alt title(s): Handwavium; Phlebotinum; Advanced Phlebotinum
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a completely ad-hoc plot device"
"This is Lucrecia – Sephiroth’s mom. Due to her being injected with Plot Device Jenova Cells, she’s become immortal or something."
Phlebotinum is the magical substance that may be rubbed on almost anything to cause an effect needed by a plot. Some examples: nanotechnology, magic crystal emanations, pixie dust, a sonic screwdriver. Oh, and
Green Rocks. In essence, it is the stuff that makes the plot go. Without it, the story would grind to an abrupt halt. It's science, it's magic, it's strange things unknown to science
or magic - the reader does not know how Phlebotinum would work and the creators hope he doesn't care.
An example would be the Cylon technology featured in
Battlestar Galactica, such as the self-repairing Cylon "goo".
CSI and its spinoffs come with phlebotinum by the liter. Their favorite kind appears to be Luminol, the substance that reveals traces of blood. Luminol is real, though it's not nearly as convenient as it is on TV.
According to
Joss Whedon, during the DVD commentary for the pilot episode of
Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the term "phlebotinum" originates from David Greenwalt's (a writer and director on
Buffy and later co-creator of
Angel) sudden outburst, "Don't touch the phlebotinum!" apropos of nothing.
* Whether or not he had the etymological connection in mind, "phlebotomy" is the drawing of blood. Ironically appropriate in context.
A.K.A. Handwavium. Compare
A Wizard Did It,
Hand Wave, and
Deus Ex Machina. Contrast the well-defined
Minovsky Particle.
Tropes
Applied Phlebotinum is among the
Tropes Of Legend.
