History MediaNotes / MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness

* ''{{Farscape}}'': Generally let the needs of the plot come first while known science could take a flying leap for all it cared. Sort of {{lampshaded}} in "I Shrink Therefore I Am" when Sikozu starts pointing out all of the reasons being shrunk to one one-hundredth your normal size shouldn't work and Rygel tells her [[MST3KMantra to shut up, because it was happening whether she liked it or not.]].

* ''The Adventures Of PlutoNash'': While overshadowed by {{EddieMurphy}}'s [[SoBadItsHorrible unforgettable comedic antics]], the film has a remarkably credible depiction of a near future lunar colony (save where ArtificialGravity comes into play). Most notably, SpaceIsNoisy nonsense such as ExplosiveDecompression and SpaceFriction is adverted and technology while advances is believable. There are no RayGuns and [[SlidingScaleOfRobotIntelligence robotics is realistically limited]]. Attention is also payed to the economics of space travel with wooden furniture said to be a luxury item.

** Admittedly though, as per the genre-savvy and pure CrazyAwesome nature of {{Farscape}} even ''this'' is lamp-shaded. HEAVILY (by both Crichton numerous times, and by [[spoiler: the human scientists on earth]], with John even saying "We throw Einstein's theory of Relativity out the window every time we go out for groceries.") The series is based on the <s>fact</s> idea that humans know nothing about how the universe works, so everything you think you know has to be re-formulated from scratch. That said, for long-running consistency there are in-universe rules and conventions on science that are adhered to and if they're not, they will be lamp-shaded or hand-waved. Science ''is'' adhered to. Just not science as humans know it. Another thing this series pretty much runs on is the idea that "any sufficiently advanced technology is comparable to magic." Sometimes this series can be very soft, and other-times it can have hard elements. {{Farscape}}, in the end, is tied directly to level 7 and levels 0, 1 and 2. [[RunningGag Not levels 3 through 6 or 8 though.]] [[SeriousBusiness Depending on which episode or what perspective you view the series with it can really sit anywhere.]]

* ''{{Farscape}}'': Generally let the needs of the plot come first while known science could take a flying leap for all it cared. Sort of {{lampshaded}} in "I Shrink Therefore I Am" when Sikozu starts pointing out all of the reasons being shrunk to one one-hundredth your normal size shouldn't work and Rygel tells her that he's learned to [[MST3KMantra accept the universe as it comes and not worry]] about what he thinks he knows.

* ''{{Barbarella}}'': Other than the very airiest of explanations, expect nothing at all but bizarre fetishy goings-on in [[{{Stripperiffic}} bizarre fetishy]] SpaceClothes. Never mind "creative violation of special relativity and Heisenberg uncertainty, some technologies featured violate ''basic'' physics, such as a yacht with wheels that can move by sail-power when there's no wind because there's a fan on it: if such a vehicle moved at all it'd move backwards.

* ''RatchetAndClank'': Almost every entry in the series has an item which can turn enemies (including entirely non-organic robots) into a chicken/sheep/duck/pig/cow/penguin/monkey in seconds. SoYeah.

*'''In really hard SF:''' "It doesn't. Time travel is impossible." [[hottip:*:Actually, time travel is possible, we do it all the time: we are moving into the future at a rate of 1 second per second. And joking aside, there are some tricks which ''might'' let you skip ahead a bit, like [[TimeDilation moving close to the speed of light in a path from Earth back to Earth]] or [[HumanPopsicle going into hibernation and being revived in the future]], but both involve unsolved engineering problems. Time travel into the past, of course, is considered impossible.]]

** Though automail mechanics aren't very well elaborated. When Ed first recieves his, his nerves had to be attached, something that's probably impossible with the steam era technology of the show, not in the size of the arm anyway.

** Look at that pressure gauge again, you mean Anti-matter.
* [[AnneMcCaffrey Anne McCaffrey's]] ''Talent'' series was, for the most part, a rather hard Sci-Fi. She supplied understandable ways in which [[PsychicPowers psi powers]] might manifest and how they worked. Since psi powers were primarily limited by how much energy a human being could create, being able to [[YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord gestalt]] with an electrical generator to supplement one's psi makes sense. Also, screw using any sort of advanced technology for FTL travel or communications, let's use our psi's!! Although, the series did begin to head a bit more towards the "softer" side with the more aliens contacted (a grand total of two species), but she also did a fairly good job with them as well. One was [[BigCreepyCrawlies insectoid]], one was...[[HumanoidAliens vaguely humanoid]]. The energy requirements also tended to go out the window as each generation [[SoLastSeason got more powerful]] and had less and less reliance on generators.

* TheMatrix: ''[[YourMileageMayVary Fairly]]'' [[MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness hard]] [[ItWasHisSled for a story about an man discoved the earth is really]] [[AfterTheEnd an burn out husk]] [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters ruled by]] [[AntiGravity flying]] [[RobotWar robot]] [[CombatTentacles squids]] [[LotusEaterMachine who force the last of mankind to play]] {{MMORPG}}s [[ExecutiveMeddling to leach off their]] [[DisContinuity body Heat]]. ''[[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and]]'' [[KeanuReeves he is]] TheChosenOne [[AWizardDidIt who has]] [[ClassicCheatCode the cheat codes]] [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic to the universe]].
** [[{{Sequel}} The sequels]] [[{{Spinoff}} and spinoffs]] [[SarcasmMode help]] [[AllThereInTheManual clear up some of]] [[MindScrew the confusion]].

Beware, beware, of stuff that looks hard, but isn't. There are elements, unrelated to actual scientific plausibility, that tend to differ between soft and hard SF. (E.g., shiny spaceships vs. grubby spaceships; elite heroes vs. working class heroes; humanoid aliens vs. starfish aliens.) As a result, something that has "spinoff" hard tropes is often mistaken for hard SF, even when the actual science is nonsense. E.g., StephenDonaldson's ''GapCycle'' has working class heroes in grubby spaceships dealing with the machinations of starfish aliens, and has been called a hard SF epic. However, the explanations for the high technology (superluminal acceleration, matter cannons) are more telelogical than technological.

Also remember that there are many, many times when what the imagination makes up is just more interesting than what was researched. A work of soft sci-fi is by no means inferior to a work of hard sci-fi, it all depends on how engaging and well-realized the world is. Not every sci-fi story or setting needs to justify itself, and there are many cases in which an unnecessary justification would break the suspension of disbelief or alienate the audience. This does not mean the story is incomplete or missing anything, just that the creative powers that be felt that that was the best way to tell it.

Also remember that there are many, many times when what the imagination makes up is just more interesting than what was researched. A work of soft sci-fi is by no means inferior to a work of hard sci-fi, it all depends on how engaging and well-realized the world is.

* ''{{Metroid}}'': [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality 8-bit video game logic]] is the foundation of this franchise. Enemies die and turn into health and ammo pickups, and respawn when you leave the room, and your weapons are defined by their gameplay function, not their grounding in reality. Eventually it's revealed that the setting has everything from OrganicTechnology to full blown {{Magitek}}, but the it never bothers to try to justify how it works. Of course, the Metroid Universe is so well realized and full of mystique that it doesn't really become problematic or require an explanation to become a believable or engaging setting.

* ''{{Metroid}}'': [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality 8-bit video game logic]] is the foundation of this franchise. Enemies die and turn into health and ammo pickups, and respawn when you leave the room, and your weapons are defined by their gameplay function, not their grounding in reality. Eventually it's revealed that the setting has everything from OrganicTechnology to full blown {{Magitek}}, but the it never bothers to try to justify how it works (not that that makes it any less cool or interesting).

* ''{{Metroid}}'': [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality 8-bit video game logic]] is the foundation of this franchise. Enemies die and turn into health and ammo pickups, and respawn when you leave the room, and your weapons are defined by their gameplay function, not their grounding in reality. Eventually it's revealed that the setting has everything from OrganicTechnology to full blown {{Magitek}}, but the it never bothers to try to justify how it works.

Also remember that there are many, many times when what the imagination makes up is just more interesting than what was researched.

Many find "hard" sci-fi superior for two reasons: First, [[MagicAIsMagicA maintaining internal consistency]] makes for tighter plots. If you're making up the rules of the universe as you go, it looks as though you [[TheyJustDidntCare don't care]] about the imaginary world you're creating. Though this is usually a problem with the author's own consistency rather than research.

Second, both keeping track of your AcceptableBreaksFromReality and refraining from them altogether assist greatly in maintaining a WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief. Compare: Imagine [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium-3 Helium-3]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fusion fusion]], and we'll have a reason to [[IWantMyJetpack go back to the Moon]]. Imagine {{Minovsky Particle}}s and we ''will'' build HumongousMecha. Imagine [[MassEffect Element Zero]] and we have FasterThanLightTravel. Imagine a GreenLanternRing, and ... [[SoYeah well, yeah]].

* ''{{Transformers}}'': Okay, so there are these impossibly ancient space robots, right? And they come to Earth in search of energy, right? And to disguise themselves, they turn into cars and trucks and guns and stuff, right? And the cars have realistic engines and passenger compartments and tires and everything, even though it's actually a giant outer space robot. Oh, and some of them can [[ShapeshifterBaggage shrink down from giant space robot size to tape deck sized]]. And some of them are [[GeniusLoci entire living cities and planets and stuff]]. Throw in a bunch of [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs coked-out 80s kiddie TV writers]] who are [[MoneyDearBoy just in it for the cash]], and you've got a recipe for insanity.

* ''{{Metroid}}'': [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality 8-bit video game logic]] is the foundation of this franchise. Enemies die and turn into health and ammo pickups, and respawn when you leave the room, and your weapons are defined by their gameplay function, not their grounding in reality. Alien wildlife have attacks that can hurt a SpaceMarine. Eventually it's revealed that the setting has everything from OrganicTechnology to full blown {{Magitek}}, but the it never bothers to try to justify how it works.

Many find "hard" sci-fi superior for two reasons: First, [[MagicAIsMagicA maintaining internal consistency]] makes for tighter plots. If you're making up the rules of the universe as you go, it looks as though you [[TheyJustDidntCare don't care]] about the imaginary world you're creating. Whereas if you [[ShownTheirWork show your work]] on a complex project, everyone can tell that you are DoingItForTheArt.

*''[[StarCraft]]'': While the Terran's technology, minus the PsychicPowers and Unobtanium, could probably rank 2 on the scale, the LegoGenetics of the zerg, and everything about the protoss pound Starcraft down into class 0. Admittedly it's a lot harder then some of the other class 0s.

'''''Please also note:''' ScienceFiction only, please -- no {{Fantasy}}. If discussing works with both sci-fi and fantasy elements (i.e. {{Warhammer 40000}} or {{FEAR}}) focus on the sci-fi aspect.''

'''''Please also note:''' ScienceFiction only, please -- no {{Fantasy}}. If discussing works with both sci-fi and fantasy elements (i.e. {{Warhammer 40000}} or {{FEAR}}, focus on the sci-fi aspect.''

'''''Please also note:''' ScienceFiction only, please -- no {{Fantasy}}.''