to say this (or type this), it looks like a hot planet/weather rehash of Battle of Hoth, wich truly makes me fear for the franchise....

1. Sandspeeders/skimmers instead of snowspeeders

2. AT-ATs in the distance

3. Using the sand to conceal something (some ships/skiffs with tow cables?)

I really, really hope I'm wrong.

17 hours ago, FTS Gecko said:

Honestly thought they were bringing back pod racing.

It looks like a cinematic reference, like Rey standing in front of the water on a wet stone floor. "It rhymes."

Tie Striker are here because they can go to space battle with tie fighter :

According to the Star Wars Land panel, TLJ includes a "mineral planet" named Crait.

Add that factoid into the mix on the speculation over this red stuff...

I'm betting they're running a smokescreen for an attack run on the AT-ATs.

By your logic, is any ground assault on a rebel base going to be a rehash of Hoth for you guys? AT-ATs are literally designed to make a ground assault, and the rebels at Hoth clearly figured out that tow cables worked. Hopefully they'll do something other than tow cables this time, but seriously. Any ground assault will involve AT-ATs, the imperials aren't much for infiltration.

Is that the correct way to spell Crait? Just want to clarify, because if it's "Krayt," then one could speculate that we may see a Krayt Dragon in this battle. Dragging those poles in the sand might disturb a sleeping one that comes out to battle AT-ATs.