To Boldly Go: Leadership, Strategy, and Conflict in the 21st Century and Beyond

by Jonathan Klug (Editor), Steven Leonard (Editor), Mick Ryan (Foreword by)

Overview

“A rich exploration of sci-fi universes we know and love, merged flawlessly with discussions on leadership, national security . . . diplomacy, and more.” —Diplomatic Courier

As a literature of ideas, science fiction has proven to be a powerful metaphor for the world around us, offering a rich tapestry of imagination through which to explore how we lead, how we think, and how we interact. To Boldly Go assembles more than thirty writers from around the world—experts in leadership and strategy, senior policy advisors and analysts, professional educators and innovators, experienced storytellers, and ground-level military leaders—to help us better understand ourselves through the lens of science fiction

Each chapter of To Boldly Go draws out the lessons that we can learn from science fiction, drawing on classic examples of the genre in ways that are equally relatable and entertaining. A chapter on the burdens of leadership by Ghost Fleet author August Cole launches readers into the cosmos with Captain Avatar aboard the space battleship Yamato. In another chapter, the climactic Battle of the Mutara Nebula from The Wrath of Khan weighs the advantages of experience over intelligence in the pursuit of strategy. What does inter-species conflict in science fiction tell us about our perspectives on social Darwinism? Whether using Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to explore the nuances of maritime strategy or The Expanse to better understand the threat posed by depleted natural resources, To Boldly Go provides thoughtful essays on relevant subjects that will appeal to business leaders, military professionals, and fans of science fiction alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781636240633
Publisher:	Casemate Publishers
Publication date:	07/07/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	727,904
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Jonathan Klug is a professor at the U.S. Army War College, military strategist, and historian. A PhD candidate in Military and Naval History at the University of New Brunswick, he is an award-winning military history instructor and has taught at both the Air Force and Naval Academies.

Table of Contents

Foreword—Major General Mick Ryan
Introduction

PART I: THE CAPTAIN’S HAND
1 Space Battleship Yamato and the Burden of Command—August Cole
2 Of X-Wings and Y-Wings—Kera Rolsen
3 Adama’s Unequal Dialogue—Mick Cook
4 Earth Must Come First!—Jo Brick
5 You’re Not Ender Wiggins, and That’s Okay—Will Meddings
6 Princess Leia and the Strategic Art of Métis—Heather S. Gregg
7 Want to Know More?—Jess Ward

PART II: THE FINAL FRONTIER
8 Yours is the Superior—Jonathan Klug and Steven Leonard
9 The Empire’s New Hope—James Groves
10 Graff’s Game—Thomas Bruscino
11 From Tactics to Galactic Grand Strategy—Major General Mick Ryan
12 Where No Port Has Gone Before—Timothy Choi
13 Sun Tzu, Ender, and the Old Man—Kathleen J. McInnis

PART III: THE PRIME DIRECTIVE
14 All That You Touch You Change—Jacqueline E. Whitt
15 Romulans and Remans—Max Brooks
16 Are We Such Apostles of Mercy?—Janeen Webb
17 Beware the Beast Man–Steven Leonard
18 Flag Follows Trade—Theresa Hitchens
19 The Vice Admiral and the Flyboy–Kelsey Cipolla
20 I Exist Only to Serve—Julie M. Still and Kelly A. Lelito

PART IV: THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
21 One Voice in the Night—Clara Engle
22 There’s No Screaming in Space—Jon Niccum
23 The Final Frontier—Erica Iverson
24 Blood Lessons—M. L. Cavanaugh
25 You Rebel Scum!—Jonathan Klug
26 Calm Men Who Deal Death Wholesale—Rebecca Jensen

PART V: THE RISE OF THE MACHINES
27 We Don’t Serve Their Kind Here—Margarita Konaev
28 Things We Learned from Captain Trips—Craig and Steve Whiteside
29 Musings on the Murderbot—Elsa B. Kania
30 Man > Machine—Liam Collins
31 You Can’t Hide From the Things You’ve Done—Francis J. H. Park

PART VI: THE DARK SIDE
32 The Mark of Locutus—David Calder
33 From Darth Vader to Dark Helmet—Dan Ward
34 To Live and Die at My Command—Jonathan Klug
35 The Mirror Crack’d—Steven Leonard

Contributors
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Many of the lessons derived may be obvious, but they are often entertaining and enlightening...."

The Space Review

"Steve Leonard (aka Doctrine Man) and Jonathan Klug have assembled a diverse array of authors who collectively weave a tapestry of insights through their examinations of fictional worlds that deepen our understanding of the dilemmas and challenges faced by leaders charged with the defense of liberal democracies today."

ARMOR Magazine

I found it compelling. Enjoyed it.

Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

"This fascinating collection of 30 short essays examines the challenges of future wartime leadership and strategy through the lens of science fiction. Klug, an Army War College professor, and Leonard, best known as the voice and pen behind Doctrine Man, have compiled a full plate of stories to educate, inform and provoke."

War on the Rocks

"To Boldly Go more than achieves its goal of producing an engaging and entertaining way to open the aperture of one’s imagination, giving a vital aimpoint on the future that helps complement the study of past conflicts. It offers a novel way to prompt fresh thinking and stretch minds consumed with today’s practical problems."

ARMY Magazine

"The anthology has a range of sources and topics as impressive as the contributing authors, who have produced 35 essays, organized into six parts, covering themes from individual command responsibility to civil-military relations to the problems sentient machines pose."

Parameters

"The book excels at exploring complex issues of interest to modern military leaders and thinkers. The use of science fiction allows the authors and the readers to break free from known conventions and explore the ideas from new angles. The book is well-timed to coincide with the growing acceptance of science fiction in popular culture through massive hits such as Star Wars and Dune."

Strategic Studies Quarterly

"...a rich exploration of sci-fi universes we know and love, merged flawlessly with discussions on leadership, national security, civil-military relations, diplomacy, and more."

Diplomatic Courier

"To Boldly Go will have you looking at leadership, strategy, and science fiction in ways you may not have considered before and is perfect for anyone wanting to think more about those topics."

DODReads

"The authors convey the various nuances of leadership throughout the book’s essays...a must read for all strategists and military leaders at any level as well as State Department personnel who work with a variety of people from different cultures.

Military Review

"...both entertaining enough to be accessible to any reader and insightful enough to be valuable to even the most experienced professionals."

The Space Force Association

"...both an engaging and entertaining exploration of strategy, leadership, and conflict through the medium of science fiction."

The Strategy Bridge