That's no Moon...

... that’s an R&D tax credit claim !

As an IT guy and all-round sci-fi nerd, it shouldn't surprise anyone that I love Star Wars. It’s the first film I can remember being genuinely captivated by. Space Wizards with laser swords, fast-moving space battles featuring cool looking starships… as a four year old I wanted to be a Jedi Knight or at the very least a roguish smuggler with an seven foot tall hairy bodyguard.

Love it or hate it, but from the use of extensive motion control photography combined with hyper-detailed models and blue screen (subsequently green screen) filming, standard-setting THX surround sound, pioneering use of digital cameras for both filming and editing, and generally helping to propel computer-generated effects light years ahead, Star Wars films have always extended the boundaries of what’s possible from a technical perspective.

It’s perhaps not surprising that the same futuristic philosophy is evident in the films themselves. Remote AI-controlled droid armies… eight kilometer long Super Star Destroyers – no problem. However, the greatest achievement of them all has to be the Death Star. This small moon-sized space station, armed with a planet-destroying 'superlaser', was designed and built to inspire terror and ensure loyalty.

You have to wonder if the Galactic Empire ever put in an R&D tax credit claim. After all, they would've had to research and engineer the laser, a suitable power source and a superstructure capable of withstanding the stresses of basic motion, not to mention moving the whole thing through hyperspace without it imploding, exploding or performing an improbable combination of the two.

In overall expense terms, I imagine we’re looking at something akin to the Edinburgh Tram Project…


Author - Bryan Ford