History Main / ThisIsMyBoomstick

* ''Film/{{Outlander}}'' is about a soldier from a highly technologically advanced planet who finds himself among the Vikings after crashing on Earth, pursued by a dragon-like alien. After a while he loses his gun, which is the only weapon that can harm the creature - or so he thinks. He later gets the idea to [[spoiler: strip away pieces of his ship, [[ThunderboltIron made of a metal not found on Earth]], and use it to make swords.]]

* Part of the narrative of Gary Crew's 1991 novel ''Strange Objects'' is a fictitious diary discovered in the present day, written by a real life Dutchman named Jan Pelgrom, who became marooned on the west coast of Australia in 1629 with another man named Wouter Loos. In the diary, Pelgrom tells of hunting with Aborigines and his attempt to impress them with his blunderbuss. He misses his target, scaring the game away, after which one of the Aborigines grabs the gun and smashes it on a rock.

* Played with in ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', where Marty successfully intimidates George into getting on board with taking Lorraine to the 'Enchantment Under the Sea' Dance, [[spoiler:by dressing up in a radiation suit, claiming to be "Darth Vader ... from the planet Vulcan"]] while brandishing a walkman and a hair dryer.

* ''Literature/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'': The [[TrappedInAnotherWorld Otherworlder]] [[ProfessionalKiller Glenda]] tries to invoke this by threatening the Eastern Empire "merchant" [[spoiler:(actually one of the Empire's [[PraetorianGuard Imperial Guard]])]] Damrada with her personal weapon, a Glock pistol that she brought with her from her original world and something she knows almost no one in this [[MedievalStasis world]] knows about. Damrada instead reveals he is ''very'' aware of what that gun is and how dangerous it is, because the Eastern Empire [[GivingRadioToTheRomans has been using the knowledge of gathered Otherworlders to produce similar and more powerful weapons]], including ''tanks'', and how very few in the Western nations would realize how dangerous it could be which likely helps her in her assasination missions.

* The Staff of Destruction from ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' has elements of this, starting with its name. It's actually a rocket launcher, specifically the Vietnam-era M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon. Later, a fighter plane is mistaken for a dragon.

* ''LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'': The [[TrappedInAnotherWorld Otherworlder]] [[ProfessionalKiller Glenda]] tries to invoke this by threatening the Eastern Empire "merchant" [[spoiler:(actually one of the Empire's [[PraetorianGuard Imperial Guard]])]] Damrada with her personal weapon, a Glock pistol that she brought with her from her original world and something she knows almost no one in this [[MedievalStasis world]] knows about. Damrada instead reveals he is ''very'' aware of what that gun is and how dangerous it is, because the Eastern Empire [[GivingRadioToTheRomans has been using the knowledge of gathered Otherworlders to produce similar and more powerful weapons]], including ''tanks'', and how very few in the Western nations would realize how dangerous it could be which likely helps her in her assasination missions.

* ''Webcomic/MyImpossibleSoulmate'': Chiaki shows Nara her UsaMaMa-chan {{virtual pet}} in an attempt to convince Nara she's from another world. [[https://mis.thecomicseries.com/comics/21/ The attempt ultimately fails]].

* A subversion in the background of ''Manga/Overlord2012'': One reincarnated-from-the-real-world person was known to talk at length of the amazing artifacts from his world such as electric fans and refrigerators, but couldn't explain how they worked.

* The ''[[Franchise/{{Batman}} Return of Bruce Wayne]]'' miniseries features an amnesiac Batman being mistaken for a sorcerer when he uses his utility belt gadgets against some cavemen while stranded in the neolithic past.

* In the [[{{Hatedom}} widely hated]] [[SeasonalRot episode]] "Beer Bad" of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', Xander scares a quartet of arrogant college kids cum cavemen with his lighter. "Fire angry!"

* ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'': In "Out of Time", Jax and Stein get stranded in the Middle Ages and pass themselves off as wizards with tricks like pretending a smartphone is a magic mirror. Eventually, the spoiled and petulant boy-king says he's bored with them and orders them executed until their friends show up to rescue them.

* Played straight in ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' when an amnesiac Kirk is revered as a mystic due to using resuscitation techniques to revive a "dead" child.

In a GodGuise or TimeTravel scenario, a modern person with some technological convenience uses it to try and impress the more primitive locals. Guns and cigarette lighters are common versions, with Polaroid cameras and portable radios not far behind. Japanese fiction has [[CriticalResearchFailure a particularly ludicrous variant]], where [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy a medieval Europe analogue]] is introduced to such "unbelievable technologies" as [[KatanasAreJustBetter fold-forged sabers]] and [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseLanguage short-form writing systems]]. See also ConvenientEclipse for another way to impress the locals.

* Played with in ''Film/{{BackToTheFuture}}'', where Marty successfully intimidates George into getting on board with taking Lorraine to the ‘Enchantment Under the Sea’ Dance, [[spoiler: by dressing up in a radiation suit, claiming to be “Darth Vader … from the planet Vulcan”]] brandishing a walkman and a hair dryer.

* Played with in ''Film/{{BackToTheFuture}}'', where Marty successfully intimidates George into getting on board with taking Lorraine to the ‘Enchantment Under the Sea’ Dance, [[Spoiler: by dressing up in a radiation suit, claiming to be “Darth Vader … from the planet Vulcan”]] brandishing a walkman and a hair dryer.

** These religions are often referred to as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult Cargo Cults]]; see the page in Wiki/ThatOtherWiki for more detail.

* Played straight to the point of {{Deconstruction}} in Creator/HarryTurtledove's novel ''Literature/TheGunsOfTheSouth'', where a group of time travelers supply the Confederate army from the American Civil War with AK-47s. The novel deals with the social and economic results of this change in a surprisingly realistic fashion. What the time travellers didn't anticipate though, is the Army's interest in field rations and instant coffee.

It's [[DeadHorseTrope almost never played straight anymore]]. If the time traveler ''gives'' modern technology to the locals, it's GivingRadioToTheRomans. If it's done with contemporary music, it's ALittleSomethingWeCallRockAndRoll. If the natives buy it, a CargoCult may spring up. Has a strong overlap with FirearmsAreRevolutionary, in which firearms prove to be a major game-changer when a society invents them.

* Parodied in ''Film/BlackKnight''; Creator/MartinLawrence's character Jamal Walker, stranded in the Middle Ages, tries to impress the locals with his cigarette lighter, to which a bemused peasant merely responds "We ''have'' fire."

In a GodGuise or TimeTravel scenario, a modern person with some technological convenience uses it to try and impress the more primitive locals. Guns and cigarette lighters are common versions, with Polaroid cameras not far behind. Japanese fiction has [[CriticalResearchFailure a particularly ludicrous variant]], where [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy a medieval Europe analogue]] is introduced to such "unbelievable technologies" as [[KatanasAreJustBetter fold-forged sabers]] and [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseLanguage short-form writing systems]]. See also ConvenientEclipse for another way to impress the locals.

* In ''Manga/DrStone'', Senku uses his knowledge of chemistry and modern technology to impress the people from Kohaku's village, but never pretends it's magic, and explains to anyone who will listen (mostly just Chrome) exactly how these things work. He coats Kinro's speartip with a gold compound, and wins over more villagers to his side with the food of the gods: ramen.

* The Staff of Destruction from ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' has elements of this, starting with its name. It's actually a rocket launcher, specifically the Vietnam-era M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon. Later, a fighter plane is mistaken for a dragon.

* In ''Literature/{{Gate}}'', the JSDF's weapons and technology often get mistaken for sorcery by the inhabitants of the Special Region.
* In ''Manga/DrStone'', Senku uses his knowledge of chemistry and modern technology to impress the people from Kohaku's village, but never pretends it's magic, and explains to anyone who will listen (mostly just Chrome) exactly how these things work. He coats Kinro's speartip with a gold compound, and wins over more villagers to his side with the food of the gods: ramen.
* ''LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'': The [[TrappedInAnotherWorld Otherworlder]] [[ProfessionalKiller Glenda]] tries to invoke this by threatening the Eastern Empire "merchant" [[spoiler:(actually one of the Empire's [[PraetorianGuard Imperial Guard]])]] Damrada with her personal weapon, a Glock pistol that she brought with her from her original world and something she knows almost no one in this [[MedievalStasis world]] knows about. Damrada instead reveals he is ''very'' aware of what that gun is and how dangerous it is, because the Eastern Empire [[GivingRadioToTheRomans has been using the knowledge of gathered Otherworlders to produce similar and more powerful weapons]], including ''tanks'', and how very few in the Western nations would realize how dangerous it could be which likely helps her in her assasination missions.

See also MundaneObjectAmazement.

* ''Series/MacGyver1985'': In "Good Knight, [=MacGyver=]", Mac convinces KingArthur's court that he is a powerful wizard by lighting a match.