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* ''[[Star Wars]]'', where it seems impossible to target a Star Destroyer with a superstructure one ''mile'' long unless you are able to see it out the window. Missiles are restricted to fighter-sized starships, are deployed only at visual range, and tend to operate in a [[Cool but Inefficient]] manner. Advanced missile weapons (such as proton torpedoes) have insufficient targeting accuracy to hit anything more agile than a freighter ([[The Force|unaided]]).
** This is generally [[Hand Wave|hand waved]] in the books as a result of having much better ECM than targeting systems. Missiles are tricky because they only carry so much fuel, and if they go ballistic are trivial to intercept with counterfire. Missiles don't tend to be carried on capital ships because heavy turbolasers pack a similar punch, can't be shot down, and don't have to worry about ammo.
** Except for one occasion: in ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'', a ground-based ion battery fires very effectively on a Star Destroyer in orbit above Hoth. And the writer got around the fact of a Star Destroyer's ability to target ground-based installations by indicating that a planetary energy shield prevented anything but a direct ground assault to dig the Rebels out. The lack of ground based artillery can be explained by the high winds and low visibility, while the rebel ground soldiers actually make good use of cover, and supported firing positions (because the extras are all Norwegian army soldiers)... then they go and ruin it by having snowspeeders fly straight at things that can only shoot forward.
** The trope is justified a few times as well, such as in ''[[Revenge of the Sith]]'' where the attacking force was attempting to invade the planet (see "tactical justification" above) and in ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' where the objective was to obtain protection from the [[Wave Motion Gun]] obliterating their ships. The battle in ''Attack of the Clones'', with the two armies no more than a few hundred meters apart and ''charging'' at each other, however, is right out.
** Also, in ''Empire Strikes Back'', Darth Vader's apparent tactic was to attack the Rebels from outside their sensor range, so they couldn't raise the shield (which is [[You Have Failed Me...|why he was pissed when Ozzel came out of hyperspace too close]]). They also display incredible accuracy in the EU, where a Super Star Destroyer fires on a worldship from outside the solar system.
** Averted partially in Tyrants Test, specifically the Battle of ILC-905, where missiles are used, and barrages do manage to allow a few to penetrate the flack. Justified over normal tactics due to the enemy ships being very resistant to standard weapons.
** The missiles used only against Star Destroyers is justified in many novels: missiles are much more expensive than lasers (which use a little fuel), have a huge firepower, and a typical fighter only carries a dozen, so it's ridiculous to use them against fighters, except aces. Also by pilots with ready access to resupply facing heavy odds
{{quote|While employing proton torpedoes against fighters is seen as overkill by some pilots, within Rogue Squadron using such a tactic was always seen as an expedient way of lowering the odds against us-odds that were usually longer than a Hutt and decidedly more ugly.}}
*** ''[[Star Wars: TIE Fighter]]'' averts this by introducing a ship that's ''all'' missile spam.
* ''[[Starship Troopers]]'' (movie version), where futuristic humanity, in possession of portable small-yield nuclear weapons, prefers to send footsoldiers ''[[Zerg Rush|en masse]]'' into battle with weaponry largely incapable of hitting a target other than at point blank or very short range. On the other hand, this is only to be expected when you're employing the [[Redshirt Army]], all of whom are equipped with [[Cool but Inefficient]] weaponry.
** Completely subverted in the original book: Narrator states that the Navy can blow the planet into smithereens, but they need M.I. (Mobile Infantry) to make precision strikes against certain targets, an example being the main character (and narrator) a part of ''Scare them into cooperation'' battle in the beginning of the book and the main battle near the end of the book has ''Capturing enemy commander'' as it's only real purpose (it's clearly stated that they didn't even have to fight for this planet this way - they could just blow up the rest of the bugs using mass destruction weapons). Another thing is the fact that the book is a sort of manifest against [[Redshirt Army]].
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