History Main / OrbitalBombardment

** In the ''Literature/JediAcademyTrilogy'' Admiral Daala uses her star destroyers to bombard civilian targets on Mon Calamari before a gambit by Admiral Ackbar costs her an ISD and forces her to retreat.

** As previously mentioned, the Base Delta Zero, {{fan nickname}}d "BDZ," was introduced here, specifically by ''The Imperial Sourcebook'' for the ''Star Wars'' RPG. Interestingly, while it's been threatened several times the only known time in the Imperial era was (successfully) carried out was in the backstory to the ''HandOfThrawn'' duology against Caamas, and that was by a mercenary fleet rather than Imperial regulars.

** In the ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'', orbital bombardments come in various degrees, depending on the situation, whether it's supporting an invasion, targeting an enemy's production facilities, making a statement, or other such uses. It went on to introduce the Base Delta Zero, the only Imperial (and pre-Imperial) code not subject to change, because it's a planetary scale scorched earth tactic that ranged from merely destroying all the assets of production and killing everyone, to [[NoKillLikeOverkill outright melting the planet's crust]], depending on the disposition and resources of the supervising commander. More information under Literature.

** In [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine DS9]]: "The Die Is Cast", the combined Obsidian Order/Tal Shiar strike force moves in to blow away the Founder Homeworld. Their opening volley supposedly destroys 30% of the planet's crust, and while the visual effect don't really mesh with what we see, we still see attacks that would devastate entire continents.

** In [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine DS9]]: "The Die Is Cast", the combined Obsidian Order/Tal Shiar strike force moves in to blow away the Founder Homeworld. Their opening volley supposedly destroys 30% of the plan's crust, and while the visual effect don't really mesh with what we see, we still see attacks that would devastate entire continents.

* The ''Forces of Corruption'' expansion pack for ''EmpireAtWar'' makes Orbital Bombardment available in ground battles when you have frigates, cruisers, or capital ships in orbit above a planet you happen to be invading. It has a [[AwesomeButImpractical limited area of effect, and takes an impractically long time to recharge]], even when you have an entire fleet of Star Destroyers up there, possibly for balance issues.

-> ''"I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. ... It's the only way to be sure."''

Subtrope of DeathFromAbove, supertrope to ColonyDrop, usually less powerful than an EarthShatteringKaboom. KillSat is a specific example where the bombardment is carried out by a satellite instead of a ship. Has no relation to an OrbitalShot.

** As previously mentioned, the Base Delta Zero, {{fan nickname}}d "BDZ," was introduced here, specifically by ''The Imperial Sourcebook'' for the ''Star Wars'' RPG. Interestingly, while it's been threatened several times the only time in the canon it has been successfully carried out was in the backstory to the ''HandOfThrawn'' duology against Caamas, and that was by a mercenary fleet rather than Imperial regulars.

** The [[Literature/NewJediOrder Yuuzhan Vong]] were inordinately fond of the ColonyDrop form, particularly bombarding GFFA planets with their own orbital defense stations. The particular version used against [[spoiler:Sernpidal]] in ''Vector Prime'', [[spoiler:crashing a planet's moon into it]], they call [[AttackPatternAlpha Yo'gand's Core]] after their first Supreme Overlord. They also use the ship-against-planet form a few times, including to glass N'zoth.

** In the ''Literature/JediAcademyTrilogy'' Admiral Daala uses her star destroyers to bombard civilian targets on Mon Calimari before a gambit by Admiral Ackbar costs her an ISD and forces her to retreat.

** In the ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'', orbital bombardments come in various degrees, depending on the situation, whether it's supporting an invasion, targeting an enemy's production facilities, making a statement, or other such uses. It went on to introduce the Base Delta Zero, the only Imperial (and pre-Imperial) code not subject to change, because it's a planetary scale scorched earth tactic that ranged from merely destroying all the assets of production and killing everyone, to [[NoKillLikeOverkill outright melting the planet's crust]], depending on the disposition and resources of the supervising commander.

* ''VideoGame/EveOnline'' FanVid ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeathFromAbove?action=editv=yXWf-l71MY4#t=1m25s Day of Darkness II]]'' features Gallente [[AttackDrone Sentry Drones]] performing an orbital bombardment. Also, Admiral Tovil-Toba performs a ColonyDrop with his [[MileLongShip multi-kilometer spaceship]].

* In the ''Literature/WingCommander'' novel ''Fleet Action'', multiple Terran Confederation planets are bombarded from orbit by a massive [[MegaNeko Kilrathi]] fleet the humans are unable to stop, using {{antimatter}} warheads and dirty nukes specifically employed to sterilize worlds.

** [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]]: [[Recap/StarTrekS2E17APieceOfTheAction "A Piece of the Action"]]'' had ''non-lethal'' orbital bombardment (a precision phaser blast from the ''Enterprise'' set on stun).

* The Western Galactic Empire of Robert Zubrin's ''TheHolyLand'' uses Psioray bombardment. Capable of wide-area bombardment, accurate to within one-tenth of a percent of the range fired, can be tuned to only affect specific groups of beings (even more specifically than species), and reduces the targets to less than an inch in height, while leaving, for instance, local birds, lizards, and predatory insects the same size. [[spoiler:Poor Peru. Poor Iowa.]]

* In the ''[[Literature/HonorHarrington Honorverse]]'' orbital bombardment is restricted under the [[FictionalGenevaConventions Eridani Edict]] in that the planet has to have had it's space-borne defense destroyed and be given a chance to surrender first. If the planet refuses to surrender then Orbital Bombardment is allowed but only against military targets (which does include bombarding the politicians who control the military). Of course since ships and missiles tend to fly around at relativistic speeds a "miss" can easily destroy an ecosystem and debris from orbital combat can cause massive damage (as was seen in Oyster Bay).

* It mentioned in ''LineOfDelirium'' that Kay Dutch's home planet was bombed so hard by TheEmpire that its ''oceans'' are still burning, thirty years later.

** In the movie ''A Call To Arms'', which served as a pilot to the spinoff ''{{Crusade}}'', the Drakh got hold of a planet-killer abandoned by the Shadows, and used it on Dureen's homeworld, before threatening Earth with it.

** In the ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode ''The Die Is Cast'', the combined Obsidian Order/Tal Shiar strike force moves in to blow away the Founder Homeworld. Their opening volley supposedly destroys 30% of the plan's crust, and while the visual effect don't really mesh with what we see, we still see attacks that would devastate entire continents.
** In the ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode ''Broken Link'', Garak tries to take over the Defiant's weapon systems and points out to Worf that their ship could reduce the new Founder Homeworld to a smoking cinder in short order.

* Bomber spacecraft in ''VideoGame/TenMinuteSpaceStrategy'' are neccessary in order to destroy enemy's colonies and, consequently, win the game. Without fighters escorting them, they are sitting ducks, however.

* Engineers in StarTrekOnline have an Orbital Strike power for use during ground missions that deals a lot of damage in a very localized area.

* In the ''[[Literature/HonorHarrington Honorverse]]'' orbital bombardment is restricted under the [[FictionalGenevaConventions Eridani Edict]] in that all orbiting ships and structures have to be destroyed first and the planet has to be given a chance to surrender first. But since ships and missiles tend to fly around at relativistic speeds a "miss" can easily destroy an ecosystem.

* Engineers in Star Trek Online get an Orbital Strike power for use during ground missions that deals a lot of damage in a very localized area.

Subtrope of DeathFromAbove, supertrope to ColonyDrop, usually less powerful than an EarthShatteringKaboom. KillSat is a specific example where the bombardment is carried out by a satellite instead of a ship.

** In the ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'', orbital bombardments come in various degrees, depending on the situation, whether it's supporting an invasion (for example, the , targeting an enemy's production facilities, making a statement, or other such uses. It went on to introduce the Base Delta Zero, the only imperial (and pre-imperial) code not subject to change, because it's a planetery scale scorched earth tactic that ranged from merely destroying all the assets of production and killing everyone, to [[NoKillLikeOverkill outright melting the planet's crust]], depending on the disposition and resources of the supervising commander.

--> "I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit
--> ... It's the only way to be sure."
--> '''Ellen Ripley, ''Aliens'''''

* The ColonyDrop and related forms are absolutely adored by the ''{{Gundam}}'' franchise. To wit:
** The original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'''s backstory includes an attempted colony drop on Brazil that was derailed to Australia. ''{{Gundam 0083}}'' gives us a decent peek of the ensuing crater bay carved from the 50-mile radius around what used to be Sydney.
** ''CharsCounterattack'' more or less revolves around Char doing this and even begins with a preliminary meteor drop on Tibet.

** Even ''SDGundamForce'' gets in on the action towards the end of its first half, when Chief Haro conducts the largest-scale [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan Bright Slap]] {{homage}} ever by dropping the hand-shaped Blanc Base on the Dark Axis's Big Zam.
** In ''{{The 08th MS Team}}'', the entire point of the Apsalus Project is to produce a weapon that can destroy the Federation's headquarters at Jaburo even through [[ElaborateUndergroundBase the layers of rock and earth protecting it]]. This is done by strapping a superhigh-powered beam cannon to a mobile armor designed to "bounce" high into the atmosphere and bombard Jaburo like a KillSat.
* Hostile aliens destroy Earth's bases through showers of meteors in ''SpaceCarrierBlueNoah''.
* {{Robotech}}: Midway into the Macross Saga, [[BigBad Admiral Dolza]] amasses the Zentradi armada above Earth's orbit. The crew of SDF-1 join forces with [[FourStarBadass Breetai]] and [[LadyOfWar Azonia]] to smash through Dolza's defenses and succeed in killing him, but before the order is given to annihilate the Earth. The Zentradi [[NoKillLikeOverkill open fire]], [[ApocalypseHow devastating close to 90 percent of the planet's surface, killing two thirds of its populace.]]

* WarrenEllis comic ''GlobalFrequency'' featured the threat of [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter kinetic spears]]; weapons designed to be dropped from satellites, heat up on re-entry, and strike the ground with the force of a tactical nuke, and as hot as the edge of the sun. Part of a 'die-back' protocol.

* The various Star Destroyer type vessels in ''Franchise/StarWars'' are equipped for orbital bombardment; the ExpandedUniverse says they were ''designed around the task'', which is part of why they so heavily outgunned everything else in space at the time and had such an advantage against other vessels designed for starship combat. Notably, in the novel ''[[NewJediOrder Rebel Dream]]'', a Super Star Destroyer uses this tactic while ''defending'' - by using ground troops to force the enemy into specific locations on the planet below, where they could safely be blown to bits. Repeatedly.

** In the ''StarWarsExpandedUniverse'', orbital bombardments come in various degrees, depending on the situation, whether it's supporting an invasion, targeting an enemy's production facilities, making a statement, or other such uses. It went on to introduce the Base Delta Zero, the only imperial (and pre-imperial) code not subject to change, because it's a planetery scale scorched earth tactic that ranged from merely destroying all the assets of production and killing everyone, to [[NoKillLikeOverkill outright melting the planet's crust]], depending on the disposition and resources of the supervising commander.

* From the ''[[Literature/LegacyOfTheAldenata Legacy of the Aldenata]]'' series by Creator/JohnRingo:

* In the Literature/WingCommander novel ''Fleet Action'', multiple Terran Confederation planets are bombarded from orbit by a massive [[MegaNeko Kilrathi]] fleet the humans are unable to stop, using {{antimatter}} warheads and dirty nukes specifically employed to sterilize worlds.

* In the Literature/{{Safehold}} series Langhorne used this to kill off those who disagreed with his [[GodGuise philosophy for running a colony]], during the rest of the series, the heroes are worried that the bombardment may be set off again if any use of advanced technology is detected.
* In the fifth novel of the ''{{Dune}}'' series, ''Heretics of Dune'', Honored Matres ships blast the surface of [[spoiler: Arrakis]] into molten slag, sterilizing it.
** In ''Chapterhouse: {{Dune}}'' Honored Matres ships destroyed the planet Tleilax and many Bene Gesserit Sisterhood planets.

** Also from ''{{Babylon 5}}'', the Shadow planet-killers used bombardment of many thermonuclear devices shot ''into'' the planet's crust, which would burrow down to the core and destabilize it. The planet remained intact, but totally sterilized and volcanically volatile on the surface. The [[spoiler: Vorlon]] planet-killers were more of the EarthShatteringKaboom variety, by contrast.

* Franchise/StarTrek has shown cases of orbital bombardment a few times, and discussed the possibility a few times more. ''Recap/StarTrekS2E17APieceOfTheAction'' had ''non-lethal'' orbital bombardment (a precision phaser blast from the ''Enterprise'' set on stun).
** In the episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E4MirrorMirror Mirror Mirror]]", this is the standard way the Terran Empire deals with cultures that refuse them.
** "A Taste of Armageddon". After Captain Kirk is captured by the Eminians, he gives Scotty General Order 24. Unless he countermands his order, in two hours the Enterprise will destroy the entire inhabited surface of Eminiar Seven.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'': Many Imperial vessels are capable of Exterminatus, cleansing a planet deemed unsaveable by the Inquisition with virus-bombs that turn all living things into highly flammable organic matter or cyclonic torpedoes that shatter the planet's crust.
** Also from Warhammer40K: Ork roks combine this with ColonyDrop and ItsRainingMen, being asteroids that are hollowed out, filled with orks, guns, and engines, then sent hurtling through space (or from ships onto planets) until they crash on a planet.

* ''TabletopGame/StarFleetBattles'' allowed ships to launch drones (nuclear missiles) at a planet to destroy surface installations.

* In the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' verse, the Covenant fleet plasma-bombards planets into molten glass.
** ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' brings us the target locator, in which you can laze targets for artillery.
*** At the end of Tip of the Spear, the supercarrier Long Night of Solace delivers a DFA attack on the frigate Grafton.
** ''Halo 4'' introduced targetable ordinance drops. While intended to supply the user with a weapon, the drop will also insta-kill most players if they're standing under it.
** ''Franchise/{{Halo}} Wars'' lets players who are playing as the UNSC faction call down fire from the MAC gun (Magnetic Accelerator Cannon) of an orbiting warship. In addition the Covenant Prophet faction can call down an orbital laser beam which can be left active indefinitely (and steered around) assuming you have the resources.
* In the backstory of ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' the Terran Confederacy nuked Korhal into radioactive desert, which led to the restrictions on nuclear weapons that resulted in Terrans only using very weak tactical nukes that have to be guided by ground soldiers with laser pointers. Also the Protoss "purified" Terran colonies that were infested with Zerg during the first campaign. In both cases the planets were recolonized later on.
* ''EveOnline'' FanVid [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeathFromAbove?action=editv=yXWf-l71MY4#t=1m25s Day of Darkness II]] features Gallente [[AttackDrone Sentry Drones]] performing an orbital bombardment. Also, Admiral Tovil-Toba performs a ColonyDrop with his multi-kilometer spaceship

* The 40K-based game series ''DawnOfWar'' has several examples, naturally:
** The SpaceMarine's Orbital Bombardment, which fires multiple [[PillarOfLight Pillars Of Light]] into the general area of the selected location. In Dark Crusade, you can hijack the Orbital relay, letting you use the ability on the Space Marines (they fire one on their own base in the ending).
** The Tau have the Orbital Strike ability, which fires a single massive beam on one point, which then spreads out. In Soulstorm, the Ethereal orders the Air Caste to fire into their base as a desperate maneuver. The Ar'ka cannon could be considered a variation, since it serves as a lunar-based planetary bombardment system (it can strike any of the four planets in the system).
** DawnOfWar II: Retribution [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNc242mbiUs demonstrates Exterminatus]] on Typhon Primaris.
* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', Darth Malak orders an orbital bombardment of Taris, effectively bombing the planet into stone age in an attempt to get one Jedi (who escapes).

* The tactic is present in ''Franchise/MassEffect'', with [[VideoGame/MassEffect1 the first game]] mentioning that during the turian occupation of Shanxi the turians were more than happy to blow away city blocks from orbit [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill to take out single squads of human soldiers]]. During a sidequest, Shepard offers to have the ''Normandy'' hit a [[spoiler:rachni hive]] from orbit. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' one of Diana Allers' news stories mentions that the Reapers blew away Adelaide, Australia with an orbital strike. And then of course there's [[spoiler:the battle with the Reaper destroyer on Rannoch, which Shepard takes out by painting it as a target for the ''Normandy'' and the entire quarian fleet.]]

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* The tactic is present in ''Franchise/MassEffect'', with [[VideoGame/MassEffect1 the first game]] mentioning that during the turian occupation of Shanxi the turians were more than happy to blow away city blocks from orbit [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill to take out single squads of human soldiers]]. During a sidequest, Shepard offers to have the ''Normandy'' hit a [[spoiler:rachni hive]] from orbit. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' one of Diana Allers' news stories mentions that the Reapers blew away Adelaide, Australia with an orbital strike. And then of course there's [[spoiler:the battle with the Reaper destroyer on Rannoch, which Shepard takes out by painting it as a target for the ''Normandy'' and the entire quarian fleet.]]