Megalight

A megalight, abbreviated MGLT, was standard unit of distance in space.

The T-65 X-wing starfighter and TIE/ln starfighter had top sub-light speeds of 100 MGLT per hour.

The superlaser targeting system of the Death Star I used megalights to indicate the distance to planets to be fired upon.

Behind the scenes
The MGLT was originally introduced in Industrial Light & Magic's reference chart for Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi as a measurement of relative speed. It was adapted into a speed constant for the X-wing computer game series, which use non-Newtonian flight mechanics.

In the Star Wars: Behind the Magic interactive CD-ROM, released in the Fall of 1998 by LucasArts, a 'vehicle speed comparison chart' shows the maximum sublight speeds of various spacecraft displayed in MGLT.

A cutscene in the original Star Wars: X-wing shows the full term spelled out, but this has apparently been overlooked by such analysts as Curtis Saxton, who believes the word is a much later invention. The Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance instruction manual suggests "To dodge missiles, try flying 90 megalights per hour or faster." which would seem to indicate that MGLT is the unit of distance, but this is still unclear.

The relationship between the MGLT and acceleration in multiples of G, which is used in many recent sources, is not yet known.

Empirical evidence in the X-wing computer game series suggests that (within the context of the games) speed measured in MGLT per hour is roughly equivalent to speed measured in meters per second. For example, flying at a constant speed of 100 MGLT/hour, the time required to pass a stationary MC80a Calamari Cruiser (with a published length of 1200 meters) from bow to stern can be reliably observed at around 12 seconds. Therefore 100 MGLT/hour = 100 meters/second. But since such a speed is much slower than what even present day aircraft can achieve, this conversion ratio is probably not relevant outside the games. Even without a precise conversion, MGLT values are useful as a relative comparison of the maximum performance of the different craft.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: X-wing
 * Star Wars: TIE Fighter
 * Star Wars: X-wing vs. TIE Fighter
 * Star Wars: X-wing Alliance
 * Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
 * Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron