Comet of Doom: Difference between revisions

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{{trope}}
{{trope}}
{{quote|''"When beggars die there are no comets seen; The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes."''|'''Calpurnia''', ''[[Julius Caesar (Theatre)|Julius Caesar]]'' by [[William Shakespeare]]}}
{{quote|''"When beggars die there are no comets seen; The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes."''|'''Calpurnia''', ''[[Julius Caesar (theatre)|Julius Caesar]]'' by [[William Shakespeare]]}}


Before people had telescopes, comets were frightening objects of awe and wonder that seemed to appear out of nowhere, blazed brightly in the sky, then vanished as quickly as they came. For thousands (and perhaps tens of thousands) of years, they were seen as bad omens, and pronounced the deaths of kings or the coming of a horrible disaster. The "[[The Stars Are Going Out|falling stars]]" mentioned in the tale of Gilgamesh was possibly a reference to comets or meteor showers.
Before people had telescopes, comets were frightening objects of awe and wonder that seemed to appear out of nowhere, blazed brightly in the sky, then vanished as quickly as they came. For thousands (and perhaps tens of thousands) of years, they were seen as bad omens, and pronounced the deaths of kings or the coming of a horrible disaster. The "[[The Stars Are Going Out|falling stars]]" mentioned in the tale of Gilgamesh was possibly a reference to comets or meteor showers.
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== Film ==
== Film ==
* ''[[Lifeforce (Film)|Lifeforce]]''. The arrival of Halley's Comet foretells doom for London, as it contains an alien spaceship that carried space vampires. [[Discussed Trope|Discussed]], as the characters mention that the appearance of Halley's Comet has been considered a warning of disaster for centuries, possibly because seeing it meant the alien ship within was near enough to allow the vampires to reach Earth and feed.
* ''[[Lifeforce]]''. The arrival of Halley's Comet foretells doom for London, as it contains an alien spaceship that carried space vampires. [[Discussed Trope|Discussed]], as the characters mention that the appearance of Halley's Comet has been considered a warning of disaster for centuries, possibly because seeing it meant the alien ship within was near enough to allow the vampires to reach Earth and feed.
* ''[[Night of the Comet]]''. A comet's trail sweeps across the Earth, reducing [[Apocalypse How|almost the entire human race to reddish dust]].
* ''[[Night of the Comet]]''. A comet's trail sweeps across the Earth, reducing [[Apocalypse How|almost the entire human race to reddish dust]].
* The romantic comedy ''Wimbledon'' actually has this: Paul Bettany's character seems to take on l33t tennis skills only while a comet is in the sky. And yes, he wins Wimbledon, because everyone knows it will take the intervention of God for an Englishman to ever win that tournament again.
* The romantic comedy ''Wimbledon'' actually has this: Paul Bettany's character seems to take on l33t tennis skills only while a comet is in the sky. And yes, he wins Wimbledon, because everyone knows it will take the intervention of God for an Englishman to ever win that tournament again.
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* As the page quote reveals, a comet appears in the sky after the assassination of [[Julius Caesar]], in [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] play of the same name.
* As the page quote reveals, a comet appears in the sky after the assassination of [[Julius Caesar]], in [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] play of the same name.
* In ''[[A Clash of Kings]]'', a comet appears in the sky over Westeros, and is taken as any number of omens, both good and ill.
* In ''[[A Clash of Kings]]'', a comet appears in the sky over Westeros, and is taken as any number of omens, both good and ill.
* In [[Tad Williams]]' ''[[Memory Sorrowand Thorn]]'' trilogy, the Conqueror Star is a highly visible comet whose coming is said to portend the fall of empires. Given the limited amount of information presented in the story itself, it's hard to say whether it actually has supernatural powers, but its periodicity is certainly very odd.
* In [[Tad Williams]]' ''[[Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn]]'' trilogy, the Conqueror Star is a highly visible comet whose coming is said to portend the fall of empires. Given the limited amount of information presented in the story itself, it's hard to say whether it actually has supernatural powers, but its periodicity is certainly very odd.
* The Red Star in ''[[Dragonriders of Pern]]'' is a captured planet in an elongated (comet-like) orbit. When you can see it in the sky, it means that it's nearby... and has dragged a bunch of frozen organisms from the Oort Cloud to the inner solar system with it. These organisms, upon entering Pern's atmosphere, become the Threads. They eat any organic material they can. Crops, wood, grass, fungi... people...
* The Red Star in ''[[Dragonriders of Pern]]'' is a captured planet in an elongated (comet-like) orbit. When you can see it in the sky, it means that it's nearby... and has dragged a bunch of frozen organisms from the Oort Cloud to the inner solar system with it. These organisms, upon entering Pern's atmosphere, become the Threads. They eat any organic material they can. Crops, wood, grass, fungi... people...
* In one ''[[Animorphs (Literature)|Animorphs]]'' book the characters have traveled to the time of the dinosaurs and see a comet in the sky. Cassie mentions that humans used to believe that comets were a bad omen, and Ax says that Andalites had a similar superstition. Of course, said comet turns out to be the comet that killed the dinosaurs.
* In one ''[[Animorphs]]'' book the characters have traveled to the time of the dinosaurs and see a comet in the sky. Cassie mentions that humans used to believe that comets were a bad omen, and Ax says that Andalites had a similar superstition. Of course, said comet turns out to be the comet that killed the dinosaurs.
* A comet pops up during the siege of a town in ''[[Colas Breugnon]]'', and is taken to be a bad omen, though no one can agree on what it is an omen of or to whom it is bad.
* A comet pops up during the siege of a town in ''[[Colas Breugnon]]'', and is taken to be a bad omen, though no one can agree on what it is an omen of or to whom it is bad.
* In the [[Black Company]] books, a Comet shows up twice in the story and once in the backstory, each time to portend the [[The Chosen One|White]] [[Anti-Magic|Rose]] coming to battle the [[Evil Sorceror|forces of]] [[Implacable Man|the]] [[Big Bad|Dominator]].
* In the [[Black Company]] books, a Comet shows up twice in the story and once in the backstory, each time to portend the [[The Chosen One|White]] [[Anti-Magic|Rose]] coming to battle the [[Evil Sorceror|forces of]] [[Implacable Man|the]] [[Big Bad|Dominator]].
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== [[Live Action TV]] ==
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* In ''[[Babylon Five]]'', the Brakiri solar system contains only one comet with a period of 200 years. The comet is considered a death omen (and the focus of the season five episode "Day of the Dead"). As a result, the Brakiri don't even like comets to be ''mentioned''.
* In ''[[Babylon 5]]'', the Brakiri solar system contains only one comet with a period of 200 years. The comet is considered a death omen (and the focus of the season five episode "Day of the Dead"). As a result, the Brakiri don't even like comets to be ''mentioned''.
* In the television series ''[[Beauty and The Beast (TV)|Beauty and The Beast]]'', a comet was blazing in the sky the night billionaire Elliot Burch is murdered by operatives of his rival, Gabriel. Father marks the occasion by speaking the page quote.
* In the television series ''[[Beauty and the Beast (TV series)|Beauty and The Beast]]'', a comet was blazing in the sky the night billionaire Elliot Burch is murdered by operatives of his rival, Gabriel. Father marks the occasion by speaking the page quote.
* ''[[Doctor Who]]'': In ''[[Doctor Who/Recap/S25 E3 Silver Nemesis|Silver Nemesis]]'' there is a comet with a period of 25 years that, according to the Doctor, really does bring misfortune: it's actually an alien superweapon that somehow (ahem) wound up in a solar orbit. He cites the the two World Wars and the assassination of JFK as the results of the last three times it came near Earth.
* ''[[Doctor Who]]'': In ''[[Doctor Who/Recap/S25 E3 Silver Nemesis|Silver Nemesis]]'' there is a comet with a period of 25 years that, according to the Doctor, really does bring misfortune: it's actually an alien superweapon that somehow (ahem) wound up in a solar orbit. He cites the the two World Wars and the assassination of JFK as the results of the last three times it came near Earth.




== Mythology & Religion ==
== Mythology & Religion ==
* In a rare example of a comet being a ''good'' omen, some scholars believe that the [[The Bible (Literature)|Star of Bethlehem]] was one.
* In a rare example of a comet being a ''good'' omen, some scholars believe that the [[The Bible|Star of Bethlehem]] was one.




== Tabletop Games ==
== Tabletop Games ==
* In the ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' adventure module ''X2 Castle Amber'', the appearance of a blazing red comet over Averoigne causes an NPC to become a deadly monster.
* In the ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' adventure module ''X2 Castle Amber'', the appearance of a blazing red comet over Averoigne causes an NPC to become a deadly monster.
** "King-Killer Star" of [[Forgotten Realms (Tabletop Game)|Forgotten Realms]]. It ''did'' cause damage, and turned out to be {{spoiler|just a random comet with right period chosen as the trigger condition for a magical device -- until the latter was "hacked"}}.
** "King-Killer Star" of [[Forgotten Realms]]. It ''did'' cause damage, and turned out to be {{spoiler|just a random comet with right period chosen as the trigger condition for a magical device -- until the latter was "hacked"}}.
* In the ''[[Shadowrun]]'' supplements ''The Year of the Comet'' and ''Wake of the Comet'', the passing of Halley's Comet in 2061 greatly increased the magic level on Earth, which caused SURGE (Sudden Recessive Gene Expression) mutations in (meta)humans, animals and plants, the re-appearance of the dragon Ghostwalker and natural disasters in the Asia that brought down the Japanese Empire.
* In the ''[[Shadowrun]]'' supplements ''The Year of the Comet'' and ''Wake of the Comet'', the passing of Halley's Comet in 2061 greatly increased the magic level on Earth, which caused SURGE (Sudden Recessive Gene Expression) mutations in (meta)humans, animals and plants, the re-appearance of the dragon Ghostwalker and natural disasters in the Asia that brought down the Japanese Empire.
* The presence of a twin-tailed comet is often seen as an omen to the people of [[Warhammer|The Empire]], due to the legend that their founder Sigmar's birth was heralded by it's appearance. This is not always seen as a ''good'' omen, however, especially to the city of Mordhiem, which was ''hit'' by one.
* The presence of a twin-tailed comet is often seen as an omen to the people of [[Warhammer|The Empire]], due to the legend that their founder Sigmar's birth was heralded by it's appearance. This is not always seen as a ''good'' omen, however, especially to the city of Mordhiem, which was ''hit'' by one.
* In the Alliances expansion for [[Magic the Gathering]], General Varchild saw a comet which she believed meant that she was to conquer the barbarian tribes as a part of a manifest destiny for her people. So she took her army and began the slaughter.
* In the Alliances expansion for [[Magic: The Gathering]], General Varchild saw a comet which she believed meant that she was to conquer the barbarian tribes as a part of a manifest destiny for her people. So she took her army and began the slaughter.




== Video Games ==
== Video Games ==
* In ''[[Ultima V]]'', each of the Shadowlords has their own comet; if you have a telescope you can determine which city they're in by looking for where the comets are.
* In ''[[Ultima V]]'', each of the Shadowlords has their own comet; if you have a telescope you can determine which city they're in by looking for where the comets are.
* ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]''. Though it's technically a meteor, and not so much an omen of [[The End of the World As We Know It]] as the cause of it.
* ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]''. Though it's technically a meteor, and not so much an omen of [[The End of the World as We Know It]] as the cause of it.
** [[Final Fantasy V]] also has prophetic falling heavenly bodies, but they are used to help save the world instead of destroy it.
** [[Final Fantasy V]] also has prophetic falling heavenly bodies, but they are used to help save the world instead of destroy it.
* ''[[Super Mario Galaxy (Video Game)|Super Mario Galaxy]]'' has the Prankster comets.
* ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'' has the Prankster comets.
* A random event in ''[[Europa Universalis]]'' involves a comet or meteor appearing and the superstitious peasants being concerned enough that your country loses stability.
* A random event in ''[[Europa Universalis]]'' involves a comet or meteor appearing and the superstitious peasants being concerned enough that your country loses stability.
* ''[[Illusion of Gaia]]'s'' entire plot is influenced by a comet that returns every few hundred years. Each visit affects all life on Earth in unexpected ways, although the end results thus far (that tend to linger even until the next visitation) are usually the same (mutations, destroyed civilizations, famine, etc.).
* ''[[Illusion of Gaia]]'s'' entire plot is influenced by a comet that returns every few hundred years. Each visit affects all life on Earth in unexpected ways, although the end results thus far (that tend to linger even until the next visitation) are usually the same (mutations, destroyed civilizations, famine, etc.).
* In the ''[[Call of Cthulhu]]'' PC adventure game ''Shadow of the Comet'', the passing of Halley's Comet coincides with [[Eldritch Abomination|some truly creepy stuff going down]].
* In the ''[[Call of Cthulhu]]'' PC adventure game ''Shadow of the Comet'', the passing of Halley's Comet coincides with [[Eldritch Abomination|some truly creepy stuff going down]].
* A comet herald for the arrival of [[Big Bad|Balor]] in ''[[Myth (Video Game)|Myth]]''.
* A comet herald for the arrival of [[Big Bad|Balor]] in ''[[Myth]]''.
* ''[[Gadget Past As Future|Gadget: Past as Future]]''. The player has to gather gizmos to build a spaceship before a comet hits some [[Steampunk]]-ish, ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]''-esque eastern European nation.
* ''[[Gadget Past As Future|Gadget: Past as Future]]''. The player has to gather gizmos to build a spaceship before a comet hits some [[Steampunk]]-ish, ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]''-esque eastern European nation.
* In ''[[Shadow the Hedgehog]]'', there is the Black Comet. Not an actual comet, however, but a meteoroid that serves as the vessel of [[Big Bad|Black Doom]] and his army. Black Doom uses the Chaos Emeralds to teleport it into the atmosphere and start sucking energy out of the planet. Fortunately, it turns out that the space colony A.R.K.'s [[Kill Sat|Eclipse Cannon]] was created to [[Sonic the Hedgehog (Franchise)/Awesome|blow the Black Comet to smithereens. After Shadow teleports it back out into space.]]
* In ''[[Shadow the Hedgehog]]'', there is the Black Comet. Not an actual comet, however, but a meteoroid that serves as the vessel of [[Big Bad|Black Doom]] and his army. Black Doom uses the Chaos Emeralds to teleport it into the atmosphere and start sucking energy out of the planet. Fortunately, it turns out that the space colony A.R.K.'s [[Kill Sat|Eclipse Cannon]] was created to [[Sonic the Hedgehog/Awesome|blow the Black Comet to smithereens. After Shadow teleports it back out into space.]]
* In ''[[Baten Kaitos]] Origins'', Guillo's strongest special attack, Aphelion Dustwake, showers enemies with the ice trail of a comet. It's quite overpowered.
* In ''[[Baten Kaitos]] Origins'', Guillo's strongest special attack, Aphelion Dustwake, showers enemies with the ice trail of a comet. It's quite overpowered.


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== Western Animation ==
== Western Animation ==
* Happens at least one time in ''[[The Fairly Odd Parents]]''. Of course, Timmy has wished for there to be no noise, and he cannot wish away the comet. Until he figures out that he can use charades ([[Chekhov's Gun|conveniently played in the early part of the episode]]) to wish for sound.
* Happens at least one time in ''[[The Fairly Odd Parents]]''. Of course, Timmy has wished for there to be no noise, and he cannot wish away the comet. Until he figures out that he can use charades ([[Chekhov's Gun|conveniently played in the early part of the episode]]) to wish for sound.
* This happened at least once in ''[[Xiaolin Showdown (Animation)|Xiaolin Showdown]]''. A comet accompanies a mysterious event that could quite easily cause [[The End of the World As We Know It]].
* This happened at least once in ''[[Xiaolin Showdown]]''. A comet accompanies a mysterious event that could quite easily cause [[The End of the World as We Know It]].
* Sozin's Comet from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animation)|Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'': Its arrival meant a major power boost for the already powerful Firebenders and near certain doom for the Earth Kingdom (Which [[Omnicidal Maniac|Fire Lord Ozai]] planned to literally burn to the ground using the comet boost)
* Sozin's Comet from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'': Its arrival meant a major power boost for the already powerful Firebenders and near certain doom for the Earth Kingdom (Which [[Omnicidal Maniac|Fire Lord Ozai]] planned to literally burn to the ground using the comet boost)
** In the backstory, the arrival of Sozin's Comet a hundred years ago and the power boost it provided for Fire Lord Sozin and his Firebenders heralded the near-extinction of the Airbenders.
** In the backstory, the arrival of Sozin's Comet a hundred years ago and the power boost it provided for Fire Lord Sozin and his Firebenders heralded the near-extinction of the Airbenders.
* ''Comet in Moominland''s main plot.
* ''Comet in Moominland''s main plot.
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Comet_of_Doom"