Questions tagged [plot-device]
An element introduced into a story, film, play etc. to advance the plot.
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What level of control does the Alien Queen (from the “Aliens” films) hold over the eggs and other aliens around her?
The title says it all. And this is spurred by a comment posted to this post on the “Movies & TV” site here.
Does the queen get to choose when the eggs open? That's not how it works with any egg ...
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Why did Bancroft choose Ryker's sleeve for Kovacs?
After Bancroft's "murder", he uses his considerable resources to get the last envoy brought out of prison to investigate the crime. The problem I'm having is why he dumped Kovacs into Ryker's sleeve? ...
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How exactly did the Millennium Falcon transition from attack speed to a complete stop in “The Empire Strikes Back?”
So in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Han Solo—in an effort to elude the Imperial Fleet—piloted the Millennium Falcon out of the asteroid field, accelerated to attack speed and then… Suddenly stopped, ...
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Did the Klingons damage the relay?
Vulcan Hello - bits of Transcript
Michael Burnham: Shenzhou has been called to the edge of Federation
space to investigate damage done to one of our interstellar relays.
Blast burns around the ...
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Why doesn't Princess Leia go straight to Yavin IV?
At the beginning of A New Hope, Princess Leia has just received the stolen plans for the Death Star. Yet rather than take these plans directly to the Rebel base on Yavin IV, she first stops off to ...
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"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi" -- how does Leia know who Obi-Wan is? [duplicate]
So, in the opening scenes of A New Hope Princess Leia leaves a message for Obi-Wan Kenobi, asking her trusty plot-exposition droids to deliver it to an old recluse on a distant planet.
It is, at ...
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Is Crait a deus ex machina? [duplicate]
Note: This is not a duplicate of this question! This is a more general question which links to what is the accepted answer to that one and clearly says it doesn't solve the problem. Additionally, ...
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Why not take the creature to the nearest beach?
In the Shape of Water, Eliza waits several days for the "rainy season" and for the nearby canal to fill with rain water so they can release the creature.
But not only do the have a car already (the “...
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How could the Doctor destroy the Dalek fleet this way?
The Doctor's plan to save Gallifrey and destroy the Daleks is as follows:
DOCTOR 10: The Daleks would be firing on each other. They'd destroy themselves in their own crossfire.
WARRIOR: Gallifrey ...
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If this tech in The Last Jedi was new, how did the Resistance get detailed schematics of it?
In The Last Jedi some key new technology is assumed to be the reason why:
Not long after this, several characters come up with a plan for how to disable this tech. As part of their discussion ...
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How does the magic in "Liar Liar" work?
In Liar Liar, Jim Carrey gains the superpower of not being able to lie for 24 hours. Wikipedia defines lying as
... a statement used intentionally for the purpose of deception.
The practice of ...
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Why did Poe leave his jacket?
After they crash on Jakku, somehow Poe and Finn get separated while both surviving and then the TIE Fighter gets swallowed by the Sinking Sands and explodes. (Related)
There's a lot that lacks ...
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What prevents the tardigrade from escaping?
In Season 1, Episode 5, "Choose your pain" we see the tardigrade enter survival mode by expelling almost all the water from its body.
Later, we see the it ejected from the USS Discovery into space, ...
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Why do wizards like Martin keep transporting back to the exact moment in the future from whence they came in Off to be the Wizard?
In Off to be the Wizard the characters like Martin keep returning to the same point in time from where they traveled back to Medieval England when they need something from the future.
In Martin's ...
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How did The Founders make Odo sick?
In Deep Space Nine episode S04E26 "Broken Link", Odo found himself suddenly afflicted with an illness that caused his shape-shifting abilities to destablize. He eventually went to the Founders for ...
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Why is she looking at her hands in the end in movie Morgan?
In the last scene of Morgan we see Lee looking at her hands. During her evaluation, Morgan also looked at her hands (palms up, palms down) in same way.
Is there connection between Lee and Morgan? Why ...
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Why does Alys' death make Taverner exist again?
In Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick, the protagonist (a celebrity named Jason Taverner) spends the majority of the novel in a society where there is no record of his having ever ...
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In The Andromeda Strain what was the thing in white that approached the satellite retreival team?
At the beginning of The Andromeda Strain a few military guys were sent to retrieve a downed satellite before it was apparent that there was an airborne virus killing everyone. They were just in a Jeep ...
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Why did the 'Reality Dysfunction' book series end with a Deus ex Machina?
Why did the 'Reality Dysfunction' book series end with a Deus ex Machina? I mean he runs across a sentient super computer black hole with limitless power acting as a wish granting genie? I ...
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Why did Imhotep think Evie was Anck-Su-Namun reincarnated?
As we see in The Mummy Returns (2001), Evelyn Carnahan is the reincarnation of Princess Nefertiri, who is Seti I's daughter and the rival of Anck-Su-Namun. However, in the first film The Mummy (1999), ...
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How did Data not know what Aldebaran Whiskey was?
In the TNG episode "Relics" where Scotty returns, Data serves Scotty a glass of a green liquid which he cannot identify. The drink is later identified by Picard as Aldebaran Whiskey, which seems to be ...
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Effect of alien shrine on Armando
In the short story "The Familiar" by author David Farland (released as part of the short story collection "Alien Artifacts"), protagonist Armando encounters an alien artifact on the surface of Europa.
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Who actually nuked the Karakum?
Warning: Contains spoilers to "The Expanse" Season 2.
In "The Expanse" Season 2, the Martian Ship "Karakum" apparently carries out some black ops mission on Ganymede. It gets destroyed while at or ...
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Why didn't Newt Scamander just release the Thunderbird the moment he arrived in New York City?
We only learn of Newt Scamander's purpose in going to New York City when he and Jacob enter the suitcase. His entire purpose is to bring a Thunderbird named Frank to Arizona.
Newt says in a bit of ...
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Did the Obliviate-in-the-rain spell with the Thunderbird at the end of Fantastic Beasts affect those who were indoors?
Did the Thunderbird and rain and Obliviate spell at the end of Fantastic Beasts affect everyone in New York City? Or just those who were standing in the rain?
This video seems to imply anybody who ...
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In Kin-Dza-Dza! why are matches so precious?
Matches, aka Ketse, is the most valuable currency in the Kin-Dza-Dza universe, and even half a match is enough to buy a transportation device. The setting is dystopian/resource depleted ("we used our ...
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What are Climbing Crescents as used in The Broken Eye
I am currently reading The Broken Eye by Brent Weeks. In one of the chapters the character Teia has to steal something from a tower. She uses something called climbing crescents to help her achieve ...
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In Greg Bear's "Slant," what was the conspiracy trying to accomplish?
In Greg Bear's novel Slant, what was the villains' conspiracy trying to accomplish? What was their goal?
There are several plot threads. One is about a young prostitute who visits a client, who winds ...
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When was the Illudium Q-36 Space Modulator first depicted?
The Illudium Q-36 Space Modulator was an explosive device meant to destroy the Earth, which was blocking Marvin the Martian's view of Venus. It may have also been mentioned with a different but ...
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Does Rogue One create a plot hole in Return of the Jedi re Hyperspace Radio?
In the Star Wars movie Rogue One, we see the Rebels communicating over the radio whilst at Light-speed. I don't recall seeing this in other Star Wars movies. (They pop out of Hyperdrive - and the ...
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How many people knew the Chamber of Secrets existed?
And of course I am asking about the time before the events of Book 2. Although we don't see Hermione quoting anything directly about the chamber from "Hogwarts: A History", from Prof. Binn's class we ...
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How much did Lucius Malfoy know about the workings of the diary? [duplicate]
From CoS (or was it from HBP?) we get a very vague hint at how much Lucius knew about the diary; Dumbledore tells Harry that Voldemort probably told Lucius that the diary would help open the Chamber ...
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How did the telephone work and what was its role in Einstein's God Model?
In the movie Einstein's God Model sometimes a rotary telephone was used to receive messages from the dead or to exit the Matrix.
Other times it seems that the telephone was not involved, such as when ...
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Why is Ocarina of Time the splitting off point for the Zelda timeline?
I have read the other questions and answers related to the Zelda timeline on here. But my question wasn't answered there. A few years ago Nintendo finally released the History of Hyrule book. It, ...
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Can someone explain the Bleach ending to me? [spoilers] [closed]
I just read the last issue of Kubo's Bleach - and I must admit I don't get it. Maybe I've missed many subtle hints, maybe I'm just dense, but - it seems like no major question was answered by the ...
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Why did Cersei ask for Ser Balman's help?
In A Feast For Crows Chapter 24, We see Cersei having a dinner with Ser Balman Byrch and Falyse Stokeworth. Following conversation takes place:
“As I feared. Bronn is gathering swords for the dwarf....
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Can Ant-Man solve world hunger?
Can Pym Particles be used to take an ordinary apple, blow it up to the size of a building and feed an entire town?
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Could Neville have picked up the prophecy in the Ministry instead of Harry?
Or to put it another way, why does the prophecy in the Ministry have a (?) sign in front of Harry's name?
This was the label on the prophecy
S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D
Dark Lord
and (?) Harry Potter
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Why did the Gallowwalkers need to reskin when Wesley Snipes did not?
Wesley Snipes
Why did the Gallowwalkers need to reskin when Aman (Wesley Snipes) did not?
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Why did the Meks in Vance's 'Last Castle' not revolt from the inside?
In the novella The Last Castle by Vance, the Meks leave the human castles and proceed to revolt against their former masters from the outside and siege the castles. The revolt proved difficult to win ...
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How many times has Dumbledore outright lied to Harry (or anyone)?
As we are on the subject of lies in Harry Potter,
We know that Albus and Aberforth grew up with lies and deceit, and Albus was a natural. In the last book Aberforth also asks Harry whether ...
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What happened to Jay Garrick?
In S02E16 of 'The Flash' it is revealed that...
At first I thought that perhaps Zoom had...
However, in S02E18 we see a flashback in which we see Hunter Zolomon's father wearing,
This begs the ...
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In the movie Twelve Monkeys (1995), why couldn't James Cole change the past and still be the one who "gave the idea" of the disease to the antagonist?
While I was watching, the James Cole repeatedly says that he couldn't change the past "because he didn't" (so because it was determined or something like that). And yet, when he is in the past, he ...
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Why did Phantom 2040 always say "Aim, Lock, Fire!"
This guy...
...would always say "Aim, Lock, Fire!" whenever he fired his gun thing. Why did he do that?
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What was the point of the unique ammunition used by the PMC in the desert?
At the beginning of 'Batman v Superman', a firefight breaks out, and a private military contractor employs unique ammunition to kill several people. The ammunition becomes a significant plot point ...
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In "The Lake House," how did the book get under the floorboards?
In the film The Lake House, at what point and how did Alex get access to Kate's apartment on Racine in order to put Persuasion, the book she lost at the train station, under the floorboards of her ...
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What was the point (out of universe) of house-elves?
When I first read about house-elves in The Chamber of Secrets, I thought they were introduced as a very clear ethical artifact to teach children reading the story about slavery and forced work. The ...
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What is the backstory regarding the suit of armor at the top of the Munster's staircase?
Was a backstory ever revealed in any of the TV series or movies regarding who the suit of armor at the head of the stairs under which Spot lives belonged to? If so, what is the backstory?
I ask ...
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Why did R2-D2 only have part of the map?
At the end of The Force Awakens, it is shown that R2-D2 only has part of the galaxy map to the Jedi temple where Luke is hiding, and there is a very clean section missing as if it has been ...
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Did the Transporter room have to be part of the trip, or could it beam items from pt A to pt B w/out beaming the targets aboard during the trip?
We've seen the Transporter beam things to sites without transporter equipment, and we've seen Transporter's retrieve things from sites without Transporter equipment.
Say Scotty wanted to beam ...
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