Reinforce Field: Difference between revisions

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So you have a [[Deflector Shields|deflector shield]] that stops incoming objects or propagating fields. It's cool. You know what we really need to stop from moving too much? Parts of armor plates and loaded girders. Or, if you prefer, electric fields of electron shells and nuclei of respective atoms. So if it can work ''inside'' condensed matter, it could (and should) be used to make materials more resilient.

Some settings have "structural integrity fields" reinforcing the spaceship's existing frame. As an extreme variant, few settings have extra-extra-large constructions (including spaceships) that are explicitly stated to be physically possible only due to force fields keeping them from being crushed or torn apart. Size matters, but scaling things up [http://stardestroyer.net/Empire/Science/Size.html is not cheap]. Spaceships can be free from the burden of gravity, but unlike loose asteroids and orbital stations they have to move, and any noticeable acceleration of a great mass involves great forces, and ~~turning~~ ~~-- even inertial -- gives~~ G-force increasing proportionally to radius.<br />Of course, strengthening effects have lots of other uses, up to and including reinforcing [[Razor Floss|frail]] melee [[Improbable Weapon User|weapons]] to make them both [[Absurdly Sharp Blade|sharp]] and resilient.

Some settings have "structural integrity fields" reinforcing the spaceship's existing frame. As an extreme variant, few settings have extra-extra-large constructions (including spaceships) that are explicitly stated to be physically possible only due to force fields keeping them from being crushed or torn apart. Size matters, but scaling things up [http://stardestroyer.net/Empire/Science/Size.html is not cheap]. Spaceships can be free from the burden of gravity, but unlike loose asteroids and orbital stations they have to move, and any noticeable acceleration of a great mass involves great forces, and turning—even inertial—gives G-force increasing proportionally to radius.<br />Of course, strengthening effects have lots of other uses, up to and including reinforcing [[Razor Floss|frail]] melee [[Improbable Weapon User|weapons]] to make them both [[Absurdly Sharp Blade|sharp]] and resilient.

See also [[Deflector Shields]], [[Containment Field]] and [[Inertial Dampening]]. An opposite effect is [[Disintegrator Ray]].

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* Tensor fields in ''[[Star Wars]]''.

** One might argue that, from their description in the ''Star Wars'' technical manuals for the extended universe, that Particle Shields are a type of reinforcement field that makes armor more resilient against physical impact. (Ray Shields, by contrast, are most definitely [[Deflector Shields]].)

* In [[Mikhail Akhmanov]]'s ''[[Arrivals From the Dark|Invasion]]'', a massive alien starship arrives to the Solar System and proceeds to [[Curb Stomp Battle]] a large chunk of the Earth [[Space Navy]] (to be fair, humans have just begun to explore space at this point and lack FTL). When the ship lands in the Antarctic to use melted ice as raw materials for repairs, a different alien teleports on-board and gives the protagonist a device that will destroy the ship's bio-computer. Apparently, the ship is too massive to be able to support itself, and it's being reinforced with force fields that are controlled by the computer. As soon as the computer dies, the ship collapses on itself like a tin can, killing everyone onboard. Apparently, the aliens have never heard of backup systems. The [[Reinforce Field]] has not been mentioned in later novels.

* In [[Mikhail Akhmanov]]'s ''[[Arrivals From the Dark|Invasion]]'', a massive alien starship arrives to the Solar System and proceeds to [[Curb Stomp Battle]] a large chunk of the Earth [[Space Navy]] (to be fair, humans have just begun to explore space at this point and lack FTL). When the ship lands in the Antarctic to use melted ice as raw materials for repairs, a different alien teleports on-board and gives the protagonist a device that will destroy the ship's bio-computer. Apparently, the ship is too massive to be able to support itself, and it's being reinforced with force fields that are controlled by the computer. As soon as the computer dies, the ship collapses on itself like a tin can, killing everyone onboard. Apparently, the aliens have never heard of backup systems. The Reinforce Field has not been mentioned in later novels.

== Miscellaneous ==