Showing Off the Perilous Power Source: Difference between revisions

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[[File:EvenHorizonEngine 3699.jpg|link=Event Horizon|frame|Even astronauts can forget to stand behind the yellow line.]]
[[File:EvenHorizonEngine 3699.jpg|link=Event Horizon|frame|Even astronauts can forget to stand behind the yellow line.]]


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[[Showing Off the Perilous Power Source]] describes that scene where the captain of the [[Cool Ship]] shows off the fantastic power source of the vessel to others, usually hapless passengers (and of course us, the audience,) to impress them with just how powerful indeed the ship is. Included will be dialogue of how [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?|dangerous it is]] to be exposed to such terrible energies, and that were it not for the radiation suits/visor/lead glass that were provided to gaze through, it would have otherwise been certain death to merely look on such elemental fury.

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'''Showing Off the Perilous Power Source''' describes that scene where the captain of the [[Cool Ship]] shows off the fantastic power source of the vessel to others, usually hapless passengers (and of course us, the audience,) to impress them with just how powerful indeed the ship is. Included will be dialogue of how [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?|dangerous it is]] to be exposed to such terrible energies, and that were it not for the radiation suits/visor/lead glass that were provided to gaze through, it would have otherwise been certain death to merely look on such elemental fury.


Trope formerly named for dialogue in just such a scene from ''[[Forbidden Planet]]''; Doctor Morbius states that "man cannot look upon the face of the gorgon and live", as they gape in awe at the sight of the power of ninety-two exploding suns.
Trope formerly named for dialogue in just such a scene from ''[[Forbidden Planet]]''; Doctor Morbius states that "man cannot look upon the face of the gorgon and live", as they gape in awe at the sight of the power of ninety-two exploding suns.
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Related to [[Take Our Word for It]], as '''Showing Off the Perilous Power Source''' can be used to compensate for lack of budget or [[Special Effects Failure]]. Not to be confused with [[You Cannot Grasp the True Form]], which sounds similar but is in fact very different.
Related to [[Take Our Word for It]], as '''Showing Off the Perilous Power Source''' can be used to compensate for lack of budget or [[Special Effects Failure]]. Not to be confused with [[You Cannot Grasp the True Form]], which sounds similar but is in fact very different.

{{examples}}
{{examples}}

== Anime ==
== Anime ==
* Done in ''[[Last Exile]]'' when Dio wants to see the power source of the ''Silvana''
* Done in ''[[Last Exile]]'' when Dio wants to see the power source of the ''Silvana''
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== [[Film]] ==
== [[Film]] ==
* The [[Walt Disney|Disney]] version of ''[[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea|20,000 Leagues Under The Sea]]'', from 1954 - when Nemo offers a big riveted visor and chestplate to Messr. Arronax, before hiding his own face in his arm and opening that big lead door to the atomic reactor. To be fair, ''[[Forbidden Planet]]'''s writers probably didn't rip off this movie - [[The Fifties|'50s]] magazines were no doubt full of scenes of scientists in goggles peering at atomic piles...
* The [[Walt Disney|Disney]] version of ''[[20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)|20,000 Leagues Under ihe Sea]]'', from 1954 - when Nemo offers a big riveted visor and chestplate to Messr. Arronax, before hiding his own face in his arm and opening that big lead door to the atomic reactor. To be fair, ''[[Forbidden Planet]]'''s writers probably didn't rip off this movie - [[The Fifties|'50s]] magazines were no doubt full of scenes of scientists in goggles peering at atomic piles...
* The Russian engineers of ''[[K19: The Widowmaker]]'' have a bad experience in their gorgon gaze; forced to enter the reactor compartment to prevent a meltdown, they pay the price of close-up and unshielded work with an atomic reactor. A sad and [[Truth in Television|real-life]] example of why working with such forces in person rarely comes to a happy ending.
* The Russian engineers of ''[[K19: The Widowmaker]]'' have a bad experience in their gorgon gaze; forced to enter the reactor compartment to prevent a meltdown, they pay the price of close-up and unshielded work with an atomic reactor. A sad and [[Truth in Television|real-life]] example of why working with such forces in person rarely comes to a happy ending.
** They did have safety suits... but they were designed for ''biochemical'' work and provided little, if any, protection from radiation.
** They did have safety suits... but they were designed for ''biochemical'' work and provided little, if any, protection from radiation.
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* In ''[[Sunshine (film)|Sunshine]]'', the ''Icarus'' ships have a special Sun-gazing room where the crew can sit and do exactly that. We (and the crew) are told that the filters are set at maximum or near-maximum capacity, and the sunlight is already blinding white. To release the filters would [[Chekhov's Gun|undoubtedly be fatal to whoever stood there]].
* In ''[[Sunshine (film)|Sunshine]]'', the ''Icarus'' ships have a special Sun-gazing room where the crew can sit and do exactly that. We (and the crew) are told that the filters are set at maximum or near-maximum capacity, and the sunlight is already blinding white. To release the filters would [[Chekhov's Gun|undoubtedly be fatal to whoever stood there]].
* In the climactic scene of ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'', Indiana and temporary love interest Marion are tied to a stake in the middle of things as the Nazis are about to open the Ark of the Covenant. Indy tells Marion not to look at whatever power or entity comes out - sound advice, as it turns out, as nasty, Nightmare Fuelish things happen to the Nazis, including one guy getting his ''face melted off''.
* In the climactic scene of ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'', Indiana and temporary love interest Marion are tied to a stake in the middle of things as the Nazis are about to open the Ark of the Covenant. Indy tells Marion not to look at whatever power or entity comes out - sound advice, as it turns out, as nasty, Nightmare Fuelish things happen to the Nazis, including one guy getting his ''face melted off''.
* ''[[Star Trek|Star Trek II]]'' includes a scene wherein a critical piece of the ship's engines is sealed in a small room. Anyone entering the room will be subjected to lethal radiation {{spoiler|as demonstrated when Spock sacrifices himself to repair the warp drive.}}
* ''[[Star Trek III: The Search For Spock]]'' includes a scene wherein a critical piece of the ship's engines is sealed in a small room. Anyone entering the room will be subjected to lethal radiation {{spoiler|as demonstrated when Spock sacrifices himself to repair the warp drive.}}


== [[Literature]] ==
== [[Literature]] ==
* Rhysling, the blind singer of [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s ''[[The Green Hills of Earth]]'', loses his sight this way - he peers past the baffles of a rocket's reactor and is then blinded by Cherenkov radiation. Ouch.
* Rhysling, the blind singer of [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s ''[[The Green Hills of Earth]]'', loses his sight this way - he peers past the baffles of a rocket's reactor and is then blinded by Cherenkov radiation. Ouch.
* In the book [[Halo]]: The Fall of Reach, Captain Keyes is given a tour of his new ship's state-of-the-art fusion reactor, the most powerful in the fleet.
* In the book ''[[Halo]]: The Fall of Reach'', Captain Keyes is given a tour of his new ship's state-of-the-art fusion reactor, the most powerful in the fleet.
* In one of the ''[[Nightside]]'' books, John Taylor finds out that one of his friends is being used as a powersource for the local power plant. Naturally he does something drastic.
* In one of the ''[[Nightside]]'' books, John Taylor finds out that one of his friends is being used as a powersource for the local power plant. Naturally he does something drastic.


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== [[Myth and Legend]] ==
== [[Myth and Legend]] ==
* This trope comes from [[Classical Mythology]]: Perseus needed a mirror to look safely at Medusa, one of the original Gorgons, without her turning him to stone with her gaze.
* This trope comes from [[Classical Mythology]]: Perseus needed a mirror to look safely at Medusa, one of the original Gorgons, without her turning him to stone with her gaze.

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== [[Web Comics]] ==
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* ''[[Quentyn Quinn, Space Ranger]]'' played with this scene in the second arc (which mocked ''Star Trek'' technical solutions, especially their [[No OSHA Compliance|ideas of safety]]), when the Federation Aliens escorted protagonist to their Main Engineering:
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{{quote|'''Quentyn''': (popping out eyes) Omnibus--- a comprehensive scan, please?
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'''Omnibus''': No need, commander. It's obviously what it appears to be... an enormous ''antimatter reactor''.
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'''Quentyn''': (in an expressive "[[You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!]]" pose) ...inside an ''inhabited ship''.}}

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== [[Western Animation]] ==
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* In [[Alan Dean Foster]]'s adaptation of the animated ''[[Star Trek: The Animated Series|Star Trek]]'' episode 'One Of Our Planets Is Missing', one of the Enterprise's nacelles is constructed internally of antimatter components; restarting the warp engines requires walking down a narrow pathway suspended magnetically down the center. Not exactly the same thing but, true to the idea that the power source of the ship is made of some ''very'' dangerous stuff.


== [[Real Life]] ==
== [[Real Life]] ==
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** Then again, in both of these cases, it is not what you see that is dangerous - it is what you can't see, the UV radiation. A better example is gazing into a DVD burner's laser - this time, it is the actual visible light that ends up burning its ones and zeros into your retina.
** Then again, in both of these cases, it is not what you see that is dangerous - it is what you can't see, the UV radiation. A better example is gazing into a DVD burner's laser - this time, it is the actual visible light that ends up burning its ones and zeros into your retina.
* Heysham Nuclear Power Station in the north-west of England has a visitor's centre, and part of the tour includes a viewing gallery (through some very thick glass) looking onto the top of the reactor housing (albeit, the reactor itself is sealed and shielded, and visitors are not allowed to view when they are changing out fuel rods as the top of the housing has to be open to load the new ones in). It's rather impressive to look upon.
* Heysham Nuclear Power Station in the north-west of England has a visitor's centre, and part of the tour includes a viewing gallery (through some very thick glass) looking onto the top of the reactor housing (albeit, the reactor itself is sealed and shielded, and visitors are not allowed to view when they are changing out fuel rods as the top of the housing has to be open to load the new ones in). It's rather impressive to look upon.

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== [[Web Comics]] ==
⚫
* ''[[Quentyn Quinn, Space Ranger]]'' played with this scene in the second arc (which mocked ''Star Trek'' technical solutions, especially their [[No OSHA Compliance|ideas of safety]]), when the Federation Aliens escorted protagonist to their Main Engineering:
⚫
{{quote|'''Quentyn''': (popping out eyes) Omnibus--- a comprehensive scan, please?
⚫
'''Omnibus''': No need, commander. It's obviously what it appears to be... an enormous ''antimatter reactor''.
⚫
'''Quentyn''': (in an expressive "[[You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!]]" pose) ...inside an ''inhabited ship''.}}

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== [[Western Animation]] ==
⚫
* In [[Alan Dean Foster]]'s adaptation of the animated ''[[Star Trek: The Animated Series|Star Trek]]'' episode 'One Of Our Planets Is Missing', one of the Enterprise's nacelles is constructed internally of antimatter components; restarting the warp engines requires walking down a narrow pathway suspended magnetically down the center. Not exactly the same thing but, true to the idea that the power source of the ship is made of some VERY dangerous stuff.


{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
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