From: gt1759c@prism.gatech.EDU (Don Morris)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.tech
Subject: Re: Federation v. Empire??? NOT!!
Date: 12 Jan 93 17:56:52 GMT
Organization: Ulcer-Causing Institute of Technology/NE Student

In <BORO.93Jan12173916@idefix.ph2.uni-koeln.de> boro@ph2.uni-koeln.de (Rene Borowski) writes:
>In article <1993Jan11.140355.1@acad.drake.edu> jsq002@acad.drake.edu writes:

>>	we are discussing is mammoth - even more powerful than that of the
>>	Borg.  And we haven't even started to discuss the fact that both the
>>	Star Destroyers and DS have squadrons of TIE fighters at their 
>>	disposal.  Don't get me wrong - I love ST, but with the vast amounts
>>	of firepower involved here, I don't really feel that the Federation
>>	fleet would stand a snowball's chance in hell of beating an ISC's
>>	ass, let alone the bloody Death Star.

There's just one small problem with Imperial firepower - it's all slower than
light, and we have no _real_ idea of it's comparison to Fed tech. (Let's 
face it guys, what could a phaser/photorp spread do to a planet? We don't 
know since the Fed wouldn't do it, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to be on
that planet....) It doesn't matter what the Empire shoots at the _E_, since
it can just do a quick Picard Maneuver-style warp jump. The Federation has 
shown the computational speed and ability to do such tracking problems, and
has demonstrated warp capability in planetary atmosphere and solar corona,
so there isn't going to be a problem of the Empire preventing warp drive.

There's also the fun fact of having no concept of what Fed shields are really
like, since they're set to "Plot Device" every episode....

>A few weeks ago when I looked ST2 and ST3 on video I got the idea that I've
>seen something like the spacebattle in this films and in some TV episodes
>often before - in pirate films... . And I think from this point of view
>there is a great difference between ST and SW. Battles at sea were fought
>between big ships only until WW2, now a sea-battle will be fought with
>high-tech fighters or missiles and one single battleship will have NO chance
>even against a destroyer.

Well, this is due more to GR's love of the Hornblower-style story. (Kirk 
_is_ Horatio, guys...) You thought pirate, I thought early 19th Century
Naval Warfare. Same dif. If the Federation ever _really_ used their systemry,
they'd have guided photorps and multiple tracking firing arrays with built 
in evasive that actually _evades_ instead of the "get real close and exchange
broadsides until the other guys shields drop" style of fighting that got them
nailed by the Borg.

My biggest problem with the Star Destroyers is that it would be more like
a Battleship versus an F-14 Tomcat (oh, and no Phalanx system on the battleship,
plus the Tomcat can slip into a drive that outruns the guns on the BB). In
a combat between a Star Destroyer and the Galaxy Class E with those phaser
arcs, it would go something like this:

	Enterprise hails Star Destroyer.
	Star Destroyer opens fire.
	E gets the hell out of the way. (Or tries the shields, which probably
would mean that the next Fed ship better have learned from this....)
	SD launches TIE's.
	E shoots TIE's at the rate of about 12 at a time with multiple 
targeting. (I don't think even Darth could dodge a phaser).
	E proceeds to wear SD down uses hit and run tactics until SD shields
over critical area are down. E sends photorp to say 'Hi'. SD is dust.

Of course, the Death Star is too damn big for a single Starship. And if there
are any Dark Jedi on board, it would be more like this....

	Picard: Open hailing frequencies, Lieutenant. *ahem* This is Captain
Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise. You are in Federation
space, do you need assistance?

	DJ: No.

	Picard: *hack* *wheeze* *thud*
:)

>But: THAT's ANOTHER UNIVERSE - OK ?!

True, but what's the point of having imagination and wierd sense of humor if
you don't use them..... :) :)

Donald Morris                         Box 24815 Ga. Tech Station
gt1759c@prism.gatech.edu              Atlanta, GA 30332
====================================================================
"I want to live as an honest man, to get all I deserve and to give all I can.
	And to love a young woman, who I don't understand...."
		-Suzanne Vega, 'The Queen and the Soldier', _Suzanne_Vega_
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.tech