Common Sci-Fi tropes that annoy you!

[Compatriot Block]

Something that more bugs me than anything else. Halo and Mass Effect had a nice interesting setting with Humans and other aliens, enough of a conflict between everyone in the setting to tell a good story, enough good characters to carry it. So how come in those stories with well built universes they have to throw in an ancient evil that's going to kill everyone and everyone has to put aside their differences to stop it. Why? Why can't we have conflicts between aliens that aren't super powered ancient robots or parasites that are going to wipe out everything that isn't them? Why couldn't we see how the Batarians would've reacted to Humanity, their more or less enemy, getting a Council seat and expanding even further into their territory? Something like that.

My bet is that it's because it's really hard to write a successful morally grey conflict. If you're not careful, one side will end up looking like the clear "villain" of the story. Plus, unless there's a cop-out peaceful ending, one side is going to lose, and in some settings that means an ugly, depressing end for one of the cultures. A lot of studios try to avoid those, maybe for marketing reasons.

With an outside-context antagonist like the Reapers, they don't need to worry about "humanizing" both sides. The Reapers were interesting to me, but not because I was wondering what the Reaper lifestyle back in Reaperland was like.

I totally agree with you though. I'd love more stories like what you described.

 

[Gary Thompson]

Humanity is always either a Federation knock-off or a feudalistic society in the future.

I want to see humanity as constitutional monarchy, or a fascistic state, or something different than the usual.

Also, that, and the fact that every species seems to have one government.

So, you want to tell me that there're no groups within the same species that want to rule themselves and not be in the same state as the rest of their species?

 

[Erttheking]

Something that more bugs me than anything else. Halo and Mass Effect had a nice interesting setting with Humans and other aliens, enough of a conflict between everyone in the setting to tell a good story, enough good characters to carry it. So how come in those stories with well built universes they have to throw in an ancient evil that's going to kill everyone and everyone has to put aside their differences to stop it. Why? Why can't we have conflicts between aliens that aren't super powered ancient robots or parasites that are going to wipe out everything that isn't them? Why couldn't we see how the Batarians would've reacted to Humanity, their more or less enemy, getting a Council seat and expanding even further into their territory? Something like that.

My bet is that it's because it's really hard to write a successful morally grey conflict. If you're not careful, one side will end up looking like the clear "villain" of the story. Plus, unless there's a cop-out peaceful ending, one side is going to lose, and in some settings that means an ugly, depressing end for one of the cultures. A lot of studios try to avoid those, maybe for marketing reasons.

With an outside-context antagonist like the Reapers, they don't need to worry about "humanizing" both sides. The Reapers were interesting to me, but not because I was wondering what the Reaper lifestyle back in Reaperland was like.

I totally agree with you though. I'd love more stories like what you described.

I'll give people credit though, I doubt these types of stories are easy to write. I've come up with plenty of interesting grey and gray stories with plenty of good ways to have conflict between factions. Then I ask myself "how do I end it?" This is usually the point where my brain goes blank. It really is hard to have a story where two factions can go at each other and have them really be as bad as each other and not have an ending where A. one is more merciful than the other and puts a benevolent ruler in after defeating their enemy, which kinda ruins the grey and gray unless its well done B. makes one look like a psychopath by conquering the enemy, again ruining the grey and gray but in a different way or C. end with both still around and at peace, which keeps the grey and gray, but just doesn't make any sense. So yeah, I'll give them credit that it's damn near impossible to write a story like that well.

Not that a think the Flood or Reapers were badly written, they were very well written, it's more the repition of the trope that annoys me.

 

[Alcamonic]

Breaking the laws of physics, because of technobabble or willpower, sometimes both.
Granted, this is more common in anime than other areas, for whatever reason.

I am aware that science might help us nullify certain boundaries thought impossible before, like flying.
But my suspense of belief goes out the window and makes me shout out "oh for fuck's sake" when the hero does something completely impossible. Returning anime trope is the obvious "because of willpower I can crush a rib cage with a single fist blow".

 

[Adeptus Aspartem]

I don't like the whole "Humans are best"-shtick which always appears to me as US WWII-winner wankfest translated into the future.
We're new in the galaxy! But so much more energetic, stubborn and what not.

And i agree with Buzz Killington: Those clinical settings where everything looks polished and not lived in + the Chosen One trope.
Though the latter is rather due to oversaturation by the trope than disliking it by default.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Humanity is always either a Federation knock-off or a feudalistic society in the future.

I want to see humanity as constitutional monarchy, or a fascistic state, or something different than the usual.

Also, that, and the fact that every species seems to have one government.

So, you want to tell me that there're no groups within the same species that want to rule themselves and not be in the same state as the rest of their species?

One name for you: Warhammer 40000. Theocratic Oligarchy where the State Church is the law. There's a reason that the Imperium of Man is often nicknamed Catholic Space Nazis.

The whole "One Government" thing gets sidelined as well. Yes, the Imperium overall commands humanity, but individual Planetary and System Governors are free to rule their territories as they see fit, so long as they hold up the State Religion and pay their military tithes.

And there are several non Imperial human societies out there. They just happen to be at war with a galactic superpower that has more bodies than they have landmass.


Regarding the cliche of "Humans are the best!", I'd actually love to read a story where Humans were the best, but they were also the worst calamity that ever hit the galaxy. Humans as the genocidal, xenophobic alien invaders, crushing all in their way. The trouble is that writing protagonist aliens with a completely different culture to humans and making them sympathetic would be very difficult.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Humanity is always either a Federation knock-off or a feudalistic society in the future.

I want to see humanity as constitutional monarchy, or a fascistic state, or something different than the usual.

Also, that, and the fact that every species seems to have one government.

So, you want to tell me that there're no groups within the same species that want to rule themselves and not be in the same state as the rest of their species?

One name for you: Warhammer 40000. Theocratic Oligarchy where the State Church is the law. There's a reason that the Imperium of Man is often nicknamed Catholic Space Nazis.

The whole "One Government" thing gets sidelined as well. Yes, the Imperium overall commands humanity, but individual Planetary and System Governors are free to rule their territories as they see fit, so long as they hold up the State Religion and pay their military tithes.

I thought of that as well, but that is rather feudalistic.

However, you have to give credit for oodles of different cultures for humans, and a fair few for various aliens.

 

[Chris Moses]

I really hate the trope of an entire army (or huge dominating ships/battle stations) being controlled/powered by one thing and as soon as that one thing is destroyed/disabled the entire army is destroyed/ceases functioning.

This trope is as old (maybe older) than the Bible (David and Goliath). For once I would like to see a real struggle to defeat an enemy instead of a convenient ploy to wrap things up in the last 15 min.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I really hate the trope of an entire army (or huge dominating ships/battle stations) being controlled/powered by one thing and as soon as that one thing is destroyed/disabled the entire army is destroyed/ceases functioning.

This trope is as old (maybe older) than the Bible (David and Goliath). For once I would like to see a real struggle to defeat an enemy instead of a convenient ploy to wrap things up in the last 15 min.

But...you've just made Dan Abnett unemployed!

 

[Gary Thompson]

Humanity is always either a Federation knock-off or a feudalistic society in the future.

I want to see humanity as constitutional monarchy, or a fascistic state, or something different than the usual.

Also, that, and the fact that every species seems to have one government.

So, you want to tell me that there're no groups within the same species that want to rule themselves and not be in the same state as the rest of their species?

One name for you: Warhammer 40000. Theocratic Oligarchy where the State Church is the law. There's a reason that the Imperium of Man is often nicknamed Catholic Space Nazis.

The whole "One Government" thing gets sidelined as well. Yes, the Imperium overall commands humanity, but individual Planetary and System Governors are free to rule their territories as they see fit, so long as they hold up the State Religion and pay their military tithes.

And there are several non Imperial human societies out there. They just happen to be at war with a galactic superpower that has more bodies than they have landmass.


Regarding the cliche of "Humans are the best!", I'd actually love to read a story where Humans were the best, but they were also the worst calamity that ever hit the galaxy. Humans as the genocidal, xenophobic alien invaders, crushing all in their way. The trouble is that writing protagonist aliens with a completely different culture to humans and making them sympathetic would be very difficult.

I'm a huge 40k fan, and the Imperium is very much feudal, in the sense that it's a loose empire of worlds mostly ruled by hereditary governors.

They do subvert the single culture thing though, with each planet being pretty unique, even though it's mostly shown through the regiments.

Mostly what I can think of that does something unique is the Caldari from EVE are a fascist corporate state, and the Terran Republic from Planetside is a military dictatorship.
Also the Terran Federation from Starship Troopers.

 

[DementedSheep]

Aliens that look like humans but are just "better" and live longer. Essentially they are space elves. Most the time they come across as a wish fulfilment species.

Speaking of wish fulfilment species the mostly human "doesn't have hold ups about modesty" one that just so happens to be exclusively female or males just aren't there or the males don't look anything like the females at all. It mostly just in older stuff at least.

With GE, augmentation or modifying people some other way the protagonist being the original and for this reason stronger than all others. If anything it would be the other way around.

Species where everyone in them just seems to to have the same personality and culture. Humans vary, why would aliens not?

Time travel/multiple universe plots which seem surprising common in sci fi. Argh.

"I thought I was in the past but I'm actually in the future!" plots.

Instant universal translators I'll give a pass just because the language issues are awkward to write about if that not a big focus of your plot.

 

[Tassit]

Futuristic laser or energy weapons that are less effective than a normal gun like what we have on Earth today, Star Trek is a big culprit of this, especially Voyager. Meanwhile on DS9 someone takes a shot in to the leg and loses the leg.

I dunno, I kinda liked how effective the Tommy Gun Picard used on the Borg was. They're adaptive and eventually immune to certain lasers due to their unique armor and what not, armor that's obviously not designed for kinetic damage.

 

[Chris Moses]

What if Mankind gets reduced to only a few tens of thousands and maximizing childbirth goes from an imperative to a moral virtue and any which gets in the way of that is looked on as a social evil, like homosexuality, long after the need for such a view has passed because necessity turned into tradition.

This idea has bugged me for a long time. Forgive me for singling you out for it, but I feel the need to add my "gay voice" to this.

Homosexuals are perfectly capable of reproducing, we just engage in sexual activities that preclude it. You can bet your britches that if we were to start running out of humans that I would donate as much man-seed as needed (or at least as much as I can make...) to continue our race. Homosexuality need not be a barrier to reproduction and I find it offensive the implication that gays would be the ultimate pricks dooming humanity to extinction by selfishly choosing not to reproduce.

Your hypothetical cataclysm would also have to wipe out any and all "turkey baster/tube" technology before homosexuals would actually have to "do the deed" with the opposite sex to continue the species. Hell, even naturally occurring hollowed out reeds would do the trick or large rolled up leaves... add the sauce and a little puff of breath and viola` baby batter delivered without any homosexual having to overcome their revulsion or just plain not being turned on by the opposite sex!

Captcha: no way

yes way, "Life always finds a way"...

 

[Tassit]

What if Mankind gets reduced to only a few tens of thousands and maximizing childbirth goes from an imperative to a moral virtue and any which gets in the way of that is looked on as a social evil, like homosexuality, long after the need for such a view has passed because necessity turned into tradition.

This idea has bugged me for a long time. Forgive me for singling you out for it, but I feel the need to add my "gay voice" to this.

Homosexuals are perfectly capable of reproducing, we just engage in sexual activities that preclude it. You can bet your britches that if we were to start running out of humans that I would donate as much man-seed as needed (or at least as much as I can make...) to continue our race. Homosexuality need not be a barrier to reproduction and I find it offensive the implication that gays would be the ultimate pricks dooming humanity to extinction by selfishly choosing not to reproduce.

Your hypothetical cataclysm would also have to wipe out any and all "turkey baster/tube" technology before homosexuals would actually have to "do the deed" with the opposite sex to continue the species. Hell, even naturally occurring hollowed out reeds would do the trick or large rolled up leaves... add the sauce and a little puff of breath and viola` baby batter delivered without any homosexual having to overcome their revulsion or just plain not being turned on by the opposite sex!

Captcha: no way

yes way, "Life always finds a way"...

Speaking of this, there's a book called "The Forever War" where the main character, due to traveling and cryosleep manages to skip large time periods. There's a point where population control is mandatory, then it's relaxed, then strongly encouraged, then finally there are so many people Homosexuality is the norm and to not be "Homolife" is considered perverse. It's really quite interesting.

Or.. I think that's the name of the book lol

 

[GamerFromJump]

ive recently been watching The Next Generation on tv and it kind of bugs me every time the doctor uses her "futuremajiggy" healing device. it kind of saps the danger out of the show when any injury can be healed just from her waving her magic wand over the site of the damage.

People biting it from injuries that we could theoretically treat in a current trauma center is one of mine.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Speaking of this, there's a book called "The Forever War" where the main character, due to traveling and cryosleep manages to skip large time periods. There's a point where population control is mandatory, then it's relaxed, then strongly encouraged, then finally there are so many people Homosexuality is the norm and to not be "Homolife" is considered perverse. It's really quite interesting.

Or.. I think that's the name of the book lol

The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman.

IIRC, he wrote it, at least in part, as a response to Heinlein's "Starship Troopers". Also, IIRC, both Heinlein and Haldeman served in the US military, however, there wasn't a war going on while Heinlein served, which is given as a reason for rather different views about the military.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

I'd say the only incredibly common thing I see is that Sci-Fi, at least the very popular Sci-Fi, doesn't understand the scope and scale of numbers very well. As an example, consider the photon torpedo from Star Trek - while shown as being reasonably powerful weapons, many ships are capable of shrugging of many of these before exploding. Furthermore, most of the time it would take a sustained bombardment of such weapons to do something like destroy a city. Both of these are strange considering the lowest possible yield is a weapon capable of reducing any city on earth as well as miles of surrounding countryside into nothing but a smoking crater. At it's weakest, it could annihilate a city. At the largest yield, complete planetary destruction (and not simple mass extinction) would be fairly trivial.

In this regard, Mass Effect stands out as a rare example of something that actually realizes the magnitude of the weapons in the universe as it includes bits pointing out that, because of the power of dreadnought guns, planetary battles around an occupied planet gave tremendous advantage to the defenders simply because the attackers didn't want to be responsible for throwing hundreds of multiple kiloton charges on the planet should they miss.

 

[GamerFromJump]

Three big ones for me are "Businesses (or to use the bete noir word, "corporations") directly run the government, cause they're evil", which is completely f'in stupid, and would make no business sense whatsoever. I had to give up on Continuum because of this one.

Related is the trope of said evil businesses keeping Phlebotinum X at some ludicrously high price, cause evil. Even worse is when they show this being successful, instead of what would actually happen, "GOING FREAKING BROKE". Writers, Moore's Law* has been a thing for over 100 years, and a named thing for nearly 50. PAY ATTENTION!

Third is the idea** that far-future humans will remain essentially unchanged from the current variety. I understand relatability and all that, but humans are capable of a very broad circle of empathy. It's traits that are relatable. Considering that such things as better nutrition and getting lead out of the piping effected major change on humans, the idea that there will be NO move to use future tech to do even better is ludicrous, unless using oppression to stop it is part of the plot (looking at you, Star Trek).


* As in, the principle that a given technology, absent restricting factors, tends to decrease in price and increase in capability over time. First applied to computers, where it is most noticeable.

** http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NoTranshumanismAllowed

 

[Zontar]

As an example, consider the photon torpedo from Star Wars

Does not compute, does not com.... (*head explodes*). You better be careful, you don't want to cross the streams, that's the two largest sci-fi fandoms you're rustling the jimmies of.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

As an example, consider the photon torpedo from Star Wars

Does not compute, does not com.... (*head explodes*). You better be careful, you don't want to cross the streams, that's the two largest sci-fi fandoms you're rustling the jimmies of.

Good catch - I changed the post. Though, it should be noted that the PROTON torpedo of Star WARS suffers from the same problem being a weapon that, if I recall correctly, uses an anti-matter charge as it's payload which annihilates more than a kilogram of matter in total - enough that all the nuclear weapons ever used in human history to date would look like mere firecrackers.