Scipio's Log 3341.97 - Thoughts on the practicality of select weapon prototypes

"I'm going to divert my thoughts for a moment to discuss some other details. It appears some fellow scientists within the Techno Union have been avidly listening to my logs and wish to hear my voice on other matters. How do they hear them? I continually post them to the organization's Foremen for observational purposes. They are reports without all the paperwork.

"My topic of choice today is the pursuits of our machinery departments. The Techno Union continuously works to give the CIS a considerable technological advantage over the Republic. Some of these projects eventually manifest on the battlefield. I quite fondly remember the design process of the Defoliator before it came to be atop an AAT body of all things! Ha! Good times! But today I will focus on the practicality of more handheld weapons.

"There are two primary issues that come to mind when considering the deployment of such prototype projects. The first, being entirely in my opinion, the usefulness of these weapons truly depends on the bearer. You could have a state-of-the-art plasma emitter and give it to an utter incompetent who completely and utterly fails to harness it's full potential. Now if you were to equip, say... the prototype NAS Slugrepeater on a B2 series droid, the results may be more effective. Or perhaps we equip our tanks with X-Series Rotary Turrets instead of simple cannons, then the execution works out as well.

"The second issue is the level of complexity of these prototype weapons. There is a thin line between 'advanced' and 'outlandish' and it is very important that line is not crossed. Take, for example, the G-6 Thunderer. While the potential is there, the current design and science behind the weapon is far from complete, resulting in a waste of time and resources. No one, droid or man, would be capable of hefting such a weapon over their shoulder! The weight and machinery used to empower the thermal core is simply too much for one man or droid alone, yet this project is filed under 'personnel weapons'. It would be better suited as a replacement for the AAT main battery, or better yet, mounted on a set of legs like the J-1 Proton Cannon.

"Suffice to say, I believe that there is room for prototype weapons, as long as the science, time and resources allotted to them are done so based upon practicality and effectiveness. I am not against all prototype weaponry, but I am against the improper use and construction of it. It is a waste of time and resources that will not benefit anyone in any way.

...

"Hm... I wonder what would happen if Wraith were to carry an X-Series Rotary Turret... Something to consider another time I suppose..."

End of Log