Sci-Fi Technobabble Actually Makes Sense (Sometimes)

[@NerdAlert]

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[@fordhouse8b]

Holly is credited as Molly Amos in the video description!

[@Banedragon]

It makes sense , unless you want to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow, oh wait wrong franchise

[@magister343]

"Reverse the polarity" basically means "plug it in backwards." I have heard that this advice which was frequently given on telephone help hotlines for early consumer electronics, even though it would usually do nothing, mostly because the customer support staff thought it would be rude to ask the questions "did you remember to plug in the product in the first place?"

[@maciek_k.cichon]

Third Doctor's "reverse the polarity of the neutron flow" was always funny.

[@TheTaskmaster]

1:00 Correct. If there's no real science, it's not sci-fi. Example: Star Wars is not sci-fi. Zero science. Just cause it's in space means nothing.

[@michaelggriffiths]

Datas Positronic brain is not based on actual Positrons, that's a common misconception. It's based on *Quantum computing* where electrons are juxtaposed thus yielding a decision based computational process. _Entirely_ plausible Reversing polarity is not referring to the reversal of poles as we know it. It refers to changing the molecular structure of the component _parts_ of the beam in question via flow direction. Bear in mind that beams from the deflector array go through a quantum manifold (like a carburettor) to propel the beam at speeds greater than impulse. The polarity is reversed in situations where an enemy has hijacked a beam for a nefarious purpose. Reversing the polarity simply means that the manifold reverses the directional flow, thus sending the co-opted pulse back to whence it came. *Dilithium* regulates the M/AM reaction by resonating at an isolated frequency greater than anything known to science (of the time) the resonant frequency is maintained at a level immediately before fracture. This frequency acts like a 'mirror' in a nuclear warhead by focusing the reaction. Gravitons although not yet directly observed are known to exist. You cannot accept 13 dimensions without Gravitons.

[@stanj85]

What I find even more annoying is are shows set in the modern day that just make ordinary, known technology do whatever the plot demands. Anytime you see a "hacker" on TV, this is absolutely what's happening. They are the cheapest of plot devices that can do impossible things with a computer. And pay attention to their hands. Oftentimes when they are talking it's obvious they are just banging at keys without the slightest pattern.

[@skawtee]

I've heard that 'reverse the polarity' has become something of a 'wilhelm scream' of technobabble in sci-fi writer circles. they just throw it in sometimes as a nod to technobabble sillyness.

[@NeWx89]

The origin of positronic brains as a sci-fi concept comes from Isaac Asimov's robot series of books. In the Half-Life universe there is a lot of sci-fi jargon as well, all matter has a sort of quantum resonance and the so called 'Resonance Cascade' happened when a sample of matter studied in the lab started to resonate on such a high level(just because it was studied) that it opened dimensional rifts to a bordering dimension called Xen, and the first thing that happens is the player getting stuck in a kind of teleportation loop called a 'Resonance Displacement Field'. That appears to be the name in the Half-Life universe when something or someone keeps being teleported over and over again as if trapped in some sort of force. This happens in the beginning of Half-Life 2 as well, and at the end of Blue Shift wherein a scientist uses the jargon 'Infinite Harmonic Reflux' which seems to be a displacement field that goes on forever and never ends. Both uses words related to sound, but just like quantum chromodynamics isn't related to colors despite the name, I don't think these jargons from HL is really related to actual sounds, but rather new concepts within quantum physics that had to be labeled in some sort of way. I just think it is pretty neat that they go so far to give such names to things, to imaginary properties.

[@TheTaskmaster]

Yes it does, better than any other show ever created. Everything's based on at LEAST real theories.

[@theduke6174]

FINALLY!!A platform that embraces star trek.

[@AmosTheTalented]

A delightful conversation.

[@TheTaskmaster]

3:00 Correct. Voyager is the least scientific. Of the old shows ;)

[@stove5035]

Positrons definitely exist. They're the P in PET scans. We use them to do stuff today. That said, there's no reason to believe that using positrons rather than electrons would be any better for processing.

[@goji253]

I love/hate it when characters let out some technobabble and then explain it for the dumb people. The reason I love it is that, depending on the kind of show, there are instances where I understood every single word and feel smart about it. I hate however when they explain it afterwards. If an idiot like me understood it the first time then how fucking stupid do the characters have to be? Or rather how stupid do the authors think their audience is?

[@sleepysartorialist]

lol my dad and I get into a lot of disagreements about the technobabble on Star Trek and some of the more woo-ish technobabble in StarWars. Guaranteed holiday argument.