When I was a boy, several years before the Falklands war, I was told about a tactic called "Viffing" which RAF V/STOL fighters could use to get behind their opponents. Every contemporary account on the 1982 Falklands War, and every history, suggests that the "Viffing" manouver was used by Fleet Air Arm Sea Harriers to defeat the Argentine Mirage fighters. This film argues that this wasn't the real story at all. The Fleet Air Arm's Sea harriers certainly defeated their Argentine opponents. They won 100% of dogfights - shooting down 20 Mirages without losing a single Sea Harrier to an Argentine air force. However, there were a number of reasons for this. One was the capability of the Sidewinder missile and the skill with which the Sea Harriers used them. The hit rate of that missile was the best ever achieved in by an air-to-air missile in any war up to that date: fully 88% of Sidewinders fired by the Fleet Air Arm in the Falklands war hit an Argentine fighter...

In this fan fiction video, Grand Admiral Thrawn discusses with Jedi master Jorus C'baoth and Captain Pellaeon the history of the former Jedi Master turned Sith Lord Count Dooku. This discussion is set in the "Heir to the Empire" timeline, part of the Legends universe, not the Disney Star Wars canon. As Thrawn argues, Imperial officers were taught to see Dooku as a failure because they assumed he was trying to with the Clone Wars. In fact that was not his objective at all ...

It is sometimes said of war that " amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics ." This video shows how the British managed to supply a Task force including ships, planes and men at a distance of 8,000 miles, which the Argentine Junta had not believed to be possible. The Argentines were not wrong about the arithmetic of supply making it very difficult for Britain to sustain a fleet in the South Atlantic. The British knew that too. So they changed the arithmetic.

"I need a hero" (the version sung by Jennifer Saunders in Shrek II) with video from Luke Skywalker's hallway scene from the climax of "The Mandalorian" season II   

In his novel " Outbound Flight ," Timothy Zahn told the story of the expedition known as "Outbound Flight" which was led by Jedi Master Jorus C'baoth - and defeated by Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo of the Chiss navy, who would later become known a Grand Admiral Thrawn. In the follow-up novel " Survivor's Quest, " also by TImothy Zahn and set many years later, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and his wife Mara Jade went looking for, and found, the remains of the expedition. All these events take place in the Star Wars "Legends" universe and are not currently part of the Disney Star Wars canon On Outbound flight, fifty thousand colonists sailed beyond the edge of the charts. The Republic spent the rest of its existence pretending they had not.  In the fan fiction video below, the man who stopped them explains why he did so, on the one world in the galaxy where his guest is unable to take vengeance. The conversation takes place on Myrkr, hom...

 Fan fiction video in which Grand Admiral Thrawn and Captain Pellaeon discuss why the republic fell. From the legends "Heir to the empire" timeline rather than the Disney canon one, but practically everything in it transfers over.

"The Gandalara Cycle" which was published in the names of Randall Garrett and Vicki Ann Heydron between 1981 and 1986,is an imaginative work of science fiction which is essentially one long novel in seven volumes. The seven books in the cycle are: 1) The Steel of Raithscar 2) The Glass of Dyskornis 3) The Bronze of Eddarta 4) The Well of Darkness 5) The Search for Kä 6) Return to Eddarta 7) The River Wall In an authors' note at the conclusion of the final book, Vicki Ann Heydron explained the story of it's composition. The authors were husband and wife, and began planning the book as a joint project shortly after their marriage in 1975. An outline for the entire series and a draft of the first book, "The Steel of Raithscar" had nearly been completed when, in 1979, Randall Garrett contracted a viral infection which led to severe amnesia and made him unable to work Working from their joint outline, Vicki Heydron completed the work. She dedicated the last book ...

This fan-fiction video in which Grand Admiral Thrawn discusses the separatist commander, General Grevious, refers to Grevious in its' title as the "Manufactured Monster." These videos are set in the Star Wars Legends "Heir to the Empire" timeline rather than the Disney canon. Whether the Grand Admiral would ever have been able to be so ruthlessly honest in a discussion with an Imperial audience about the crimes of Sheev Palpatine is an interesting question, but his assessment of what Palpatine was doing and how he, Dooku and others used Grevious is extremely perceptive.

 Fan fiction video in which Grand Admiral Thrawn shows captain Pellaeon the art of various galactic powers and explains how that art reflects their weaknesses.

Fan fiction video on how Emperor Palpatine rose to power. This conversation is assumed to take place during the "Heir to the Empire" trilogy by Timothy Zahn and is part of the "Legends" universe, not the official Disney canon timeline.

Fan fiction video following on from the one we posted last week: the "Legends" version of Admiral Thrawn, from the "Heir to the Empire" trilogy which is a different timeline from Disney canon, discusses with his offiers why it was a mistake to build it in the first place. Note that in the timeline in which this discussion takes place, planning for the Death Star began in secret under the Republic as seen in "Revenge of the Sith" and the death star was designed by Bevel Lemelisk, not by Galen Erso under the direction of Orson Krennic. It should be noted however, that although some of the details differ between the legends history discussed here and the Disney Star Wars canon as seen in films like "Rogue One," the criticisms which Grand Admiral Thrawn, Commander Phennir and Captain Pellaeon make all apply to both timelines and very precisely map over to the Disney canon. 

Today in Clacton the leader of Britain's "Reform UK" party is defending his seat in parliament against a comedian with a bin on his head. Millionaire former bond Trader Nigel Farage says that a vote for him is a vote against the establishment and that a vote for the man with a bin on his head is a vote for the establishment. I can't really see it - and I thought politics on my planet in the galaxy far, far away was pretty terrible. We had not been planning to feature this by-election again, but this parody of the British patriotic song "Rule Britannia" was too funny not to use ...   If anyone reading this is from Clacton, the polling stations are now open (as of 7am on Thursday 13th August 2026) and they remain open until 10pm BST this evening.  YOU WILL NEED PHOTO ID TO VOTE. Mitth'raw'nuruodo

 Too obvious? Never mind. A little tribute to the late great Bonnie Tyler

A once in a generation opportunity to watch a solar eclipse from many parts of Western Europe takes place tomorrow (Wednesday 12th August 2026) If watching,  DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITHOUT EYE PROTECTION SUCH AS PROPER ECLIPSE GLASSES! Across the UK, the Moon will cover roughly 90% to 95% of the Sun in the late afternoon and early evening. The event begins around 6:08 PM to 6:18 PM BST and ends near 8:00 PM to 8:10 PM BST, varying slightly depending where exactly in the UK you are. Regional Eclipse Timings from the UK Mainland  (British Summer Time) Edinburgh & Glasgow: Begins at 6:08 PM; maximum coverage (approx. 91%) at 7:05 PM; ends at 8:00 PM. Manchester & Liverpool: Begins at 6:13 PM; maximum coverage (approx. 91-92%) at 7:10 PM; ends at 8:03 PM. Birmingham: Begins at 6:15 PM; maximum coverage (approx. 92%) at 7:11 PM; ends at 8:04 PM. London, Bristol & Cardiff: Begins at 6:16–6:17 PM; maximum coverage (approx. 91-93%) at 7:12–7:13 PM; ends at 8:06–8:...

In this fan fiction video, Grad Admiral Thrawn holds a briefing and discussion about why the first Death Star was destroyed by thirty obsolete starfighters. The above video, set in the "Legends" universe and not part of the official Disney canon, is not an official Disney or Lucasfilm production but is meticulously researched, and includes this list of sources: SOURCES Wookieepedia (Star Wars Legends) Battle of Yavin: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Batt... Death Star: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Deat... Tarkin Doctrine: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Tark... Destruction of Alderaan: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Dest... Great Temple: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Grea... Massassi: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mass... Yavin 4: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Yavi... Black Squadron: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Blac... Mithel: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mith... Biggs Darklighter: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Bigg... Tenn Granee...