Aninterstellar war is a hypotheticalspace war between combatants from differentplanetary systems.[1] The concept provides a commonplot device inscience fiction, especially in thespace opera subgenre. In contrast, the termintergalactic war refers to war between combatants from differentgalaxies, andinterplanetary war refers to war between combatants from differentplanets of the same planetary system.[2]
Michael H. Hart argued that if humans ever spread to other planetary systems, the actual likelihood of interstellar war would be low due to the immense distances (and hence travel times involved)—interstellar war would require a vastly greater investment of time and resources than present-day intraplanetary wars involve.[3] By contrast,Robert Freitas argued that the energy expenditure required for interstellar war would be trivial from the viewpoint of a Type II or Type III civilisation on theKardashev scale.[4]
The earliest fictional references appear to deal with interplanetary, not interstellar war (e.g.H. G. Wells' 1898 novelThe War of the Worlds).[5] Writers such asLarry Niven have developed plausible interplanetary conflict based on human colonization of theasteroid belt andouter planets by means of technologies utilising the laws of physics as currently understood. However, now that the other planets of theSolar System are believed to be devoid of intelligent life, sci-fi writers generally posit some form offaster-than-light drive in order to facilitate interstellar war.
In the 1980'sAce Books published a 3-volume science fiction anthology calledThe Future at War, edited byReginald Bretnor. The first volume,Thor's Hammer, contained stories about wars on Earth and in near-Earth space. The second volume,The Spear of Mars, had stories depicting interplanetary war. And the third volume,Orion's Sword, treated interstellar war.[6]
But there are three huge problems with this plan, and combined, they could be tantamount to a declaration of interstellar war. It could be the first shot fired in a catastrophic interstellar war.
But the other two strategies are more common historically and would probably guide the course of an interplanetary war.
...interstellar wars will be extremely rare, much rarer than warfare has been on Earth. This will be a consequence of the enormous distances between the stars and large travel times between civilizations... a typical civilization might be involved in a major war only once in 50,000 years, perhaps much longer.
As a scientist, many of Arthur C Clarke's predictions for the future came true. Terminology aside, Clarke arguably did more than any other author since HG Wells and Jules Verne to catapult his mind into the future, taking a vast global readership along with him for the invariably wild ride.