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Everybody always gives props to space captains: they're the ones sitting in the chair and commanding a spaceship going head-to-head with their bumpy-headed counterpart on the enemy ship. But one starship doesn't always win a space battle. Sometimes it's the general (or the admiral) sitting in an even bigger chair, who figures out where to send all the dozens, or thousands, of starships into battle like chess pieces. They're the tacticians and the master strategists, and we celebrate them below.
Everybody always gives props to space captains: they're the ones sitting in the chair and commanding a spaceship going head-to-head with their bumpy-headed counterpart on the enemy ship. But one starship doesn't always win a space battle. Sometimes it's the general (or the admiral) sitting in an even bigger chair, who figures out where to send all the dozens, or thousands, of starships into battle like chess pieces. They're the tacticians and the master strategists, and we celebrate them below.
Aiguille Delaz from Gundam 0083. This strategic genius chose to pull out of the battle of A Baou Qu, the last stand of the One Year War. Instead, he massed his forces in a makeshift headquarters in the middle of a debris field, and prepared his masterplan. Operation Stardust involved having a pilot steal an experimental nuclear-armed Gundam warsuit. Delaz shows off the nuclear-armed warsuit, which proves the corruption of the Earth Federation, and then goads the Federation into showing off its strength in a set of space maneuvers that leave it vulnerable to the nuke — which destroys two-thirds of the fleet.
Ender Wiggin, from Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game series. Starting out as a laser-tag champion, he gets more and more badass until he becomes the greatest space strategist in history. He thinks he's just fighting a series of simulated battles, but he's actually giving orders to real Earth ships dispatched decades earlier — and he comes up with the crazy risk-taking strategy that destroys the "Bugger" homeworld and pretty much wipes out their species.
Kara Thrace aka Starbuck — You can talk about what a great leader Adama is, or how good Admiral Cain was at coming up with the craziest, most bat-shit strategies to confuse her enemies. But the craziest person on Battlestar Galactica is also the craftiest — just look at the plan Starbuck comes up with to distract the cylon basestars away from the resurrection ship using decoys. The basestars get distracted, and then Galactica and Pegasus take them on. And then Lee's stealth ship takes out that all-important get-out-of-death-free card for those cylons. Rawk! 
John Christian Falkenberg, a CoDominium naval officer turned mercenary created by Jerry Pournelle for the CoDominium future history series. He's sort of a space tactician, even though most of the battles he fights are on the ground on various planets where the colonists are rising up. He's frequently facing superior numbers of better-armed insurgents, and has to use a mixture of blitzkrieg tactics and fighting dirty to pull out a victory.
Grand Admiral Thrawn from the Star Wars novels. The blue-skinned red-eyed Imperial Thrawn was already a chessmaster of space battle when the Empire fell in Return Of The Jedi. But after the Empire had collapsed in a rain of Ewok claws, Thrawn rebuilt a small fleet around his Imperial Star Destroyer and set about trying to retake the galaxy. He found a supply of clone troopers, recruited a rogue Jedi, and managed to control half the galaxy. He tricked the Jedi scum into thinking Coruscant was blockaded by totally imaginary space mines, and managed to assemble a formidable fleet out of almost nothing. His only downfall came from understimating the bun-clad head of Princess Leia. Also from Star Wars, there's Admiral Ackbar, who can recognize a trap when he sees one.
Captain Benjamin Sisko from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Trek is full of great tacticians, including a never-ending parade of admirals who only exist on video screens. But Sisko gets his hands dirty — sometimes literally — in planning all the big battles against the Dominion. His finest moment was probably planning Operation Return, the huge assault by 624 starships to retake Deep Space Nine. He had to convince one of those stuffed-shirt admirals that DS9 was a higher strategic priority than defending Earth, because DS9 controlled the wormhole, the key to the quandrant. Faced with a solid wall of Dominion and Cardassian ships, Sisko had to play a game of wits with Cardassian leader Gul Dukat, trying to trick the Cardassians into opening a hole in their lines. Dukat saw through Sisko's strategy and tried to set a counter-trap, but Sisko managed to use Dukat's trap to push through. Here's the fleet Sisko was commanding: 
Donal Graeme from the Childe Cycle of novels by Gordon R. Dickson. He's an "intuitive superman" with a superb grasp of battle tactics. He's also a master of deception (notice a theme here?). In one campaign, he tricks the enemy into landing on a planet to engage a massive ground force — only to find that the ground force is an illusion. They're trapped on the planet, with Donal's forces threatening to bomb them from orbit unless they surrender.
Captain John Sheridan from Babylon 5. One of the most cunning fighters in the Earth-Minbari war, Sheridan took out the Minbari's biggest ship by mining asteroids with nuclear weapons. In "Endgame," he has to outwit General Lefcourt, his former mentor, who can anticipate all of his moves, including a diversionary ground assault on Mars. But Lefcourt fails to anticipate Sheridan's tactic of having telepaths disable all of Lefcourt's ships.
Just remember, you may think all these discussions about space battle tactics are purely academic, but some people out there are already thinking about how to kick ass in space for realz.
Note: this thread on the Bad Universe and Astronomy Today forums was really helpful in thinking about this post. Some really good stuff there, check it out.
Comments
Grand Admiral Thrawn. I was in awe the first time I finished reading a Timothy Zahn book!
Sheridan would be my second choice.
good demo of just how goofy scifi depictions of space battles generally are.
I've only ever heard of Thrace and Sisko.
I'd have to think that computers do most of the micromanagement of ship positioning.
Not to undermine Starbuck, but Admiral Adama was a bit better, or at least had more cojones and more insanity... Remember the Adama maneuver to rescue all of New Caprica from the episode 'Exodus pt. 2'? When he tricks the Cylons into creating the illusion of a Battlestar AND THEN lets the Galactica drop like a rock out of the sky and jump at the last second? That was awesome.
+ Watch video
Let's not forget Paul Muad'Dib Usal Atreides, who managed to bring the Guild to it's knees without ever leaving Arrakis.
"He who controls the spice controls the universe!"
'Nuff said.
Much love for Captain Sisko - I want to BE him when I grow up. And I distinctly remember that episode too - nail-biter, but then again, I'm a trek fan. :)
Props for Sheridan too, he made his way through a bunch of hairy situations, but don't forget to give some credit to DeLenn, she had his back more than a few times! I'm also VERY entertained you brought Delaz into the picture - only a genius could have come up with Operation Stardust, but damn if his bailing on that last Zeon battle didn't make him look like a coward.
Honestly.. I'd put Mazer Rackham in there as he was the driving force behind Ender's true sucess. Ender was the General, Mazer was the strategist.
Don't forget John Cricton. That guy wormed his way out of all kinds of crazy situations!
Mal dragging the Reavers into the Alliance feet in Serenity. Simple, but effective.
"In my judgment, you simply have no alternative."
KAHN!
[tbn0.google.com]
@Zantor: But he always thinks two-dimensionally......
That's another reason why The Wrath of Khan is the greatest Star Trek has to offer. It's the *ONLY* time they ever acknowledge that space has three dimensions. The scene where the Enterprise ascends behind the Reliant is one of the most awesome moments in theatrical space combat.
Any list of Space military strategists that ignores Yang Wen-li from Legend of Galactic Heroes is woefully inadequate. He doesn't just destroy death star-like fortresses, he captured his own and turned it into an independent republic.
I think Salvor Hardin should be mentioned here. He was more of a politician than an admiral, but still...
I forget her name, but in the book Babel 17 the title language changes the fundamental way people think, and the polyglot who learns it directs a battle by "reading" the enemy forces' organization. There's another character, "the Butcher" I think, who somehow instinctively knows the language.
I need to re-read that book.
But anyway, anyone who knows Babel 17 would be on this list.
For that matter... Hari Seldon. He developed a *thousand-year* strategy encompassing the entire galaxy.
What about Honor Harrington? Granted the books get a bit silly later in the series but she is an excellent strategist and tactician.
ahhh.. Ender from Enders game? Thats what the whole book was about
Anyone who knew the title language from Babel 17? The Butcher, or the main character (forget her name)?
The premise was that the language itself was a weapon, and you essentially spoke in tactics. Pretty cool book.
Y'know, I've got to go with Captain Picard on this one.
In (the AWFUL) Star Trek: Nemesis (AWFUL), he realizes that his opponent can out-think him time and time again, so what does he finally do? (Not the Picard Maneuver, that's for sure...)
He RAMS THE OTHER GUY'S SPACESHIP.
The Fucking End.
From the Honor Harrington Universe, Admiral White Haven.
Lost Fleet's John Geary.
Agreed on Mazer Rackham. Ender was the tactics wizard, but Mazer was the grand master.
Honor Harrington from the series by David Weber deserves to be on this list.
@CarrerCrytharis: Yeah, I second that. Who says space strategists can only encompass planning actual fights?
Got no love for the Interesting Times Gang?
@Mister Adequate: Er wait, I meant the GSV Sleeper Service. *Facepalm*
Besides White Haven, Honor Harrington herself. Basilisk, Yeltsin, Silesia, and Hades are a few examples of her strategic command abilities.
The Enemy's gate is down.
first time saying this on io9 but this list is horrible. reading the posts showed better candidates (Ender, Paul Atreides, Mazer, etc) than the ones mentioned
Starbuck? Really? Starbuck?
from anime Yang Wan Lee, from Legend of Galactic Heroes
It really is a shame those battle scenes from DS9 were produced before the days of HDTV.
@ManchuCandidate I was surprised that they left out any mention of the Honor Harrington universe. I agree about Earl White Haven, Honor herself is good, but alot like others she is always in the right place at the right time. He is a true strategist.
Admiral Henry Gloval.
@Mister Adequate: beat me to suggesting the Minds from The Excession
Colonel Fedmahn Kassad from Hyperion.
@Mister Adequate:
Yeah, props to the Sleeper Service for pulling an 80,000-strong armarda out of its ass. But what about the guy from the original Star Wars who first noticed the unguarded exhaust port? If I were Mr.D.Vader, I'd be going after that guy's head, not that of some hotshot young pilot...
I think I'll be the first to that io9 for the wonderful Ackbar clip! Seeing Sisko too was quite the delight.
that's by far the most epic scene in any star trek ever, but... i really have to give props to picard for creativity. which is probably a more important tactic than "there's a weak spot, punch a hole and i don't care if it's a trap" and "hold them at the bottleneck."
attacking your opponent by using warp drive to obsucre your actual position by exploiting the limitations of the speed of light? THAT's a tactic.
Gareth Martinez and Lady Sula from WJW's 'Dread Empire's Fall' trilogy. They rewrote fleet doctrine and proposed broad changes, introducing new 'plays' and tactics in what was a brilliantly interesting, fairly hard sci-fi milieu.
Wow. No love for Captain Kirk and the Kobayashi Moru Maneuver? Or Admiral Akbar?
The problem with suggestions like Seldon and Atreides is that while they certainly were very smart, they absolutely don't fit under the definition of what the article was looking for. Specifically, we're looking for military tacticians and strategists here. Paul Mua'Dib might count for his use of atomics against the shield wall and invading via sandworm, but not because he controlled the spice trade. (That move made him and excellent political, not military strategist.) Someone like Honor, in turn, falls on the opposite end of the spectrum: usually she's just controlling only one ship- she uses it to fantastic advantage, but doesn't usually come up with too many fleet maneuvers.
If you include Falkenberg, what about Aloise Hammer, from David Drake's Hammer's Slammers? He was certainly an excellent strategist. Or for a really excellent example, although it was only sort of science fiction (more alternate history) what about Bellisarius, also by Drake. Or, for that matter, most of his main characters (with the exception I'd say of Lt. Leary, who like Honor is more of a single ship captain.)
Miles Vorkosigian from Lois Bujolds ' Vorkosigan series. He's not short, he's concentrated.
You're missing Aral Vorkosigan from Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga series.
"He was stated by many military history buffs, such as Ky Tung, to have been the most brilliant admiral/strategist in the galaxy."
How's this for an old and obscure one. Staffa Kar Therma from W. Michael Gear's Forbidden Border trilogy. His innovative tactics took him from street urchin to commander of a hidden base from which he held the entirety of known humanity in fear/awe of him. And he was the good guy, too.
@icelight: Yeah, exactly... I haven't read all the Honor books, but I didn't remember any situations where she commanded more than one ship, let alone a fleet.
@causeiambetta: Actually I mentioned Ender. Sorry you didn't like the list!
Starbuck is the one who came up with the plan to attack the refinery too did she not?
That was pretty slick...
@Charlie Jane Anders: Oh and it might just be me and my old computer but everytime I try and open that forum thread you link, my firefox crashes...
Um. Picard?
I mean, he has a whole maneuver named after him!
Last post in a row by me...
This might not qualify for the list as it involves running away...
But in David Weber's "Off Armageddon Reef" Humanity escapes the Gbaba by building one last big fleet and pretends to make one last big fight, but reality just after they destroy the scout ship (which summons the enemy fleet) the bulk of the fleet jumps away, but traveling in their shadow is a exact duplicate fleet which powers up and fills the void...
Allowing part of the fleet to escape and survive...
that seemed pretty cool...
I am definitely throwing in my vote for Sisko. He led from the chair and on the battlefront, conspired to get the Romulans into the Dominion War, AND he was Hawk. He also punched Q.
*sigh* I miss DS9...
Ummm... forgive me if I'm wrong here, but didn't Mazer just 'get lucky' with the First bugger fleet? Sure he spotted a pattern but he didn't have a clue what would happen when he knocked out the 'mother ship'.
End had to learn to see new patterns as the buggers adapted so I'd put him up ahead of Mazer.
Tho' as a Kiwi I hate to do so of course :)