Best space battle

Brian G Turner

Brian G Turner

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This is what makes me watch sci-fi - the space battles. Who doesn't love a properly done space battle? :)

For the best I'm putting my vote into "Return of the Jedi". Those were the days when proper special effects actually made models look like starships, and ROTJ is the ultimate accomplishment of that - the fleet looks great, and the dog fights look great! Okay, the physics is a bit askew, but it doesn't detract from the effect. At least there's no overdone CGI to texture the ships with false lighting, which is really giving the game away too often and spoiling the look.

There have been a numnber of large-scale space battles since - especially with the Treks - DS9 in particular. Seen some people state the last episodes with the Dominion battle as best.

There's supposed to be a decent one at the end of Star Trek: Nemesis, but I've not seen that film yet.

Anyway - best space battle - whaddya think? ;D
 
I have to go with DS9 I think. The six-parter at the start of season 6, where the federation lost DS9. It was huge. That whole six-part-arc was amazing and it started what was to be the two best seasons of Star Trek to date.

The Star Wars ones are great too. (except episode 1 - where Anakin is the accidental hero (I hate accidental heroes))

To be honest no others really stand out in my memory. I remember a pretty huge one in Babylon 5, but I never really got into that show in a big way, it looked a little too computer generated.

The attack on the Borg Cube/Sphere at the start of First Contact looked really nice, but it was a bit too short to be really memorable.

Hang On - you haven't specified that it has to be in film. Does anyone remember the Area 6 level on the N64 game Lylat Wars? That was an epic space battle. One ship against about 1000 others, it was possible to take out upto 500 enemy ships, including some huge ones. Does that count?

If not it has to be DS9, the Klingons, the Romulans, and the Federation all in a huge battle against the Dominion and the Cardassians, that was great. The other DS9 battle that springs to mind was the one where Enabran Tain takes a fleet of cloaked Cardassian and Romulan ship into the Wormhole to destroy the Founders' homeworld, only to discover it was a trap, and they all get destroyed in a huge battle with the Jem 'Hader. DS9 had a lot of great battles.
 
I was disappointed with the Klingon attack at the start of series 3, but never watched much DS9 after that. I did see the last couple of episodes at a friend's once, but remember precious little of it.

Babylon 5 had a great conflict episode in Series 3 - ships from earth sent to attack the Babylon 5 station. It wasn't so much the special effects themselves, as much as the way the general conflict was handled - and the great climax when the Minbari came to the defence. One of the best Babylon 5 episodes, and one I'll surely own on DVD one day!
 
The battle in Star Trek: Nemesis was cool.
Best Space battles; Star Wars epIV, Star Trek: First Contact, and the Federation/Dominion war in DS9.
 
Forget space ships! The best space battle was in a space between dimensions, of Good Kirk versus Evil Kirk for all eternity! ;D
 
Wait, are you talking about the alternate universe episode or the anti-universe episode? Because in the alternate universe episodes, the Kirks don't fight it out for all eternity, and in the anti-universe episode it isn't Kirk at all, it's some guy that's only in that one episode (albeit twice ;)).
 
Aaarrggghhh! I wuz confused! I was bribed, I was coerced, I was made confused with a bagful of Tribbles! ;D
 
well, if we're going just plain battles here. The fight between the two cars in the Artic in the latest James Bond flick, can't remember the name right now.
 
Maybe I'm still living in isolation - haven't gone back to revisit the DS9 that I missed - but I'm still with Return of the Jedi as the best space battle. :)
 
The Orville Identity part 2 2020 . The machine race of which Isaac is member known as the Kaylons , launch a genocidal war against the galaxy starting with planet Earth . The battle is epic and by far one of best space battles of all time.
 
@BAYLOR, this got to be the greatest thread ressuscitation ever! :LOL: I was but a snort-nosed kid when people were discussing space battles eighteen years ago.

BTW, I just watched Netflix's Space Sweepers (2021). Another great South-Korean flick, proving once again that they're the best filmmakers active today. It's the best Cowboy Bebop adaptation (withouth actually being based on Cowboy Bebop).
 
alexvss said:
@BAYLOR, this got to be the greatest thread ressuscitation ever! :LOL: I was but a snort-nosed kid when people were discussing space battles eighteen years ago.

BTW, I just watched Netflix's Space Sweepers (2021). Another great South-Korean flick, proving once again that they're the best filmmakers active today. It's the best Cowboy Bebop adaptation (withouth actually being based on Cowboy Bebop).
Click to expand...

This topic has a bit of timeless quality to it. :)
 
I'd put a bid in for S:AAB [Space: Above And Beyond]
The lack of FX made the battles feel very claustrophobic.
If were are talking films, then the original Star Wars Trilogy. The FX may have gotten better, but I don't think they have felt more real.
 
I adore the battle around the second Death Star at the end of Return of the Jedi.

The Opening battle for Revenge of the Sith was pretty awesome, too.

Battlestar Galactica had some incredible battles. The ones that come immediately to mind is Ragnar Anchorage was awesome. The use of the Adama Maneuver to liberate the colonists from Cylon rule was inspired.

Personally, i think they are all insignificant next to the battles in Babylon 5. The ones in season 4 were too expansive and quick to really take a note of what was going on, but i adored the smaller ones. My personal favourites? Earthforce vs Earthforce in Severed Dreams really packs a punch. The Battle at the Narn Colony in the Coming of Shadows or their defeat at the Battle Goresh VII. Oh i did love the Shadows.
 
There's a great battle in Serenity when the Operative's fleet is waiting to destroy our hero's ship, hiding in gas clouds above a planet. Serenity comes through the clouds, and the Operative is about to fire when a huge fleet of Reivers (seriously nasty guys) appear behind Serenity, having being chasing her. Big battle, excellent effects.


And Babylon 5: not really a battle - but the moment when Earthforce jump in to take over B5, only for Delenn to arrive with the Mimbari fleet. "If you value your lives, be somewhere else..."
 
More of a duel than a battle but the fight at the end of Wrath of Khan between Enterprise and Reliant showed some real tactical thinking and the fact that you fight a space battle in three dimensions.

And of course Alex Rogan's fight with the Ko-Dan Armada in The Last Starfighter.
 
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