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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In "The Rubber Bend", what is the significance of Dr Dodson's lover being called his 'daughter'?
"The Rubber Bend" is a Gene Wolfe short story which parodies Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson.
It first appeared in Universe 5 and also appears in Storeys from the Old Hotel.
The detective's ...
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What happened after the first video conference between Jason and Sarris?
In Galaxy Quest, when the show's cast are taken to the spaceship by the Thermians the first time, Jason gets into a conference call with Sarris. At the end of the call, he off-handedly tells the ...
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Are there any prior (in universe) indications of seven being the most magically powerful number before Slughorn's memory?
I have been reading a bunch of older questions here, and some of them are questioning the importance of Slughorn's memory in HBP, and I feel for good reason. The only explanation the story gives that ...
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Why does Weyland Yutani want a xeno for weapon when they have, for example, androids?
I could see xenos being useful from a medical standpoint but in a time when technology includes not just FTL drives but also controllable androids, what could xenos do as a weapon that would be useful?...
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Was The Blob in the Steve McQueen version or the 1980s remake sentient?
Maybe not explicitly so, but hinted at that the creature has, for example, some understanding of humans being separate creatures? I thought that in the remake it animates the dead body of a kid, ...
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In the Time Machine (2002) did the fiancée have to die?
In some respects, the idea that somehow a new "story" is written (By whom? the Guardian of Forever? The mind of the Creator of the Universe?) each time The Time Traveler tries to save his ...
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In the movie Donnie Darko (2001), what was the symbolism or purpose of the obese girl?
In the movie Donnie Darko (2001), what was the reason for inclusion of the obese girl who is highlighted in several scenes but does not seem to play any part in the overarching plot?
Is she supposed ...
user144665
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What was supposed to make replicants obedient?
I think in one of the short films, Neander Wallace says his new "angels" will obey no matter what and he seems to demonstrate that. But the replicants prior to that: was it believed that ...
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How is the Daybreak mental state transferred from person to person?
In John Barnes' Daybreak series, we are given to understand that people are infected with "Daybreak" -- ideas that lead them to create bioengineered bacteria, immense fusion bombs, and other ...
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Why is Chevy Chase's clothing sometimes visible in "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" and sometimes invisible?
In this first clip his clothing is visible.
In this second clip, his clothing is invisible, as otherwise the men who are hunting him would have seen his clothing.
...
user143355
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The movie Seconds (Frankenheimer/Rock Hudson): Was the procedure purely medical?
Or was there some "magical" aspect? The transformation is of course quite remarkable but also, when the main character, pre-transformation, says he wants to be a tennis pro, he is told this ...
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Why didn't they also rescue the cavemen?
In the film Time Trap there are two kind of people trapped in the cave, people from 21st century and then some cavemen that have been living in the cave for ages.
The rescue team that come from ...
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Radio interference caused by Martian dust storm
In comments below this excellent answer to Are there methods of lightning detection on Mars? I lament not being able to remember where I'd read about radio noise in the receiver of a real-world ...
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Why did the Armageddon (1998) plot require a "rogue comet that jarred loose a Texas-sized asteroid"? [closed]
Wikipedia's Armageddon (1998 film); Plot begins:
A massive meteor shower destroys the orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis, before entering the atmosphere and bombarding New York City. NASA discovers that ...
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What was the un-named French phrase in Joe Hart's Obscura?
In Joe Hart's Obscura, at two points when Dr. Gillian Ryan visits Dr. Eric Ander's office/dwelling, the narrative mentions a French phrase that is prominently visible.
On the farthest wall was an ...
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