David writes,
> Do you really think B5 is any better?
Several other people have already rallied around the B5 flag on this one, so I
won't MeToo them, but...
> Star Trek is about characters and stories.
Exactly right, and this is true for most all TV, sci-fi or not. B5's
battles
are light-years ahead of anything else on the box, but the show is still
primarily character and plot driven. Now, I'm not saying this is a BAD thing!
All the military sci-fi I've ever seen on TV has been wretched! (sorry,
"Space: A&B" fans)
While many of us war-pigs might enjoy tactics-based stories, I doubt the
"wargamer demographic" is a significant factor in the ratings. The vast
majority of the viewing audience thinks the "Picard Maneuver" *IS* tactics!
Have you ever tried to explain strategy or tactics to a non-military,
non-wargamer? I have -- it can be done, but you'd better not have any
appointments for the rest of the day! :-) Most viewers are just not
interested enough to sit through the hours of exposition this would require.
Secondly, even if you wanted to, it seems to me that TV-as-a-medium is
poorly-suited to depicting tactics. Imagine, for example, trying to
follow the tactics of a wargame without looking at the map. TV can generally
only focus on one or two people (or ships or whatever) at a time, so if you
want to explain the tactical picture, you're back into exposition again. Even
most war movies rarely show much of the tactics involved, although there are
certainly exceptions.
Sorry for the long ramble, but you got me thinking. (And you KNOW how
dangerous that is!)
Hello Everyone, I just joind this newsgroup but I have been playing FT and
fled Star Fleet Baristers a long time ago. I'm a Naval Officer by trade and
tactics are difficult enough to understand as it is. Applying concepts to new
technology and developing tactics and doctrine is hard enough. Explaining them
to civilians (even wargamers) is even harder (although some wargamers know
tactics better that military officers...). I tried to explain some ideas to J.
Micheal Strazsinski about some of the vernacular he was mis using, he was
polite but not interested... While his story is more about characters and
overall strategy, and so some tactical issues fall to the wayside, he does an
incredible job of using a brief scene to convey incredible tactical images.
Much like Robert Heinlein's minimalistic imagery in Star Ship Troopers. I
enjoy the show, its the best there is, but we all would like to see even more.
Just contrast B5 with A&E trying to explain a battle scene, JMS does well.
Phil Pournelle
> On Thu, 30 Jan 1997 FieldScott@aol.com wrote:
> The vast
Oh Yeah, that's the one where one of the ships participating in the space
battle MOVES in relation to the enemy... Really radical thinking, that...
:-)
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 22:48:05 -0500 (EST)
From: AEsir@aol.com
Reply-to: FTGZG-L@bolton.ac.uk
To: FTGZG-L@bolton.ac.uk
Subject: Re: TV Space Tactics (Was: Trek/SFB conversions)
Hello Everyone, I just joind this newsgroup but I have been playing FT and
fled Star Fleet Baristers a long time ago. I'm a Naval Officer by trade and
tactics are difficult enough to understand as it is. Applying concepts to new
technology and developing tactics and doctrine is hard enough. Explaining them
to civilians (even wargamers) is even harder (although some wargamers know
tactics better that military officers...). I tried to explain some ideas to J.
Micheal Strazsinski about some of the vernacular he was mis using, he was
polite but not interested... While his story is more about characters and
overall strategy, and so some tactical issues fall to the wayside, he does an
incredible job of using a brief scene to convey incredible tactical images.
Much like Robert Heinlein's minimalistic imagery in Star Ship Troopers. I
enjoy the show, its the best there is, but we all would like to see even more.
Just contrast B5 with A&E trying to explain a battle scene, JMS does well.
Phil Pournelle
Double " R", please, Sir, in barrister
Bye