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Best Sci-Fi Space Battles?
ardor asks: "Recently, while watching Babylon5, I wondered about the space dogfights in popular sci-fi outings. I find the space battle in Star Wars VI to be still one of the best in existence, and some battles from B5 are amazing too. But where are more good space fights? I've found them to be surprisingly rare. Most are very short, or not very big (less than 5 ships). I know, large & complex scenes are very expensive, nevertheless I mean some with tons of small interceptor & bomber ships, large/huge cruisers, stations, and so forth. Have you watched a really awesome space battles, and if so, what show/movie was it?"
I really enjoyed the Stargate SG1 season 7 finale, Where the 37 Motherships and hundreds of Al'kesh (Medium range bombers) of Anubis' fleet enters Earth's atmosphere. Towards the end of the episode, Earth's mainline defense, the Prometheus and a fleet of X302 fighters do about a 5 minute battle. First to defend a small Cargo vessel above an Ancient outpost in Antarctica and later when the X303 (Prometheus) attack's Anubis' motherships. It's a pretty well done attack scene. I can't say I like the matrix like squiddies that O'Neil calls out from the Ancient's outpost, but It's still pretty good space battle scene. Bests most B5 scense I recall.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds -Albert Einstein
Just go see http://starwreck.com/ and their trailer. Now that's going to be THE fragfest of the century! :)
Right on. S:A&B was the friggin BOMB. I loved that show to death, especially the space battles! They just got SO much right, and still managed to keep it exciting! /.ed to hell), clicky over here for a short (and really poor quality) clip of S:A&B. At first blush it doesn't really seem special, but if you watch it closely, you start to notice the little things that S:A&B got right. Stuff like the ship having to dodge debris, or how the alien fighter at that flys past them at the end cuts power and spins around to blast them while still traveling forward (momentum). Its stuff like that that made their dogfights so enthralling to watch. ;))
I know this is against all things geek, but honestly most Star Trek spacefights aren't that great... they tend to show more actors shaking around on stage than two goliath ships duking it out. The only show that even comes close to the greatness that was S:A&B is B5. They've got some pretty badass large scale fights... but IMO, nothing holds a candle to S:A&B. Heck, if you're feeling a little nostalgic (and read this before the server gets
Plus, the Wildcards were just badass! "Expect No Mercy". (And who can forget the forboding "Abandon All Hope" ace?
I like the B5 battle where this quote is said.
"*Who am I*? I am Susan Ivanova, Commander, daughter of Andrei and Sophie Ivanova. I am the right hand of vengeance, and the boot that is going to kick your sorry ass all the way back to Earth... I am Death Incarnate, and the last living thing that you are ever going to see. God sent me." (they open fire)
--Ivanova
While reading the post I was thinking the entire time of the one at the end of Jedi. I guess another good one is the one from the 80's movie The Last Starfighter. Of course I was a kid so I dunno if would hold the same appeal now (whereas Jedi does).
/* oops I accidentally made a comment, sorry */
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this one yet.
Season 3 of TNG. Picard and the Enterprise-D must protect the Enterprise-C from three Klingon Bird-of-Prey vessels until it enters a rift to go back in time.
"Let's make sure that history never forgets... the name... Enterprise. Picard out."
B5 took the viewpoint that the explosions were part of the score, FWIW - the battles were normally pretty heavily scored, and they decided to add audible explosions for effect. They weren't claiming they'd really be there.
Greg
(Inside a nuclear plant)
Aaaarrrggh! Run! The canary has mutated!
Wrath of Khan... yeah... Wrath of Khan... it's not every day you get to see an enemy down the Enterprise's shields and slice through it's hull with Kirk at the helm. He got through by the skin of his teeth, but he also got his ass served to him. "Revenge is a dish served cold..." - Khan
The plot was continuous and you could really feel the eb and flow of war in ever episode. The battles actually meant something to the plot, they weren't just TV versions of X-wing vs Tie-fighter, or something like that.
I could swear a lot of the battles and themes were based on WWII naval and air campaigns. I think it surpasses Babylon 5 in its handling of space combat physics (it was even part of the plot of some episodes). I love that show.. I miss that show.... being region 4 (Australia and Brazil among others.. go figure!), I doubt I'll ever see it on DVD... :(
oh, for those who haven't seen it: Chiggy von Richthofen is the name the wildcards gave an alien ace pilot, which was flying a prototype fighter. I forget what he'd written on his ship.. anyone remember?
click-clack, front and back. I'm not moving this car otherwise.