Questions tagged [plot-device]
An element introduced into a story, film, play etc. to advance the plot.
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What did the old woman say in "73 Yards"?
In the Dr Who episode 73 Yards (4th episode of the 15th Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa), the old woman who is "stalking" Ruby speaks to several people during the course of the episode, but we are never ...
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In what TOS episode did Spock use a prop known as an analog flight computer, and why did he need to turn to a "handheld device" in this case?
In the recent Undecided with Matt Ferrell video Why the Future of AI & Computers Will Be Analog after about 05:44, the Original Star Trek TV show's Mr. Spock is shown holding a analog flight ...
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Was a ferret used in an attempt to try to kill the Borrowers in the novel “ The Borrowers” (1952, 1953) by Mary Norton or any adaptation of it?
Today in a discussion about ferrets I wrote:
I don't doubt anyone who says ferrets make good pets.
However, I sort of think that ferrets are rather sinister ever since reading Mary Norton's The ...
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What was the explanation for the existence of the Klingon sleeper ship in the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” episode “The Emissary?”
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Emissary” (S02E20), the plot revolves around the following:
“In this episode, the Enterprise is sent a half-Klingon, half-human emissary to help ...
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Is there an SF story on the theme of language that does NOT use the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis? [closed]
There are numerous SF stories based on language but I have never heard of one that doesn't focus on the idea that language shapes thought. For example, here is a previous question that lists a few ...
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Why was it necessary to destroy Skynet?
In Terminator 2: Judgement Day, why was it important for John Connor, his mother and the T-800 to destroy Skynet? From the sequels we find out that it didn't work anyway. So why not have the Skynet ...
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Was there ever a "flu season" in the Flintstones original TV show or in subsequent works?
Inspired by the Biology SE question Was there a flu season in paleolithic times?.
From Wikipedia's Paleolithic:
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic... also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ...
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Did the Tri-Wizard Tournament organizers know Hagrid put in a blast ended skrewt in the maze?
There is this line in GoF before the third event of the TWT
"We seemply ’ave to get through the maze?” said Fleur.
“There will be obstacles,” said Bagman happily, bouncing on the balls
of his ...
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What were all of those other chambers and floating bat bodies in the spaceship in Lifeforce (1985)?
In Lifeforce (1985), the crew of a joint British and American space mission to explore approaching Haley’s Comet discover an alien spaceship in the tail (coma) of Haley’s Comet that seems to contain ...
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Why did Eleven lose her powers at the end of season 3?
The scene made it feel like the Mindflayer, or the piece of itself that it injected in her, did something to her to reduce her powers. The Mindflayer also seems to recognize her as a threat the moment ...
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Why is twin core priori incantatum supposed to be so rare?
The twin-core priori incantatum that happened between Harry and Voldemort at the end of Goblet of Fire was supposed to be a rare phenomenon (I don't remember where exactly this fact was mentioned, it ...
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Is there an “expiration date” related to how long a living creature can be frozen in Carbonite and then safely revived?
After asking this other question about Han Solo’s personal experience of being frozen in Carbonite, I was wondering: Is there the equivalent of an “expiration date” when it comes to a living creature ...
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What did Han Solo experience while frozen in Carbonite?
Inspired by this other question about what Captain America experienced after being frozen for 67 years at the bottom of the ocean, is there any in-universe explanation for what Han Solo experienced ...
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Did Star Trek have any episode (in any of the incarnations or even novelizations) inspired by ultra high-g creatures in Dragon's Egg?
I ask this because since the original series, Star Trek has done a real decent job apparently of employing qualified technical advisors. Only Star Trek seemed to understand astronomical distances even ...
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Dragon's egg -- fear of heights?
Not sure this can be answered, but I recall and the synopsis in Wikipedia mentions the extreme fear of heights that creatures who live in 67 billion Gs have.
It is reasonable that such creatures would ...
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