Talk:Fictional elements, materials, isotopes and atomic particles
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"Handwavium" is listed as appearing in 'bad science fiction'. I'm assuming this is vandalism, but I don't know how long it's been there or any works it appears in. BioTube 22:46, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
I think that in means it is used in reference to science fiction deemed bad by the user of the term, because it is used to describe elements which form convient plot devices, but do not require much effort by the author.
Several major fictional elements are missing here. Neutronium is the supposed element formed when neutron stars compress normal matter into nothing but neutrons. It is essentially indestructible. (The question of whether matter would 'uncompress' when removed from the intense gravity is generally not even brought up.) It features in Star Trek several times, most notably in 'The Doomsday Device' where the outer hull of the planet-eating thing they are trying to destroy is made of neutronium so they have to think of a way to drop a bomb down its throat. Neutronium also figures as armor in many Scifi computer games like the Master of Orion series.
Quite a few other 'elements' are present as classes of armor in computer games. 'Tritanium' is popular (it's in the 'Master of Orion games, and several others) and then there is 'Xentronium', the ultimate armor in the Master of Orion series and not used elsewhere.
The British Scifi series "Blakes Seven" has an substance called 'Herculaneum' as the main hull component of the Liberator starship. Whether this is supposed to be an element of an alloy/composite is unclear but it's worth investigating.
Larry Niven's Ringworld series had to invent a new element (or perhaps composite material?) called 'scrith' to explain how the Ringworld was structurally possible.
These are just 'off the top of my head' but I guess I'm a hard core Scifi reading (and game playing) geek. :)
Oh, one more thought, Thor's hammer is made of a 'magical' metal called 'Uru' but I don't know if that's got any relation to the original Norse mythology or if that's just a recent comic book invention.
[edit] To Be Added
I don't understand -- is this simply waiting for someone to add into the table? --Scix 18:23, 11 October 2006 (UTC)
- I was thinking the same thing. Because I have one that doesnt appear and I'm not sure wethere to add it to the table or add it to the "to be added" list.
