Line #25 Mohs/WorldOfPhlebotinum


1	'''World Of Phlebotinum''': Level 2 on the SlidingScale/MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness. The universe is full of AppliedPhlebotinum with more to be found behind every star, but the Phlebotinum is dealt with in a [[MagicAIsMagicA fairly consistent fashion despite its lack of correspondence with reality]] and, in-world, is considered to lie within the realm of scientific inquiry.
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4	[[AC: {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
5	* ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' has plenty of phlebotinum behind it's TransformingMecha, but the series mostly keeps things consistent, with technologies gradually improved and modified as the series marches on.
6	* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': A lot of the AppliedPhlebotinum in this series involves branches of biology and engineering that neither exist in real life nor are ever likely to exist. "Metaphysical biology," for example -- Doctor Kozo Fuyutsuki's specialty -- is kind of like genetics, only it involves human souls instead of genes. While there is so much bizarre phlebotinum that it's impossible to keep track of what's ACTUALLY supposed to do what, it's still usually internally consistent.
7	* ''Manga/{{Outlanders}}'': While most of the AppliedPhlebotinum is derived from PsychicPowers, it's treated fairly consistently throughout, and unlike most SpaceOpera the series has a rather good understanding of the implications of the [[ScifiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale scale]] of a galactic civilization. The series generally stays fairly in line with reality outside of the Phlebotinum as well - the advanced technology built by Earth humans largely qualifies as Mohs/SpeculativeScience.
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9	[[AC: {{Literature}}]]
10	* ''Literature/CelestialMatters'' is a 2.5, being an elaborate exploration of a world in which Ptolemaic astronomy, Aristotelian physics and Chinese Taoist alchemy are the defining principles of physics.
11	* The ''[[Literature/SkylarkSeries Skylark of Space]]'' series of books, by Creator/EEDocSmith. The first book kicks things off with a quantity of Unobtanium, more than a bit of FasterThanLightTravel, and multiple {{First Contact}}s, and the series only escalates from there.
12	* The ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'' is marginally harder than the films, and probably belongs in this category. The technology may fly in the face of real-world science, but at least it's [[MagicAIsMagicA consistent]].
13	* Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/FoundationSeries'': It's got FTLTravel, DeflectorShields, [[AtomPunk "atomic"]] versions of just about everything, PsychicPowers, and an [[FictionalFieldOfScience invented statistical science]] called "psychohistory" which can [[PrescienceByAnalysis reliably predict the course of civilization]].
14	* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' probably fits here the best. The rules are fairly consistent (No morphs more than two hours long or they're permanent, Z-space, etc), if made up. The kids do test out their shapeshifting powers a little bit, but mainly to figure out where the rules and limitations are, such as clothes. Beyond that, they're all high-school teenagers. None of them have the information (or the time and inclination) to figure it out.
15	* ''Literature/OrionFirstEncounter'': Fits here when not running on RuleOfFunny. While there are plenty of things like ray guns, and faster than light travel, the ships still obey orbital mechanics.
16	* Creator/TedChiang's Omphalos is a 2.5, following a scientist in a world where strict (or so it seems) Biblical Literalist Creationism holds true.
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18	[[AC: {{Pinball}}]]
19	* Most pinball games with technology and science themes are firmly within Science in Genre Only, but ''Pinball/DialedIn'' revolves around a new energy source that, when not carefully handled, creates outbursts in the form of natural disasters. It's made pretty clear that few people, if any, have much understanding of this source other than that it's atomic, and the only thing known to the public about it is that it can be stored on a smartphone. The story strongly suggests that [[TitleDrop Dialed In Electronics]], a MegaCorp, understands this energy source and how to use it much better than any outsiders, but they won't reveal anything. The setting of ''Dialed In!'' otherwise appears to be mundane.
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21	[[AC: {{UsefulNotes/Television}}]]
22	* ''{{Series/Farscape}}'': RubberForeheadAliens and even HumanAliens abound, and space travel seems to suffer from a case of SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale. ArtificialGravity is so ubiquitous as to not merit mention, and it seems that AllPlanetsAreEarthlike. TimeTravel occurs more than once.
23	* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': ZigzaggedTrope. At the time the show was created, a number of aspects were rooted firmly in existing science, [[{{Zeerust}} and only seem strange]] after [[ScienceMarchesOn decades of science]]. (Some of them still aren't: NASA continues research into warp drive today, believing it the most scientifically plausible way to achieve FasterThanLightTravel.) That said, it also features many softer elements (e.g. RubberForeheadAliens, AllPlanetsAreEarthlike, AliensSpeakingEnglish, [[TeleportersAndTransporters transporters]], TimeTravel, DisintegratorRay), some of which were used because of the technical and budget limitations at the time, while others were deliberately used, invoking ArtisticLicense. Additionally, its sequels plunged ''way'' into this end of the scale, with ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' in particular renowned not only for the use of {{technobabble}} {{Reset Button}}s but for screwing up fundamental principles of science (such as the eponymous ''Voyager'' at one point running out of hydrogen -- a substance which only comprises 74% of the mass of the observable universe).
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25	[[AC: TabletopGames]]
26	* The ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'' mostly runs on Radium, which apparently allows for ships fast enough to make trips between the inner planets only take weeks and trips to Jupiter only take months. Weaponry tends to be consistently explained and logical, although the setting does of course ignore the energy requirements. However, Rocket Age also includes psychic powers and immaterial beings and offers no real explanation.
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28	[[AC: VideoGames]]
29	* ''VideoGame/{{Halo}}'': UNSC technology borders on Physics Plus, in that much of it is simply upgraded (or downgraded) versions of contemporary military equipment, though much technology, such as Slipspace engines or starship "fusion engines" with no meaningful exhaust emissions or fuel consumption, still goes without much explanation in practice. Covenant (and Forerunner/Precursor) technology, however, is loaded with much of the same Phlebotinum as Star Wars and falls squarely in this category.
30	* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'': A borderline case of this category. While it's certainly not as soft as ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' or ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', there are a number of scientifically questionable elements throughout, particularly found in the nonhuman races. On the other hand, most Terran technology seems, if not realistic, then plausible, save for a few elements such as gravity manipulation. But then then there's the Protoss's PsychicPowers, which have no justification at all, but that's to be expected, considering they're a [[MagicByAnyOtherName stand in for magic.]]
31	* ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders'' falls pretty clearly into this category. It has a lot of things that are relatively plausible, but the presence and frequent use of [[GreenRocks metatron]] takes it right into this territory, especially as the player is frequently exposed to [[AppliedPhlebotinum elements enabled by it]].
32	* ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}''. It's as realisitic and internally consistent as a Grand Strategy game has to be to work, but beyond that, it's positively dotted with [[SpaceWhale space-borne creatures]], inexplicable anomalies, PsychicPowers, and the odd EldritchAbomination. Many mysteries are left pointedly unexplained. Of note: post-release development has generally tended towards softening the universe, because the developers have found the appetite for RuleOfCool far exceeds that for hard sci-fi, at least in their fandom. More RubberForeheadAliens and {{Beast M\|an}}en are included, for instance, because they're statistically much more popular than StarfishAliens.
33	* ''Videogame/{{Destiny}}'' is a setting that verges somewhere around this, for while the [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Traveler's]] [[RealityWarper Light]], the powers of the [[EldritchAbomination Darkness]], and other [[TimeTravel esoteric]] [[PsychicPowers abilities]] approach fantasy-style magic, all of it is treated in a scientific manner in-universe. While Light itself is not consistently understood, this is mostly because the characters are operating on incomplete knowledge and piecing together their history.
34	* ''VideoGame/XCom'' and by extension [[VideoGame/XComEnemyUnknown its reboot]] is a GenreThrowback to old AlienInvasion fiction in the 1950s, so by their very natures they are firmly soft sci-fi. Outside of [[AllThereInTheManual surprisingly well-written research reports]] that [[DiscussedTrope discuss]] and even [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] [[AchievementsInIgnorance the literal miracle work]] the scientists put into the XCOM Project, there's still [[SnakePeople snake]] [[IntelligentGerbil people]] [[ArtisticLicenseBiology with]] NonMammalianMammaries who were genetically modified to be [[HughMann human lookalike spies]], TheGreys, PsychicPowers that are practically [[FunctionalMagic Mentalism magic]] [[MagicByAnyOtherName by any other name]], visible laser weapons and functioning plasma weapons (the former of which would work far differently from how ''XCOM'' portrays it and the latter simply not working as the game portrays it), and more AppliedPhlebotinum than you can shake a stick at (Elerium, Alien Alloys, Meld...). To the game's credit though, it takes the implications of the setting and tech pretty damn seriously, with the first game having your chief engineer [[LowCultureHighTech explicitly worrying about the logical implications such a jump in humanity's tech would imply]]. This is on top of a large number of [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Surprisingly Realistic Outcomes]], from the XCOM Project canonically failing to stop the alien invasion and [[VichyEarth Earth falling under a global totalitarian regime that is a puppet of the alien invaders]], to even as a liberated world there still being the pre-invasion era's sensibilities with [[FantasticRacism speciesism making matters even worse]] than there would be without there being aliens stranded on Earth with humanity. This is also added by how ''XCOM'' also is pretty rigidly regimented in what the titular organization can or can't do, such as being unable to bring back the dead or what-not.
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36	[[AC: {{Webcomics}}]]
37	* ''Webcomic/AMiracleOfScience'' is just about at the hardest end of this category -- the Martian HiveMind and the {{Mad Scientist}}s contribute a lot of properly implausible tech (although the [[spoiler:Decoherence Cannon]] was apparently a mundane research project), but between these we have things like gravitational slingshots and laser microphones which are ordinary modern technology.
38	* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': The science, [[MagicPoweredPseudoscience later revealed to be powered by magic]] which is [[ZigZaggedTrope then itself revealed]] to be [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic governed by its own consistent rules and likely entirely analyzable]],[[note]]The workings of the universe's "magic" are explained in portions at length, and seem to be [[MagicFromTechnology part of the scientific laws of the universe and only called magic]].[[/note]] is entirely divorced from reality but nothing if not internally consistent. [[MagicAIsMagicA Magic A is definitely Magic A]]. Just misses Mohs/PhysicsPlus due to softeners handwaved by the in-universe LawOfNarrativeCausality (''also'' hinted to be one of the natural laws guiding magic), like violations of the square-cube law, the mysterious force that causes the "dramatic hair-in-the-wind effect," and, formerly, characters' [[{{Hammerspace}} ability to summon hammers for comedic effect]]--which has since been explained meticulously to slot neatly into the universe's rules after all.
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40	[[AC: Western Animation]]
41	* Rick from ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' is a powerful, universe hopping super-genius, but the show stays pretty consistent in what he can and can't do--it's explicitly stated that he can't bring back the dead, for instance. He ''can'' travel to alternate universes, though, which offers the show something of a wildcard in this regard, allowing them to bend the boundaries of the show.
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43	Back to SlidingScale/MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness.

Context Mohs / WorldOfPhlebotinum