[[quoteright:350:[[Film/{{Stargate}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Abydos_9206.gif]]]]

[[BuildLikeAnEgyptian Pyramids]]. The distinct shape, clean vertices, and inherent [[RuleOfCool coolness]] have fascinated humanity since the Egyptians. Some sci-fi writers like to stick modern or futuristic-looking pyramids into their works to combine old and new in a distinctive yet recognisable manner. The result is the future pyramid, a building in the style of ancient Egypt but using modern or yet-to-be-invented materials and construction methods. The primary reason for these is that they [[RuleOfCool look impressive]].

A pyramid ''is'' a good shape for a space-frame building, if you've got enough room for a wide building. [[ArtistsAreNotArchitects But how many of the examples use that as justification?]]

Compare SinisterGeometry and {{Magitek}}.

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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Mega-Tokyo of ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis''. The Genom Tower in particular is more of a cone, but it still has the spirit of this trope.
* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'': A literal InvertedTrope, Etemon's base is an upside-down pyramid, which connects to an underground octahedron (think two pyramids connected at their bases).
* The NERV HQ in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is a pyramid. There's also a pit shaped like an inverted pyramid located in front of it.
* A popular feature of Gradosian architecture in ''Anime/BlueCometSPTLayzner''.
* Feature prominently in the Colus/Hagooda War arc in ''Manga/TheFiveStarStories'' as both factions have palaces resembling them, Hagooda's being Egyptian-styled while Colus' is a slightly more abstract combination of a Mayan one, a Japanese pagoda and futuristic arcology concept design.
* In ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphire Battle Frontier]] trainer Brandon travels in a ''flying'' pyramid.
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[[folder:Card Games]]
* The ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' cards [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Level_Limit_-_Area_B "Level Limit - Area B"]] and [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Level_Limit_-_Area_A "Level Limit - Area A"]] both have big pyramids in the background.
* The Amonkhet set in ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' has metallic, floating pyramids.
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[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In Creator/EnkiBilal's ''La Foire aux Immortels'' (and the movie ''Immortal'' inspired from it), the Egyptian gods live in a pyramid that is also a cool spaceship. And it's going to destroy Paris (New York in the movie) unless they get fuel.
* Microwave Mountain in ''ComicBook/RogueTrooper'', originally a giant solar power plant, now a Nort stronghold. Shaped like a pyramid, for no real reason.
* ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}} of ''Comicbook/XMen'' is fond of pyramid motifs, which makes sense as he was born in Egypt a few thousand years ago.
* Given that the main setting of ''ComicBook/CleopatraInSpace'' is the Nile Galaxy which takes a lot of visual clues from ancient Egypt, plenty of these feature in the series, such as Yasiro Academy.
* Luxor in the ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' universe is a pyramid-shaped MegaCity.
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: Osira creates multiple pyramid shapes out of energy shields, which she uses to protect herself, fly around in and imprison superheroes.
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[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' Franchise/MonsterVerse fanfiction ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': Madison mentions at one point that the MegaCorp [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonHumans Collaborators]], [[spoiler:Apex Cybernetics]], are building a "cyberpunk pyramid" [[spoiler:in Hong Kong]], and she takes it as a sign that they're not to be trusted.
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[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* An early script for ''Film/{{Alien}}'' had the crew finding the aliens in a Creator/HRGiger designed [[https://avp.fandom.com/wiki/Egg_Silo "Egg Silo"]] but this was cut for budget reasons. A few pyramids are seen on the Predator homeworld in ''Film/AliensVsPredatorRequiem'' as a nod to this.
* Two can be seen in the post-apocalyptic London in the alternate ending to ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness''.
* Tyrell Corporation headquarters from ''Film/BladeRunner'', although it's strictly speaking more of a ziggurat. It has become the headquarters of Wallace Corporation in ''Film/BladeRunner2049''.
* ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'': The hi-tech corporation [[Characters/MonsterVerseApexCybernetics Apex Cybernetics]]' HQ atop Victoria Peak, Hong Kong is shaped like a pyramid.
* The Council from ''Film/KungPowEnterTheFist'' have a fleet of pyramid-shaped spaceships.
* Ra's ship in the original ''Film/{{Stargate}}'' movie. The film showed that Ra already had a pyramid ship when he first came to Earth. This indicates that they already had the Ha'tak design before they forced humans to build pyramids to land them on.
* In ''Film/XMenApocalypse'', En Sabah Nur raises a titanic, intricate stone-and-metal pyramid as his new base of operations by [[spoiler:[[MindOverMatter telekinetically]] disintegrating and recycling the entire city of Cairo]].
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[[folder:Literature]]
* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures novel ''Parallel 59'' features a futuristic UncannyVillage where a great deal of the buildings are pyramids. Apart from the protagonist, who's from lightyears and [[FishOutOfTemporalWater centuries]] away and is constantly reminded of ancient Egypt, [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight everybody is used to them]].
-->[...]the pyramids rising over the skyline. Like a nice clean Egypt. Mystery. Power.\\
The girl yawns, it makes me smile. The pyramids are here to reassure, not to inspire. To the Homeplaneters, they're mundane, just the way dwellings are built. None of the resonances or associations they have for me are flitting through her mind, I can tell.
* In Ramsay Campbell's Franchise/CthulhuMythos stories, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect_from_Shaggai Insects from Shaggai]] build pyramidal temples to Azathoth that can teleport between planets.
* Patrick Tilley's novel ''Fade-Out''. When an alien ship lands on Earth, it starts to grow a gigantic pyramid which eventually shuts down human technology.
* The Great (and Lesser) Redoubts in ''Literature/TheNightLand'', enormous pyramids (the Great is over seven miles high, slightly taller than Everest) of seemingly indestructible metal that are humanity's last home on an Earth that has become a hostile monster-ridden wasteland.
* In the ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'' novel ''Cryoburn'', one of the largest cryogenic companies on the planet Kibou-daini is [=NewEgypt=]. Their cryo-storage facilities (where they keep the frozen bodies of people who were hoping to be revived, when there's a cure for whatever was killing them) are all in pyramid shaped buildings, and all their corporate branding follows an Egyptian theme. They've trademarked the entire historical era, to block imitators.
* The [[Film/BladeRunner Tyrell Corp]] HQ is one of the default building options in OASIS, in ''Literature/ReadyPlayerOne''. Because of that, copies of it are all over the place. [[spoiler:And they all can house the Second Gate.]]
* The Four Ministries of Oceania from ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' were set up much like this.
* In ''Literature/TheFifthSeason'', the capitol of the Sanze [[TheEmpire Empire]] is the Black Star, a colossal obsidian star pyramid where the leadership of Yumenes operates, topped with a geodesic sphere of amber where the [[AuthorityInNameOnly figurehead Emperor]] lives.
* The Leech Pyramid in the works of Creator/KimNewman is a black glass pyramid in London which is the headquarters of CorruptCorporateExecutive Derek Leech. As revealed in the ''Literature/DiogenesClub'' story "Egyptian Avenue", he aquired it from a ''different'' CorruptCorporateExecutive who'd inherited an ancestor's mania for Egyptology.
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[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Franchise/BattlestarGalactica'':
** ''Series/BattlestarGalactica1978'', episode "Lost Planet of the Gods" part 2. The planet Kobol has pyramids, the remains of an ancient civilization. Caprica also had pyramidal buildings.
** ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' has [[http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/designing-for-sci-fi Gemenon,]] which had mostly pyramidal buildings.
* ''Series/ChourikiSentaiOhranger''/''Series/PowerRangersZeo'': The massive carrier Zord King Pyramidder/Pyramidas. It shoots lightning, transforms into a ''huge'' robot, and combines with the rest of the team's mecha.
* In ''Series/ChoujinSentaiJetman'', the Jetmen's base, the Sky Camp, is a smaller one which houses most of the mecha inside it (the Bird Garuda is perched atop it instead).
* ''Series/StargateSG1'' extends this to the Goa'uld as a whole: they may be impersonating a Greek, Babylonian or even Japanese deity but the snake will ''still'' use pyramid-shaped spaceships, space stations, evil lairs... Except for Anubis (or Ba'al in ''Film/StargateContinuum''), whose flagship is dome-shaped and can alter its configuration to fire its WaveMotionGun.
* ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' had an AlternateUniverse where Ancient Egyptian culture survived to the modern day, complete with computerized pyramids guarded by genetically engineered [[BigCreepyCrawlies giant scarabs]].
* The Gold Ranger from ''Series/PowerRangersZeo'' has Pyramidas, a pyrmad-shaoed TransformingMecha spaceship.
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[[folder:Music]]
* Some of Music/GammaRay's album covers feature flying pyramids... [-IN SPACE!-]
* Incorporated into the background of Music/{{Asia}}'s ''Astra'' album cover, and appearing in the video for the song "Go".
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[[folder:Pinballs]]
* An underwater alien pyramid appears on the ''Pinball/{{Barracora}}'' playfield.
* ''Pinball/{{Stargate}}'' has Ra's Pyramid, which sits on the playfield and rises up at times to release the Glidecraft inside.
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[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'' Classic.
** Double Adventure 1 "Shadows". The {{PC}}s must investigate a pyramid to free their spaceship from a death trap.
** Journal of the Traveller's Aid Society #13, adventure "Thought Waves". The {{PC}}s are trapped inside an underwater alien pyramid that's actually an ancient spacecraft.
* Necron monoliths in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''.
** Although pyramids in 40k are mainly associated with Necrons, they also appear in some Eldar artwork (for example the 5th edition rulebook's picture of the inside of a Craftworld has a few pyramidal structures).
** Also Prospero, the now-destroyed homeworld of the Thousand Sons legion of Space Marines, was host to a futuristic Egyptian style of architecture, with many hi-tech pyramid buildings (especially in the world's capital, Tizca). Given the overtly Egyptian stylings of the Thousand Sons themselves, this is not a surprise.
* The [[{{Arcology}} Renraku Arcology]] from ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'', although DependingOnTheWriter and/or [[DependingOnTheArtist Artist]], it can be depicted as a futuristic ziggurat instead. Similarly, Aztechnology is fond of making all their buildings into ziggurats as part of their ModernMayincatecEmpire schtick.
* In ''TabletopGame/OverTheEdge'', [[MadArtist Mad architect]] Jean-Claude D'Aubainne built the Al-Amarja airport building in the shape of a cone ... ''balanced on its point''. It's the first sight immigrants see, so it ''has'' to be one of the most intimidating buildings on the island. [[spoiler:It's also a total con. The elevators operate in reverse, and the actual building is underground. The pyramid is an empty shell.]]
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[[folder:Theme Parks]]
* ''Ride/JourneyIntoImagination'' at [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Epcot]] is located inside of two giant glass pyramids.
* ''Ride/Terminator23DBattleAcrossTime'': The [[AIIsACrapshoot [=SkyNet=]]] core is shaped like one.
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[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'':
** The main Protoss building, the Nexus, is a pyramid, as are many of the types of Xel'naga Temple seen throughout the series.
** Arcturus Mengsk's imperial palace, as seen in his inauguration in ''[=StarCraft=]'' and throughout ''[[VideoGame/StarCraftIIHeartOfTheSwarm Heart of the Swarm]]'', is a giant pyramid, which stands out very distinctly against Augustgrad's mostly traditional skyline.
* During ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun'', NOD was in love with this trope, having their major headquarters within pyramids. By ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars'', Nod largely went back to their original awesome base, but they did deploy their Epic Unit from a pyramid-shape structure.
* ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen 4: Secret of the Oracle'' has four levels (one of them secret) that take place inside a pyramid. Whether they're new pyramids, or ancient pyramids improved with some modern technology (laser turrets, doors etc.) remains unknown.
* Some Prothean remains in ''Franchise/MassEffect''.
* ''VideoGame/StarFox64'''s planet Katina has a pyramid as its main and only building. ''Assault'' changes it to a futuristic tower but keeps some vaguely pyramidesque aspects.
* The Imperial Palace in ''{{VideoGame/Starsiege}}'' is one of these. Bonus points for being located in what used to be Egypt.
* Mental Institution level of ''VideoGame/SeriousSam II'' is a large futuristic pyramid on treads and plenty of weapons and reinforcements.
* In ''[[VideoGame/UnrealTournament2004 Unreal Tournament 2003]]'', the Anubans (or Nakhti, as they are called [[VideoGame/UnrealChampionship2TheLiandriConflict later]]), who are basically space Egyptians, are fond of these. One of the most prominent Futuristic Pyramids can be found in the map [="CTF-Face3"=].
* The city of Adrianopolis (and possibly others in the World Union) in ''VideoGame/CulpaInnata'' features a gleaming pyramid at the center, which has clubs, restaurants, bars, stores, etc.
* ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards'': The final stage set on [[ShiftingSandLand Rock Star]] is mostly inside a large space ship shaped like a cube, but it starts out half-buried in the sand like a pyramid.
* The earliest examples are in the 2D shooter ''VideoGame/{{Xevious}}''.
* ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic'':
** In '''III'', the Pyramids are a network of underground dungeons that [[spoiler:are actually high-tech Ancient facilities, defended by robots and keeping the ScienceFantasy secrets of Terra from the surface population]].
** The Tomb of VARN in ''VI'' is (at least part of) a long-landed and abandoned spacecraft. It must have been ''immensely'' tough, considering it not only survived the long voyage through the void, but also [[spoiler:the event that, centuries after the landing, turned the fertile landing zone into a blasted desert]]. In a minor twist, you have to go deep into the pyramid before any actually ''futuristic'' elements are seen (well, visibly futuristic. The jackalheaded guards are probably robots, but they don't look the part).
* ''VideoGame/EnslavedOdysseyToTheWest'' has one at the end: Pyramid's base.
* The ship Mizar uses to arrive his home palace in ''VideoGame/JetForceGemini'' has the shape of a big pyramid.
* The city of Tokyo Millennium uses plenty of pyramids as part of its architecture in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII''.
* One of the levels in Creator/DataEast's ''VideoGame/AtomicRunnerChelnov'' features in the background a cyborg Sphinx and moving pyramids gliding over the sand dunes.
* In ''VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness'', the Cipher Key Lair is a giant pyramid with a black glass exterior that's a factory for turning Pokémon into Shadow Pokémon.
* ''VideoGame/Persona5'' has [[spoiler:Futaba]]'s Palace, a tomb with MatrixRainingCode on all of the walls and the platforms the player must activate using gems and statues. The Treasure Room is made of CoolCodeOfSource.
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[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'', the GodEmperor Jadis leads a theocratic order spanning 111,111 worlds from the Temple of the Eye Revealed, a [[http://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/844/ massive futuristic ziggurat]] that most people give a very wide berth. It also features [[http://killsixbilliondemons.tumblr.com/post/142357424240/are-there-any-unusual-rituals-performed-by healing gardens]], though few are desperate enough to make the pilgrimage.
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[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The first episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' shows that by the year 3000, at least one of Egypt's pyramids will hover.
* In the ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' episode "Homer's Enemy", a children's contest to create a new design for the Springfield power plant sees an entry by Martin in the form of some model of dark pyramid that's actually powering the room they're standing in.
* The Triceratons of ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' ships all resemble angular pryamids.
* ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021'': In "[[Recap/WhatIfS1E8WhatIfUltronWon What If... Ultron Won?]]", [[spoiler:the Watcher]] at one point fights Ultron through a universe that has such a pyramid.
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[[folder:Real Life]]
* A very elongated example is the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transamerica_Pyramid Transamerica Pyramid]] in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco.
* I. M. Pei's glass pyramid at the Louvre was an attempt to invoke this.
* The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum started out as a glass pyramid, and then was expanded upon.
* From the point of view of, say, Christopher Wren, the Eiffel Tower would be a good example of this: a tall pointy building made of yet-to-be-discovered materials and construction techniques.
* The Luxor casino in UsefulNotes/LasVegas also invokes this trope, with a glass pyramid-shaped main building and general AncientEgypt theme (although Creator/DavidFosterWallace preferred to compare it to a "ziggurat from Babylon of yore").
* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryugyong_Hotel Ryugyong Hotel]] in UsefulNotes/NorthKorea masterfully combines this with CompensatingForSomething.
* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_Pyramid Memphis Pyramid]] in Memphis...Tennessee. The southern third or so of Illinois is known as Little Egypt, centered around Cairo (pronounced "KAIR-oh") which sits at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, an area with rich soil and old Mississippi culture mounds resembling the pyramids of AncientEgypt so American settlers began naming places here and further south (including the city in Tennessee) after Egyptian locations. Originally built to host basketball games, it fell into disuse before being converted into a Bass Pro Shops in 2015.
* A leisure centre in Milton Keynes, named with [[SarcasmMode great originality]] "The Point", evoked this look at night with the aid of neon lighting strips; by day it looked more like a ziggurat made of mirrors. DarthWiki/WorseThanItSounds, unfortunately: [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Miltonkeynespoint.jpg/800px-Miltonkeynespoint.jpg behold.]]
* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Pyramid Walter Pyramid]] situated at the campus of Long Beach State University in Long Beach, California; essentially the West Coast equivalent of the Pyramid Arena, but smaller and used as a venue for college sports teams.
* [[http://www.gardalandtribe.com/wp/index.php/gardaland-park/attrazioni/ramses-il-risveglio Ramses: Il risveglio,]] an attraction in the Italian ''Gardaland'' theme park. A shooting ride full of Terminator-esque robot skeletons and ancient Egyptian stuff mixed with cyberpunk decor.
* The [[https://web.archive.org/web/20120825041721/http://www.shimz.co.jp/english/theme/dream/try.html Shimizu TRY-2004 Mega-City]] is a concept for a two-kilometer tall pyramid {{Arcology}} with dozens of skyscrapers suspended in an octahedral grid of trusses. The design relies on carbon-nanotube {{Unobtainium}} that hasn't been invented yet, so it remains entirely speculative.
* The [[https://www.archdaily.com/251694/hanoi-museum-gmp-architekten Hanoi Museum]] is shaped like an inverted pyramid.
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