History Main / ForgottenPhlebotinum

*** In "City on the Edge of Forever" Spock builds a machine that can see into (the) (possible) future(s) from 1930 components such as can be afforded on Kirk's day labourer's earnings. (It might be suggested that such a machine can only work for you if you have travelled back in time from a farther future than the one(s) you are investigating.)

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

* {{Averted}} in ''Fanfic/AVoiceInTheWilderness''. The crew of the crippled USS ''Bajor'' '''does''' remember that they have shuttlecraft which are independently warp-capable, and make plans to evacuate with them. Unfortunately they can only get about 150 crew of over a thousand off that way.

*** Season 12 actually answers this. Crowley got his hands on it shortly after the aforementioned unsuccessful attempt on [[spoiler:Lucifer]], and gave it to Ramiel. Ramiel then held onto it for the next 7 years (why he didn't destroy it is unclear), before the brothers finally got it back again. [[spoiler:Sadly it gets permanently destroyed shortly afterword]].

** UsefulNotes/{{The Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} had ''tons'' of ForgottenPhlebotinum. For example, there is ''Action Comics'' #252, an issue otherwise better known for being Supergirl's first appearance. In the lead-in story, though, Superman is being menaced by kryptonite, and he escapes by melting it with his heat vision, at which point he learns the liquid kryptonite is no longer harmful. (In a real head against wall moment, he even says that it's because when items change their state, they lose other properties, like how ice, when it melts into water, [[CriticalResearchFailure stops being cold]]. Superman forgets that liquid kryptonite is harmless to him thereafter, and in fact, liquid ''and gaseous'' kryptonite are shown being harmful to him in later stories. [[ItOnlyWorksOnce So maybe he found the only chunk of kryptonite in the universe that would be harmless to him if it were liquid.]]

* Crops up in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes''. Interestingly, your character is often the ForgottenPhlebotinum; for example, [=NPCs=] often caution you to "be careful, these guys are dangerous!", even after your character has defeated monsters, giant robots, and demigods.

** Infamously, when a demon was first introduced early in season 1, the word "Christo" would make a possessed person flinch. This was promptly forgotten for the rest of the series depite demons being one of the most reccuring threats except briefly in a [[LongRunner season 14]] episode.

** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Season 1 is full of this. The Elements of Harmony ([[WhatHappenedToTheMouse and Princess Luna]]) are completely forgotten about after the second episode, Twilight Sparkle shows an ability to teleport in episode four and never uses it again, Pinkie's "Pinkie Sense" is never mentioned after its debut episode, and while the Sonic Rainboom pops up later it is only in a series of flashbacks. Season two turns all of these into [[ChekhovsBoomerang Chekhov's Boomerangs]]... for, in most cases, exactly one episode each, after which they all go back to being forgotten if RuleOfDrama requires it, although after the end of season 2 the teleport spell sees casual use. Some of these were due to an instruction from Hasbro to avoid ContinuityLockout, since they wanted to be able to broadcast and syndicate the episodes in any order. That doesn't explain late-Season-1-Twilight's aversion to teleportation, though.

*** The Rainbow of Light is introduced in ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials Rescue at Midnight Castle]]'' as a powerful FantasticNuke and said to be one of the most powerful magic artifacts in Ponyland. The number of times it's used can be counted on one hand; against Tirek, against Catrina, against the Witches of the Volcano of Gloom and the Smooze, and to clear away rain clouds so they can pick cherries. After that, it's never seen nor mentioned again, save for once when Megan remembers they have it and plans to use it, only to drop it where she can't get it back and has it returned to her after the threat has been defeated.

*** Also in ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials Rescue at Midnight Castle]]'', the Sea Ponies gave Megan a seashell that she could use to call them. In the show proper, she only used it once.
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
*** Season 1 is full of this. The Elements of Harmony ([[WhatHappenedToTheMouse and Princess Luna]]) are completely forgotten about after the second episode, Twilight Sparkle shows an ability to teleport in episode four and never uses it again, Pinkie's "Pinkie Sense" is never mentioned after its debut episode, and while the Sonic Rainboom pops up later it is only in a series of flashbacks. Season two turns all of these into [[ChekhovsBoomerang Chekhov's Boomerangs]]... for, in most cases, exactly one episode each, after which they all go back to being forgotten if RuleOfDrama requires it, although after the end of season 2 the teleport spell sees casual use. Some of these were due to an instruction from Hasbro to avoid ContinuityLockout, since they wanted to be able to broadcast and syndicate the episodes in any order. That doesn't explain late-Season-1-Twilight's aversion to teleportation, though.

* Shows up in one of the many ''[[Comicbook/TheAvengers Avengers]]'' stories (the relaunch with Creator/KurtBusiek). Justice, sidelined with a broken leg, goes on an ArchiveBinge and realizes that the best way to defeat an Adamantium robot on a homicidal rampage is with Antarctic (type B) Vibranium (AKA Anti-Metal), a metal that somehow destroys any other metal within range when exposed to the air. Fortunately, the Avengers destroyed an AIM base with stocks of type B vibranium four or five issues previously; but in all the long history of ComicBook/{{Ultron}}'s rampages, some of the finest minds ([[ComicBook/IronMan Stark]], [[ComicBook/AntMan Pym]] et al) in the world never linked the "really tough metal" and "destroys metal on contact" dots together.

*** They came up with a holographic communications array, installed it on the ''Defiant'''s bridge and Sisko's office, used it all of three times and forgot all about it. Other than looking cool and saving some money on blue-screen usage, it really served no purpose at all.[[note]]This was eventually retconned in ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' as having existed even before TOS days. It was removed from the ''Enterprise'' both because it interfered with her older systems and because Pike just plain didn't like how it made everyone look like ghosts. It's possible the rest of Starfleet soon gave up on the tech and went back to the good old screens.[[/note]]

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': In the epilogue of ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', Luke Skywalker gets a like-OEM [[ArtificialLimbs prosthetic hand]] installed to replace the one Darth Vader removed in their duel. This is apparently the level of medical care that is available to plucky ragtag rebel groups within a week of the Galactic Empire kicking their asses at Hoth. Which has the effect of making Padmé Amidala's prophesied DeathByChildbirth in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' as motivation for Anakin seem like she never visited a doctor the entire time she was pregnant: by precedent it would be surprising if anybody in her social class ever even had a bad cold that century. (Her actual death is marginally more justifiable considering [[spoiler:she was {{Force choke}}ed by Anakin/Vader beforehand]].)

** In ''Film/IronMan1'', Tony Stark uses a small missile to easily obliterate the military tank that has just knocked him out of the sky. A small magazine of these would be incredibly useful in many situations in future movies, but apparently he forgets to include them. This is lampshaded in many of the WebAnimation/HowItShouldHaveEnded parodies, where Tony will often shout "Tank Missile!" and easily resolve the conflict.

* It was demonstrated in ''Film/TheLastJedi'' how a single ship can destroy an entire fleet by kamikazing it through hyperspace. Not only could this have been used moments earlier with any of the ships helplessly picked off by the bad guys, it makes you wonder how nobody in the Star Wars universe ever thought about this simple tactic before. How about strapping an old hyperdrive to an asteroid and letting a droid ram it into the [[Film/ANewHope Death Star]]? Seems like a good shot compared to the Hail Mary the Rebels went for.

** ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' introduces as a core plot element an experimental jumpdrive that proves to have StoryBreakerPower if you bother to think about it for more than five minutes: for example, it's accused of trivializing ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'''s entire MythArc since a spore drive-equipped ship could have gotten Janeway et al. home in a day [[spoiler:had Starfleet not declared the entire project OverTheTopSecret in the season 2 finale]]. They use it fairly intelligently in season 1, but in season 2 especially they ignore its existence in several instances, most egregiously in the season 2 finale [[spoiler:where the protagonists fight a BigBadassBattleSequence they could have easily avoided by jumping ''Discovery'' someplace beyond the feasible range of standard warp drives instead of to Xahea]].

*** Throughout the series, Voyager manages to cut a collective ''30-50 years'' off their journey. As the (non-altered) future of the series finale "Endgame" shows, after the crew ignored the Borg temporal node, they supposedly spent the next '''26 years''' merrily skipping along on their way to Earth ''without'' the aid of any of the aforementioned technologies. It's like the crew just gave up and decided to go the traditional way, even though Janeway wouldn't have hesitated to use an advantage if one presented itself.
*** The show gives a reason ship-board transporters won't work, but they neglect to explain why they can't use the shuttle's independently-powered transporters.

* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': In the pilot, Fitz and Simmons create a special version of the [[StunGun I.C.E.R.]] that fires out of a sniper rifle. The weapon proves exceptionally effective, allowing Ward to subdue the superpowered VillainOfTheWeek without ever having to get close enough for the villain to use his powers against him. In fact, he never even realized Ward was there! Unfortunately, nobody ever seems to remember this when they need to non-lethally subdue threats in future episodes. While the I.C.E.R. itself becomes part of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s regular arsenal, they're all handguns, which have considerably less range and leave the user much more vulnerable.

* One of the most notorious parts of ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' lore: what happens to the weapons he obtains from the Robot Masters? In every game, he receives several invaluable weapons and tools, but by the time Dr. Wily threatens the world for what feels like the hundredth time, Mega Man has discarded them. Among other amazing weapons, you'd think he'd keep something like the Ice Slasher[[note]]A ''VideoGame/MegaMan1'' weapon capable of freezing enemies, even suspending them in ''mid-air''.[[/note]], Atomic Fire[[note]]A ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'' weapon, and likely the most powerful (and energy-consuming) fire weapon in the Classic series when fully charged.[[/note]], Metal Blade[[note]]Also from ''Mega Man 2'', and arguably one of the most useful weapons in the entire series. Could be considered a GameBreaker, as it can be used over 100 times before running out of energy, fired in any direction and is effective against numerous bosses and enemies.[[/note]], or the Flash Stopper[[note]]A ''VideoGame/MegaMan4'' weapon that emits light so bright most robots' circuits seize up briefly. It's similar to ''Mega Man 2'''s Time Stopper, but while that actually [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin stopped time]], Mega Man couldn't shoot while it was in effect, unlike the Flash Stopper.[[/note]] on hand for when Wily predictably reappears, but no. Especially groan-worthy when you realize that he sometimes has to obtain these weapons for the second, third, fourth, or ''(rarely) FIFTH time'' in later games (such as the arcade and Game Boy titles). Some adaptations (such as the [[ComicBook/MegaManArchieComics Archie Comics series]]) try to HandWave this.

** Also, the many, many, '''many''' [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands one-shot powers displayed by individual Autobots]] that would never be used again. (Most iconically, the PureEnergy [[EpicFlail flail]] and [[AnAxeToGrind axe]] used by Megs and Prime, respectively, in the series premiere only and never again.)
** In a rather impressive case of this, in the first two episodes of the show, the Autobots can all fly under their own power. This is even shown off in the opening titles. However, by the third episode, Optimus needs to borrow a jetpack to fly, and after some inconsistent appearances in the first season, the ability mostly vanishes except for a number of specific characters (i.e. the Dinobots). It's hard to even count the number of times that being able to fly would have resolved any given threat, and it's typically suggested that everyone being able to fly would make altmodes rather irrelevant.

** ''Franchise/TransformersGeneration1'' had both sides constantly creating weapons that would be a GameBreaker in the hands of non-idiots. Instead of being used for what they [[MisappliedPhlebotinum could be]], they'd be used to create/stop the problem of the day, and then never be seen or heard from again. Also, the many, many, '''many''' [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands one-shot powers displayed by individual Autobots]] that would never be used again. (Most iconically, the PureEnergy [[EpicFlail flail]] and [[AnAxeToGrind axe]] used by Megs and Prime, respectively, in the series premiere only and never again.) They also suffered from NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: If the ultimate weapon whipped up in the days since the previous episode gets smashed at the end, just making another is apparently never an option.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Birdman}}''. The title hero can only recharge his solar powers in sunlight. This means that in almost every episode (except "The Menace of Dr. Millenium", "The Deadly Duplicator" and "Versus the Speed Demon") he runs out of power, is captured by the villain and he has to re-expose himself to the sun's rays to regain his powers. In episode 20 "The Wings of Fear" he develops "Solar Energy Storage Bands", which provide him with solar energy to replenish his powers when he's out of the sunlight. After this episode they're never mentioned again, even though they would have been incredibly useful.

*** "Call of the Cutie" has Apple Bloom try hang gliding. "Griffon the Brush-Off" has Pinkie Pie in a pedal-powered helicopter. "May the Best Pet Win" has Rainbow Dash's pet tortoise Tank get a {{Magitek}} propeller with which to fly alongside her. "Testing, Testing, 1 2 3" has a background pony in ''another'' pedal-powered helicopter. Meanwhile, other episodes have the pegasus Scootaloo struggling with being [[FictionalDisability unable to fly]]. A couple of episodes even have her exhibiting mechanical skills of her own, such that she could potentially build something herself to help her fly if need be.[[note]]Often when a work of SpeculativeFiction does the "disability representation" thing, the result is a character whose condition [[FridgeLogic looks like it ought to be treatable]] with all the [[AppliedPhlebotinum phlebotinum]] lying around. Here we have the opposite problem: a FictionalDisability which could potentially be remedied (to some extent) with real-world technology.[[/note]] Yet at no point does anyone introduce her to the wonderful world of aeronautical engineering -- all she ever got was a [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E5FlightToTheFinish lecture from one of Equestria's top fliers]] about how she should have no preference for being able to fly over not being able to fly. Possibly justified for the first few seasons when it was left ambiguous whether there actually was anything medically wrong with her wings, or if she was simply having trouble learning to fly.[[note]]At one point, Lauren Faust herself stated that Scootaloo "hadn't figured it out yet".[[/note]] In later seasons when she is still no closer to being able to fly normally, not so much.[[note]]"You don't need to be not-disabled to be special" is a fine Aesop in and of itself, but passing off feel-good platitudes as a valid substitute for meaningful solutions is [[InspirationallyDisadvantaged seriously partonizing]].[[/note]]

*** "Call of the Cutie" has Apple Bloom try hang gliding. "Griffon the Brush-Off" has Pinkie Pie in a pedal-powered helicopter. "May the Best Pet Win" has Rainbow Dash's pet tortoise Tank get a {{Magitek}} propeller with which to fly alongside her. "Testing, Testing, 1 2 3" has a background pony in ''another'' pedal-powered helicopter. Meanwhile, other episodes have the pegasus Scootaloo struggling with being [[FictionalDisability unable to fly]]. Other episodes even have her exhibiting mechanical skills of her own, such that she could potentially build something herself to help her fly if need be.[[note]]Often when a work of SpeculativeFiction does the "disability representation" thing, the result is a character whose condition [[FridgeLogic looks like it ought to be treatable]] with all the [[AppliedPhlebotinum phlebotinum]] lying around. Here we have the opposite problem: a FictionalDisability which could potentially be remedied (to some extent) with real-world technology.[[/note]] Yet at no point does anyone introduce her to the wonderful world of aeronautical engineering -- all she ever got was a [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E5FlightToTheFinish lecture from one of Equestria's top fliers]] about how she should have no preference for being able to fly over not being able to fly. Possibly justified for the first few seasons when it was left ambiguous whether there actually was anything medically wrong with her wings, or if she was simply having trouble learning to fly.[[note]]At one point, Lauren Faust herself stated that Scootaloo "hadn't figured it out yet".[[/note]] In later seasons when she is still no closer to being able to fly normally, not so much.[[note]]"You don't need to be not-disabled to be special" is a fine Aesop in and of itself, but passing off feel-good platitudes as a valid substitute for meaningful solutions is [[InspirationallyDisadvantaged seriously partonizing]].[[/note]]

*** "Call of the Cutie" has Apple Bloom try hang gliding. "Griffon the Brush-Off" has Pinkie Pie in a pedal-powered helicopter. "May the Best Pet Win" has Rainbow Dash's pet tortoise Tank get a {{Magitek}} propeller with which to fly alongside her. "Testing, Testing, 1 2 3" has a background pony in ''another'' pedal-powered heliopter. Meanwhile, other episodes have the pegasus Scootaloo struggling with being [[FictionalDisability unable to fly]]. Other episodes even have her exhibiting mechanical skills of her own, such that she could potentially build something herself to help her fly if need be.[[note]]Often when a work of SpeculativeFiction does the "disability representation" thing, the result is a character whose condition [[FridgeLogic looks like it ought to be treatable]] with all the [[AppliedPhlebotinum phlebotinum]] lying around. Here we have the opposite problem: a FictionalDisability which could potentially be remedied (to some extent) with real-world technology.[[/note]] Yet at no point does anyone introduce her to the wonderful world of aeronautical engineering -- all she ever got was a [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E5FlightToTheFinish lecture from one of Equestria's top fliers]] about how she should have no preference for being able to fly over not being able to fly. Possibly justified for the first few seasons when it was left ambiguous whether there actually was anything medically wrong with her wings, or if she was simply having trouble learning to fly.[[note]]At one point, Lauren Faust herself stated that Scootaloo "hadn't figured it out yet".[[/note]] In later seasons when she is still no closer to being able to fly normally, not so much.[[note]]"You don't need to be not-disabled to be special" is a fine Aesop in and of itself, but passing off feel-good platitudes as a valid substitute for meaningful solutions is [[InspirationallyDisadvantaged seriously partonizing]].[[/note]]

*** "Call of the Cutie" had Apple Bloom try hang gliding. "Griffon the Brush-Off" had Pinkie Pie in a pedal-powered helicopter. "May the Best Pet Win" had Rainbow Dash's pet tortoise Tank get a {{Magitek}} propeller with which to fly alongside her. "Testing, Testing, 1 2 3" had a background pony in ''another'' pedal-powered heliopter. Meanwhile, other episodes have the pegasus Scootaloo struggling with being [[FictionalDisability unable to fly]]. Other episodes even have her exhibiting mechanical skills of her own, such that she could potentially build what she'd need herself if need be. Yet at no point does anyone introduce her to the wonderful world of aeronautical engineering -- all she ever got was a [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E5FlightToTheFinish lecture from one of Equestria's top fliers]] about how she should have no preference for being able to fly over not being able to fly. Possibly justified for the first few seasons when it was left ambiguous whether there actually was anything medically wrong with her wings, or if she was simply having trouble learning to fly.[[note]]At one point, Lauren Faust herself stated that Scootaloo "hadn't figured it out yet".[[/note]] In later seasons when she is still no closer to being able to fly normally, not so much.[[note]]"You don't need to be not-disabled to be special" is a fine Aesop in and of itself, but passing off feel-good platitudes as a valid substitute for meaningful solutions is [[InspirationallyDisadvantaged seriously partonizing]].[[/note]]

*** "Call of the Cutie" had Apple Bloom try hang gliding. "Griffon the Brush-Off" had Pinkie Pie in a pedal-powered helicopter. "May the Best Pet Win" had Rainbow Dash's pet tortoise Tank get a {{Magitek}} propeller with which to fly alongside her. "Testing, Testing, 1 2 3" had a background pony in ''another'' pedal-powered heliopter. Meanwhile, other episodes have the pegasus Scootaloo struggling with being [[FictionalDisability unable to fly]]. Yet at no point does anyone introduce her to the wonderful world of aeronautical engineering -- all she ever got was a [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E5FlightToTheFinish lecture from one of Equestria's top fliers]] about how she should have no preference for being able to fly over not being able to fly. Possibly justified for the first few seasons when it was left ambiguous whether there actually was anything medically wrong with her wings, or if she was simply having trouble learning to fly.[[note]]At one point, Lauren Faust herself stated that Scootaloo "hadn't figured it out yet".[[/note]] In later seasons when she is still no closer to being able to fly normally, not so much.[[note]]"You don't need to be not-disabled to be special" is a fine Aesop in and of itself, but passing off feel-good platitudes as a valid substitute for meaningful solutions is [[InspirationallyDisadvantaged seriously partonizing]].[[/note]]

*** "Call of the Cutie" had Apple Bloom try hang gliding. "Griffon the Brush-Off" had Pinkie Pie in a pedal-powered helicopter. "May the Best Pet Win" had Rainbow Dash's pet tortoise Tank get a {{Magitek}} propeller with which to fly alongside her. "Testing, Testing, 1 2 3" had a background pony in ''another'' pedal-powered heliopter. Meanwhile, other episodes have the pegasus Scootaloo struggling with being [[FictionalDisability unable to fly]]. Yet at no point does anyone introduce her to the wonderful world of aeronautical engineering -- all she ever got was a [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E5FlightToTheFinish lecture from one of Equestria's top fliers]] about how she should have no preference for being able to fly over not being able to fly. Possibly justified for the first few seasons when it was left ambiguous whether there actually was anything medically wrong with her wings, or if she was simply having trouble learning to fly.[[note]]At one point, Lauren Faust herself stated that Scootaloo "hadn't figured it out yet".[[/note]] In later seasons when she is still no closer to being able to fly normally, not so much.

*** "Call of the Cutie" had Apple Bloom try hang gliding. "Griffon the Brush-Off" had Pinkie Pie in a pedal-powered helicopter. "May the Best Pet Win" had Rainbow Dash's pet tortoise Tank get a {{Magitek}} propeller with which to fly alongside her. "Testing, Testing, 1 2 3" had a background pony in ''another'' pedal-powered heliopter. Meanwhile, other episodes have the pegasus Scootaloo struggling with being [[FictionalDisability unable to fly]]. Yet at no point does anyone introduce her to the wonderful world of aeronautical engineering -- all she ever got was a [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E5FlightToTheFinish lecture from one of Equestria's top fliers]] about how she should have no preference for being able to fly over not being able to fly. Possibly justified for the first few seasons when it was left ambiguous whether there actually was anything medically wrong with her wings, or if she was simply having trouble learning to fly. In later seasons when she is still no closer to being able to fly normally, not so much.

** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Season 1 is full of this. The Elements of Harmony ([[WhatHappenedToTheMouse and Princess Luna]]) are completely forgotten about after the second episode, Twilight Sparkle shows an ability to teleport in episode four and never uses it again, Pinkie's "Pinkie Sense" is never mentioned after its debut episode, and while the Sonic Rainboom pops up later it is only in a series of flashbacks. Season two turns all of these into [[ChekhovsBoomerang Chekhov's Boomerangs]]... for, in most cases, exactly one episode each, after which they all go back to being forgotten if RuleOfDrama requires it, although after the end of season 2 the teleport spell sees casual use. Some of these were due to an instruction from Hasbro to avoid ContinuityLockout, since they wanted to be able to broadcast and syndicate the episodes in any order. That doesn't explain late-Season-1-Twilight's aversion to teleportation, though.