I’m a big fan of the YouTube channel Spacedock and he recently did a video titled “How To Write A Space Battle”, which is congruent with this club’s focus.
He talks about movie/TV SF, but I think his points are applicable to books, too. I think most Space Opera fans will find themselves agreeing with him.
I would also add the battle of Scarif from Star Wars: Rogue One, hands down the best battle of the entire franchise. The objectives are clear, both big-picture and moment-to-moment, and the twists and turns arise from the capabilities of the personnel involved as well as the ships in the sky and troops on the ground.
https://youtu.be/_3jzNHwJ0Nc
He talks about movie/TV SF, but I think his points are applicable to books, too. I think most Space Opera fans will find themselves agreeing with him.
I would also add the battle of Scarif from Star Wars: Rogue One, hands down the best battle of the entire franchise. The objectives are clear, both big-picture and moment-to-moment, and the twists and turns arise from the capabilities of the personnel involved as well as the ships in the sky and troops on the ground.
Just the space battle from Rogue One: https://youtu.be/ZkZvyfLC-LU