Questions tagged [science-fiction]
For questions relating to worlds with a setting of common science-fiction.
1,326
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Humanity's successors made “perfect” beings that had superiority complexes [on hold]
So I run this sci-fi role-playing game called Fragged Empire.
The official books describe the universe as follows:
Humanity explored the galaxy and expanded immensely, they found no other species and ...
2
votes
3answers
84 views
How might natural teardrop shaped markings on my humanoid aliens be connected to their empathic abilities?
Why I’ve Chosen Not to Handwave: The fictional galaxy in which this humanoid species (I’ll refer to them as Empaths from here on out) lives is protected by a space-faring military/law-enforcing legion ...
4
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2answers
98 views
Anatomically(?) correct nanobots [closed]
With my limited knowledge of chemistry, molecular physics, and quantum computing, I'm struggling to reconcile sci-fi/fantasy trope depictions of (seemingly) impossibly small nanobots with actual ...
-3
votes
2answers
68 views
When antimatter meets matter do the two of them cancel eachother out? [closed]
I’ve designed melee weapons akin to lightsabers for my setting that emit a blade made out of antimatter. The handle itself serves as a mini particle accelerator, and it emits a magnetic field to ...
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4answers
182 views
What type of planet where non-aerodynamic space launch vehicles are possible
What would be the approximate gravity, atmosphere etc. of a planet for a species to never make or use launch vehicles with rounded shapes like tapering cylinders, because they make use of the ...
8
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5answers
3k views
Would nuclear bombs be effective against clouds of nanites?
Would they be able to even destroy the nanoscopic machines, or would something like an EMP be much more efficient?
The nanites in my setting are programmed to tear apart the human genome of enemy ...
6
votes
5answers
140 views
What different biological aspects would facilitate an elite race of warrior aliens?
A bit of backstory: I'm attempting to create a militaristic alien race composed of elite warriors capable of conquering the galaxy. They posses a variety of "enhanced" abilities such as immense ...
7
votes
4answers
244 views
Dr. Frankenbull's Problem: How To Tell Aurochs From Bison
The mad scientist community is...mad, to put it kiddie-appropriately. Their logic has the tendency to make 0% sense 100% of the time (provided, of course, that they ever bring it up.)
So you can ...
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4answers
186 views
Can I call music from the mid 1900’s to real life present day ‘classical’ without getting sued? [closed]
In addition to not getting sued, I also want my work to come off as standing on its own. I wouldn’t even worry about it if not for the fact that one of the battleships in the legion is captained by a ...
4
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5answers
189 views
How can human biology be built to allow consistent usage of 100% of the body's muscles without wear and tear?
The island of Themascryia is a nation of amazons, an all-female race that spend their lives training for battle. They are currently under siege by foreign invaders. This army comes from a powerful ...
3
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3answers
145 views
Hanging World - Soil
Scenario
A civilization is living on an ancient super structure, they don't know much about it, they just live there and have lived there for as long as they know. For our current situation we can ...
6
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2answers
164 views
Hanging World - Trees
Scenario
A civilization is living on an ancient super structure, they don't know much about it, they just live there and have lived there for as long as they know. For our current situation we can ...
5
votes
3answers
109 views
How to improve the speed of ancient mariners
My world is set in ancient times on a planet similar to Earth, but with a different civilization and different geography (and lots of canals). I need to find a way of giving the inhabitants better ...
1
vote
2answers
116 views
Would a flying, human sized species from a planet smaller than Earth be stronger, as strong or weaker than humans?
I'm working on a sci fi story where one of the species has batlike wings and comes from a moon around the size of Titan with roughly the same atmospheric pressure as Earth. Initially, I thought they'd ...
2
votes
1answer
46 views
Would time dilation alter apparent mass observed from outside time dilation zone?
A familiar scenario in scifi: a bubble of space is isolated artificially from the outside world by means of time dilation: time inside the bubble moves more slowly than time outside it. Assume that ...
2
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1answer
1k views
What drastic changes would occur if an architect went to ancient times [closed]
My character Ray was transported to the most fertile region of Africa about 569 B.C.
He was born in into a small farming family and learned about the history and evolution of farming because his ...
0
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2answers
156 views
If a beam of light of medium proportion shot into space from one side of a planet (lets say Romania), would it be visible to someone in the US?
Because the earth is round I feel that it would not be visible to people on the other side of a planet. If not, then how far away from the source would you have to be before it wasn't visible?
The ...
16
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15answers
7k views
Dodging a Deathbeam travelling at speed of light
There are 2 ships in space about 1 AU1 apart.
Ship A fires a deathbeam on Ship B.
The deathbeam travels at speed of light with no acceleration (or deceleration) at all and is guaranteed to hit its ...
2
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4answers
332 views
What kind of faster-than-light travel is this and is it at least plausible?
I've had a fairly complex world built up in my head for several years and finally writing a story in it. One thing I'm struggling with is explaining the galaxy's faster-than-light traveling. It's not ...
6
votes
1answer
78 views
Environment/Ecosystem for a “Sunfall” colony
I've read a lot of posts about moons around large gas giants and I think I have fairly good idea about basics to them. I'm not super great with all the science parts myself but they give me lots of ...
2
votes
2answers
92 views
what materials can I use to bioprint a human skeleton?
In the grim darkness of the 22,d century, there is only war. humanity has waged war on itself for decades, turning many areas of the planet into wastelands. With every decade that passes, new weapons ...
8
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1answer
343 views
Do Alcubierre Drives Mandate Time Travel, or Just Allow it?
So, I've heard that while Alcubierre drives might present a semi-plausible way of getting around the light speed limit (if you can get ahold of negative energy), they do so at the expense of creating ...
4
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3answers
81 views
Considerations on settlements and urban development on a colonized exoplanet
When humans are colonizing a new planet, what are the considerations that need to be made for settlement placement and development?
For this particular question, let's consider the following ...
3
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3answers
204 views
Can sudden knowledge cause health risks?
Well, the story goes like this: In a sci-fi space war setting, the protagonist is blasted away and somehow he crashes in a medieval-setting planet. Over there he is rescued by the princess of a ...
1
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2answers
135 views
Could we move a gas giant by venting its gas?
Could humanity move a planet such as Jupiter by forcing it to vent its gas?
Assuming we have the technology to do huge mining operations and use these to make some of Jupiter's moons into a huge tube ...
18
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16answers
9k views
Black hole as a storage device?
I'm writing a sci-fi story, and there is a giant autonomous computer planet that constantly gathers resources from around the universe using drones. It stores a super weapon at the core of the planet, ...
0
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3answers
106 views
All Conditions Weapon Platforms? [closed]
Basically, how to make modern weapon systems, specifically, tanks and planes, work in all environments.
Background
I'm currently putting together a role-play setting, which is fair high tech. The ...
10
votes
12answers
5k views
What are the advantages of a mechanical swordsman? What upgrades would make him superior to a human?
I decided to create a robot swordsman for my story and I would like to know exactly what are the different advantages he would possess over biological opponents. Also what design choices would make ...
6
votes
4answers
3k views
Could an eternal or near-eternal battery exist? [closed]
It would obviously utilize a much more powerful substance than simple electricity. Maybe plasma could constantly be siphoned from the infinitude of stars in the universe to keep the battery charged ...
2
votes
4answers
101 views
What makes an unstoppable droid army? [closed]
So my question is what would make an army of droids unstoppable when facing against humanoid species? (specifically how would droids be designed)
For context one person sets foot on a planet with ...
2
votes
3answers
165 views
Could a futuristic group of people collect/farm nuclear pasta from neutron stars?
Would it even be feasible under science fiction logic? It would allow nuclear weapons to be mass produced if the nuclear pasta could actually be collected and contained safely.
5
votes
8answers
303 views
What disaster could wipe out civilisation worldwide, but allow for immediate rebuilding? What would be the side effects?
For a story I have, modern civilisation must be destroyed by a worldwide disaster.
The objective is roughly something that:
Could be man-made or aided (if not now, maybe in the future)
Decimates, ...
4
votes
2answers
94 views
Adaptations for an ice planet?
My planet is a frozen world. Roughly the size of earth and in a perpetual ice age. The planet has very cold temperatures at night and during the day its surface becomes very bright. The intense solar ...
1
vote
1answer
139 views
A little help with this picture [closed]
https://www.deviantart.com/abiogenisis/art/Xenobiology-42223053v
So currently I’m working on little project on mine, more specifically world building, and just so happens that this is image is my ...
1
vote
4answers
115 views
How Would an Anti-Gravity Gun Function
The Question
How would a gun, that uses anti-gravity as propellant, work? Is it even practical?
Background
I have been toying around with the idea of a gun that uses anti-gravity to shoot off heavy,...
9
votes
10answers
381 views
What would be a good reason for space colonists to lose their technology?
In my universe, humans nuked themselves in a war so thoroughly that the Earth has been rendered uninhabitable. As a result, they have to leave Earth and find a new home. They briefly tried to settle ...
11
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8answers
3k views
Would a spacecraft carry arc welding supplies?
Okay, I'm researching for a scene in my science fiction story. A character is in a spacecraft and needing to open a locked hatchway. It's locked electronically by an unknown code. All methods of ...
1
vote
1answer
166 views
Direct Consequences of Powered Armor [closed]
The Question
What are the direct consequences of powered armor being practical?
Background
In the setting I have been working on, humanity has invented a man-machine interface, bio-mechanical cells ...
2
votes
2answers
61 views
Transmitting energy from the upper part of a space fountain using the stream of rotating masses
Imagine we have a sufficiently tall space fountain positioned at either of the Earth's poles, such that the upper station is permanently within view of the sun. A large array of solar panels could be ...
25
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13answers
4k views
Moonlight bright enough to see by
Is it possible for an Earth-like planet to exist where the light reflected by the moon is, not as powerful, but close in intensity to daylight?
And if so, what would be necessary for it? A moon much ...
35
votes
19answers
10k views
Are dead worlds a good galactic barrier?
In my fictional universe there are two galactic civilizations that have never interacted until recently and thus have developed different cultures, science, etc.
From a technological standpoint, one ...
3
votes
3answers
117 views
Launching a spaceship with a portal-based engine?
I previously asked how best to use wormholes for spaceflight, focusing mainly on propulsion in space. I'm now wondering if there's a good way to get off Earth with this ship.
The ship needs to be ...
7
votes
9answers
1k views
How could a steampunk zeppelin navigate space?
it's my first question here, I'll try to be clear.
I'm creating a story where there is a steampunk style civilization that has to face advanced civilizations in planetary and spatial battles.
I'm ...
4
votes
2answers
194 views
A space elevator located in Kenya: Mount Kenya or the Aberdare Range?
Due to it's height and proximity to the equator, Mount Kenya has become a go-to in regards to African space elevators, but I'm wondering if another location within the Aberdare Range would be more ...
3
votes
3answers
207 views
How long will modern society remain in the archaeological record?
I have an extreme far future setting (we're talking hundreds of thousands, if not millions of years) wherein humanity has speciated and reverted to a cultural and technological level very similar to ...
3
votes
3answers
193 views
What would be an resonable amount to fund mechs while not pulling other resources form other projects? [closed]
I have already came up with the pseudoscience to explain how and why the mechs work (they're basically Gundam) but the problem I keep running into is the funding.
An important thing is that ...
9
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3answers
2k views
Destroying Hypervelocity Rounds With More Hypervelocity Rounds
In a previous question, I asked about using a scaled-up whipple shield to protect against a 250kg tungsten round traveling at about 60 km/s. The round in question is 'about' 10 cm in diameter and '...
5
votes
10answers
564 views
Are starfighters a realistic evolution of space naval warfare?
I’m making my story as close to real and theoretical science as possible. I remember reading an article a while ago saying realistic space warfare would be capital ships engaging in missile warfare ...
4
votes
6answers
2k views
Is elastic wiring feasable?
Since wireless does not seem to be the ultra-high-broadband solution of the future (according to recent 5G cellular network results), wires seem the only way to go for a data-intensive future.
The ...
5
votes
3answers
286 views
Is there a way to stop undigested food from leaving the body?
WARNING PROBABLY CONTAINS DISGUSTING STUFF
So base of my previous question about will there complication to the body, especially the guts, if basically a single Senzu bean make a person never need to ...
