Basic Trope: Weapons evolve rapidly over a relatively short period of time, often to immensely powerful levels.
- Straight: The planets Normana and Gukko, once aware of each other, begin stockpiling increasingly powerful long-range weapons to either eliminate the other side or prevent them from attacking.
- Exaggerated: Normana and Gukko go from 60s-era spacecraft to space platforms that can disintegrate whole galaxies in less than a decade.
- Downplayed: While Normana and Gukko don't actively develop weapons, tensions are still high, and each planet keeps its eyes open to make sure the enemy doesn't make any sudden moves.
- Justified: The Gukk believe in eliminating the competition, and the Norm believe in lethal force in the employ of self-defense.
- Inverted: Instead of weapons, Normana and Gukko attempt to oudo each others' pacifism by seeing who can develop the best peacekeeping efforts and diplomatic corps.
- Subverted: Due to the interference (read: meddling) of the League of Planets, Normana and Gukko build up their defensive capabilities rather than their offensive weaponry in order to avoid being accused of escalating the conflict.
- Parodied: Despite all pretenses, Normana and Gukko secretly just want to build really cool weapons.
- Zig Zagged: Periodic cycles of build-ups and draw downs in terms of military power occur on Normana and Gukko depending on who's in charge.
- Averted: Neither planet is aware of the other's existence, and therefore has no reason to build weapons.
- Normana and Gukko don't pursue aggressive courses of action against each other.
- Enforced: Normana and Gukko have irreconcilable philosophies, cultures and social structures, making conflict a given. With their technological prowess, an arms race is the next logical step.
- Lampshaded: Other spacefaring civilizations find the Norm and Gukk efforts both inspiring and disturbing.
- Invoked: Elements of both planets' societies interested in conflict (weapons developers and military officers, of course) take most of the initiative in developing bigger, stronger weapons.
- Exploited: Normana and Gukko are being manipulated by forces beyond their understanding to produce weapons for an unknown purpose.
- Defied: Knowing the endless pursuit of superior firepower is ultimately pointless, Normana and Gukko agree to an armistice and use their technological superiority to boss around less-developed civilizations instead.
- Discussed: The Gukk boast of their latest death-dealing devices over the galactic ultra-wave to intimidate the Norm into surrendering.
- Conversed: The Norm respond by pointing out the flaws of the latest Gukk devices and introduce several counter-weapons.
- Implied: All other spacefaring civilizations stay out of Norm and Gukk space while waiting for the inevitable boom.
- Deconstructed: The economic and social strain of keeping a perpetual arms race going eventually takes its toll on Normana and Gukko; both planets become impoverished and unable to field or even maintain their weapons, and are eventually invaded and conquered by other parties.
- Reconstructed: Normana and Gukko build sensible defensive weapons while making sure to anticipate enemy advances in tech, and both sides go out of their way to avoid starting a conflict that would destroy them both.
Since you've been gone, the main page has seen the development of examples of supreme destructive power.
