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Does anyone know the effective combat ranges of star wars ships? I have been getting into debates with my rabid trekkie "friend" and need to know ranges.

References and page numbers would be nice.

Thanks in advance

Just watch Return of the Jedi.

Also, someone here could tell you exactly, but I believe in the NJO book Rebel Stand a lone ISD fires from outside the Coruscant system and hits a world ship in orbit around Coruscant. Just have to find out how big the system is.

The NR ship fire the shot from the edge of the system. The book doesn't say how far it is from the worldship exactly.

Ask him which deck he wants to use.

If he wants to use the visual deck, point out that they pretty much fight visually at the same ranges. If anything, SW ships fight out further (hundreds or thousands of km instead of tens.) Use ROTJ and something like ST:FC as examples.

Most Trekkies want to use the Dialogue deck. If he wants that, involve the official deck. I suggest trying out the 75 WEG space units = 37.5 million km tack with him, with the Rebel Stand thing as extra backup, then see if you have to work down from there. His most likely countermove would be to use the infamous Stackpole novels. Be acquianted with them and prepare with counters.

To counter your visual claims with dialogue, one of his better decks is probably the Wounded. It is not the longest range deck, but he does have a diagram in that one, making it better than most of the rest. Be familiar with THAT and propose counters.

Finally, the most likely result is that you guys won't reach anything of a conclusion, even if he's reasonable and will listen to evidence, because ranges in both universes seem to vary too much over size, ECM and other such conditions. My suggested move is to (unless your Trekkie pal is a ultra wimp) mutually agree that they can probably effectively engage each other with their weaponry and move on to somethng more definite and solvable - like weapons power. It is probably slight generosity, but that should save three weeks of fruitless debate.

Effective range can vary. Against larger, stationary things, TLs could fire from millions of kilometers. Against faster, smaller objects, TLs would have a shorter range, a few km at most. I highly doubt that they would somehow disenegreate after a few kiometers, as suggested by some rabid Trekkies.

From the EU you'll get answers ranging from a couple of kilometres to a few million kilometres. It's a fucking mess and it's all Stackpoles fault thinking that playing TIE Fighter and X-Wing is enough research for his books *shakes fist*

Stackpoles books, atleast the s-wing series should be ripped out of the SW universe, just stamp one HELLUVA big infinties label on every last book I say.

yes what a problem this become, even the WEG material give Vague answer, saying it depends on the Gunner and Computer systems..

From Old RPG they make no bones that TL would still be effective at range up to 75 Space units ( the 35 million KM quote") any pentalies are minor compare to what it would be in real life..

Other factor is what mode the TL are used. Using Flak attack one would think that the TL ranges would be hi since the explosion like effect would make it easier to inflict damage even with a miss..

I would think that best would say that it would be several light seconds against moving target that are activitily avoiding being hit, and the upper figure are used only against targets that are non mobile or attempting an intercept ( where ship is just attempting to close, without any jinxing or defenive manuevering)

David wrote:The NR ship fire the shot from the edge of the system. The book doesn't say how far it is from the worldship exactly.

It should be noted that the YV forces described the weapon as a laser weapon, and Wedge called it a Laser Battery, NOT a Turbo Laser Battery. The implication is clear. The fired a high power laser battery to mimick the laser type weapon that the Pipe-Fighters were firing. We read plenty of evidence in the book that the Pipe-Fighters were firing an actual beam weapon, and thus they had to use a beam weapon at Couruscant to mimick the Pipe-Fighters weapon. It was not a standard Turbo Laser that was used.

It should be noted that the Worldship was likely following a known path and that allowed the NR ship to fire along a predicted path to hit the Worldship.

Alyeska wrote:

David wrote:The NR ship fire the shot from the edge of the system. The book doesn't say how far it is from the worldship exactly.

It should be noted that the YV forces described the weapon as a laser weapon, and Wedge called it a Laser Battery, NOT a Turbo Laser Battery. The implication is clear. The fired a high power laser battery to mimick the laser type weapon that the Pipe-Fighters were firing. We read plenty of evidence in the book that the Pipe-Fighters were firing an actual beam weapon, and thus they had to use a beam weapon at Couruscant to mimick the Pipe-Fighters weapon. It was not a standard Turbo Laser that was used.

It should be noted that the Worldship was likely following a known path and that allowed the NR ship to fire along a predicted path to hit the Worldship.

The Worldship was also the size of the Death Star, meaning it would be hard for a shot to miss. However, even if it was a laser-light weapon, it would take hours to travel from the edge of a planetary system.

However, this indicates precision enough for a tactic that would be positively devastating in a terror campaign: Firing BDZ level shots from outside a system, onto a planet.

SirNitram wrote:The Worldship was also the size of the Death Star, meaning it would be hard for a shot to miss. However, even if it was a laser-light weapon, it would take hours to travel from the edge of a planetary system.

However, this indicates precision enough for a tactic that would be positively devastating in a terror campaign: Firing BDZ level shots from outside a system, onto a planet.

First Death Star? Regardless, that is a very good point. Say have 20 some ships surounding a planet. Have each of them fire off a volley from several Laser Battery's and wreak bloody havoc on the planet as they are hit from similtaneous directions from massive range. Then follow up with a micro-jump to catch the defenders completely off guard.

Alyeska wrote:

SirNitram wrote:The Worldship was also the size of the Death Star, meaning it would be hard for a shot to miss. However, even if it was a laser-light weapon, it would take hours to travel from the edge of a planetary system.

However, this indicates precision enough for a tactic that would be positively devastating in a terror campaign: Firing BDZ level shots from outside a system, onto a planet.

First Death Star? Regardless, that is a very good point. Say have 20 some ships surounding a planet. Have each of them fire off a volley from several Laser Battery's and wreak bloody havoc on the planet as they are hit from similtaneous directions from massive range. Then follow up with a micro-jump to catch the defenders completely off guard.

With good timing you could arrive just as a hail of unholy green fire hits the planet.

It's so evil I could kill something!

*sics Fluffy on a redshirt*

SirNitram wrote:

Alyeska wrote:

SirNitram wrote:The Worldship was also the size of the Death Star, meaning it would be hard for a shot to miss. However, even if it was a laser-light weapon, it would take hours to travel from the edge of a planetary system.

However, this indicates precision enough for a tactic that would be positively devastating in a terror campaign: Firing BDZ level shots from outside a system, onto a planet.

First Death Star? Regardless, that is a very good point. Say have 20 some ships surounding a planet. Have each of them fire off a volley from several Laser Battery's and wreak bloody havoc on the planet as they are hit from similtaneous directions from massive range. Then follow up with a micro-jump to catch the defenders completely off guard.

With good timing you could arrive just as a hail of unholy green fire hits the planet.

It's so evil I could kill something!

*sics Fluffy on a redshirt*

Would have been nice to see Thrawn using such a tactic once or twice. Course he had a better idea, cloaked Dreadnaughts under the shield, does less damage, but not quite as "spectacular"

I have to wonder if it'd work on a planet with SW tech. If it has a planetary shield, they may be able to raise it in time(Most of the planets Thrawn was interested in had shields, it seemed).

Which of course comes back to the odd little thing, NJO shows us situations where SW can fight without heavy jamming from similar vessels. Mind you, I'm not sure if I like the idea of .9c dogfights in SW... Doesn't seem... right really.

SirNitram wrote:I have to wonder if it'd work on a planet with SW tech. If it has a planetary shield, they may be able to raise it in time(Most of the planets Thrawn was interested in had shields, it seemed).

Which of course comes back to the odd little thing, NJO shows us situations where SW can fight without heavy jamming from similar vessels. Mind you, I'm not sure if I like the idea of .9c dogfights in SW... Doesn't seem... right really.

Well if fired from a range beyond the planets detection capability. Even better. Have the ship be cloaked and fire. THAT would certainly get the planets attention.

As to the Dog-Fights. Speeds that high are IMPOSSIBLE for the pilots to realisticly dogfight. They can snipe at eachother and fire missiles, but a large furball is pretty much impossible. 90PSL is more a FAST escort speed then anything else.

Alyeska wrote:

SirNitram wrote:I have to wonder if it'd work on a planet with SW tech. If it has a planetary shield, they may be able to raise it in time(Most of the planets Thrawn was interested in had shields, it seemed).

Which of course comes back to the odd little thing, NJO shows us situations where SW can fight without heavy jamming from similar vessels. Mind you, I'm not sure if I like the idea of .9c dogfights in SW... Doesn't seem... right really.

Well if fired from a range beyond the planets detection capability. Even better. Have the ship be cloaked and fire. THAT would certainly get the planets attention.

As to the Dog-Fights. Speeds that high are IMPOSSIBLE for the pilots to realisticly dogfight. They can snipe at eachother and fire missiles, but a large furball is pretty much impossible. 90PSL is more a FAST escort speed then anything else.

Sadly, that's the speeds at which Vong Coralskippers and NR X-wings have been fighting at in the newest books.

SirNitram wrote:

Alyeska wrote:

SirNitram wrote:I have to wonder if it'd work on a planet with SW tech. If it has a planetary shield, they may be able to raise it in time(Most of the planets Thrawn was interested in had shields, it seemed).

Which of course comes back to the odd little thing, NJO shows us situations where SW can fight without heavy jamming from similar vessels. Mind you, I'm not sure if I like the idea of .9c dogfights in SW... Doesn't seem... right really.

Well if fired from a range beyond the planets detection capability. Even better. Have the ship be cloaked and fire. THAT would certainly get the planets attention.

As to the Dog-Fights. Speeds that high are IMPOSSIBLE for the pilots to realisticly dogfight. They can snipe at eachother and fire missiles, but a large furball is pretty much impossible. 90PSL is more a FAST escort speed then anything else.

Sadly, that's the speeds at which Vong Coralskippers and NR X-wings have been fighting at in the newest books.

That does not make any realistic sense... Pilots don't have the reaction speeds neccesary to have a furball at such high speeds...

I dunno, maybe it's mostly computer controlled at that point.. Or something...

SirNitram wrote:I dunno, maybe it's mostly computer controlled at that point.. Or something...

Thats all I can figure. Maybe the X-Wings are really XJ-Wings cause the other fighters are mostly E-Wings and then Tie-Ints and that Claw-Fighter.

Alyeska wrote:

David wrote:The NR ship fire the shot from the edge of the system. The book doesn't say how far it is from the worldship exactly.

It should be noted that the YV forces described the weapon as a laser weapon, and Wedge called it a Laser Battery, NOT a Turbo Laser Battery. The implication is clear. The fired a high power laser battery to mimick the laser type weapon that the Pipe-Fighters were firing. We read plenty of evidence in the book that the Pipe-Fighters were firing an actual beam weapon, and thus they had to use a beam weapon at Couruscant to mimick the Pipe-Fighters weapon. It was not a standard Turbo Laser that was used.

It should be noted that the Worldship was likely following a known path and that allowed the NR ship to fire along a predicted path to hit the Worldship.

It should also be noted it was described as "Hitting with the power of a turbolaser battery"

I should probably add that since it fires as a beam, it's not too clear what exactly it is that they are firing, simply that it is a weapon battery off a capital ship.

It should be noted that the YV forces described the weapon as a laser weapon, and Wedge called it a Laser Battery, NOT a Turbo Laser Battery. The implication is clear. The fired a high power laser battery to mimick the laser type weapon that the Pipe-Fighters were firing. We read plenty of evidence in the book that the Pipe-Fighters were firing an actual beam weapon, and thus they had to use a beam weapon at Couruscant to mimick the Pipe-Fighters weapon. It was not a standard Turbo Laser that was used

The quote simply said a capital ships laser battery, indicating a bog standad weapon, most likely a TL, and the term laser is used for, lasercannons and turbolasers both.

As for the range, no one seemed suprised or anything, if they did any modifications, it was only to extend the firing time.

Other than that, the laser beam had the same properties ascribed to TL's.