OT - How would sc-fi ships do in battle against each other?

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by Shrapnel:
That being said, ST ships can travel at warp, and are capable of using warp propulsion even during battle. Thus in real space, ST ships would have a speed and manuverability advantage over SW's vessels, due to ability to reach faster than light speeds locally.

I'm not sure this would translate to an advantage in combat. ST vessels can engage in combat at warp speed with other vessels going warp speed. I don't remember ever seeing an example of a ship travelling at warp firing on a ship travelling at impulse. There have been a couple examples of ships doing warp manuvers in combat for fractions of a second to suprise an enemy (as in the Picard manuver) but they always make a point of how hard on teh engines this is supposed to be. Only something to be done in cases of extreme emergency. Typically you'd need to match speed with your opponent in order to effectively engage them. Consider how difficult it was for the early jet fighters to engage prop driven enemies in late WWII and Korea. A big speed advantage is great for getting to or away from a fight, but in combat, not so much.