In the Dune universe, when a laser weapons hits a shield, both are destroyed in a nuclear explosion reaction.
So instead of building nuclear weapons, wouldn’t it be easier to tie a timer and a “parachute” to a laser gun and drop it from orbit onto your enemy’s city?
Very yes. Interstellar adventures starring a young man who leaves his ordinary life to pursue his magical destiny to bring down the empire- it’s not all that different from star wars either.