tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post6058891861168327592..comments2024-03-28T00:43:37.279-05:00Comments on Future War Stories: Future Military Profiles: The EarthForce from Babylon 5Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17218428427067689631noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-30492570363006314422022-06-12T20:58:29.295-05:002022-06-12T20:58:29.295-05:00It breaks my heart when I think about Earthforce. ...It breaks my heart when I think about Earthforce. Even when Babylon 5 was going strong, the show focused more on story and character than worldbuilding and continuity, and Earthforce suffered for it. And now, the franchise is stuck in the mud, and Earthforce along with it.Samuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03689927008145878698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-69664630562873477202020-12-06T08:43:41.501-06:002020-12-06T08:43:41.501-06:00You seen this yet? https://youtu.be/kzt6mnz3_HwYou seen this yet? https://youtu.be/kzt6mnz3_HwSean Robert Meaneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16273566549106707316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-18911134749023873482020-11-30T06:02:20.592-06:002020-11-30T06:02:20.592-06:00"well unless that consciousness copying and u..."well unless that consciousness copying and uploading includes the possibility of edit memories and/or personality you are going to have a clone identical in body and mind to the original soldier"<br />A serious issue, that is until one considers the idea that said clones don't need to have a concious mind to begin with. I can only assume that a brain dead clone would make teleoperaring the clone-drone a lot easier than a fully sapient, I dependent mind.<br /><br />It also helps go around the legal hurdles of "who's the real person" and the philosophical quagmire that entails.<br /><br />"There is also the issue with the cube law"<br />Yes, if one is doing a straight up conversion of normal human anatomy. But considering that one is using genetically engineered super soldiers, why not engineer them to operate most effectively at such scales and considering that as super soldier clone-drones, they don't really need much cognitive brain power in the first case.<br /><br />Though, to be fair, I don't really imagine them being taller than 7 feet fully kitted up and armored. They may have the physical attributes to make them a viable alternative, but not to the extent that IFVs need to be at least a different model (if not vehicle design) in order to accommodate them. Sabersonichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11304850400062201271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-12835961874760331602020-11-29T14:07:05.686-06:002020-11-29T14:07:05.686-06:00In the case of copying a soldier consciousness to ...In the case of copying a soldier consciousness to a cheap clone and sent it to die in the battlefield, well unless that consciousness copying and uploading includes the possibility of edit memories and/or personality you are going to have a clone identical in body and mind to the original soldier. <br />If the soldier isn't placing the cause/ nation/ species above his own survival why would the clone will? Likely no one will agreed to make a copies of self without the promise that no matter what, those clones won't return back to yours (and theirs) home, crash on yours (and theirs) couch and F**k yours (and theirs) wife. Had those clones survive the war they would put to sleep by the military. Think about Bladerunner's Replicants, built for the job but not to last. And if the volunteer knows that before signing to be copy, so will his clones.<br />Who will fight such a war knowing no matter what they will never return home?<br />"I can only assume that they can carry more Anti-Tank weapon rounds than average" – and been bigger target to hit too.<br />There is also the issue with the cube law, if all things equal, double the soldier his volume and therefor his weight increase eightfold while his bones' structural strength and muscles' strength only quadruple. His agility and dexterity will be of regular man in 2g gravity, he could carry his own body weight but little more than that.<br /><br />Yoel<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-66353962548449125902020-11-16T23:56:12.808-06:002020-11-16T23:56:12.808-06:00"Fighting in this setting are done under stri..."Fighting in this setting are done under strict treaties and international laws prohibit the prevention of soldiers' resurrection" The point still stands as to why a merc should risk his life and just be transferred to a clone when they get killed, if it would be more effective to just put the clone in danger and the merc in a more safer location not unlike a drone.<br /><br />"if an enemy combatant path to resurrection is blocked he will fight tooth and nail" Which, if one thought about it long enough, shouldn't have happened in the first place if conciousness can be transferred from one body to another even upon death. Keep the original merc alive and just put the poor sap of a clone to be the bullet sponge. Nothing says "golden bridge of retreat" quite like having someone else die in your stead, even if that other person is yourself.<br /><br />"In those battlegrounds having a monstrous size humanoids might not played out well" Probably not the best example, but the more well known. Still the point stands that these super soldier clones would be a reckon with even if they're not imposingly tall. For starters, they can potentially carry more equipment farther than the unmodified, unaugmented soldier. And that's not counting any other attributes that might make them harder to hit in such a confined area.<br /><br />As for them faring against an AFV in an open field, I can only assume that they can carry more Anti-Tank weapon rounds than average.<br /><br />Then again, for the greater carrying capacity and endurance, one can only imagine a penny-pinching arm-chair general going "you know what? They can carry more for the same distance, let's do that and absolutely axe their best logistical advantage." *face palm*Sabersonichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11304850400062201271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-24290111096451132672020-11-16T22:06:21.449-06:002020-11-16T22:06:21.449-06:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.donald boykinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13829109759831270644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-41283497702435128012020-11-16T09:42:14.582-06:002020-11-16T09:42:14.582-06:00Nice! Gives me some things to think about...I want...Nice! Gives me some things to think about...I want to see a space marine trapped in a doorway. "Help me brothers! By the emperor!"Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17218428427067689631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-69983626352618595612020-11-14T14:15:02.346-06:002020-11-14T14:15:02.346-06:00"Why is the merc not using the clone like a t..."Why is the merc not using the clone like a tele-operated drone?" battlefield gamming may break the com-link between the operator and the drone, granted one might wonder why same jamming doesn't prevent consciousness transfer at the moment of death from the soldier to the back-up clone… I have two possible answers:<br />Fighting in this setting are done under strict treaties and international laws prohibit the prevention of soldiers' resurrection, if all sides of the conflict acknowledge those rules then war neutered down from taking lives to mere distraction of expandable bodies.<br />Second, the Art of War taught us that you should "Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat", if an enemy combatant path to resurrection is blocked he will fight tooth and nail, but with he can simply die bite the bullet and i++ into another body…<br /><br />"and not something like an Adeptus Astartes that would really be a terror on the battlefield" – in the age of mechanized warfare the role of infantry mostly confined to urban warfare and alike. In those battlegrounds having a monstrous size humanoids might not played out well. Since the urban environment is constructed after regular-human scale: doors, rooms, corridors etc. how well 10 foot tall soldiers fair? Kicking doors for those behemoths is the easy part, enter the room isn't. and out at the open field, how well will they be against the regular fighting vehicle?<br /><br />Yoel <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-64909688456015135282020-11-13T13:35:27.459-06:002020-11-13T13:35:27.459-06:00Thanks for the comment and thoughts. I will be loo...Thanks for the comment and thoughts. I will be looking into an article on Cloned Soldiers and AI. DUST 514 has a great setup, but was not explored enough...Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17218428427067689631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-62688476322947473152020-11-12T07:28:06.331-06:002020-11-12T07:28:06.331-06:00Lovely article, nice to see someone pay some homag...Lovely article, nice to see someone pay some homage to this often forgotten 90s sci-fi space opera, especially around EarthForce. Though I have to admit, I was never really privy to the Babylon 5 RPG and from what I've read of your experience with the EarthForce Tech Manual, it was probably for the better.<br /><br />I must confess, it was a major influence in my own custom Space Opera setting in the early years. Still, the note about GROPOS being so effective during the Earth-Mimbar war as opposed to the Space Corps was quite a revelation. Though I remember Mollari's commentary on human bravery during the conflict, I didn't really think that GROPOS had such an impact as to make the Mimbari Warrior cast look at a planet with GROPOS and go "nope".<br /><br />Anyway, I was also half-inspired to post this comment due to Unknown's inquiry on AI and Cloning in terms of Military SF and I was reminded of a scene from the 2009 film (geeze, has it been that long ago?) "Surrogates"<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79JDeCcXGtw&feature=emb_logo<br /><br />This idea also stemmed from the recall of the EVE Online MMO FPS "Dust 514" and how they explained spawning as consciousness being transferred at the moment of death to a back up clone body when the thought occurred "If consciousness and brainwave patters could be transferred at the moment of death, why is the merc not using the clone like a tele-operated drone? Why is the clone even an unmodified human being and not something like an Adeptus Astartes that would really be a terror on the battlefield?" And all the potential storytelling and questions on morality, legality, and what it means to be human and all that jazz.<br /><br />I mean if the tech is there, why not go to the absolute limit of the idea and make something even more unique and disturbing at the same time. But that's just my brain fart on the idea and it just might be something to consider in one's setting if the tech allows something like that to happen.Sabersonichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11304850400062201271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-25609332742802403342020-11-04T12:08:18.968-06:002020-11-04T12:08:18.968-06:00Military AI would be interesting along with cloned...Military AI would be interesting along with cloned soldiers...good idea. I want to cover both the UNSC and the Covenant in their own articles. Thay could be super interesting! Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17218428427067689631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-80297323406840243652020-11-02T20:59:37.093-06:002020-11-02T20:59:37.093-06:00Also for the next topic could you do a article abo...Also for the next topic could you do a article about AIs or cloning?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01708323755958996083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-66911138816610635792020-11-01T22:39:57.746-06:002020-11-01T22:39:57.746-06:00The next military force profile you should do is e...The next military force profile you should do is either the unsc or the covenant. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01708323755958996083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-81047846789136238572020-11-01T13:35:51.828-06:002020-11-01T13:35:51.828-06:00Great write up once again, B5 is still one of my f...Great write up once again, B5 is still one of my favorites. Still some of my favorite ships are from that show.Steel Ravenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07033636526460614949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-86717954924131544082020-11-01T12:14:10.627-06:002020-11-01T12:14:10.627-06:00Yes! That is coming up!Yes! That is coming up!Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17218428427067689631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-57132043642010532872020-10-31T21:25:28.014-05:002020-10-31T21:25:28.014-05:00Great article William, I was wondering if you will...Great article William, I was wondering if you will tackle military camouflage in the future? because it seems to me that it is a neglected subject in science fictionAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-11845914236909230222020-10-30T03:38:49.663-05:002020-10-30T03:38:49.663-05:00Great article, as always. I remember B5 being aire...Great article, as always. I remember B5 being aired on public television in Spain but it had little success.<br />Platovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18437605971974617916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-79367156120746628392020-10-29T16:08:25.621-05:002020-10-29T16:08:25.621-05:00Another great article ! By far one of the best Sci...Another great article ! By far one of the best Sci-fi story lines ever. There is also a few Traveller Babylon 5 source and gaming books.Don Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07230631364253238804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-55869305902574633622020-10-29T15:06:50.997-05:002020-10-29T15:06:50.997-05:00The other B5 RPG is better for information.Mongoos...The other B5 RPG is better for information.Mongoose. MOrab46019https://www.blogger.com/profile/02867297848436188553noreply@blogger.com