by Jason Wu
As a science fiction enthusiast, I've noticed that a lot of authors are unsure of how to accurately portray spacecraft and combat in space. Today's post will go a little in detail on how to do write about spacecraft combat, and I hope this is helpful for science fiction writers around the globe!
In every sci-fi story, like Star Wars, the most interesting moments are when there are some sorts of spacecraft fighting each other. This is the same for most sci-fi stories in general. As a Sci-fi writer, one should know how to write spacecraft combat. But how does one even start?
One of the main features of sci-fi combat is spacecraft battle scenes, specifically spacecraft themselves, whether that includes fleet ships or smaller spacecraft like fighters or bombers. It's important to grasp an idea of how they work in order to write any scene with spacecraft involved.
The main aspects of spacecraft combat are movement, weaponry, and capabilities.
Movement in spacecraft differs significantly from aircraft. For the most part, there will be no gravity nor drag in space, of course with the exception of spacecraft being near planets or large objects that have a gravitational pull. So, what does no gravity mean? For starters, you won’t fall out of the sky or start descending when you stop giving the spacecraft thrust, it will still be going in the same direction that it was beforehand and will continue to travel in that direction with the same velocity due to no drag. For the case of being near a planet, a spacecraft will be affected by its gravitational pull, which you can imagine, can be very fun to play with. For example, you can make a pilot crash into a planet due to its gravitational pull. Due to the nonexistence of drag and gravity in space, a spacecraft’s control surfaces will not consist of traditional control surfaces that aircraft have. Instead of using material to redirect air to generate lift or drag, a spacecraft will use rocket thrust to change directions by using tiny thrusters or rocket engines to make those adjustments. It’s sort of like star wars or halo if you think about it. Though, it’s a mix of both.
In space, weapons like rail guns, missiles, or lasers will work best. However, each type of weapon has its own pros and cons. Spacecraft should be equipped with a variety of weapons, whether it is for dogfighting or conducting an attack on a ship. For example, lasers, railguns, or ballistics require humans to operate, meaning that they require a pilot or controller to aim and fire. Lasers are capable of melting through materials, and causing constant damage to the enemy spacecraft’s hull. I mean, the death star laser went through the entirety of Alderaan! They require precise aim at every moment but have a high fire rate. Missiles, powered by rocket engines, are capable of delivering large payloads. They have variable range and can be equipped with all sorts of damaging elements. However, one can also construct a nuclear missile in theory, for the limit is one’s imagination afterall! If you want to get creative, you can get them to have “magical” powers in them too! The ideas regarding superweapons are endless, from long range laser beams like the death stars from star wars, or spaceships capable of disrupting tracking systems - the only limiting factor is the writer themselves, so go insane with your ideas!
Hopefully this helps you understand how spacecraft work and their mechanics. Note that these mechanics can be blended with fictional magic systems because by the writer's mind after all, nothing is out of reach!
To learn more about the author, check out @editor_masterwu on instagram.
Super informative! Loved how you used rail guys as an example!