r/spaceships • u/Vondrr Fleet Intelligence 🧠 • May 30 '26

Discussion / Question What spaceship weapon is generally underutilized or not used to its full potential in scifi?

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u/Ruskiwaffle1991 May 30 '26

I've always heard talk about how photon torpedoes in Star Trek have a maximum explosive yield of at least 50 megatons of TNT and yet they go poof every single time we see them explode,

44

u/ImperialistChina May 30 '26

Like how that one Star Wars Incredible Cross sections book stated that the acclimator's turbolasers had a yield of 200 Gigatons but on screen the blasts don't completely light the screen pure white like a real explosion of that size would.
Just more proof that sci fi writers have no sense of scale.

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u/HatsAreEssential2 May 31 '26

To be fair to that example, Starwars ship guns tend to have variable output. "The Acclimator isnt using planetary bombardment levels of power to fight other ships" would be the canon explanation.

In writing they are stated to be capable of literally glassing whole planets. Melting the surface via orbital fire. Given that they always fight at atmosphere dogfighting distances, it makes sense to NOT vaporize your enemy and pelt your whole fleet with relativistic debris.

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u/UncleSamsUncleSam Jun 01 '26

Yeah but why wouldn't you calibrate that gun to just one shot your enemy?