Talk:Shield Gate

Shield Gate: Generator or passage?

I went to correct the misconception that the Shield Gate is the source of the Scarif Planetary Shield. I understand why people keep thinking it's the source, but I'm certain it's not the case for the following reasons:

1. The structure lacks... well everything. It's got 4 shield generator domes on it, and they appear to be the same as the ones found on ISD-1s, above the gate section. That's not enough to go from covering a Star Destroyer to covering an entire planet with an impenetrable shield. It also lacks visible power generators, compared to an ISD's ventral bulb.

2. When the Star Destroyer hits the Shield Gate itself, nothing happens. Only when the Star Destroyer actually hits the shield do we see anything, and it's originating SOLELY from where the Star Destroyer is making contact with the shield. We never see the shield collapse either

3. Putting the shield generator outside the shield where anyone can blow it up doesn't seem like a great idea, and noone in Star Wars has ever done that before, so we can presume that everyone recognizes that at least having your generator inside the shield is a pretty good idea.

And last, but certainly not least

4. The shield is still up after the gate is destroyed. Scarif initially looks a little odd compared to every other planet we see in the Star Wars universe. There's a distinct blue line sitting above the atmosphere, caused by the shield. No other planet in Rogue One displays that characteristic, so it's a safe bet that it's caused by the shield, which we also know causes a blue tinge, since we can directly compare it when looking through the open shield gate compared to other areas of the planet. It's either a shield, or the atmosphere is upside down with the densest part adjacent to space, which makes no sense. After the Shield Gate is destroyed, that blue line above the atmosphere remains. Notably, after the Death Star fires upon Scarif Base, the blue lines look a little different, there are several distinct overlapping arches noticeable (best seen when the Tantive IV is launching). This to me indicates the planetary shield is made up of several planet based generators. While they're all active, they likely form a single contiguous shield, but with the loss of the generator at/near Scarif Base, they're now acting more individually.