will swords be used in the future?

[Enforcer Talen]

and why are they used so much in sci fi?

dune, deathstalker, star wars all have swords of some kind, and b5 and star trek use melee weapons as well.

[weemadando]

Will swords be used in the future?

We can only hope...

[Edi]

and why are they used so much in sci fi?

dune, deathstalker, star wars all have swords of some kind, and b5 and star trek use melee weapons as well.

In Star Wars they are used by the Jedi because the Force allows them to be effective with such weapons. A non-Jedi with a melee weapon (even a lightsaber) is dead the moment he enters a fight. A vibroblade or a vibroaxe is a useful tool, but not a useful main weapon.
In Dune they have a technological device that renders projectile weapons ineffective, hence the necessity of using melee weapons.
Deathstalker, well, haven't read, so no idea.
In B5 the Minbari preference for melee weapons seems just like the Klingon fetish for them in Star Trek. I.e., it's there to be showy and for the 'cool' factor, when it more properly increases the dork factor.

The real world: No, swords went out of vogue a long time ago. The swords of today in militaries are ceremonial weapons, displayed for show on formal occasions and locked in the wardrobe with the dress uniform otherwise. This is not going to change. The only use for melee weapons would conceivably be in physical training to enhance coordination and develop close combat ability in case it's necessary, but since melee weapons (apart from knives) are not present on the battlefield and not used in any case unless the circumstances are highly unusual, such effort would be wasted. It is better to teach the basics of hand to hand unarmed (and knife) combat and concentrate on other training measures for the rest of the stuff.

Edi

[Enforcer Talen]

deathstalker, the world has become a single monarchy with aristocracy, and as they expand into space, they outlaw projectile weapons - too easy to make, too easy to use. then they use slow charging blasters in a fight - between pauses, they have to get up close and personal.

[Sokar]

In B5 the Minbari preference for melee weapons seems just like the Klingon fetish for them in Star Trek. I.e., it's there to be showy and for the 'cool' factor, when it more properly increases the dork factor

Actually in the shows and especially in the GROPOS game the Minbari use quite sophisticated ranged weapons, refered to as 'masers'. The Warriors keep the traditions alive of using melee weapons, especially the staff as a link to their heritage. The Minbari are anything but Klingons with bone-ridges.

[Gandalf]

I don't think we'll seeing swords in common use anytime in out lifetimes. Guns are just too easy to get and use. So I shall freeze myself, who's with me?

[Admiral Valdemar]

I hope that when stealth and real close combat is needed, high-tech swords would be used or knives or monofilament whips.

Of course, they can't compare to a single handgun, but that's the wrong situation. A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords at noon.

[Stuart Mackey]

and why are they used so much in sci fi?

dune, deathstalker, star wars all have swords of some kind, and b5 and star trek use melee weapons as well.

Ratings , ranged weapons beat a sword each time..even in the supposed heyday of swords, befor the gun, the sword was a secondary weaopon at best.

Mind you the bayonet was used by the British and associated forces right through WW2..mostly with little effect overall, but NZ division and a few others used it to very good and lethal effect.

[Lagmonster]

Swords - NO. Swords are forthright battle weapons, designed for their reach and clubbing power. They are useless when your opponent can kill you from hundreds of miles away with some remote weapon, missile, or otherwise.

Daggers, however, will always and forever be a part of military outfits. A dagger can be used in non-combat applications, is light and small, and is a good substitute if your main weapon breaks or runs out of ammo. Also, an untrained person fights better with a dagger than a sword.

[Stuart Mackey]

Swords - NO. Swords are forthright battle weapons, designed for their reach and clubbing power. They are useless when your opponent can kill you from hundreds of miles away with some remote weapon, missile, or otherwise.

Daggers, however, will always and forever be a part of military outfits. A dagger can be used in non-combat applications, is light and small, and is a good substitute if your main weapon breaks or runs out of ammo. Also, an untrained person fights better with a dagger than a sword.

I would suggest that if you run out of ammo you are just as fucked, with a knife, or with a sword.

[Queeb Salaron]

I hope someday I have occasion to show someone how to use a broadsword and a swordbreaker... Man... ::dreams::

[Alyrium Denryle]

In B5 the Minbari preference for melee weapons seems just like the Klingon fetish for them in Star Trek. I.e., it's there to be showy and for the 'cool' factor, when it more properly increases the dork factor

Actually in the shows and especially in the GROPOS game the Minbari use quite sophisticated ranged weapons, refered to as 'masers'. The Warriors keep the traditions alive of using melee weapons, especially the staff as a link to their heritage. The Minbari are anything but Klingons with bone-ridges.

They use the fighting pike as a martial art form...For close up combat, and personal fights IIRC

[Tom_Aurum]

Yadda. My personal theory is when personal or suit armor manages to outpower the ranged weapons of the day, then swords will be useful, as they may be more easily designed to cut through armor. Also, in shipboard combat swords and daggers prove to be useful, especially if you plan on taking the ship without blasting through the hull and losing cabin pressure. This is among one of the main reasons why al-qaida used knives to take over the aircraft on that fateful day about a year and a half ago.

[Iceberg]

When giant robots are effective war machines, we'll see swords again as main battle weapons.

In other words, never again; not in this universe, at any rate.

[Stormbringer]

They use the fighting pike as a martial art form...For close up combat, and personal fights IIRC

Yes, they're used mostly in bar fights and other beating the crap out of some one situations rather than full on combat. Only the Narn were ever so foolish as to do that (Severed Dreams) and that was out of pure necessity rather than their personal preference. They also took casualities in excess of 50% for it.

[RedImperator]

You might as well ask if flint hand axes will be used in the future. Swords are dead technology.

[Queeb Salaron]

You might as well ask if flint hand axes will be used in the future. Swords are dead technology.

DIE, INFIDEL!

::Smites him::

[Peregrin Toker]

Weren't medieval-style close combat weapons obsolete the immediate moment the bayonet was invented?

[Rye]

Erm...long ranged DON'T beat melee weapons every time. You ever tried to kill someone up close with a sniper rifle on cs?

Bayonets and combat knives are still widely in use in the world's armies, they are a backup killing tool for when the guns and stuff run out of ammo or break etc.

Would you rather have a knife or bayonet in a hand to hand fight? i know i sure would.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

and why are they used so much in sci fi?

dune, deathstalker, star wars all have swords of some kind, and b5 and star trek use melee weapons as well.

Realistically, we can say that swords will be used in the future in the following capacities:

A) Decorative and ceremonial purposes for use by the military.
B) Decorative use for historical re-enactors and ancient civilization buffs. (Though this will swing towards more recent history as one moves further and further into the future. Eventually gangs of young men and women will get together to reenact Vietnam or the Gulf War.)
C) If there's a drastic paradigm shift in society, then you could see them used as a "gentlemanly" way to resolve differences. Instead of blowing your opponent's head off with a likely-illegal (unless civilization is interrupted, the only weapons you'll eventually see will be in the hands of criminals, police, and military types) firearm, you can instead settle your differences by the blade.

Now the reason why one sees lots of swords in sci-fi tends to be a simple one. In sci-fi, we see worlds dominated by mysterious and unfamiliar high-technology. All you have to do to really do someone in is slice their head off with a laser, put a big hole in them with a blaster, or turn their minds to mush via telepathy. A simple sword provides some grounding in 'reality.' It makes the viewer feel like, if you threw them into this future, they might actually survive, if someone who uses something as anachronistic as a sword could. Even though they're about as likely to use swords in combat in the future as I am likely to win all the lotteries in the world on the same day.

[Sea Skimmer]

Weren't medieval-style close combat weapons obsolete the immediate moment the bayonet was invented?

By that point the combination of pike men and musket-armed troops had already made them all obsolete. The bayonet let you drop the pikemen and have even more troops with gunpowder weapon

[Sea Skimmer]

Erm...long ranged DON'T beat melee weapons every time. You ever tried to kill someone up close with a sniper rifle on cs?

We all know how well Counter Strike simulates reality

Bayonets and combat knives are still widely in use in the world's armies, they are a backup killing tool for when the guns and stuff run out of ammo or break etc.

Would you rather have a knife or bayonet in a hand to hand fight? i know i sure would.

While common, it's actually extremely rare for bayonets to be used in melee fighting even if they have been fixed. Troops are far more likely to simply bash the enemy with their rifle butts. It's easier to do mentally, and you don't run the risk of getting the thing caught in their guts.

[Queeb Salaron]

Realistically, we can say that swords will be used in the future in the following capacities:

A) Decorative and ceremonial purposes for use by the military.

Yep. I love the marine commercials where they snap the blade to shoulder at attention. That's just the coolest thing ever.

B) Decorative use for historical re-enactors and ancient civilization buffs. (Though this will swing towards more recent history as one moves further and further into the future. Eventually gangs of young men and women will get together to reenact Vietnam or the Gulf War.)

As a LARPer, I can say right now that we will probably never see Vietnam or Gulf War reenactments, simply due to the fact that there have to be planes and helicopters involved. LARP groups often don't have the resources to get military aircraft involved in faux battles. It's much more effective when the air-strike element is taken out, which is why Renaissance and Civil War LARPs are so popular.

C) If there's a drastic paradigm shift in society, then you could see them used as a "gentlemanly" way to resolve differences. Instead of blowing your opponent's head off with a likely-illegal (unless civilization is interrupted, the only weapons you'll eventually see will be in the hands of criminals, police, and military types) firearm, you can instead settle your differences by the blade.

Man, do I wish. Challenge fundies to duels and lop their crazy fucking heads off. ::Drools::

[Queeb Salaron]

While common, it's actually extremely rare for bayonets to be used in melee fighting even if they have been fixed. Troops are far more likely to simply bash the enemy with their rifle butts. It's easier to do mentally, and you don't run the risk of getting the thing caught in their guts.

If bayonettes are properly kept, their edges remain sharp enough so that they don't get entangled. If you're referring to the ensarement that follows the "gut-and-twist" method, that's part of the attack's effectiveness; most of the damage is done while ripping the bayonette out. But I will agree that a good rifle-butt to the head will quickly and effectively relieve an enemy of his faculties.

Bayonettes just put them to sleep for a little bit longer.

[Hobot]

I hope someday I have occasion to show someone how to use a broadsword and a swordbreaker... Man... ::dreams::

When you say broadsword, what kind of sword are you referring to exactly?