The Science Fiction Behind Science Fiction

Since the release of Star Trek and Star Wars, viewers of space-based science fiction have had certain expectations of what a space battle should look like. As a result, most authors have followed suit and written their space opera in the same vein as these examples. But how accurate are these space battles we’ve come to expect? Here are a few surprising differences you would need to make as a writer if you wanted to have a more realistic space battle.

Communication. Currently, our communication can only travel at the speed of light. This means ships communicating to nearby planets or other ships very likely will have a significant time delay between messages. The discussions would not be instantaneous, like they are in the movies. This would probably make the battle long and drawn out, as each side awaits the next order from their Communications Officer.

Ship design. We often see space ships that are built similar to our own aircraft here on earth. However, a ship meant only for travel within deep space would not need wings. Wings are meant only for lift when encountering air, therefore, they would be useless on a space ship since there is no air in space. It’s quite likely the ships would look boxy and plain.

Also, because of the extreme G-force that would be applied within the ship as it moves through deep space, even the smaller ships would have a difficult time utilizing stick-shift style controls. Therefore, control panels would likely be flat touch screens that could be controlled with the touch of a fingertip.

Lack of air in space. As I mentioned before, there is no air in space. With no air, there can be no carrying of sound waves. This would make for silent battles. Gone would be the high-pitched screech of the small fighter ships as they pass by the mother ships. And the massive echoes of explosions would disappear, as well.

Speed. Again, with no air, there is no way for a vehicle to slow down without intention. It would take just as much energy to decelerate, as it would to accelerate. Because of this, there would not be battles in “close quarters.” A ship that got too close to another, unable to slow down in enough time, would cause a collision that would damage both ships, resulting in their demise. Therefore, they’d want to do battle at great distances, to assure there would be no collisions.

The speed of an object in space also affects the type of ammunition used during a space battle. Faster moving ammunition would be best, since the distance between ships would give plenty of time for the targeted ship to move before the strike hits. Therefore, laser weapons would work better than torpedo-type weaponry.

The reality of space battles is that it wouldn’t look like a WWII dogfight—or a battle seen in the movies. The question is, how realistic do you want your sci-fi space opera battle to be? Do you want to write a story that lines up with the majority of other tales, or are you the type of writer who wants to take a chance and write something different, but much more accurate? Take a moment to consider just how real you want to portray your space battle. Your decision just might make your story out of this world.

Laura L. Zimmerman is a homeschooling mama to three daughters and a doting wife to one husband. Besides writing, she is passionate about loving Jesus, singing, drinking coffee and anything Star Wars. You can connect with her through Facebook and Twitter @lauralzimm and at her website Caffeinated Fiction.