10.02.2012

Which scifi universe has the most realistic space battles?

Some magazine called Foreign Policy asked a naval analyst named Chris Weuve and his answer were Babylon 5 and the Battlestar Galactica remake.
FP: What about ships turning in space like airplanes?

CW: Babylon 5 was closer in that it understood that there is no air in space and you don't bank. But even on that show, the ships would be under thrust, and then they decide to go back the way they come, they would spin around and almost immediately start going in the opposite direction. That doesn't work. They ignored the fact that acceleration is cumulative. But I do like that they can rotate in flight and fire sideways. Babylon 5 and the new Battlestar Galactica are far and away the best in trying to portray vector physics. There are a lot of problems with the way they do it, but I'm willing to give them an A for effort.
I have to agree. BSG also scores points for not having sound effects in the airless vacuum of space. On the other hand, Space warfare doesn't have to be realistic. I enjoyed the hell out of the battles they showed on Deep Space Nine during the Dominion War.

Via Neatorama. h/t SF Signal.

1 comment:

  1. This brings up the Vac-Heads (Space ship gamers) big issue vector over cinematic
    movement...for myself I prefer the simplicity
    of cinematic which basically turns starship combat into a naval game. I know that's not have movement in space works...don't care
    I'm out for fun not a PHD in physics..lol

    All that said, for shear realism nothing beats Firefly!

    ReplyDelete

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