Mohs Scale of Science Fiction Hardness/One Big Lie: Difference between revisions

'''[[Mohs Scale of Science Fiction Hardness/One Big Lie|One Big Lie]]:''' The author invents one (or, at most, a very few) counterfactual physical laws and writes a story that explores the implications of these principles.

 

* The ''[[Honor Harrington (Literature)|Honor Harrington]]'' book series: [[Space Is an Ocean]], but the series demonstrates admirable internal consistency, relies on essentially only one piece of "new" technology (gravity control methods)<ref>Two, if you include the ability to translate across hyperspace bands; three, if you also include Treecats' telepathic abilities</ref>, mostly merely extending other pieces of current technology (medical science, nuclear fusion containment, lasers). Additionally, space combat is very three-dimensional and ship-to-ship engagements are often fought at fractional light-second distances (contrast the traditional ''[[Star Trek]]'' Starship Standoff).

* [[Alan Dean Foster]]'s ''[[Humanx Commonwealth]]'' series operates on a great deal of [[Phlebotinum]] mixed with just enough hard sci fi elements to keep things sounding plausible. For example, [[FTL Travel]] is performed by means of [[Artificial Gravity]] generators that violate [[No Conservation of Energy|conservation of energy]], but the rules for employing them are very strict, and most other technologies are based on things resembling known physics, or are logical extensions of the use of [[Artificial Gravity]]. However, once the [[Precursors]] start to show up with their [[Lost Technology]], things get really fanciful really fast. Examples: constructed artificial planetoids that can traverse the galaxy in a week and fire star system-destroying bursts of energy across intergalactic space, entire planets that warp through alternate dimensions, etc.

* In [[Firefly]], the Big Lies are gravity control and {{spoiler|[[Psychic Powers]]}}. (And perhaps a [[Reactionless Drive]], but we can't be sure.)

* ''[[Patlabor]]'''s only "lie" is the existence of giant humanoid robots that can support their own weight, and even then it's more plausible than, say ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam|Gundam]]''.<ref>This is excepting single episodes with weirdness such as ghosts and [[Kaiju]].</ref>

* The ''[[Iron Man (Film)|Iron Man]]'' movies use the Big Lie of the miniaturized Arc Reactor, a palm-sized power source that, in the words of the first movie, can "power [a] heart for fifty lifetimes... or something bigger for fifteen minutes." To a lesser extent, [[Powered Armor]] is also treated as such as this is the technology that the movies explore the consequences of - namely, that every military in the world wants one and every arms dealer wants to sell one - but it's the Arc Reactor that makes such armor possible. It's softened considerably in the context of the other [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] movies, though, as they imply that the reactor is based on a [[Mohs Scale of Science Fiction Hardness/Science in Genre Only|Science in Genre Only]] alien artifact.

 

 

== Examples ==

* Many Hal Clement novels, such as ''[[Mission Of Gravity]]'', ''Close to Critical'', are set in a universe featuring FTL, but only as a background element explaining the presence of humans in other star system. The planets themselves are designed by straightforward extrapolation of known physics to situations vastly unlike those of Earth.

* ''[[Freefall (Webcomic)|Freefall]]'': Tends to limit itself to 'theoretically possible but difficult' technologies, such as [[Petting Zoo People|genetically enhanced sapient animals]], [[Terraform|terraforming]], AI and [[Human Popsicle|cryogenics]]. Even artificial gravity is absent (as the name suggests), and though the Dangerous and Very Expensive ([[Fun With Acronyms|D.A.V.E.]]) Drive enables interstellar voyages measured in ''days'', it is explicitly ''not'' [[Casual Interstellar Travel|Casual]] -- Planet Jean was colonized by slower-than-light ships carrying [[Human Popsicle|Human Popsicles]].

** Arguably, the [[Artificial Gravity]] on board the ''Nostromo'' bumps the count to '''two''' small fibs. Although one could argue that maybe the spacecraft is under constant engine thrust every time they show somebody walking around in it.

*** When they're taking off from the planetoid, Carter says "engaging artificial gravity" as they exit the planet's gravity well.

* [[CJ Cherryh (Creator)|CJ Cherryh]]'s ''[[Alliance Union (Literature)|Alliance Union]]'' universe (which includes the [[Chanur Novels]]) has a faster-than-light drive (which also allows for instantaneous changes in velocity).

* ''[[Silent Running]]'''s one small fib is [[Artificial Gravity]], probably because filming in zero-G was impossible for the filmmakers.