SF Stuff that Really Annoys You!

‘It has no impact to the primary strategy. Both you and Patti estimated a three Cruiser attack. They are in a triangular formation bringing all three ships forward batteries to bear. This is as described in the NeHaw tactical manuals we deciphered. They are going by the book’ ALICE finished.
Click to expand...

AL:ICE by Charles Lamb

Is it possible for three ships to be in space and not be in a triangular formation?
 
Last edited:
Zaphod Beeblebrox calls Marvin "the paranoid android" in the radio series. Bender, though, is definitely a robot.
 
Apparently 'reversing the polarity' solves everything! :unsure: :rolleyes:

tvtropes.org

Reverse Polarity - TV Tropes

When a major obstacle in a Science Fiction show is resolved purely through the judicious application of Techno Babble, the characters have successfully Reversed the Polarity. It seems that every futuristic gadget or space ship subsystem performs …
tvtropes.org tvtropes.org

 
Last edited:
Any curvature would be relative to an external observer. To the ships themselves, their subjective formation would be linear.
 
Pyan said:
Zaphod Beeblebrox calls Marvin "the paranoid android" in the radio series. Bender, though, is definitely a robot.
Click to expand...
SF characters using poetic license are even more annoying than sarcastic androids.
 
Rufus Coppertop said:
Everyone else lurches about flailing and some idiot throws himself over a console
Click to expand...
I always thought it was called the photon torpedo dance.

Take out the mothership AND ALL THE AUTONOMOUS DRONES DIE INSTANTLY.

There's always an implication that humans are either the smartest of races or incredibly lucky.
 
M. Robert Gibson said:
Apparently 'reversing the polarity' solves everything! :unsure: :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I was so chuffed that I had an audience (one of my kids) when I was replacing the batteries in a torch... and it didn't work. They were new batteries too. Then I realised it had an LED bulb and I had put the batteries in the wrong way round.
"I know," I said. "I'll reverse the polarity!" and swapped the batteries end for end...
 
Related to the posts about ship's thrusters always facing back: All of this flitting around (FTL or sub light) and they rarely show ships having to decelerate. (They do show deceleration in The Expanse for example).

I imagine that over half of these issues can be explained by the format.

2 1/2 hours or less to tell the story
Aliens speak english so we have more dialogue
Noisy explosions in space (entertainment value)
The star field flowing past you or psychedelic walls in wormholes - a visual for the non-scientific.

I told a joke somewhere in the Lounge I think, but is it a joke?
When you travel faster than light, you can't see where you're going.
 
Ray Zdybrow said:
Definitely a human-shaped robot with human characteristics - an ANDROID
Click to expand...
Exactly.
So Obi-Wan should really have said "These aren't the droids you're looking for. One of them isn't even a 'kin (*) droid, for crys sake."

* Short for Anakin, obviously.

What would you call robots of that shape; R2D2, Daleks etc? Pepper potroids. Potroids? Troids?
These aren't the droid and troid you're looking for doesn't have quite the same quotability.
 
LordOfWizards said:
Related to the posts about ship's thrusters always facing back: All of this flitting around (FTL or sub light) and they rarely show ships having to decelerate. (They do show deceleration in The Expanse for example).

I imagine that over half of these issues can be explained by the format.

2 1/2 hours or less to tell the story
Aliens speak english so we have more dialogue
Noisy explosions in space (entertainment value)
The star field flowing past you or psychedelic walls in wormholes - a visual for the non-scientific.

I told a joke somewhere in the Lounge I think, but is it a joke?
When you travel faster than light, you can't see where you're going.
Click to expand...
If you were travelling FTL, wouldn’t you be meeting oncoming light from your destination? It’s the light from behind, where you’re coming from, that can’t catch up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
Astro Pen How they pilot drones for those ads and any Drone stuff you have Technology 1
Swank Refurbing the old stuff - aviation Technology 20
Tower75 Recommend me Your Reading Stuff Book Discussion 30
Tower75 (Found) Help Finding Fantasy Book about Barriers and Stuff Book Search 4
RJM Corbet Latest 2020 Elon Musk day at the office rocket stuff Science & Nature 3

Similar threads


Back
Top