TheArisen, on 12 February 2017 - 02:05 PM, said:
Now that I think about it, isn't it kinda strange there's no "royal" Nightstar variant?
The Nightstar
is a Royal BattleMech for all intents and purposes. The 'royal'-epithet is informally used for the latest and hottest designs which are assinged to Royal SLDF Divisions first. And the Nightstar is one of the latest and hottest designs, which was assigned to Royal Divisions. The SLDF just never got old enough that the NSR-9J would be dated and assigned to Regular Divisions too (resulting in the need for a new NSR variant intended to the Royals again).
In the RAT the Nightstar is in the same column as the other assault 'Royal Mechs' like KGC-000b, Thug THG-11Eb, or the Atlas II.
Bishop Steiner, on 12 February 2017 - 02:25 PM, said:
I don't see any reason why it would remotely be released as a Clan Mech. As noted...when Kerensky drove it, Clantech, as we know it, was not even really a thing yet.
Yes, it was a thing. The ClanTech Atlas II is dated to 2833, and that is sometime after ClanTech was introduced. Clan ECM? Regularly produced since 2832. C-XL? Since 2829. Etc.
It is quite sensible that the founder of the Clans would have access to ClanTech early on. I would be more surprised if he had no ClanTech... It is ironic that Nicholas likely used this Mech only once - when he died in 2834.
Edited by FLG 01, 12 February 2017 - 02:34 PM.