Viper combat tactics and flight characteristics..

[jp2542as]

So Vipers are really cool to look at... But I'm left with a few question. Maybe two threads would be appropriate...

1. How do Vipers decelerate in space?
2. With no rear pointing guns, why not just flip the ship 180 degrees and fire and decelerate .. then flip again (if you missed) and fire on the tail of the thing that was formerly on your tail?
3. Why even act like you are in an atmosphere and using you wings as lift and control?

Just curious,

jp2542as

[Joe Beaudoin Jr.]

All good questions... and they all have one answer. It's a bit complicated though and has to do with Star Wars...

Back in the day, John Dykstra and ILM/Apogee didn't have the resources of the JPL and other space industry workers. Flying in space was very much linear, in that they used air battles and even submarine methods when creating special effects relating to space travel.

For instance, the dog fights in Star Wars were virtually copied from old WWII clips of dogfights. Since Dykstra and his team used these techniques in Star Wars, when they went to work on the effects for BSG, they used what they learned and applied it here as well. Unforunately, by today's discerning, science-knowledgable SF fan, most depictions of space travel are easy pickings for the nitpickers.

[JDS]

1. How do Vipers decelerate in space?Magic. Don't ask.

2. With no rear pointing guns, why not just flip the ship 180 degrees and fire and decelerate .. then flip again (if you missed) and fire on the tail of the thing that was formerly on your tail?The same magic that allows them to decelerate also prevents them from flipping 180 degrees.

3. Why even act like you are in an atmosphere and using you wings as lift and control?See question #1.

:D

I suspect that back in the day, even if they HAD portrayed the Vipers realistically, the audience might very well have spent most of the season terribly confused as to what was going on.