Questions tagged [science-fiction]
For questions relating to worlds with a setting of common science-fiction.
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Can cosmic rays be considered as a "galactic resource" in a hypothetical planetary colonization science fiction world?
Like a star's energy, planetary biomass, etc are precious resources for any spacefaring civilization.
Can cosmic rays (for producing energy, causing beneficial but erratic effects like hulk's body ...
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0answers
56 views
In regards to mass and luminosity, what are those mystery stars?
Long ago (4.6 billion years, to be exact), a hyper-advanced alien civilization had created a solar system from scratch. Somehow, they had artificially prolonged the center of the solar system--a ...
6
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1answer
232 views
Consequences of having a device that can transform heat back to stored energy in a limited way? [closed]
My setting uses reactors that work on a fictional gas-like inert substance that can safely store an impossibly high amount of energy in itself (breaking the e=mc^2 equation and causing Einstein to ...
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0answers
76 views
What happens when something collides with a portal from behind? [closed]
Assume there’s a standard one-sided disc-shaped portal on a wall. What would happen if, hypothetically, a wrecking ball knocked into the wall from the backside? Would the portal still stand, floating ...
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7answers
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Reasons why sword duelling would exist on a Mars-like planet with unbreathable air
The civilisation on this planet has rockets and computers, so presumably they are smart enough to invent guns if they really want guns. Taking a sabre to a gunfight is clearly a terrible lifestyle ...
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3answers
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Are there any specific supernatural/scientific creatures which might fuse and grant abilities to a person?
A character of mine gains certain abilities after a creature fuses with em as e dies. However, I don’t know of any creature that would do this or something similar which might explain the phenomenon ...
2
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4answers
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Could a space-based telescope 'sense' something extraneous?
If a fist-sized artefact was to attach itself to a space telescope (of near-term build, such as the Nancy Grace Roman) situated in L2 of a Lagrange point, would Ground Control be able to detect it?
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2answers
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Would a group of Dyson swarms produce a noticeable pattern in a distant night sky?
I am currently writing a scene where a person on an Earth-like planet is stargazing. This planet, an isolated agrarian world, is around twenty light years from the core of the setting's space empire, ...
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3answers
101 views
I would like to Know the number of Officers and Crew On the Freedom LCS
I am building a future space military that is largely based on US Navy. I am looking for the number of the Officers and Enlisted that man the current LCS (Freedom) class frigate?
I have been hitting ...
4
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3answers
133 views
What threat would a highly technological alien species from a superEarth pose to human(-like) visitors?
I'm writing a setting where superEarths abound, frequently with intelligent life, but Earth-size habitable planets are rare, with the focus being on the five intelligent species from Earth-size ...
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2answers
224 views
Do stars work in hyperbolic space?
Any curved space is approximately Euclidean on small enough scales, so for a sufficiently large characteristic length (significantly larger than the radius of the smallest real stars) the answer is ...
3
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2answers
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How would my Homo autisticus evolve?
In a satirical white drama/lighthearted tragedy (the opposite of black comedy/dark humour) science-fiction live-action film I am writing that takes place in 8991 of the Gregorian calendar, it has been ...
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1answer
65 views
My creature electricity production mechanism
In my organism electricity is usually generated by absorbing free electrons in the air and using them in combination with a proton-laced electrical sack to create an electric current ,which is then ...
2
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3answers
160 views
If the world was flat, what would happen if someone walked off? [closed]
A character jumps off the edge of the world in my sci-fi story. Would they float or would they just fall?
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14answers
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How do the duties of the Space Army and Space Marine Corps differentiate?
So, in my setting, for plot reasons, I want to have both a space-based Army and space-based Marine Corps. Here’s the thing though: I don’t know how to make them different enough without them seeming ...
3
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4answers
333 views
An objects gravitational force has been increased, how is it different from natural gravity?
By magical means an objects gravitational force has been increased to be greater than its mass. How is this different from natural gravity?
This has nothing to do with this question about how ...
0
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1answer
146 views
How would plugging in a USB universal connector in a quantum world work?
Most people by now have experienced that USB flat connectors are quantum devices.
That is, it takes three times in order for the plug and socket to be defined (decohered?).
You have to try to plug it ...
3
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2answers
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Could sci-fi tech be created to track you by your microbiome cloud?
I have a sci-fi story set in the future and was thinking about search dogs and how they track you and then thought about having my character use technology that can see your unique microbiome cloud ...
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2answers
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Would a ring generating a strong gravitational pull keep those inside unharmed?
My spaceship includes a technology that creates artificial gravity (AG). For all intents and purposes the inner workings of the device are unknown. It's essentially a black box. What is understood is ...
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10answers
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Could artificial gravity help send large spacecrafts into space?
In science fiction technology that induces a gravitational pull is often sidelined as just a convenient way of getting people to walk on a spacecraft. The implications of gravity that can be turned on ...
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2answers
87 views
Ergonomics of a Metal Storm Staff Gun
Upon the The Peaks of Comprehension lies the the Temple of Knowledge, where monks labor, record, observe and preserve knowledge both old and new. With the knowledge they have gained, the monks go out ...
6
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2answers
85 views
How to interpolate between the physical, material universe with relativistic reference frames and a spiritual objective reference frame?
I'm new here and I assume that it might be weird to have souls in a science-fiction question but hear me out. While souls in my setting do have some magical unexplainable supernatural properties, it ...
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2answers
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Would women be seen as expendable as men in a world with artificial wombs? [closed]
My world is about 500 years ahead of ours in terms of technology, with a notable bit of tech being the artificial womb. A sperm and an egg are placed in one and a baby develops in their over the span ...
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2answers
114 views
Coexisting with a sapient swarm intelligence
My story involves a sapient swarm intelligence, which I've detailed in a previous question here. I'd like to ask an additional question that is related but different from my original post:
Is it ...
4
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1answer
72 views
Mental characteristics of a sapient swarm intelligence
My story involves a sapient swarm intelligence, which I've detailed in a previous question here. I'd like to ask an additional couple questions that are related but different from my original post:
...
6
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3answers
119 views
Interacting with a sapient swarm intelligence
I'd like to use a story with a sapient swarm intelligence because I find the idea interesting, but I'm having trouble developing some of the finer details of how this intelligence would interact with ...
6
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8answers
707 views
How could transferring knowlege from one person's brain to another person's brain work in a futuristic society?
In my scenario a quite hierarchical society has two particular groups of students:
An extremely intelligent well educated elite who are meant to lead the country some day
A not less intelligent group ...
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1answer
103 views
How would a groups of scientists, engineers, architects, survival experts, smiths and archeologists survive back in the mesolithic-era-ish of humans? [closed]
A group of 25 people, which consist of scientists, a musician, a linguist, engineers, architects, survival experts, smiths and archeologists from the year 2021, lets assume all of them are experienced ...
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5answers
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If humanity develops and uses hydrogen fusion and then abandons Earth, would we leave behind large, stable deposits of helium byproduct?
I’m thinking of making airships and zeppelins very commonly used (for cool factor) in my pseudo-mid-20th-century novel, which takes place on Earth in the very far future, tens of thousands of years ...
5
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2answers
169 views
How would warfare differ in a futuristic world without satellites?
In my soft sci fi/science fantasy world, humanity lives in a hollow planet. A long, long time ago, an alien species put them there and created a field that prevents anything from entering the planet's ...
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29answers
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What might stop people from destroying navigation satellites that are used for FTL plotting?
The idea is that a number of satellites have been deployed throughout the galaxy and ships use them to plot their FTL jumps. If that's the case, the thought occurs to me that someone could try and ...
19
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2answers
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space - Is there a minimum safe distance to watch a supernova?
Consider that humans now have technology to travel around the galaxy at will.
Hyperspace, warp speed you name it.
There is a distance in which they can watch a supernova as a form of entertainment AND ...
0
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1answer
111 views
Your body is just a machine, now it's my turn to drive
Perfect genes, all around a good body and perfect health.
Except everyone has their own drawbacks, perfection can't exist.
That's why the owner of those perfect genes is a complete utterly idiotic ...
6
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7answers
516 views
how might look and be used the firearm hand weapon for four-handed humanoids?
i mean, our firearms, in many ways, are depend on this fact - that we only have 2 hands. What would the weapon look like, its ergonomics and its qualities and properties and usage - if the use of 4 ...
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3answers
178 views
Is it feasible to have enormous boarding schools to educate a world empire's children?
In my fictional world, humanity lives underground in a planet that is not Earth. The underground is solid rock with "burrows" of large size that house all life on this planet. Think of it ...
4
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3answers
135 views
What technology would be necessary to allow soldiers to ascend rapidly from deep in the ocean and to the surface?
In my world, submarine technology and ocean exploration is highly sophisticated. A large sub can house hundreds of people in addition to smaller subs and they are used to travel, kind of like ...
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15answers
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Why would mechs be used in underwater combat but not on land?
In my world, the planet (which is not Earth, but is suitably Earth-like) has been besieged by deadly monsters for about 1000 years. Their initial attack lead to an apocalyptic scenario which took ...
8
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15answers
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Why convert to a religion that sees you as inferior?
Why would an alien convert to a religion that would make them subservient to humans?
Given a Galactic religion that sees humans as the "chosen" race, destined to rule.
Aliens that convert ...
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10answers
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Would interstellar space piracy be possible under these conditions?
It is a scifi space opera setting skewing more towards realistic consequences of its breaks from the reality - quite similar to The Expanse.
Considering the situation outlined below, would it be ...
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9answers
543 views
Is it possible to have lasers that travel slower than light?
In science-fiction, what are referred to as "laser guns" are usually just plasma weapons that travel slower than the speed of light. But I want to have actual laser - not plasma - weapons in ...
3
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1answer
108 views
How Quickly Would the Pioneers of this Seeded Jurassic World Alter the Climate?
Sometime last month, I have compiled a comprehensive list of all the prehistoric creatures featured in the bulk of the Jurassic Park franchise--in the five established films, in the upcoming Dominion ...
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3answers
101 views
How advanced could air power get without engines?
In my world, humanity was put on a Earth-like (but not Earth) planet thousands of years ago by an alien species for reasons. Before these aliens left, they created a field around this planet that ...
5
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5answers
301 views
What weapon types would be most prominent in my gunless sci-fi world?
I'm currently just starting development on a scifi world for a game, in which I want to focus on swordplay and melee combat rather than gunplay. I was inspired by seeing the combat system of Sekiro: ...
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3answers
154 views
How dense must a light object be in order to significantly bend space-time?
We know that the mass of the sun bends the space time geometry. Collapsed onto an orange-sized sphere it can turn into a black hole.
The physicist Tippler has shown that time travel is theoretically ...
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4answers
180 views
The Potential Application of Gravity Manipulation As a Power [closed]
Given that a person is granted the power of manipulating gravity, or namely alter the gravity of any object they touch (including themselves), what would be some potential applications of said power? ...
5
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7answers
211 views
How to plausibly justify a species growing mineral-based protrusions that resemble horns or spikes?
I'm currently designing a sapient species for a science fantasy setting that's supposed to be a herbivorous, physically resilient, and bulky sort. They currently bear some resemblance to boars or ...
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7answers
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How to create the most cutthroat society possible [closed]
Star Trek: The Next Generation briefly featured a species called the Chalnoth:
The Chalnoth were an aggressive species native to the planet Chalna. The Chalnoth did not believe in government so their ...
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1answer
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How can mechanical processes designed to create demigods lead to less desirable results? [closed]
Mana is the energy and life force of an individual, as well as serve as a unique signature. An anathame is a weapon infused with the power of a god, in which only their mortal descendants can used. To ...
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5answers
3k views
Energy weapons or Bullets? What would make more sense?
I am currently trying to write a sci-fi world set in a very distant future. It is a "hard" sci-fi setting, however it has things such as artificial gravity and FTL systems, however I am ...
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3answers
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Is there any way humans could influence whether/when a magnetic pole flip happens?
Are there any actions that humans do that could influence whether a magnetic flip (I believe the proper name is geomagnetic reversal) happens? Are there any ways humans could theoretically influence ...
