The massive ships is built with the thickest hulls to take as many hits as it can if it’s incapable of taking out all of an opponent’s weapons first. These help latch onto their targets, and send out boarding parties to enemy ships. While truly enormous, one thing that the Xerxes-class specializes in is close-range combat using grapplers. These massive numbers mean that the Xerxes-class never finds itself wanting and can not only make a stand in a fight but pushes the boundaries of aggression in ways that other ships can’t. These battleships are packed to the brim with firepower and hangar bays containing their own complement of Phantom-class corvettes, Marauder-class dropship skiffs, and shuttles that can be released to form a small fleet. The UNN still feels comfortable with these modifications decades later. These capital ships are the third redesign of the same type - showing just how many times it took to get to the right design. Measuring at exactly 500 meters in length, it edges out the MCRN Donnager-class equivalent by just over 24 meters.Ĭontinuing the tradition of naming conventions, the Xerxes-class was named after a Persian king of renown. I wanted to convey a feeling for what that would be like, and then tell a story about the people who live there.The Xerxes-class battleship is physically the largest warship in the system, following the United Nations Navy belief that bigger is, strictly, better. I wanted to tell a story about humans living and working in a well populated solar system. What kind of drive does the Nostromo use? I bet no one walked out of the film asking that question. Ridley Scott doesn’t explain why that room exists, and when most people watch the film, it never even occurs to them to ask. They’re truckers, right? Why is there a room in the Nostromo where water leaks down off of chains suspended from the ceiling? Because it looks cool and makes the world feel a little messy. It’s like in Alien, we meet the crew of the Nostromo doing their jobs in this very blue collar environment. But the rigorous how-to with the math shown? It’s not that story. I have nothing but respect for well written hard science fiction, and I wanted everything in the book to be plausible enough that it doesn’t get in the way. JC - Okay, so what you’re really asking me there is if this is hard science fiction. How much research did you do on the technology side of things, and how important was it to you that they be realistic and accurate? OB - Leviathan Wakes (the first book in The Expanse series) has a gritty and realistic feel. The Expanse isn't hard science fiction where everything has to be scientifically explained, understood or even be based on real physics. I think by the time we have to make fungal whisky, we won't be thinking about how gross that is.īecause it's the way James S.A. Space mining is more likely to be robots rather than people, but mining robots are harder to make into compelling characters. I'm kind of hoping we figure out how to make test-tube proteins and hydroponic vegetables taste good.Ī: As long as we are recognizably human we'll have war and religion, I think. What sorts of things that happen in the expanse do you really think will happen in the future, and what sorts of things are a reflection of our time and maybe you don't really think will work out that way? Will we always be at war with each other? Will there always be religion? Most importantly to me, do you really think the food will suck? I feel great sympathy every time someone has to drink crappy fungus-based whiskey. Q: To the extent that your books about the future reflect the times we're living in now, they are provocative and fascinating and an awesome read. The authors actually addressed exactly this in another interview (well, a reddit AMA) today: Because drones don't make for compelling characters.
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