The Nerd Gettysburg
June 9th, 2014




In that last post, Galley Friend P.G. posits that the Battle of Hoth is the nerd’s Gettysburg. Which is to say, the most picked over and revered battle in the collective imagination of geek culture.

That sounds about right, but I wonder what the other contenders are. Certainly the Second Battle of the Deathstar (“It’s a trap!”) ranks high on the list, because unlike the First Battle of the Deathstar, it was a fleet action, with clear strategies and interesting tactical choices. Though perhaps that makes the Second Battle of the Deathstar is more like Midway.

What else ranks high in the world imaginary battles? The Siege of Helm’s Deep, obviously. In fact, this might be the only real challenger to Hoth for the Gettysburg title. Unlike Hoth, we know an enormous amount about Helm’s Deep, from troop strength to precise movements of companies, and even external forces.  (And it, too, has ample Lego devotionals.)

We know comparatively little about the Romulan-Klingon War–only bits and pieces of lore–but it retains a fascination all its own because it’s a stand-in for an alt-universe, 20th century, Russo-Sino War.

Those are, I think, the biggies. Though I may be missing things. There’s the Crisis on Infinite Earths, or the Battle of Endor (a sub-conflict in the broader Second Battle of the Deathstar), and the Battle of Pelennor Fields. They all fit in that list of battles that every nerd knows pretty much by heart. You may have others to add to the list.



  1. SkinsFanPG June 9, 2014 at 3:15 pm

    Helm’s Deep- only movie nerds, it was a relatively minor battle in the book. Pelennor Fields is the more consequential battle in the book, but not given enough attention in the movie.

    I guess the answer is: it all depends on how Jackson portrays The Battle of the Five Armies in the final Hobbit movie.

    Another nomination: Battle of Blackwater Bay (though it would not be my choice, I think GoT is highly overrated).

COMMENT