2 hours ago, Joker Two said:

Those were decommissioned bombers Paige & Rose's family used for mining. Presumably the First Order just commandeered them.

**** okay. That gives Paige and Rose some serious connection to these things, good and bad.

That's actually quite cool.

4 hours ago, AllWingsStandyingBy said:

But this doesn't jive at all with their lore as the richest faction of all time. The First Order does not want for resources, manpower, or production facilities. They built a massive fleet that was so large it was capable of retaking the entire galaxy in a literal day (source: The Last Jedi opening scrawl). They built ships and equipment that was all absurdly bigger than the Imperials' own vessels. A Resurgent is twice the size of an ISD. Snoke's ship is wider than the First Death Star's diameter... I mean....wtf? Starkiller Base was an utterly massive facility capable of somehow draining and storing and converting all the energy and mass of a star...

They built and staffed all of this in less than 30 years, and were able to do it all in secret in the middle of nowhere, which means their logistical and supply chain infrastructure was also huge and exceedingly professional. So, basically, the First Order's magic power is obscene wealth and resources (coupled with a dash of unyielding loyalty/secrecy in the billions of support staff, logisitical staff, suppliers, and business partners they would have had to have worked with over those 30 years). They are the embodiment of flawless, cold, perfected professionalism when it comes to production, and yet the most laughable sad sack of ***** when it comes to military command, making even Scooby-Do villains look like masterminds in comparison. Could you imagine, though, the terror they would pose if that unlimited magical pool of resources was available to an enemy with even the slightest bit of competence?

But anyways, this means portraying them as a rag-tag team of desperate scrappers that are forced to use any and every piece of equipment they can get their hands on is simply incompatible with their lore. If they were using MG Starfortresses, it's not because they were the only thing available and the First Order "made due" with them, but rather it's that the First Order preferred to use the starfortresses in that scenario over any other craft type.

Figured you could use some, with such a copious amount of Salt.

You know, for balance.

PS: You know the DS1 is ~140-160km diameter right? The Supremacy was 60km wide... Maybe 12-15 long. Get it together dude.

4 hours ago, XPav said:

Where would I find these people?

Canto Bight, highest plot-importance table. Wears a red herring pin on his lapel.

Is the timeline before or after the FO saw what it could do to their dreadnaught?

9 hours ago, thebrettski said:

Is the timeline before or after the FO saw what it could do to their dreadnaught?

Definitely before.

On 9/22/2019 at 5:49 AM, Captain Lackwit said:

Definitely before.

By quite a good margin.

They point out in the movies that both sides are buying from the same suppliers. If I were to lead an army and a piece of equipment the enemy is using works and is worth using, I would have no qualms about using it myself. Especially if the enemy and i are both buying from the same source.

I actually find the whole "OH NO! WE cant use THAT. The enemy uses it" thing in many of these wargames to be a bit of nonsense. I realize it is to keep it more streamlined but I think more games should allow "crossover" of such equipment. Perhaps, put a limit on how many can be bought or pay a higher premium in points or something.

The junior reader novel Cobalt Squadron (which is actually quite good; really the only thing “junior” about it is the length) actually touches upon this. The book not only confirms that the Star Fortress can be used for mining, but that by the time of The Last Jedi , that seems to be its most common application. The Resistance’s bombers are actually outliers.

I think it makes perfect sense that the First Order would be using them. They might not even be FO ships; they could easily be stolen, “commandeered,” or even contractors making a buck. I haven’t read this particular comic, but from others’ comments, it sounds like they may have been forcibly put in service to the First Order.

As for why the First Order has such cool toys? Well, probably because it doesn’t bother with trying to be a bureaucracy. Haha. The Empire is really no different than a lot of the European powers in the 17th-19th centuries. It takes a lot of coin to govern and maintain order! As a military junta, the First Order can be far more focused. Who knows, maybe that will be how IX ends... oh, governing is much harder than just blowing stuff to smithereens. We give up, New Republic, you can have it!