# ...Best Spacebattle? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2005, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968 "2005-09-10T07:29:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/21 "2005-09-11T04:55:06Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > [Akbar] > It’s a trap! > [/Akbar] Even better: Lando: You’ve got to be able to get a reading on that shield, up or down! Nib Nub: \ Lando: How can they be jamming us if they don’t know…that we’re coming? Too bad the actor who played Lando in X-Wing Alliance completely botched all of his lines. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/22 "2005-09-11T06:19:20Z")
> [@Banquet Bear](#): > > His tactics indicate 2 dimensional thinking ug, imho possibly the dumbest line ever regarding space battle. before they ever got to that point I was wondering what the Frak was up with the drive in circles crap that was going on and I havent ever been _Involved_ in a space battle. totaly blew my suspension of disbelief, there is simple no way an experienced captain of a space ship wouldnt have resorted to 3d tactics instantly. best battle ever? not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/23 "2005-09-11T06:31:54Z")
> [@Critical1](#): > > ug, imho possibly the dumbest line ever regarding space battle. before they ever got to that point I was wondering what the Frak was up with the drive in circles crap that was going on and I havent ever been _Involved_ in a space battle. totaly blew my suspension of disbelief, there is simple no way an experienced captain of a space ship wouldnt have resorted to 3d tactics instantly. > > best battle ever? not sure. Uh, you chopped off half the quote there, dude: Spock: He is intelligent, **but not experienced**. His pattern indicates 2 dimensional thinking. Khan had never piloted a spaceship before, or at least, he’d only had a fraction of the time in the seat as Kirk, and so made mistakes like that despite his vastly greater intellectual and physical properties. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/24 "2005-09-11T06:58:03Z")
Of course, the problem is that except for that battle, Almost every star trek battle is entirely 2-dimensional. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/25 "2005-09-11T07:06:42Z")
I’m going to cinch my position as a total blasphemer and nominate the **battle above Coruscant in Revenge of the Sith**. C’mon. That was _cool_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5ac83/32.png) [@The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mad_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/26 "2005-09-11T07:07:48Z")
> [@Grim Jaa](#): > > Nee nee nee nee nee nee nee nee nee nee nee. NEEEEEE. NEEEEEE. > > With that said… > > One of the classics is the Original Enterprises’ first contact with the Romulans and the ensuing battle of wits between Kirk and Sarek… er… I mean the Romulan captain. Pretty much what I posted earlier. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/27 "2005-09-11T07:57:03Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > I’m going to cinch my position as a total blasphemer and nominate the **battle above Coruscant in Revenge of the Sith**. > > C’mon. That was _cool_. I already did, but then again, I’m already one. One of the few battles that really works with the 3-D’ness of space, and truely huge in scope. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/28 "2005-09-11T08:37:48Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > I already did, but then again, I’m already one. CRAP! Sorry. Slipped in under the ol’ radar, there. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/29 "2005-09-11T08:48:14Z")
The last battle of Deep Space Nine wasn’t bad, but it was somewhat spoilt by the _Deus Ex Machina_ And, oh yeah, I got my fix of space battles from the _Homeworld_ computer game. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/30 "2005-09-11T09:20:56Z")
> [@ExtraKun](#): > > The last battle of Deep Space Nine wasn’t bad, > > but it was somewhat spoilt by the _Deus Ex Machina_ > > And, oh yeah, I got my fix of space battles from the _Homeworld_ computer game. Thanks for mentioning both of those. Homeworld immediatly came to mind, but I didn’t think they were in play for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/31 "2005-09-11T09:35:22Z")
They were certainly cinematic. In Homeworld: Cataclysm you could get a camera view from the front of the ships, if you did that on a ship in a fighter squadron during a large battle it was a really cool experience. Course, then I usually lost since I couldn’t give any orders… ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/32 "2005-09-11T15:59:46Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Khan had never piloted a spaceship before, or at least, he’d only had a fraction of the time in the seat as Kirk, and so made mistakes like that despite his vastly greater intellectual and physical properties. you’re right about Kahn…so explain why Kirk, a seasoned vetran of many space battles didnt take directly to 3d tactics? it took Spock to point out the current 2d tactics the enterprise was employing were stupid. simply not something I can buy. (and this is from friggin ST, where suspension of disbelief should be the name of the theme song) ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/33 "2005-09-11T16:09:38Z")
> [@Critical1](#): > > you’re right about Kahn…so explain why Kirk, a seasoned vetran of many space battles didnt take directly to 3d tactics? it took Spock to point out the current 2d tactics the enterprise was employing were stupid. simply not something I can buy. > (and this is from friggin ST, where suspension of disbelief should be the name of the theme song) Maybe because he’s so used to his enemy’s using 3D tactics, that he didn’t think something as simple as going below the other ship would trick him. ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/34 "2005-09-11T16:11:41Z")
> [@Strinka](#): > > enemy’s :smack: :smack: :smack: enemies ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/35 "2005-09-11T17:03:15Z")
> [@Robot Arm](#): > > But the thing that’s always bugged me about the battles in _Star Trek_ is that at sometime in the next hundred years humanity will abandon long-range weapons and go back to the raking broadside. Sixty years ago, the big gun on a battleship could shoot something like 30 miles, not to mention aircraft carriers and cruise missiles. In _Trek_, they don’t shoot at each other until they’re about two-ship-lengths apart. And in recent movies, they’ve been showing off their new FX toys by swooping these big capital ships around like they’re fighters. I’m not sure that’s a fair complaint for WoK, at least not in the Mutara Nebula sequence. The point of Kirk’s tactics there were that Enterprise was lacking long-range sensors and shields. He had to lure Khan, on the Reliant (oh god i’m such a geek) into the nebula so that his sensors wouldn’t work either and they’d be even. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/36 "2005-09-12T02:27:54Z")
Best definitely has to be The Wrath of Khan. Classic, had me on the edge of my seat. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968/37 "2005-09-12T03:47:36Z")
> [@Fabulous Creature](#): > > I’m not sure that’s a fair complaint for WoK,… In that particular movie, you’re right. In the Mutara Nebula battle, everybody’s sensors are out and everything is within visual range. And in the earlier battle, Kirk and Co. don’t know Khan has taken over the Reliant so they have no reason not to let it pass right alongside. But lots of other _Trek_ battles have established that it’s SOP to hold your fire until you can see the whites of their eyes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-spacebattle/320968.md?page=1)