Tactics and Strategies
Written: 1998.08.01
Last Revised: 2001.09.21
Background:
Naval Tactics: A comparison of naval tactics in seafaring navies, Star Wars, and Star Trek.
Trekkie Combat, Star Trek Combat, and Real Combat: A comparison of Trekkie newsgroup fantasies, typical DS9 combat, and realistic combat.
Strategic Evaluation of Empire: Our spies have intercepted a classified Federation transmission outlining their evaluation of the Empire.
Imperial War Campaign: Conquering this Federation should not present a significant strategic problem, so a straightforward approach is recommended.
Imperial Data File: Our tacticians have evaluated the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Empire and the Federation in numerous tactical and strategic areas. The following is a brief summary:
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Superluminal Combat |
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Our ability to penetrate quickly and deeply into enemy territory is the centrepiece of our strategy. An old aviator's adage is that "speed kills," and the speed of hyperdrive gives us the ability to streak past their borders and attack critical military and industrial targets without warning. It allows us to choose the time and place of combat, to attack the enemy's weaknesses and easily avoid his strengths. In addition, the range of hyperdrive gives us the ability to do so without the need for vulnerable and costly supply lines. Details |
Their ability to penetrate into enemy territory is extremely poor, due to their slow propulsion technology. It takes them years to travel a few thousand light years, thus giving their enemies plenty of warning (and time to counterattack). "Warp strafing" has been touted as the great equalizer, but its feasibility is questionable and it would be useless against Imperial ships which are using their superior speed to attack where Federation fleets are not waiting for them in strength. Details |
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Boarding Actions |
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The act of boarding a starship and killing or capturing its crew is the single mission to which stormtroopers are best suited. Our only concern is the tendency for their starships to explode when damaged. Details |
They use the abominable transporter technology, so we can expect boarders to enter our starships in numerous random locations in the event of shield failure. Details |
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Space Combat Maneuvering |
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Our capital ships are designed to engage multiple smaller opponents with widely distributed fields of fire, rather than dogfighting like our starfighters. Details |
Their fleets typically engage in a "moving wall" formation, although certain exceptional captains occasionally maneuver their craft in something other than a straight line. They have fighters but they are rarely used. Details |