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No Blood for Phlebotinum: Difference between revisions

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No Blood for Phlebotinum (view source)

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== [[Anime]] ==
* ''[[Transformers Energon]]'' was all about fighting over and using the titular [[Green Rocks]].
** ''[[Transformers]]'' is usually about that ''in general'', be it [[Transformers Generation One1|energon]], [[Transformers Cybertron|Planet Keys]], or [[Transformers Animated|Allspark fragments]]. ''[[Transformers Armada]]'' had Mini-Cons, which were sentient phlebotinum.
** ''[[Beast Wars (Animation)|Beast Wars]]'' had this in the first season, where the Maximals and Predacons fought over a planet rich in raw energon. Of course, by season 2 they found plenty of other things to keep fighting over.
* In ''[[Code Geass (Anime)|Code Geass]]'', Japan was attacked by Britannia essentially because it was sitting on the largest Sakuradite reserves on the planet.
** Or, possibly, the even more critical phlebotinum, {{spoiler|the thought elevator}}.
* E2 energy from ''[[Another CenturysCentury's Episode]]'' and ''[[Continuity Reboot|A.C.E 2]]''
* ''[[Darker Than Black]]'' had Heaven's War, a [[Melee a Trois]] in the backstory where pretty much ''everyone'' was trying to get control of [[Not of This Earth|Heaven's Gate]] in Brazil. It only ended when [[Throwaway Country|most of South America got]] replaced with big "unaccessible" circle on the map.
* Shortly before the events of the main series, the world of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 00]]'' was subject to the "solar power wars". When advanced solar technologies were discovered, oil suddenly became relatively worthless, leading to a number of Middle Eastern countries continually splitting apart into new ones. To harness the technology, countries needed to build space elevators, and this lead to blocs of nations forming who jealously guarded their elevators and were constantly at the brink of war with the other blocs.
 
 
== [[Film]] ==
* The whole point of [[James Cameron]]'s ''[[Avatar (Filmfilm)|Avatar]]''. It's even [[Lampshade Hanging|called]] [[Unobtanium]].
* All Phlebotinum in ''[[District 9]]'' has a biological component, so while everybody is stockpiling [[BFG|BFGs]], only the slum residents can use them.
 
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== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* In the ''[[Star Trek (Franchise)|Star Trek]]'' universe, the Klingons and Federation sometimes fought over sources of dilithium crystals (e.g. the ''[[Star Trek: theThe Original Series (TV)|Star Trek the Original Series]]'' episode "Elaan of Troyius"). In ''[[Star Trek IV: theThe Voyage Home (Film)|Star Trek IV the Voyage Home]]'', Scotty and Spock invent a way to "recycle" it with particles stolen from "nuclear wessels", thus making it less rare by the Next Generation era.
** In an episode of ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise (TV)|Star Trek Enterprise]]'', a planet was raided for ''[[wikipedia:Deuterium|deuterium]]''. The writers [[Did Not Do the Research]]... although given the existence of things like the Oklo natural nuclear reactors in Gabon, who's to say that there isn't some way the planet could have produced and/or received abnormally large amounts of heavy hydrogen?
** In the first ''[[Star Trek Shatnerverse]]'' novel, Chekov and Uhura are engaged in an undercover operation and pretend to deal with a shady Klingon. He offers dilithium as payment. Chekov brushes him off, saying it's nearly worthless now, ever since the whole "nuclear wessels" discovery (i.e. ships can run forever on a single set of dilithium crystals without needing to replace them).
** Somewhat bizarrely, in ''[[Star Trek: Voyager (TV)|Star Trek Voyager]]'', the Kazon, an oxygen-breathing species traveling in hydrogen-powered ships, will kill, steal, or trade hostages for '''water'''. When he first arrives on the ship, Neelix seems similarly surprised by Alpha quadrant water technology.
*** That's mainly because the Kazon are [[Too Dumb to Live]]. The Borg refuse to assimilate them because of that.
* A classic ''[[Doctor Who]]'' had one of these, in the episode "The Caves of Androzani". It was over spectrox, "the most valuable substance in the universe."
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* Practically inevitable in the later installments of ''[[Civilization]]'' if you want your faction to prosper, unless you get really lucky with city placement or allies. If you do not have era-appropriate strategic resources, expect to be invaded by other civilizations who do and consider you easy pickings. If you have era-appropriate strategic resources, expect to be invaded by other civilizations who do not have it and desperately want it. Either way, wars are almost certainly going to be fought over it.
* ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' features the miracle substance Mako. Generated from the essences of creatures long-since dead and pumped from the ground, it has allowed the company controlling it to control world politics, and its overuse creates serious consequences for the planet... similar to a certain black substance that the people of Earth have been using for several decades with similar results. This certain black substance is later treated as a viable alternative to mako in ''Advent Children''.
** There's a bit in Shinra's headquarters where they have a set of advertisements for the line of cars that they make (represented during the opening FMV). The video clearly shows the engines of said cars using Mako in a way that is analogous to the use of the... distillates of the aforementioned black substance. (And "The Aforementioned Black Substance" would make a [[A Good Name for Aa Rock Band|great band name]].)
* The ''[[Fallout]]'' series' backstory mentions conflicts over the world's dwindling oil reserves between the 2050's and 70's. The European Coalition invaded the Middle East once oil prices rose too high, though these Resource Wars ended suddenly once the last of the petroleum in the region was tapped out. With Alaska containing the last oil on the whole planet, China invaded America in a conflict that led to a global nuclear war, hence the game's [[After the End|post-apocalyptic setting]].
 
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