Suggestions for a SW/B5 fanfic?

Rightous Fist Of Heaven · Post by **Rightous Fist Of Heaven** » 2003-01-16 08:16pm

I have been thinking, since there are so many ST/SW fanfics around at the moment, something a bit different would be intriguing.So i thought of writing a SW/B5 fanfic.So i have a few questions regarding the basic setting and the power level comparing of both universes, answer if you are interested.

As we all without a doubt know, SW is easilly hundreds of times more powerfull in terms of military technology than B5.So i thought that if im going to use the most conservative estimates for SW and some of the highest ones for B5. In essence the minimum of 60 Teratonn shielding for ISDII's and around 1-5 megaton per second output for the Omega's x-ray lasers.

So what do you think?Would this kind of fanfic raise anyones interest?Feel free to post your suggestions,ideas and comments about this.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2003-01-16 08:20pm

It might make a good fanfic if you don't try to make it a purely military fanfic. You can't tell a good war story with the disparity, however there are ways to tell a good crossover story.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2003-01-16 08:26pm

I'm just adding to what Stormbringer said. You can't do a pure one on one with SW because it simply would not be interesting, there aren't enough contrivances that you can create to explain away a B5 victory. (And if you do the open a jump point in something routine I will do all in my power to have you banned form this site.

)

If you focus on a small personal story, maybe between characters from B-5 interacting with SW characters then it could prove interesting but otherwise it just won't work and remain believable for the readers who are in the know.

Rhoades · Post by **Rhoades** » 2003-01-16 09:26pm

Stormbringer and Stravo have excellent points. The most important thing that makes an excellent story are it's characters. They're the ones who should us care about the piece. Another piece of advice if you plan a military, don't really focus on what the calculations state about B5's and SW's weapons. If one side is hopelessly outbalanced against another in the story, then it will a boring slaughter or a poorly contrived victory.

Personally, I don't care if you fix what the power levels to be even. A ST/SW war story where the power ration between an GCS and an ISD are toe-to-toe is far more interesting that a loop-side one. Just for the point it creates more suspense, and makes it more real.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2003-01-16 10:18pm

I agree. The interesting thing with B5 was always the characters and the way they interacted. I love B5, and I wish that there were more fanfics out there, but the fact remains that B5 is a very difficult series to write fanfic for.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2003-01-16 10:40pm

If you're looking for decent B5 fanfic www.jumpnow.de isn' too bad. But be warned it skews to the romantic.

Enlightenment · Post by **Enlightenment** » 2003-01-16 10:45pm

Another way to go with this would be to do something with an SW faction other than the GE stumbling upon the B5 universe and doing something other than launching a conquest.

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2003-01-17 12:33am

As I've said before, properly done, an excellent B5/SW fic would be a spy vs spy novel of an Imperial Inquisitor hunting Morden and the Shadows as they try to subvert the Empire. Ignores the gross power differances, and is something I have never seen done before

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2003-01-17 12:38am

Incidentally, almost all inter-universe sci-fi fanfics fudge the numbers of the two sides considerably, in order to make it more balanced. It's no fun watching an ISD waltz through UFP ships the way the numbers show they would, because the UFP simply has NO CHANCE. It's similarly no fun to see an NFL team take on the local High School, or watching a boxing match between Connie Chung and Evander Hollyfield. There's a reason that sports like wrestling and boxing have weight divisions. It is not fun to see someone who has no chance losing. Writers like Mike Wong and Stravo thus fudge the numbers a little bit--not a lot--but a little bit, just to make it seem like there's actually a chance some harm may befall an ISD, or the Emperor's Will. There's tension in the Fanfic, and without some number-fudging there wouldn't be. The same should be true with a SW-B5 crossover. Some number-fudging is necessary and acceptable.

Rightous Fist Of Heaven · Post by **Rightous Fist Of Heaven** » 2003-01-17 05:17am

Well i thought to make it a military fic altough not purely a military fic.
I have been thinking of ways how to do it,if i use the GE as the invader which is the most common way,i would have to figure out a way to strip them of possible reinforcements and have only one fixed fleet,because with reinforcements from the SW galaxy, it would be even a greater slaughter. But what allso makes the fic interesting even if it is a slaughter, that there first seems to be no spark of hope.

Ender: What if i take both

Stravo: I did not even cross my mind of using the so famous jump point tactics

Coalition · Post by **Coalition** » 2003-01-17 10:50am

How about a wormhole between the two galaxies that collapses after one ship goes through? Like Michael January's ISD Eliminator story, where the Star destroyer gets stuck in the ST universe.

Then again, I have to admit that every time I watch the Battle of the Line, I keep thinking how it would have ended differently if a single Star Destroyer had been there.

I.e. the Minbari send in their scouting fighters, and all they see is a single starship there, only a mile long (Minbari cruisers are ~2 mile tall, I think). So they figure no big deal, and attack.

Then the turbolaser blasts start popping off, and the warrior caste realizes they have met their match.

Rightous Fist Of Heaven · Post by **Rightous Fist Of Heaven** » 2003-01-17 12:16pm

I was thinking something along the lines of that myself.Damn there are just too many different scenarios, i have to think about it for a while and when the most interesting scenario pops to my head ill star writing.

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2003-01-17 08:05pm

I agree, limit to only one ship (biggish) or a task force of smaller ships. That way you won't have the SW faction trampling across everyone else... Although it would be nice to see them humble a FO every now and then...

Typhonis 1 · Post by **Typhonis 1** » 2003-01-17 10:15pm

Hmmm that is an idea .How would a Star Destroyers crew react if the arrived ayt Earth just before the battle of the line and find these humans readying to defend themselves from and alien attack

Rightous Fist Of Heaven · Post by **Rightous Fist Of Heaven** » 2003-01-18 03:59am

The other idea i had was to place a smallish imperial task force at the B5 galaxy around the time of the Shadow war, how would the Shadows and Vorlons react when they would notice that these extra galactic invaders put their power to shame.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2003-01-18 01:27pm

One of the TEchno Mages ends up in the SW galaxy, a bounty goes out on his head, Boba Fett hunts him down?

Maybe Vader thinks that its a Jedi he missed during the purge and has a go at it.

consequences · Post by **consequences** » 2003-01-18 03:05pm

Make it a primerily missile based ship, and they have to worry about conserving ammo, sure, they can destroy any ship they encounter, but they can only do it so many times. Hell, maybe have all of their Tibanna gas be horribly contaminated, so their turbolasers are at less than a thousandth of their usual strength, wait, better make it a millionth.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2003-01-18 03:18pm

consequences wrote:Make it a primerily missile based ship, and they have to worry about conserving ammo, sure, they can destroy any ship they encounter, but they can only do it so many times. Hell, maybe have all of their Tibanna gas be horribly contaminated, so their turbolasers are at less than a thousandth of their usual strength, wait, better make it a millionth.

Or just have the ship damaged in tranist. That'd make it easier and more believe able.

Cpt_Frank · Post by **Cpt_Frank** » 2003-01-18 03:25pm

Or just have the ship damaged in tranist. That'd make it easier and more believe able.

How 'bout a VSD that has run out of missiles and whose ray shields have been destroyed? I'd love to see a VSD based fic for once.

The Imps could become mercenaries.

Rightous Fist Of Heaven · Post by **Rightous Fist Of Heaven** » 2003-01-18 04:57pm

Very good ideas guys, i thought that if i have the time tomorrow i will write a prologue of the story, but as a writer i have the problem that when i get so many good ideas for scenarios, it gets harder and harder to decide what to use.

Allso what would you think if i used some of board members in the story?Would it fit?

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-01-19 10:47pm

Cpt_Frank wrote:
Or just have the ship damaged in tranist. That'd make it easier and more believe able.
How 'bout a VSD that has run out of missiles and whose ray shields have been destroyed? I'd love to see a VSD based fic for once.

The Imps could become mercenaries.

Read Deceiver mortal fool!