Riders haven't as far to fall, either.

Like pracgtically everything in Star Wars, the Imperial Walkers were a stupid idea that are there only because they look cool. If there was a good reason to have giant walking armoured forts like that, you think they would have jetisonable command pods, ejection seats, or some kind of software to compensate for a trip or damaged leg so that it didn't just go crashing down, explode and kill everyone on board. But, no, they're the bad guys and don't give a damn, I guess... For that matter, why *do* they explode? Hundred gallon tanks of nitroglyerin aboard, just so no prisoners are taken? Ever seen a car or truck explode like they do in the movies? I've seen one -- nothing like like an X-wing brewing up at all. More smoke than anything else, and a low frequency bark and a poomph when the fire starts.

For that matter, most guns I've heard sound like small firecrackers. Maybe high calibre revolvers are different, though...

Add 'Built by the lowest Bidder' and 'Designed by Committee' and you get disasters like the WW1 French Chauchat light machinegun. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauchat

I remember that. The Canadian armed forces in WWI had a similar disaster thrust on them -- the Ross rifle. It worked well on the range, but was totally impractical in the field. If was finicky, hard to maintain and the least dirt would jam it. Canadian soldiers disembarking from a troop transport would immediately drop their Rosses in a pile and be issued some "borrowed" British arm.

I remember when Hollywood guns didn't do that. In fact, I remember when guns on TV and in movies didn't even draw blood!

Another interesting development regarding firearms in the media is the "gunman's stance." At one time, if you were a mobster you held your gun close to the hip, and fired at waist height, more as though you were holding a small flashlight. Don't forget the important variation that came along in the 1980s, when Italian gangsters in particular held the pistol sideways! Cops stood right side forward with their right arm extended as far as it would go, and fired from eye level. I guess it looked less sneaky that way. Cowboys, of course, always shot from the hip, but that was because they had just drawn from a hand-tooled leather holster slung down around the thigh. Spies shot with a bent arm, somewhere between the mobster and police officer's stance. I guess they were trying to be somewhat concealed but had to take good aim. Then along came the target-shooters stance, with feet placed widely, both hands on the grips and the backsight at eye level. Then there's the Star Wars stance, where you jump from one side of a corridor to the other, or between two trees, firing on the run. It doesn't seem to matter if you don't aim -- the special effects guys will just draw the beam from your gun to the Imperial Trooper at whatever angle it takes!

I see this and instantly think of Terry Gilliam's in betweens at MPFC.

Beware gum on the sidewalk.

And never play "step on a crack... "

Now.. He just needs to watch out for the random Harpoon line and Snow speeder ;)
That is silly and good and definitely brough a smile and laugh to me.
Thanks for sharing it with us :)