This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
Looney Toons: Burai:
- Roleplaying Game example: In the GURPS IST superhero setting, the technology for the "power cells" used in most sci-fi style gizmos is a monopoly held by a single company since 1950; the UN likewise now maintains a monopoly on fusion power started in the 80s. Neither of these technologies has been duplicated or reverse-engineered even semi-successfully, and it is implied they simply cannot be (despite the existence of several comic book style Professors, Techno Wizards, and Mad Scientists.)
According to the author's extension of the IST timeline
, the UN fusion process was duplicated and the monopoly broken in 1996. The Roland Power Cell's secret, though, still appears to be inviolate.
What about alien and lost technology artifacts? How do they relate to the trope?
Tanto: I direct you to Applied Phlebotinum. If it does weird crap, it's in there somewhere.
Cassius335: The Death Star example invokes two question on the subject of prototypes the size of moons: Where do you hide them and how the hell do you afford them?
INH: If I remember right, the Death Star was built in a region of space that was surrounded by black holes, making it extremely difficult to get in through hyperspace. As for how the Empire could afford it, they were the government of an entire galaxy. Any taxation, even if it was far less than in any real country, would get them a ridiculous amount of money.
Can'tRememberMyName: Funnily enough, the <i>Hutts</i> made a superlaser (Darksaber) with the help of a Death Star engineer. They went the cheap route, only making the laser and engines to move it. They made it so poorly, however, that it malfunctioned when blasting through an Asteroid Thicket and was destroyed.
Uh, on the Klingon Bird of Prey thing...I distinctly remember a TNG episode in which Picard, surrounded by Romulans, signals some Klingons who decloak behind them and force them off.
INH: Pulling this from the Watchmen example:
- The fact that Dr. Manhattan was able to pull himself back together is stated to be akin to a miracle. Also, they would have to find someone willing to risk disintegration for a chance at Manhattan's powers. While this may not be too difficult, is it hard to imagine Richard Nixon would want more people with this power running around? It's likely that the government didn't want to press their luck by giving someone else godlike powers, and they just took the one they got, who was relatively amiable.
Tablesaw: I'm moving the whole Watchmen example to Freak Lab Accident. In addition to the arguments already listed, the series itself demonstrated that the technology continued to exist just fine, since Ozy had one hanging around his house.
Real life example... Oh, just start reading-up on Tesla and you'll find a few.
Peteman: was that ion cannon really a precursor of any type? I thought Ion cannons were around for a long time. Along this same thought, this new Ion cannon was simply taking existing tech and jacking it up substantially.
Peteman: Wait, are the Space Marine Primarchs insinuated as being partially due to a deal made with the Chaos Gods?
Nezumi: I hate it when this happens... I come to check up on an entry by chance... and discover one of my examples is removed, and it's long enough ago that it's fallen off the edit history, leaving me no idea why. In this case, All Things Devours. Was it not considered a notable aversion? Decided it wasn't actually an aversion? (due to the lack of a backup, despite having plans and notes that needed to be destroyed or carried off as well) Eaten by mutant clams? If there's a good explanation, I'll take it, but I'd like to know what happened.
LarryD: Re the Genesis Device being used to re-ignite a star. That is actually orders of magnitude easier than creating a habitable planet. Convert the mass of the star to hydrogen and let nature take its course. Probably doesn't need any pseudo-matter. Also of limited use, but renewal of stars that are about to leave the main sequence could be very valuable on occasion.
