Questions tagged [science-fiction]
For questions relating to worlds with a setting of common science-fiction.
1,805
questions
2
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4answers
85 views
How do I stop my near future city state from flying past a certain height and distance or sending up sats, but keep radio communications intact
A near future large city state is surrounded by a far more massive forest that has is semi sentient. How do I stop them from sending up satellites, or sending up weather balloons high enough so that ...
3
votes
2answers
89 views
How Would An Advanced Alien Civilization Expand the Lifespans of Giant Stars (Nearly) Exponentially? [closed]
Long ago, in some distant galaxy, an advanced civilization had turned a small, young elliptical galaxy into their own astronomical playground. They seemed to have come up with a way to prolong ...
2
votes
0answers
46 views
What if WW1 never happened? [closed]
After learning more about the assassination of Franz Ferdinand I wondered, what would have happened, if he never had been shot. Similar to the man in the high castle, I want to explore an alternative ...
7
votes
6answers
2k views
How do I make my soldiers jump higher
I need a mechanical way to make my soldiers who are combat explorers in a forest to be able to jump higher than normal. They will be equipped with a variety of weapons from normal hand held weapons up ...
-3
votes
1answer
74 views
A war for what’s left of space [duplicate]
My story is a space adventure, opera, war with an advanced alien race going to war with each other using this magic system the warring factions are the remnants of a Kardashev type 3. The biggest ...
-2
votes
0answers
58 views
What kind of alternative or futuristic energy source would you come up with? [closed]
I'm writing a sci-fi novel and am having a hard time coming up with a new energy source that DOESN'T revolve around the widely popular "nuclear" option everyone favors so much. I've tried ...
1
vote
2answers
108 views
The Ideal Ecosystem for a Self-Sufficient Space Station
Oh no, Earth has exploded!
Luckily, we have a backup plan: a single space station and enough storage to keep DNA samples of:
Humans,
5 plant species,
5 vertebrate species,
5 invertibrate species
...
0
votes
0answers
91 views
What would a state of extensive conscription and partial military mobilization do to a modern Canada in the midst of a global bug war? [closed]
Based on this:
https://hoi4.paradoxwikis.com/Ideas#Economy_laws
I'm trying to understand what extensive conscription and partial mobilization would look like for a modern, democratic Canadian society ...
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0answers
62 views
Creating Genetically Engineered Individuals
Let's say I want to make a genetically engineered being, who doesn't have iron-based blood, and is an improvement on humans across the board: strictly stronger, more resilient, greater lung capacity, ...
1
vote
2answers
130 views
Is This Living Planet Plausible?
My idea is an planet that is one living organism wrapped all around an rocky foundation. It orbits an sun of one solar mass, and has an Earthlike radius. Its albedo is about 20%, so it gets 1098.4 W/m^...
5
votes
3answers
175 views
What environments wouldn't be present on a recently terraformed planet?
What environments wouldn't be present on a recently terraformed planet?
Just to be clear: this hypothetical planet had no magnetic field and didn't have materials present on the surface required to ...
2
votes
3answers
75 views
Synthetic Daylight Cycle on a Structure too large for one Sun?
In this universe, an advanced race of aliens have constructed the largest object in the universe other than the universe itself, which is about 40,000,000 lightyears tall (don't worry about the ...
-4
votes
1answer
87 views
universal politics of alien warfare [closed]
My story is a space adventure, opera, war with an advanced alien race going to war with each other using this magic system plus FTL, iron stars, Dyson spheres but as I was world-building I realized I ...
2
votes
2answers
113 views
How could a false memory machine work?
False memories are often used on science fiction, so my question is how could this work?
best answer:
It’s ok for it to be solely theorized, but the most developed method will be prefered
machine ...
4
votes
2answers
147 views
Minimum Safe Distance From Planet-Destroying Event
Okay, I have this villain who's able to create supernova-like explosions from his body that release a total energy of 1.67x10^39 J, and the heroes stop him from destroying Earth by portalling him away ...
3
votes
2answers
123 views
Mechanical Energy Absorption
I’m in the process of creating an organism on a planet that has the ability to absorb mechanical energy directed at it and convert it into heat with a very high efficiency rate of over 70% only to ...
1
vote
5answers
544 views
How can I implement time travel on a somewhat realistic way?
Requirements for answer:
-hypothetically can work (I don’t care if it’s hard or energy expansive)
Made by Mankind
Can be used at any time
preferably works for going to the past
it’s enough if I ...
-1
votes
0answers
94 views
The Art of war in the vastness of space [closed]
My story is a space adventure, opera, war with an advanced alien race going to war with each other using this magic system plus FTL, iron stars, Dyson spheres but as I was worldbuilding I realized I ...
-1
votes
1answer
66 views
Can technology become magic [closed]
The world I am creating was meant to be created by beings with technology. They can harvest stars, create alternate universes and are essentially gods. I was thinking of using the planet's core as the ...
5
votes
4answers
1k views
How close could a RADAR/radio telescope be constructed near a town?
I'm working on a story set in the early 2000's and an integral part of the story is a large telescope array in Nevada, that uses both passive radio observation and active RADAR transmissions to ...
1
vote
4answers
167 views
How reasonable is my “Chimera Virus”
I have in my series a group called "Chimeras". They were once normal humans but were exposed to an artificial gene-editing retrovirus known as the "chimera virus".
The chimera ...
56
votes
20answers
8k views
Why would there be any use for sea shanties in space?
I understand that sea shanties were a type of work song, and often used to help sailors operate in sync with each other. They've survived as an art form, but so far as I know they don't have any ...
7
votes
4answers
2k views
What would happen if a rogue planet (3x times bigger than Earth) entered Earth's orbit?
I'm writing a novel about an extraterrestrial civilization using it's planet as an interstellar ship, let's assume they somehow figured out how to do so (sci-fi magic) and they were aiming to find ...
2
votes
2answers
142 views
How a kinetic strike from orbit would look like? [closed]
The impactor is a tungsten rod of 5 tons, moving at 0.015c, impacting a generic land spot on Earth.
Calculator of kinetic energy outputs that this will be equivalent to ~2 Mt nuclear warhead (if I'm ...
3
votes
1answer
96 views
Incorporating the fundamental forces as superhuman abilities
I'm trying to develop a story with super-humans where powers are evoked through the person's emotion during the trigger. I would like to give the lead the power over electromagnetism. Now, I was ...
1
vote
1answer
82 views
Is my Plasma Gun concept realistic? And if not what can I do to make it more feasible?
I'm a university student so I have a relatively limited knowledge of such physics concepts, however I have researched fusion reactors and ion engines, both theories I incorporated into my design.
...
3
votes
9answers
396 views
Explaining Electricity Manipulation as an extension of Air Magic
I'm currently designing a magic system themed around the four elements of nature (yeah, I know, so original) and I wanna take the Avatar: TLA/Korra approach where, in addition to the four elements ...
3
votes
4answers
217 views
What worldbuilding conditions would need to exist to allow a terrorist organization to inadvertently destroy their entire civilization? [closed]
Here is the question that most contains the scenario for this new one because it’s a continuation so I would recommend reading the scenario in that question.
Note: this is about the Venus society ...
12
votes
8answers
2k views
How could I justify that ancient humans ruins have not been discovered?
Scenario:
Earth's history is 100% equal to reality . It’s the year 2040. First interplanetary cities with 3% total population of mankind.
200 million years ago humans appeared on Venus, developing ...
3
votes
3answers
208 views
Is bi-metallic blood possible to develop organically in a species?
I've looked up the different "Colorations" of blood online, different metal-based proteins have differing levels of oxygen transfer efficiency, but those were answers I didn't find ...
2
votes
2answers
195 views
Is this sci-fi weapon of mine realistic?
M36 Rifle
Operation: Select-fire, gas-operated, magazine-feed, ETC
Mass: 2.9kgs (unloaded) 3.5kgs (loaded)
Barrel Length: 50.8cm
Cartridge: 6.8x31mm caseless
RoF: 500rpm (3r) 1800rpm (full-auto)
...
3
votes
1answer
63 views
What environmental and ecological effect would a massive wind turbine mountain construct have on it's surroundings to an indefinite distance?
For the contest, the construct is a massive tetrahedron shaped construct that extends into the lower stratosphere of a roughly earth-like planet with several holes, tunnels in it containing wind ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
Superfast Terraforming of the Moon by Portal from Earth
A science-fiction portal has been set up between Earth and the Moon. It uses a fold in space, so travel through the portal is effectively instantaneous. Initially there is an airlock to prevent Earth'...
asked Mar 27 at 10:50
chasly - supports Monica
45.3k12 gold badges134 silver badges281 bronze badges
5
votes
3answers
145 views
What emerging technologies could put at risk the engine and the exhaust of a diesel submarine with the 10 years ahead technology?
I am trying to build a blog of a short novel about a near-future technology-based sci-fi about the future of conflict. It starts with the stealing of an Israeli Dolphin-class submarine. I thought ...
2
votes
2answers
142 views
What would a cold plasma based force field feel like to the touch?
As a plasma-based force field would simply feel really really hot and consuming end up burning anybody who touched it, a cold plasma-based force field would seem to be more in order. For convenience, ...
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votes
5answers
158 views
The future with infinitely fast computers [closed]
Imagine that people discovered a technology that allows executing any algorithm instantly regardless of its complexity.
E.g.
Decryption of any encrypted data happens instantly
Simulation of systems ...
6
votes
4answers
526 views
What are you actually moving when telekinetically moving/shaping fire?
Ok, so I'm willing to bet at least one person has looked at the title of this question and thought to themselves "What?", so I'll try and explain this as thoroughly as I can.
Most ...
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2answers
84 views
Reconcile time travel paradox using entanglement
Imagine a crazy nut with exceptional intelligence managed to sent radiowave signals across multiple timelines, 10 years into the past and the future. That messages contained a blueprint of a time ...
0
votes
2answers
117 views
Would this time-travel scenario work? [closed]
In a novel I am writing one of the antagonists travels to Earth because at the end of the novel, he travels back in time and brings himself to Earth. I'm sorry that it's a little confusing. ...
10
votes
4answers
5k views
What would happen if 250 nuclear weapons were detonated within Owens Valley in California?
(NO CIA/FBI/NSA IM NOT A TERRORIST ARMED WITH 250 STOLEN/UNACCOUNTED FOR NUKES)
I’m writing a Godzilla fanfiction and in it, while Godzilla was doing Godzilla things on the West Coast (destroying ...
2
votes
6answers
263 views
Navigation in space
I'm trying to write a science fiction YA novel which takes place in a world with FTL travel like in star wars and star trek. One problem I've been thinking about is how a spaceship would navigate in ...
13
votes
3answers
5k views
What would the sky look like if there were 100 Sun-sized stars exactly half a light year away from Earth?
I'm thinking of a little something where a hundred Sun-sized stars would dot the sky (night or day; the Sun just blocks other stars at day after all). These stars are scattered across the sky, but ...
1
vote
1answer
126 views
What would be the logistics behind evacuating the Western United States?
Assume Godzilla rampaged the West Coast in to a fine powder and is moving east, into the western states of the United States (Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, southern Idaho, and a small bit of ...
5
votes
3answers
172 views
Would a planet of blind people (with some exceptions) be possible?
I have an idea for a story where only 1 out of 500,000 people can see (population of around 4 billion), and those people are considered 'special' and thought to have magical powers. They aren't as ...
-4
votes
1answer
91 views
Could a quantic computer support the data of human memory and the senses of his original body within the next five decades? [closed]
Could we digitize the memory of a person, including the feelings, the thoughts and the sensorial memory as well ? It could be then put in a quantic computer and used to help « humanising » a AI or « ...
-2
votes
1answer
96 views
Would an American-led, post-apocalyptic semi-dystopian “United States of North America” be just the US and Canada or would it also include Mexico? [closed]
For some context, my world takes place in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic time in 2045 where the human race was pushed to the brink of extinction and modern civilization collapsed due to Kaiju (or known ...
2
votes
7answers
260 views
What is the most efficient way for a friendly AI to take over the world? [closed]
Basically, the way humans got off the planet in my world is due to B.O.R.I.S., a learning AI geared towards helping humanity thrive and prosper. However, first he needed to, ah, take over the world. ...
6
votes
11answers
3k views
What would justify those road like structures
Working on a sci-fi project, similar to well known properties, in which real world road maps play a role, but need to justify them in world on a planet where people don't build on the surface.
I have ...
20
votes
12answers
5k views
How could a person be invisible without being blind by the deviation of light from his eyes?
How somebody could become perfectly invisible by the use of technology without being blind because of the deviation of photons.
These past years, a lot of meta-materials or other technologies have ...
7
votes
1answer
188 views
Artificial Gills: Electrolysis for gills?
Edit: It appears I've made a mistake with the nature of this question. I accidentally confused this with another idea of mine featuring artificial gills for humans. Assume now that this question is ...
