A good motto for a fictional space military.

[Batman]

The 160th SOAR comes to mind-'We own the night'. They're wrong of course, I do, but I think it's reasonably appropriate for a spacegoing military. After all, about the only time you can see the stars is at night, and since they travel among the stars...

Space Communists/Aliens are a superstitious cowardly lot.

Admit it-you had to laugh out loud at that.

[VarrusTheEthical]

Great stuff, guys, thanks.

Definitely going to play with some of these suggestions.

[ChaserGrey]

Late to the party, but if you want something arrogant for the Federation's space navy: "Stellae Nostrum Sunt", "The Stars Are Ours". Please excuse my spelling, which I'm sure is excerable. I'm also a fan of "Si vis pacem, para bellum"- "If you would have peace, prepare for war"- which I think would be particularly good for an intelligence organization, a General Staff/War College type institution devoted to strategy, or some kind of reserve/militia military component.

And if you want a version of your original motto with less of a war-crimes aftertaste, the U.S. Marines use the formulation, "No better friend, no worse enemy".

[VarrusTheEthical]

Late to the party, but if you want something arrogant for the Federation's space navy: "Stellae Nostrum Sunt", "The Stars Are Ours". Please excuse my spelling, which I'm sure is excerable. I'm also a fan of "Si vis pacem, para bellum"- "If you would have peace, prepare for war"- which I think would be particularly good for an intelligence organization, a General Staff/War College type institution devoted to strategy, or some kind of reserve/militia military component.

That's fine, keep them coming.

I believe that "Si vis pacem, para bellum" is the official motto of the UK's Royal Navy. Which while badass, I consider any kind of Royal Navy IN SPACE to be the exclusive domain of David Weber.

Now for the Federal Space Forces, I was thinking I would go with the motto, "We Hold the Night." The the motto is meant to reflect both the Federation's arrogance and isolationism. Basically, the Federal Space Forces view's itself as the only line of defense against the chaos of the "outer" systems, which tends to be in a constant state of war and a breeding ground for pirates and other miscreants. In other words, the Federation likes to think of itself as the pinnacle of civilization. But because of the Federation's isolationism, it can't be arsed to actually do anything to bring order to the "outer" systems.

[Number Theoretic]

Just out of curiosity: Did the League actually challenge the Federation in an open space battle, so far?

[Highlord Laan]

The third line of Ahriman238's sig would be a good one too.

[VarrusTheEthical]

Just out of curiosity: Did the League actually challenge the Federation in an open space battle, so far?

There have been two wars between the Federation and the League. The League won the first, forcing the Federation to recognize the sovereignty of its members, and is one of the reasons that the Federation is isolationist. The Federation won the second war, which resulted in the Federation becoming the undisputed military power in settled space for the next two centuries, largely because of tonnage limit the League system's were forced to accept as part of the peace deal.

[ChaserGrey]

I believe that "Si vis pacem, para bellum" is the official motto of the UK's Royal Navy. Which while badass, I consider any kind of Royal Navy IN SPACE to be the exclusive domain of David Weber.

Fair point. I was thinking it would make a very good motto for some kind of War College type organization. For anyone reading this who's not a milwanker like me, War Colleges are different from the service academies that graduate cadets. They tend to concentrate heavily on logistics and strategy, and combine education for promising midlevel officers who have been identified as potential generals/admirals with a lot of research, wargaming, and planning exercises.

Now for the Federal Space Forces, I was thinking I would go with the motto, "We Hold the Night." The the motto is meant to reflect both the Federation's arrogance and isolationism. Basically, the Federal Space Forces view's itself as the only line of defense against the chaos of the "outer" systems, which tends to be in a constant state of war and a breeding ground for pirates and other miscreants. In other words, the Federation likes to think of itself as the pinnacle of civilization. But because of the Federation's isolationism, it can't be arsed to actually do anything to bring order to the "outer" systems.

"Against the Night", maybe?

Regardless, this sounds interesting. The Feds seem to be shaping up as baddies, but not in a Darth Vader kind of way- more in an overbearing hegemon kind of way, which I find more interesting.

[Batman]

"Protecting the Peace"
peace... through superior firepower.

Works nice as a sales pitch. As an armed forces motto?
And sorry, 'We own the night' still sounds better, especially if you're going for 'arrogant'. 'We hold the night' means they're holding their own in space. Possibly including 'barely. 'We own the night' means they own the night. As in there's nothing you can do about it so don't bother trying.

[Batman]

"Protecting the peace" is what a military is really about though. At least in a non-evil country.

Except we're talking about an arrogant not exactly necessarily friendly military here?

(peace through superior firepower I'm sure you remember from that TNG episode as the sales pitch!)

No, absolutely not. I totally grabbed that association out of thin air.

[Batman]

They are, however, unlikely to, due to being arrogant and thus assuming the motto they picked being better. Their superiors might very well opt for the Nice Guy motto for PR reasons but VTE's setup seems to indicate a force that's arrogant top to bottom so I consider this unlikely.

[Terralthra]

The SF city (and SFPD motto) is appealing for this: "Oro en paz, fierro en guerra", old Spanish for "Gold in peace, iron in war."

Are either of the warring factions really trying to lay claim to a neoclassical heritage? If not, the Latin mottoes might not be appropriate.

[Batman]

If the USMC is laying claim to a neoclassical heritage I not only have never seen evidence for it nor do I see how this would work yet they picked 'Semper Fidelis'.

[Terralthra]

If the USMC is laying claim to a neoclassical heritage I not only have never seen evidence for it nor do I see how this would work yet they picked 'Semper Fidelis'.

The US as a whole lays claim to that heritage. One need only look at the iconography, or the architecture of DC, to see a deliberate attempt to evoke Roman descent.

[Block]

From Order, Peace is a good one if you have a race that's fairly authoritarian and doesn't realize it.

[Shroom Man 777]

You could go with "Ultima Ratio".

The last resort. Short form for the metaphor "The Last Resort of Kings and Common Men" referring to the act of declaring war; used in the names the French sniper rifle PGM Ultima Ratio and the fictional Reason weapon system. Louis XIV of France had Ultima Ratio Regum ("last argument of kings") cast on the cannons of his armies; motto of the 1st Battalion 11th Marines.

I think its classic enough to not be a blatant knockoff of other existing mottos already used by well known tacticool units, cause it might be jarring for someone to go reading about this technologically badass future military and then read the motto and go "oh man, the author totally cribbed the motto from XYZ awsum real-life special forces unit, lol".

It'd be especially jarring if you borrow the mottos of particularly well known and particularly highly regarded SF units like the SAS that everyone knows about and fawns over as awsum.

Admit it-you had to laugh out loud at that.

I was actually tempted to write a reply in red font and Alfred you... Master Bruce.

[Eternal_Freedom]

To swipe one from Andromeda, for Special Forces or similar:

Una Salus Victus, the Last Hope of the Damned (more or less).

[VarrusTheEthical]

"Against the Night", maybe?

That's pretty cool, I'll have to think about it.

And sorry, 'We own the night' still sounds better, especially if you're going for 'arrogant'.

I agree it does sound better, but I want a motto that conveys isolationism as well as arrogance. The Federal Space Forces' members tend to think of themselves as the guards holding the "barbarians" of the independent systems at the gates. And the independent systems are chaotic, particularly since the Federation hamstrung the only other power that could manage them, the League.

Ultima Ratio

Another good one. I definitely want to use that somewhere. Would sound really great for a neo-monarchist world, particularly the "last argument of kings" variant.

[Shroom Man 777]

If you want to be a total ass, their motto can be "People should know when they are conquered."

Fuck me, yeah, if you want, your military's mottos could totally be based on wise and historic sayings from ancient mysterious and obscure Earth mythology like...

"If it bleeds we can kill it."

"Remember when I said I'd kill you last? I lied."

"Come with me if you want to live."

“To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!”

"You know what killed the dinosaurs? THE ICE AGE!"

This so kicks the shit out of using mottos from every other special forces group today.

[ChaserGrey]

I think its classic enough to not be a blatant knockoff of other existing mottos already used by well known tacticool units, cause it might be jarring for someone to go reading about this technologically badass future military and then read the motto and go "oh man, the author totally cribbed the motto from XYZ awsum real-life special forces unit, lol".

Ugh, yes please. If I have to read through one more sci fi story with a unit that's U.S. Army Rangers IN SPACE I'm going to punch someone. And I'm too busy to go to jail.

If you *really* want them to be dicks? "Oderant, dem metuant"- "Let them hate, so long as they fear".

[Shroom Man 777]

If you want to deconstructionate the literalo-syntaxic stereotypes of this televised troposphere's crowning monuments of some awe, you could have their motto be "Semper Fideloid Hooahoorah!", which in the grim darkness of the far future historians would ascribe as some kind of manly war cry of victory made by the greatest ancient warrior chieftain tribe of ancient Earth in the last great battle of World War 5.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Actually, "come with me if you want to live" has some potential. Tweaked slightly perhaps for "Come/Stay/Stand with US if you want to live."

[Shroom Man 777]

"We kill so that you may live."

Oh! Oh! I know the best one!

A poem by the great Chinese hero Zhang Xianzhong.

Heaven brings forth innumerable things to help man.
Man has nothing with which to recompense Heaven.
Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.

[Eternal_Freedom]

"For your tomorrow, we give our today"

[phongn]

"Protecting the Peace"
peace... through superior firepower.

Works nice as a sales pitch. As an armed forces motto?

"Peace is our profession" was a real motto!