64
votes
Why did Stannis emerge victorious against Wildling host?
Not really a plot-hole. You are forgetting the strategic, grooming and material advantages that Stannis and his Knights enjoyed as compared to ill-equipped, ill-disciplined rabble brought together by ...
- 48.3k
50
votes
Why did Humperdinck want to start a war?
In the book, Humperdinck, along with the King, Queen and the Count were discussing how he needed to pick a bride. They agreed upon Princess Noreena of Guilder, as it would be a politically expedient ...
- 1,159
30
votes
Accepted
Where do the regions of Westeros appear to align as of the season 6 finale?
The following is the political alignment of the regions in current timeline:
The North
Currently held by Starks who are opposed ...
- 48.3k
27
votes
Accepted
What was the largest death count in Star Trek?
50 Billion
See Richard's answer to What is the bloodiest war in the Star Trek universe?--the largest number killed due to a war on any of the Trek TV shows/movies was 50 billion (in an incident ...
- 56.4k
26
votes
Accepted
Uninvolved, non-combatant world devastated by out-of-continuum bombs; seeks end to conflict
This immediately makes me think of Ian Watson's "Slow Birds" (1983), which I remember matching quite well.
The blurb on Goodreads says:
They were called slow birds because they flew through ...
- 121k
25
votes
Accepted
Why did Robb attack Tywin Lannister's Army at the same time as his surprise attack on Jaime?
System Down has sufficiently answered this question.
This is merely to add graphical representation to add more clarity to the situation.
Situation before the crossing
Before Robb made his ...
- 48.3k
24
votes
Accepted
'The Needler' human alien war against the Soetti (sweaty)
The Soetti are the alien antagonists in Keith Laumer's Retief story "Courier" (available to read free on the publisher's website). The humans call them "sweaties" and there are ...
- 50.3k
23
votes
How was the Vale of Arryn conquered during the Targaryen invasion of Westeros?
To complement Justin's concise answer as it is lacking in details, no the Valemen did not immediately give up fighting. They had in fact inflicted one of the first major setbacks on the Targaryen ...
- 48.3k
23
votes
Accepted
Which war did Frank Bryce injure his leg in?
We're never explicitly told, but by mathematical necessity1, it must have been World War II.
Frank Bryce's Age
Goblet of Fire opens in July 1994, and we're told that Frank is closing on 77:
Frank ...
- 163k
20
votes
How can Mars compete with Earth economically or militarily?
Military
Mars has fewer ships than earth but their technology is more advanced compared to Earth's ships. So, it's really like a quality vs. quantity thing. Same with the infantry. Mars is aware that ...
- 15.5k
17
votes
What was the largest death count in Star Trek?
Every Earth-based organism that ever lived and maybe more
In the series finale of TNG, Q convinces Picard to perform an action which causes ripples back in time that prevents life from ever existing ...
- 1,594
17
votes
What was the largest death count in Star Trek?
Possibly over 18 billion
In the events leading up to Star Trek (2009), the planet Romulus is destroyed and its population of over 18 billion is wiped out when the Hobus star goes supernova — a ...
- 111k
14
votes
Accepted
How long did the War of Five Kings last?
The War of The Five Kings is still in progress. As of 300AC.
The war started in 298AC (two years ago). Although it is considered that the war is ongoing, the main part of the war is considered to ...
- 45.4k
14
votes
Accepted
Why did Catelyn side with Renly in the War of Five Kings?
They knew Renly's host would a be threat to Lannister power in the Riverlands and possibly Casterly Rock.
In A Clash of Kings while Robb is in Riverrun they learn that Ser Stafford Lannister is gather ...
- 59.6k
13
votes
Accepted
How did the clones land at the battle of Geonosis?
The film's original script contains some useful info, including several scenes that were written, but not filmed.
I've highlighted the relevant portion:
YODA: Come on - hurry! Hurry!
The SURVIVING ...
- 677k
13
votes
Accepted
Modern military jet goes back to World War I
Looking for title and author of a short story.
"Hawk Among the Sparrows", a novella by Dean McLaughlin.
A pilot of an (American?) near-future military jet and his machine find themselves ...
- 159k
13
votes
Accepted
Why do Hoster and Edmure Tully not rally their forces?
Sworn swords of the Rock
First of all, the raiders from Westerlands were Clegane troops who did not need any persuasion from Tywin about looting. They were sworn to Casterly Rock as regular levies/...
- 48.3k
13
votes
Can't remember short story, post-apocalyptic retaliation
This is probably "Thunder and Roses" by Theodore Sturgeon. From this Reader's Guide to the story:
Pete Mawser and Sonny are survivors of one-half of a nuclear war, stuck on a military base,...
- 31.3k
13
votes
Accepted
Humans winning an interstellar war against hive-minded aliens due to human nature
"'In a Good Cause—'", a 1951 novelette by Isaac Asimov, also the answer to this question. Under the title "Ideals Die Hard" it was reprinted in Authentic Science Fiction No. 78, ...
- 159k
13
votes
Accepted
Why would Craftworld Eldar fight Craftworld Eldar?
The Eldar are a dying race and they seek survival more than anything. It makes sense that they will avoid fighting their peers of other Craftworlds by any means. In particular, they will not hesitate ...
- 8,848
13
votes
Looking for an SF story where Lebanon was the UN's petri dish for war
This is the 1989 story War Fever by J. G. Ballard.
In the future the world is at peace, but the UN uses Beirut as a 'Petri dish' allowing war to flourish there and be studied, as the UN allowed ...
- 50.3k
13
votes
How can Mars compete with Earth economically or militarily?
The Expanse Wiki (not an ideal source I know) makes the development of the Epstien Drive look like the key turning point.
Eventually, in the 23nd century, the colonial government that administered ...
- 18.2k
12
votes
Accepted
Why didn't the Capitol besiege District 13?
A few reasons that spring to mind:
The Capitol doesn’t want to destroy District Thirteen, just subdue it.
Coin speculates as much when they first get the warning from Peeta:
“Although we have ...
- 102k
12
votes
Accepted
Short story about humans losing a space war due to having SUPERIOR technology
This is, of course, Arthur C. Clarke's 1951 classic "Superiority".
The story is written by the surviving general of the defending forces as a letter to his captors, explaining why he cannot ...
- 121k
12
votes
How can Mars compete with Earth economically or militarily?
Let's split this question a bit:
How Mars can compete Military with Earth:
There is this fragment in the short story Drive that tells the story of Samuel Epstein, who tells about the current situation ...
- 29.2k
11
votes
Accepted
Trying to find a book about a soldier that ends up fighting forever
Found it! Its called "The Eternity Brigade" by Stephen Goldin
This is a story of young men whose bodies are reconstructed to fight
war after war after war centuries, even millennia, into the ...
- 890
11
votes
Accepted
Why was the Separatist army so weak?
It wasn't really.
The Confederacy of Independent Systems/Sepratists were know to have won the Battles of
Abregado
the Ryndellia system
Felucia
Devaron
Patitite Pattuna
Dathomir
Florrum
They ...
- 66.7k
11
votes
All the Small Wars at Once
That's George Alec Effinger's short story "All the Last Wars at Once", originally published in the 1971 original-stories anthology Universe 1 edited by Terry Carr. It was also the (...
- 159k
10
votes
How can Mars compete with Earth economically or militarily?
In the books Earth is much less united and focused than Mars and suffers from a lot of unemployment, inequality and environmental damage.
Mars on the other hand has the “benefit” of being united under ...
- 201
9
votes
Accepted
Help find name and author of science fiction story about robots taking over all aspects of war
This is "War With the Robots" by indeed Harry Harrison, found in a collection of the same name.
Both armies have gone underground.
The base was attacked, not with heat, but with vibrations. Small ...
- 38.5k
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