54
votes
If PPGs don't penetrate metal, why didn't people use armour in Babylon 5?
They did.
In the very first pilot episode, The Gathering, Sinclair and Garibaldi suit up in black padded vests when going after the changeling net assassin. Garibaldi takes a PPG hit directly to the ...
- 35.9k
40
votes
Accepted
If PPGs don't penetrate metal, why didn't people use armour in Babylon 5?
PPGs aren't common, which is why people don't wear body armor that often.
As the audience, we often see them, but that's because our perspective follows the staff and crew of Babylon 5 around. They ...
- 4,186
38
votes
Accepted
Is Halo's MJOLNIR armor related to Thor's hammer Mjölnir?
It's likely named after Thor's hammer from Norse mythology. Nothing I can find implies it has any relation to the Marvel weapon specifically.
Halo has a history of similarly-named armor components.
...
- 66.7k
25
votes
Accepted
What is the shape on Darth Vader's crotch for?
David Prowse (the original character actor for Darth Vader) describes this as a "protector", the implication being that it protects his vulnerable parts, such as remain of them.
KH: Were ...
- 677k
21
votes
What is the shape on Darth Vader's crotch for?
The suit was designed first by Ralph McQuarrie, then refined by Oscar award winning costume designer John Mollo and production designer John Barry, as detailed here.
Here are some original drawings ...
- 81.8k
19
votes
Accepted
Why wasn't Vader's armour made of Beskar?
Aside from the fact that he probably didn't get to choose the armor when it was first put on him, there are several possible reasons:
Vader most likely didn't think he needed any extra protection. ...
- 2,864
17
votes
Accepted
Why didn't the dwarves use their shiny armor for the final battle?
tl;dr version: They take off the plate mail, keeping just the chain mail and the leather / cloth layers underneath it, to trade protection for agility.
This is answered in the extras for The Hobbit - ...
- 7,688
17
votes
Why didn't the dwarves use their shiny armor for the final battle?
There are a few different theories that people have proposed. My personal favorite is the idea that the "shiny armor" is largely ceremonial, meant to impress elves and men, and more decorative than ...
- 216k
17
votes
Why do immortals not use any neck armour in Highlander (1986)?
As others have noted, a neck collar wouldn't help much once one was rendered unconscious or dead-and-not-yet-resurrected. Even if the collar wasn't removable, surely it would count as a beheading if ...
- 171
14
votes
Accepted
Are old order stormtrooper helmets more sight restrictive than clone helmets?
According to the visual dictionary for episode four through six (not sure on the canon level of this), but the stormtrooper helmets were equipped with eye equipment that allowed for a holographic view ...
- 19.7k
13
votes
Accepted
Why do immortals not use any neck armour in Highlander (1986)?
Notably, they don't wear any armor at all. Getting any serious wound that immobilizes you would be just as fatal as a blow to the neck, because if you are wounded or helpless, you will get your head ...
- 5,630
12
votes
What kind of armor do men of the Night's Watch wear?
Other answers are either lacking in good material or contain wrong assumptions therefore I feel obliged to add an answer.
There are two types of Armaments for Members of Night's Watch.
Personal ...
- 48.3k
12
votes
Accepted
Was there ever an explanation for why Mandalorian armor changed so much?
In Legends
Your first picture is of a Mandalorian Neo-Crusader. It is itself an evolution on the Mandalorian Crusader (below) armor which was was centered around defending its wearer during melee ...
- 32.5k
10
votes
Accepted
Can Kevlar or some other kind of body armor stop unforgivable curse?
We muggles tend to think of spells as things like bullets traveling through space, following laws of physics like ballistics, to affect a target, but that's not what spells do. Spells "adjust" the ...
- 8,222
10
votes
Why do immortals not use any neck armour in Highlander (1986)?
Even the armor of mortals often neglects neck protection.
Most rigid helmets prior to the plate armor of mounted knights had nothing heavier than the fall of a chainmail coif protecting the neck, and ...
- 22.7k
10
votes
Searching for Sci-fi novel from the 1980's
Possibly Solar Kill by Charles Ingrid (#1 of 6 of the Sand Wars series)
In the first chapter the Protagonist recalls a rumor
And there were too many stories about altered suits … suits that ...
- 11.3k
9
votes
Can slugthrowers penetrate stormtrooper armour?
Yes, some slug throwers can.
"Slug throwers" as a category includes every single gun currently in existence on Earth. There's a wild difference in power between a 9mm pistol and a .50 sniper rifle.
...
- 5,013
9
votes
Accepted
What is stormtrooper armor made of?
Galactic empire - Disney Canon
It was made from Plastoid composite (src: Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide and "Battlefront - Twilight Company"). The books were Synth-leather.
She slid her ...
- 341k
9
votes
What is Mandalorian armor made of?
Beskar
Beskar, also known as Mandalorian iron, was an alloy used in Mandalorian armor, notable for its high tolerance to extreme forms of damage. The metal was durable enough to withstand a direct ...
- 4,084
8
votes
(40k) How does a Space Marine get into and out of his power armor?
They have people to help them
Marines are very ritualistic and their armor is not mere a tool - its something that has been blessed by Emperor himself, a sacred relic of the chapter, hence each time ...
- 29.2k
8
votes
Why do immortals not use any neck armour in Highlander (1986)?
Sometimes they do. In Highlander: The Source, immortal character 'The Guardian' wears a big stupid-looking metal collar. It must be to ward off blows to his neck since he can't possibly be wearing it ...
- 677k
8
votes
Accepted
Did Darth Vader ever take off the armoured portions of his suit to go undercover?
I'd strongly suspect the answer is NO.
Although I can't quote canon specifically to the contrary, there is, I think, enough circumstantial evidence to the contrary:
In Episode VI, Vader/Anakin says "...
- 7,375
6
votes
Why do immortals not use any neck armour in Highlander (1986)?
What exactly are you trying to protect against?
Immortals generally are not decapitated in the heat of battle, but after being beaten, followed by beheading executioner-style. There are exceptions ...
- 1,826
6
votes
Accepted
How do Space Marines put their helmet over long hair?
TLDR
'Rule of Cool' applies.
Helmet necessary situations are rather limited in universe.
Not having the ability to use your helmet would limit effectiveness and capability...
There is no instance of '...
- 5,889
6
votes
Why do Clone Commando visors glow?
While the Rule of Cool almost certainly plays a role in it, the objective is probably to give the viewer a visual indicator that this armor is more high-tech then normal Clone armor.
As you ...
- 32.5k
6
votes
Accepted
Is there power armour in Star Trek?
In many ways, The Borg have armor similar to what you describe. While it may not look like Ironman, or allow them to fly, all Borg units wear mechanical armor that enhances their performance (extra ...
- 2,864
6
votes
Science fiction comic from the 90s with power-armored religious troops fighting alien snakes
This sounds like Shadow Empires: Faith Conquers and it's follow up Sheva's War (although both were released as Graphic Novels as "Iron Empires: Faith Conquers" and "Iron Empires: Sheva'...
- 6,318
5
votes
A powered hockey suit
Probably Generation (1985).
It is from the right time period and features powered armor and hockey.
Could not find the movie, but here is the trailer with the armor.
- 2,819
5
votes
Accepted
What do the tallies on Captain Rex's armor represent?
In an interview, showrunner Dave Filoni indicated that they represented "kill marks". Given that the volume is waaaaay too low for the number of B1-Droids we see him blasting on-screen, ...
- 677k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible