Flare Sci-Fi Forums: Galactic Armaggeddon - Can War Destroy The Galaxy?

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Posted by lomjlt on :

Most often in science fiction, militaries fight like they do with traditional technology before humanity had nuclear weapons --- two machines or ships fire at one another until one is destroyed.

To get more firepower, you add more ships until you have a large enough invasion force to conquer the other side.

Why would future militaries fight like that if they had advance technology?

For example, a powerful enough particle accelerator could generate a black hole that would wipe out all life in a solar system. A black hole that passes through our solar system, even if it passes by Pluto and never comes anywhere near Earth, would still change the orbits of all the planets, killing all life here on Earth.

Why send ships to invade a planet when you could just create a black hole that kills all the inhabitants? It's easier and cheaper to kill with "nuclear weapons" or "black hole weapons" than with a large invasion force.

In fact, that's why nuclear weapons were built - to deter an invasion at an affordable cost that would not bust the budget.

In this scenario, let's say two military alliances engage in an arms race to build black hole weapons until each had an arsenal sufficient to destroy the entire galaxy if ... let's say ... 10,000 black hole weapons were ignited.

What if a scientist could create one black hole weapon as powerful as 10,000 of them?

Can future war destroy the galaxy?

Posted by The Talented Mr. Gurgeh (Member # 318) on :

Interesting.... my personal opinion is that for a civilisation to become space-faring in the first place, a much more stable political structure than those existing today would be needed. It's difficult to imagine what space politics would be like. For instance, how would a government enforce laws in an environment as vast as space? Would "nations" exist at all? Perhaps a separate thread should be started to discuss this.

But getting back to the topic at hand, which is mainly a matter of logistics, my initial opinion would be that destroying a galaxy would be pretty inconceivable. Interstellar space is vast, and even if you could create a black hole and give it an accurate velocity vector (bordering on the impossible, there, even theoretically), how fast could you get it to move to another system?

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"If you can't beat your computer at chess, try kickboxing."

Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

Then there's the probable treaties of future powers regarding "mutual destruction".
They could probably fight differently than we do today, but there are easier ways of destroying planets than creating black holes...
Manipulating asteroids, for instance. Or exposing a population to various types of radiation.
All cowardly and filthy ways of waging wars.
Since a black hole can threaten subspace stability, though, it would be the most dangerous and unpredictable enterprise we hairless apes have ever ventured.

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Don't kill me, I'm charming!

Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :

Andromeda has a super weapon, that forces a star to go nova, taking out the whole system at once.

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Witty Remark

Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

Hooray!

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Don't kill me, I'm charming!

Posted by Gaseous Anomaly (Member # 114) on :

They put one of yours in the hospital,
you put one of their's in the morgue.
It's the Chicago way.

I think we'd better start making plans. If Kosh's information is accurate (and I have no doubt that it is), we need to prepare ourselves for Andromeda's inevitable onslaught.

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At that point, McDonald fired his gun three times in the air to emphasize his point. The crowd, estimated at 350,000, loudly cheered the new candidate.

"Let me make this clear: I am the law! I am your ruler! And you will have fries with that, motherf*cker!"

Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

Better den you, you stinkin' Irish pig!

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Don't kill me, I'm charming!

Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :

Actually, Andromeda doesn't have nova bombs anymore... Hunt detonated all 40 of them at once in the series pilot, remember?

I agree that most space combat as is presented today is probably unrealistic. There are going to be technologies far beyond anyone's imagination, I am sure. Invention is a continual process. There are always going to be big weapons that are considered "superweapons" of the time. Remember WWI? (Not like you were there, of course... I mean your history lessons. Sheesh...) Back then the machine gun was proclaimed the ultimate weapon of mass destruction and foretold the end of human civilization. Fifty years before that, the muzzle-loading rifle revolutionized infantry combat during the American Civil War. The list goes on and on.

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Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :

Actually, they got at least one nova bomb at the end of the second ep.

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"How do you define fool?"
"I don't attempt it. I wait for demonstrations. They inevitably surpass my imagination."
- CJ Cherryh, Invader

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

"For example, a powerful enough particle accelerator could generate a black hole that would wipe out all life in a solar system."

Oh?

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OH NO< THE OLD MAN WALKS HIS GREEN DOG THAT SHOTS PINBALLS!~!!!
--
Jeff K
****
Read three (three!) chapters of "Dirk Tungsten in...The Disappearing Planet" and nothing at all will happen.

Posted by BlueElectron (Member # 281) on :

Sorry to burst your bubble.

But in a world such as ours, to generate a black hole, human must procure "god-like" capability.

In another word, pretty damn impossible.

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What is the difference between a terriorist and your girlfriend?
- With terrorist, there is a chance of negotiation.

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

Oh?

And that was three words, actually.

Posted by Teelie (Member # 280) on :

*snaps fingers*

There! Uh... damn.

*snaps fingers again*

Come on dang it!

*black hole appears*

Better.

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�

Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

Is it pretty?

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Don't kill me, I'm charming!

Posted by BlueElectron (Member # 281) on :

1......2.......3 (counting the word on the last post)

damn, you're right, IT IS three words!!!

IT IS THE END OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RUN FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!

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What is the difference between a terriorist and your girlfriend?
- With terrorist, there is a chance of negotiation.

Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :

There's also the problem of destroying what you're trying to conquer. If you make the planet uninhabitable, it becomes usless to the invading armies.

Now, if your only goal is wanton destrcution or mass genocide..then you're ok...

Well, relatively speaking of course...

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"The sons of the Prophet were valiant and bold,
And quite unacustomed to fear.
But, of all, the most reckless, or so I am told,
Was Abdulah Boul Boul Ameer."
Aban's Illustration www.alanfore.com

Posted by lomjlt on :

A black hole weapon or a "superweapon" could be used after previous attempts at invasion have failed --- something that is a common theme in Earth invasion movies or books.

A galactic weapon of mass destruction may first be created by one side to get more firepower or to dominate an enemy. Then the other side learns how to make their own superweapon to deter aggression. An out-of-control arms race motivated by profit (the US nuclear arsenal cost $4 trillion) could then lead to sufficient numbers of galactic weapons of mass destruction to end galactic civilization. Deterrence becomes their main use.

Yes, it is hard to see how any people could resist with honor a weapon like nuclear missiles, air power, satellites or black hole weapons. I'm sure they would fight with any methods to survive.

It would take questionable hairless apes to create such weapons.

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As the pastor said "If there is anyone here who objects to this union, say it now or forever hold your peace ..." , the bride took out a gun, aimed it at the groom and shot him dead.

Posted by David Templar (Member # 580) on :

There is a way to destroy all life in a galaxy, but it's probably just as hard as creating and hurtling an artificial singularity. If you can get two neutron stars to collide, you get what's known as a gamma ray burster. In theory, the resulting explosion makes a supernova look like a pop gun and will saturate the entire galaxy with insane amounts of radiation, effectively sterilizing it. Only draw back is that since radiation travels at the speed of light, it might be a while before the entire galaxy is exposed to radiation. A long while.

Also, a supernova doesn't only effect the system the star(s) are in. It'll give out enough radiation to kill any other system within the neighbourhood.

Thank God nothing like that has happened near us.

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"God's in his heaven. All's right with the world."

Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

Yeah, he must be a formidable pool player.

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Don't kill me, I'm charming!