I really don't see the MC85 (or the Resurgent) as huge ships. The Executor is presented as this awe-inspiring ship of great size and capability, visibly dwarfing the Star Destroyers around it. That's a huge ship- something that makes a point of being bigger than everything that came before it.
Since neither of the NT ships approaches that size, really, I see them as being hull 10+ large ships with batteries slightly larger than the heavies in play now. They'll make an impact by having two upgrade slots naturally on the big ships (like standard Resurgent comes with two weapons teams or something) around the 160 point level. If SSDs end up as one-ship lists in competitive play, These new hyper larges would approach that category as well, but be a little more practical about it.
Of the NT, it's the Mandator IV that will be a huge ship since it makes a big deal of being visibly larger than any of the other ships contemporary with it. But like dealing with the subjugator if it ever came to the game, the engine needs a mechanism to deal with starships firing one (or two) massive cannons instead of clusters of turbolasers and smaller guns.

...Huh? Oh yes, I did try to model that didn't i?

This was of course long before the issue came out showing us the bottom of the ship, which looks like this:


 
Oh well. But its easy to imagine the Maxima as the nu-age Gladiator for the First Order.

Do you suppose Padme will come with a discard ability or is that still far too soon?

I'd miss the redemption arc for Ben Solo (Hux and Rose are missing...) but this is a much better story than the fanservice left-turn we ultimately got.

We coulda had a story! 

The more I analyze the movie, the less I like it. It's still Star Wars... so it's hard for me to rate as bad, but honest to god I may like EP2 more than EP9. I never thought, in a million years, I'd look at a Star Wars film and think, "If I had a choice, I'd rather watch EP2".

On the surface it's a decent movie, plenty of action, some cool force power scenes, and a tonne of call backs and references. Go any deeper and it's a mess. Pacing is a huge issue, as stated by others. Palpatine's return created so many issues. The movie had terrible conveyance. Opening crawl is just "Oh yeah, BTW Palps is back..." I felt that characters were scripted in just to insert dialogue to explain what was happening. Maz, one of my favorites from 7, was basically there like a 90's anime character to explain the secret move the old master was using... The fleets/ space travel logic... whew lad...  what a mess. Palpatine's plan? No sense in the context of the other movies...

If  the "Confronting fear is the destiny of a Jedi" line is true, then Disney is no Jedi. 

They scrapped any notion of originality or plot depth to stuff as many call backs and nostalgia into 3 hours as they could. 

The sad part is, they had free reign to make a real masterpiece. Love or hate 8, it left the template for the last chapter wide open. There were so many directions they could have gone. They chose mass appeal. 

Love or hate 9, I'm glad they're stepping away from the old cast and timeline. Hopefully being disconnected from the OT will ease the collective hurt of the fanbase when/if they do something original in the new movies. 

 

14,000 ships correctly navigated to a planet that was supposed to be incredibly hard to get to all on the word of a retired general that they wouldn’t just die. On his word alone without the time to verify if he was legit  
 
14,000 ships which traveled from all reaches of the galaxy...
 
In... 16 hours  
 
 
Jesus tapdancing christ. Nothing about the end battle sequence of that movie makes any sense after even the slightest bit of critical thinking  
 

(Note that in my Task Force rules you only get the normal 1/3rd squadrons, so in RITR you might not need the 1/2 rule... but balance is way whack anyway =] )
(SQUADS.)

These are custom rules Blail has been working on for a while to introduce shorter-format play for Armada.
I wish they were more widely embraced, I feel I can't get an Armada game to the table now without setting down a 2.5hour commitment. There are other games I'd rather play in that time (even if they don't scratch the fleet battle itch Armada always gave).

kmanweiss pretty much summed it up, but I'm going off precedent with what we saw in X-Wing 1.0. Releases there were much more frequent and populous, and even then Scum got the lion's share of every wave. It wasn't a faction I was interested in, and honestly I was miffed to see 1. Space and effort given over to this faction I didn't care to be a part of and 2. This faction given power cards and combinations that made many working combos in the current factions obsolete.
So I'm wary of a time when some power combination comes out from the new factions that makes them the hotness while the GCW factions rust, getting only choice upgrades out of packs but can't compete with faction specific ships and cards and squadrons. Unless those card packs contain new ships to radically refit some of them into new roles (looking at you, VSDs), I'm worried competitiveness will rest with the Clone Wars factions and the GCW is going to be pushed out.
I'll be honest, I'd be over the moon if we were getting first order vs resistance instead, so half my muttering is over the era itself. Starting on clone wars now we have to dig through 2 ships a year for nothing but clone wars into the future, putting us further from the sequel era which has my interest better. Honestly with how hard it is to get an Armada game going for me now I wonder if I should just wait for that era to be announced before getting excited about the game again.

And with plenty of folk having grown up on the prequels and the clone-wars cartoon, it makes perfect sense to start depicting those ships, especially since there's been demand. I could wish FO and RES based on the hotness of the new films, but I think any chance of that sunk with the controversy of The Last Jedi (and probably died with Rise of Skywalker).
Really I'm just bummed at the slow release cycle of Armada. It would be a thing if it's a year out before FO/RES, but likely not since Clone Wars has to catch up. It's not my thing, and with this being the next thing for a long while it's a bit hard to get excited about the future, personally.
To each their own.

A bit of trivia I discovered recently, but evidently the corvette the resistance uses is the Tantive IV. The very same one from A New Hope.
If this isn't a statement of the movie's character, I don't know what is. We didn't need the Tantive IV to come back, and I'd rather have a new corvette to add to the list of named ones so we can develop its new history. It was completely unnecessary to make it the same ship except for fan pandering. Same with Luke's X-Wing. Same with Palpatine. *angry sigh*
 
So now that superlasers can be mounted to Star Destroyers, A. I guess the death stars are obsolete then and B. When can we get our special title card to mount superweapons to ISDs?
Also I wonder which is the stupider idea: Superlasers mounted on ordinary ISD-Is, or the Sun Crusher?

I'd think he wouldn't care as long as it got the job done. The Executor class wasn't just an upscaled ISD, after all.
Again, lazy. Take this asset, make it more intimidating by just making it bigger and adding a gun to it. Even VSDs had wings and a different bridge arrangement to make it out as a different class- is it so much to ask for other modifications?
Guh.
 
My wonder is only for the future of Armada. I don't think it's too far of a stretch to imagine the First Order... but would they go as far as to create a "Final Order" faction, or would they just merge it in with the First Order? Which ever they choose, are they going to model the Xyston or make it a title for the ISD?
 

And with plenty of folk having grown up on the prequels and the clone-wars cartoon, it makes perfect sense to start depicting those ships, especially since there's been demand. I could wish FO and RES based on the hotness of the new films, but I think any chance of that sunk with the controversy of The Last Jedi (and probably died with Rise of Skywalker).
Really I'm just bummed at the slow release cycle of Armada. It would be a thing if it's a year out before FO/RES, but likely not since Clone Wars has to catch up. It's not my thing, and with this being the next thing for a long while it's a bit hard to get excited about the future, personally.
To each their own.

And with plenty of folk having grown up on the prequels and the clone-wars cartoon, it makes perfect sense to start depicting those ships, especially since there's been demand. I could wish FO and RES based on the hotness of the new films, but I think any chance of that sunk with the controversy of The Last Jedi (and probably died with Rise of Skywalker).
Really I'm just bummed at the slow release cycle of Armada. It would be a thing if it's a year out before FO/RES, but likely not since Clone Wars has to catch up. It's not my thing, and with this being the next thing for a long while it's a bit hard to get excited about the future, personally.
To each their own.

Stupid Supergun aside I just wish they did more alterations to it instead of simply scaling up an ISD-I. It's such a lazy solution... the only thing worse is the Tector-class being identical to ISDs except the hangar.

I need to re-watch TLJ...
I will agree that TLJ dropped the ball in a few places. I think the distrust between Holdo and Poe would have been better served if there was rumor of a spy in the fleet to give away the Resistance's position (rather than a tech gizmo). This fuels Poe's suspicions about Holdo while Finn and Rose depart to find some way to disable the Supremacy. I agree the slow-motion chase was a disservice, because clearly the First order could have surrounded and pummeled the Raddus into submission. Why they didn't do that isn't clear when it seems obvious and an explanation would have been nice.
I don't remember there being a problem per-se about Canto Bight, but I do like the lesson we take out of it (about Arms dealers supplying both sides of the war). I also like how it touches upon what, really, makes up the meat of the resistance: The oppressed. It's also a nice touch to revisit these same kids in the finale to set up that they are the future of the Resistance, even if for now the Resistance has been suppressed.
It was hard for me to really enjoy the humor in RoS when the story pacing and integrity suffered so badly. I liked some of Threepio's lines (Is this the afterlife? Are droids allowed in here?)- but many of the moments that were good (like Threepio's "last look") were suddenly muted by off-timed comedic lines. I'm thinking of the one where Threepio thinks of something just before being unplugged in the very next scene. It was supposed to be funny, but it destroyed the gravity of the previous moment. Same with Threepio being effectively dead and suddenly reversed with R2's reset.
 
I'd say where TLJ left us off was loaded with a lot of interesting leads that RoS refused to pick up upon because Disney, driven by TLJ critics, was hot to abandon them. The Resistance has a major challenge ahead of them of rebuilding their numbers to take on the First Order. The kindling is there- the children of Canto Bight are indicative of the potential.
In the wake of Snoke's death we're obviously set up for a power struggle between Hux and Kylo Ren- both men are immature, so the struggle between them would be a clumsy one... and something the Resistance could use to their advantage when taking on the First Order.
The blade of Skywalker is asunder, the last in the bloodline has been turned to evil, and TLJ leaves us with the thought that the Jedi and Sith were not the proper way to understand the force. Rey could have been the one to find new understanding on how to draw from both sides of the force without succumbing to both of them. She could have been the first of a new kind of force user, who shares this understanding with Kylo Ren as both of them try to understand their place in the Force.
 
So much of this potential I found beautiful, and I want to know the answers to these points. When all is said and done though, the answers provided in RoS are disappointing. Even that last point defaults back to the Jedi/Sith split that refuses to even ask the question of whether there are new ways to use the Force (Rebels was starting to ask this question as well, with the Bentu). We'll never know the answers to these directions now, not without setting everything back to the way RoS was (Like... Ben will be dead. There will be no explaination of who he can be as a grey force user).
It's like TLJ asked a very interesting and thought-provoking question, and RoS's answer was a shrug and saying, "I dunno, Lol." It's unsatisfying, hollow, and essentially leaves the question unanswered. And everyone seems to be happy with this.
I can agree with this.
If it were up to me I'd let Rian Johnson direct 9 as well, to give us interesting answers to all these leads he set up. But "the fans" would have pitched a fit if that had been the case because how much "they" hated The Last Jedi.
I had apprehensions when I heard JJ was cast to direct 9 because I remember well how awkward Star Trek Into Darkness was as a sequel. I doubted his ability to do it, so I wasn't surprised RoS came out so awkwardly.

...and I'm not looking forward to four years of Clone wars ship releases into the future. Lets hope card pack releases can ease the sting of no new ship classes.
I was looking forward to the Imperial Dreadnought and the Arrestor Cruiser. I was also holding out hope for the Legends MC40a and the Nebulon-B2. Fat chance of those happening while we play in Clone Wars.

...and I'm not looking forward to four years of Clone wars ship releases into the future. Lets hope card pack releases can ease the sting of no new ship classes.
I was looking forward to the Imperial Dreadnought and the Arrestor Cruiser. I was also holding out hope for the Legends MC40a and the Nebulon-B2. Fat chance of those happening while we play in Clone Wars.

We're facing what X-Wing experienced with the release of scum... except it's worse then that. There's stuff for you if you enjoy clone wars.
Nothing for you if you don't.

I need to re-watch TLJ...
I will agree that TLJ dropped the ball in a few places. I think the distrust between Holdo and Poe would have been better served if there was rumor of a spy in the fleet to give away the Resistance's position (rather than a tech gizmo). This fuels Poe's suspicions about Holdo while Finn and Rose depart to find some way to disable the Supremacy. I agree the slow-motion chase was a disservice, because clearly the First order could have surrounded and pummeled the Raddus into submission. Why they didn't do that isn't clear when it seems obvious and an explanation would have been nice.
I don't remember there being a problem per-se about Canto Bight, but I do like the lesson we take out of it (about Arms dealers supplying both sides of the war). I also like how it touches upon what, really, makes up the meat of the resistance: The oppressed. It's also a nice touch to revisit these same kids in the finale to set up that they are the future of the Resistance, even if for now the Resistance has been suppressed.
It was hard for me to really enjoy the humor in RoS when the story pacing and integrity suffered so badly. I liked some of Threepio's lines (Is this the afterlife? Are droids allowed in here?)- but many of the moments that were good (like Threepio's "last look") were suddenly muted by off-timed comedic lines. I'm thinking of the one where Threepio thinks of something just before being unplugged in the very next scene. It was supposed to be funny, but it destroyed the gravity of the previous moment. Same with Threepio being effectively dead and suddenly reversed with R2's reset.
 
I'd say where TLJ left us off was loaded with a lot of interesting leads that RoS refused to pick up upon because Disney, driven by TLJ critics, was hot to abandon them. The Resistance has a major challenge ahead of them of rebuilding their numbers to take on the First Order. The kindling is there- the children of Canto Bight are indicative of the potential.
In the wake of Snoke's death we're obviously set up for a power struggle between Hux and Kylo Ren- both men are immature, so the struggle between them would be a clumsy one... and something the Resistance could use to their advantage when taking on the First Order.
The blade of Skywalker is asunder, the last in the bloodline has been turned to evil, and TLJ leaves us with the thought that the Jedi and Sith were not the proper way to understand the force. Rey could have been the one to find new understanding on how to draw from both sides of the force without succumbing to both of them. She could have been the first of a new kind of force user, who shares this understanding with Kylo Ren as both of them try to understand their place in the Force.
 
So much of this potential I found beautiful, and I want to know the answers to these points. When all is said and done though, the answers provided in RoS are disappointing. Even that last point defaults back to the Jedi/Sith split that refuses to even ask the question of whether there are new ways to use the Force (Rebels was starting to ask this question as well, with the Bentu). We'll never know the answers to these directions now, not without setting everything back to the way RoS was (Like... Ben will be dead. There will be no explaination of who he can be as a grey force user).
It's like TLJ asked a very interesting and thought-provoking question, and RoS's answer was a shrug and saying, "I dunno, Lol." It's unsatisfying, hollow, and essentially leaves the question unanswered. And everyone seems to be happy with this.
I can agree with this.
If it were up to me I'd let Rian Johnson direct 9 as well, to give us interesting answers to all these leads he set up. But "the fans" would have pitched a fit if that had been the case because how much "they" hated The Last Jedi.
I had apprehensions when I heard JJ was cast to direct 9 because I remember well how awkward Star Trek Into Darkness was as a sequel. I doubted his ability to do it, so I wasn't surprised RoS came out so awkwardly.

Part of the reason this movie makes me sad is that we get this Final Order crap instead of more First Order equipment. The Final Order is just a bad, juvenile idea that....ughf. And these ISDs with guns glued to their bottoms is just a highlight of it all. The actual, interesting new stuff (Sith Troopers and their TIEs) make such a limited appearance the entire faction is a cop-out.
The original VSD artwork was ambiguous enough that differences can be pulled out of it... in fact... the original flight simulators did just that (adding twin antenna, two engines instead of three, splitting the wings). It's only things like Empire at War that re-uses the ISD model that makes the impression it's just a shrunken ISD.

Trying to understand it in a technical way (since I'm biased as fan of the Last Jedi) but... I can't agree to that. But I also think Rise of Skywalker is worse than the prequels too, from the standpoint of storytelling and cinematography.
I've heard people say the Prequels were well written but badly acted, and RoS is badly written but well acted. I think that's an apt statement about all this.
You may disagree with the conclusions TLJ reached, or some of the decisions they made in terms of where to take the story, but I'd argue it was still a better made movie. The pacing was better than in RoS, and TLJ holds suspense and unexpected surprises for the audience that just isn't there for RoS. RoS feels like a melodramatic bad fan fiction from high school, TLJ is like a novel you're assigned to read from class. It has a deep, central point, but it may not be your kind of read, and it was published before the author could finish editing it.

It was not implied that cannon had the ability to blow up Crait were it only pointed downwards.  It was capable of breaching a really thick door, which is not the same thing.
 
Even if we ignore the physics of it (which are even more absurd than normal), from a writing standpoint having a mass-produced planet killer only a few hundred meters long cheapens the concept (which, having already been the focal point of 3 movies, is already pretty cheap.)  Remember when Alderaan's destruction caused an actual emotional reaction?  Watching Kijimi get turned into pebbles didn't even make me blink.  In fact, I had to look up the name, because I forgot it, because it didn't matter.
Unless the point of the franchise is to make an audience apathetic to planetary genocide, the superweapon trope has to go.  It just doesn't raise the stakes anymore.

Part of the reason this movie makes me sad is that we get this Final Order crap instead of more First Order equipment. The Final Order is just a bad, juvenile idea that....ughf. And these ISDs with guns glued to their bottoms is just a highlight of it all. The actual, interesting new stuff (Sith Troopers and their TIEs) make such a limited appearance the entire faction is a cop-out.
The original VSD artwork was ambiguous enough that differences can be pulled out of it... in fact... the original flight simulators did just that (adding twin antenna, two engines instead of three, splitting the wings). It's only things like Empire at War that re-uses the ISD model that makes the impression it's just a shrunken ISD.