Space Combat

Are we going to get back to the excellent space combat. This is what brought me to the series, life on ship and space combat. Seems the last few books just sort of mention space ships and going places. Then everything happens on a planet or is all conversation.

It is getting to be like a melodrama, not sure if RFC is running out of ship ideas, but it seems he could be writing a story about any era in Earth history.

It's like tuning in for a ball game and only getting after the game highlights.

Lord Skimper wrote:Are we going to get back to the excellent space combat. This is what brought me to the series, life on ship and space combat. Seems the last few books just sort of mention space ships and going places. Then everything happens on a planet or is all conversation.

It is getting to be like a melodrama, not sure if RFC is running out of ship ideas, but it seems he could be writing a story about any era in Earth history.

It's like tuning in for a ball game and only getting after the game highlights.

For the moment, no targets that aren't, well, targets. Has to set the interesting parts elsewhere until a real threat matures. Bring on the Lenny Dets!

dreamrider

Lord Skimper wrote:Are we going to get back to the excellent space combat. This is what brought me to the series, life on ship and space combat. Seems the last few books just sort of mention space ships and going places. Then everything happens on a planet or is all conversation.

It is getting to be like a melodrama, not sure if RFC is running out of ship ideas, but it seems he could be writing a story about any era in Earth history.

It's like tuning in for a ball game and only getting after the game highlights.

I hope we get back to the space combat soon. Unfortunately with the GA's massive tech edge the current battlefield is probably in the top 25 most mismatched wars in science fiction history. Hopefully that will change very soon.

Roguevictory wrote:

Lord Skimper wrote:Are we going to get back to the excellent space combat. This is what brought me to the series, life on ship and space combat. Seems the last few books just sort of mention space ships and going places. Then everything happens on a planet or is all conversation.

It is getting to be like a melodrama, not sure if RFC is running out of ship ideas, but it seems he could be writing a story about any era in Earth history.

It's like tuning in for a ball game and only getting after the game highlights.

I hope we get back to the space combat soon. Unfortunately with the GA's massive tech edge the current battlefield is probably in the top 25 most mismatched wars in science fiction history. Hopefully that will change very soon.

On the one hand, the prospect of the Grand Alliance crushing the Alignment like so many insignificant bugs is a hugely appealing one for a multitude of reasons.

On the other hand, it would probably also be very boring.

So I will settle for plenty of exciting space battles in which the Alignment is eventually crushed like so many insignificant bugs.

Roguevictory wrote:

Lord Skimper wrote:Are we going to get back to the excellent space combat. This is what brought me to the series, life on ship and space combat. Seems the last few books just sort of mention space ships and going places. Then everything happens on a planet or is all conversation.

It is getting to be like a melodrama, not sure if RFC is running out of ship ideas, but it seems he could be writing a story about any era in Earth history.

It's like tuning in for a ball game and only getting after the game highlights.

I hope we get back to the space combat soon. Unfortunately with the GA's massive tech edge the current battlefield is probably in the top 25 most mismatched wars in science fiction history. Hopefully that will change very soon.

If you think this is the top 25, I would love to know what the top five are. The only one I can think of is Superiority by Arthur C. Clark.

There's only two I can think of off the top of my head even close to this level of imbalance, including the one you mentioned, but I figured there was enough scfi out there that I hadn't read that there were probably worse mismatches somewhere.

While I concur that putting a little more swash in the buckler would make things more exciting, and one-sided battles are usually not very interesting, I would remind most that:

1. Many, if not the majority, of the battles we have seen in the Honorverse to date have been rather one-sided (albeit not to the level we've seen with the SL, although Operation Buttercup came close). And those that haven't been usually featured something surprising (Solon) or have been roundly panned by many forumites (1st Manticore). So not every battle we seen to date has been some even contest.

2. I would note that while we might likemore 'equitable' battles, I assure you that no military commander is of a like mind. The imperitive since Sargon of Akkad and the Pharaohs of Egypt is to kill the maximum number of your enemies while not losing any more of your troops than necessary.

Yes, sometimes attrition is needed or is your best alternative--but the military mind is always looking for a way around that (even WWI, the assaults were trying to break the line to re-allow maneuver warfare and the 'decisive' battle both sides wanted (in this case, early 20th century technology trumped thier desire).

So Honor and Theisman will gladly use their advantage much as Hamish used his in Operation Buttercup and while they'll try not to kill anymore people than necessary, they won't hesitate to use their advantage.

And I expect the initial meetings with the Lenny Dets to be the mirror image, with the GA ships being slaughtered without being to effectively respond, until they figure out what they're fighting and develop countermeasures.

We shall see, eventually.

crewdude48 wrote:

Roguevictory wrote:
I hope we get back to the space combat soon. Unfortunately with the GA's massive tech edge the current battlefield is probably in the top 25 most mismatched wars in science fiction history. Hopefully that will change very soon.

If you think this is the top 25, I would love to know what the top five are. The only one I can think of is Superiority by Arthur C. Clark.

If you're willing to go into TV sci-fi Babyon 5's Earth Mimbari war (mostly backstory to the series; though partly seen in a later prequel movie) is up there. Don't know if it's in the top five, but certainly should make the top 25.


I don't think it was as big an imbalance as the GA has, but still, IIRC only one major Mimbari ship was lost and only because it was lured into a nuclear minefield.


In classic scifi I guess an argumnet could be make for H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds or possibly even Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (if you stretch the definition of war or fighting)

Back to the older classics, R.U.R. (Rossums' Universal Robots), man vs. machine didn't work out too well for man, IIRC.

And in E.E. Smiths' Lensman and Skylark series, whatever 'superweapon' the baddies produced was trumped with a 'superduperweapon' by the goodguys, which led to their (inevitable) annihilation.

And for that matter, The MWW did it twice in one chapter in the Excalibur Alternative.

The difference here is that RFC has given us a reasonable historical rationale (as far as fiction goes) for why the difference in weapons is so great at this moment in time. Solarian arrogance and inertia + Manticore's 70 years of planning (Gram and it's projects) + Haven's need to stay within shouting distance = disparity.

And of course, the conquest of Earth in L Ron Hubbard's "Battlefield Earth" *holds his nose while mentioning it, as that was two of more excerable hours I've spent*

being as contrary as a cat, I sincerely hope we don't get back to shipboard side of space battles.
Mind you that doesn't mean that I wouldn't like a substantial increase in the military part of military sci-fi.
Just not getting back into captains chairs. At this point it would feel like a regression, not progression.