EDIT: Go figure, right as I post this I beat it on my next attempt. Yea.... this is really embarrassing. I have just finished my 10th attempt to do this mission which ended in failure always at the 20 to 40 second mark. I equipped all the grade 1 upgrades a few attempts ago and they got me a little farther but I always end up losing the shuttle. I am already using these tips: -Fighters are a priority to shoot not the larger ones -Use missiles sparingly -Don't shoot the shuttle I have also heard people say to listen in your headphones to tell which direction they are coming from; this doesn't work for me. The first time I hear and see them, which is simultaneous, the fighter is already a good way on the screen. It probably is a rendering issue unless that is how it is supposed to work. I also get some lag while playing which also makes it harder to aim properly. However I can shoot down fighters in around three to four shots so I don't think that's a problem. Any help would be appreciated.

I like the space combat because it reminds me of that star wars trilogy arcade game, which is my favorite arcade game ever. But besides that, I find it to be really difficult; I can't even complete the Fondor Escort mission after four tries with all the first tier upgrades. I think this is mainly because it takes my computer a long time to render things so I end up not seeing half the fighters that I need to get. If I had a more powerful computer I would definitely find it an entertaining mini-game.

It's been a while since I've seen the movies, so forgive me if I am forgetting some stuff like Republic negotiations with the CIS. I know Obi-Wan directly overheard their plans for war and told the Council, but I don't think one man's word is sufficient charges along with one assassination attempt to go to war. If you are arguing from the strategic position, they made the right choice, but I still have doubts about the moral justifications; you even admit yourself that the Republic was led by a Sith Lord into this war whom you have argued are stirring up fights quite often. I'm not quite saying that the Jedi are at fault, but the Senate's actions are my concern. Going back to the Trade Federation army, if their droid soldiers did not operate or were manufactured in systems belonging to the Republic I still think they had every right to build that army according to the measures of the governing powers of the CIS. The Republic should have warned them to cancel the construction of this army and begun to make war plans accordingly. On the other hand, building large armies is usually a problem for other nations such as in post WW1 Germany.

Stepping outside of the argument for the moment I want to connect these parallels to the real world. Empire vs. Rebellion -------------------------- Great Britain vs. American Colonies Rome vs. Britannica and Gaul Republic vs. CIS ------------------- American Civil War As for the philosophical differences between Jedi and Sith: Jedi vs. Sith ------------- Stoicism vs. Natural Inclination Buddhism vs. "" Superego vs. Id Apollonian vs. Dionysian Natural World vs. Civilization Suppressing feelings vs. Utilizing emotions ------------------------------------------------------------------ The Jedi discourage emotions, especially strong ones. Yoda warns Anakin about his fear in Episode I Jedi are forbidden to marry until the New Republic Jedi meditate in the Eastern fashion (emotionless) They mainly avoid emotion because of the powerful control it can have over people as it does in the Sith but they do go a bit far. And as I've said before, not meaning any disrespect at all if it sounds offensive, but I equate Jedi philosophy with a kind of militarized Buddhism. Buddhism believes that emotions are harmful for similar reasons.

By the way, it is alright to transition into a Jedi vs. Sith debate because they are so intertwined with the historical events and struggles that occurred between the Republic/Rebellion and the Empire/CIS. However, this shouldn't consume the whole debate and become the only part of the discussion. My philosophical tendencies have agreed with the Jedi and Stoicism in some respects: suppressing negative emotions and working for the common good. However, their hypocritical and apathetic responses to the Republic and the way everyone assumes they're perfect is what turns me against them. On the side, because Lucas is a Buddhist, I think that's influenced his creation of the Jedi as who they are as they share many principles.

I'm not that fond of the CIS, but I don't like how everyone assumes the Jedi side is always right. So from what I can tell, the Trade Federation and Count Dooku have been causing most of the trouble in terms of the assassination attempts. I don't think three spies, despite their importance, should not be the cause of a galaxy wide war which will lead to the death of billions of lives. If the CIS attacked first, then of course they should be able to fight back but they had little confirmation of any invasion taking place and used no diplomatic weight to tell them to stop making such large armies, they just charged in. The droid army wasn't really illegal if the CIS was actually a Confederation of Independent Systems; they should be able to have their own military like the Republic had on a smaller scale to deal with local crises and pirates. What I am basically trying to say is that the Republic should have tried more peaceful tactics before invading Geonosis and launching such a destructive war.

I am glad that I am not the only one who thinks differently than how the films portray the struggle. I do see that the Empire has committed great crimes, but nothing that the Republic hadn't done before even as we see in the Old Republic, both sides are flawed in their own ways.

But I don't believe, correct me if I am wrong, that the Jedi or the Republic knew this when they started fighting; if that's the case I think they lose a lot of grounds for attacking secessionists.

I see your point, but it seems to me that you're saying the Republic was attacking the CIS chiefly because of the Trade Federation's involvement, because they are causing most of if not all the problems in Episodes I and II. As for the Sith involvement, there is a lot of anger directed at the Sith due to the early wars and all, but it just seems to be a type of philosophy, though far from perfect, that the Jedi have been rivals with and constantly trying to suppress. But I do see what you mean, with what the Sith have been doing consistently, it's hard to tolerate them.

This question has been going through my brain for a while now, so I'm curious what other people think. In the Original Trilogy, the Rebel Alliance who are the "good guys" are sabotaging the Empire's efforts and trying to cause destruction from the inside. Using violence, the Rebel Alliance finally manages to gain independence from the Empire and become the New Republic. They based their entire war on principles of government and used violence to support their fight. Now rewind twenty or thirty years ago, to Episode II. Several systems are upset about how things are being run in the government and so want to peacefully leave the Republic. However, they meet stern resistance and when they try to execute some spies who are illegally infiltrating and killing some civilians (Obi Wan, Anakin, and Padmé), the Jedi Order begins a massive attack in order to free them. After the CIS tried to put down this invasion, a full-scale Republic invasion of Geonosis begins which leads to the Clone Wars, justified only by retrieving three important people. Frankly, I think the CIS were much more justified than the Rebel Alliance was. It seems that who's good and who is bad is based upon whether or not you believe in Jedi or Sith philosophy. This also forms a strong parallel to the American Revolution and Civil War now that I think about it, however the North had more reason to fight than the Republic did, namely because the Republic is very corrupt at this point. So, post your thoughts and comments about who was morally justified in these wars, and don't just say someone was good or bad because George Lucas wanted it that way. Thanks for non-troll responses.

I'm just excited I get to play the game early at all, I mean frankly they did advertise up to 5 days early which is what most of us are going to get tomorrow.

I pre-ordered mine near the start of August but accidently lost the pre-order code, so I had to buy another one in November, didn't realize that I'd miss out on what will probably be 3 days of early access because of it.