Overused Silly Sci-Fi Science.

[Steven Lake]

Here's one for you.

- The more evil they are, the more likely they are to have eyes that glow. The same works with how powerful they are too.

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by Steven Lake

I think the reasons for that are simple. How often has taking a poo been an important story plot? I don't have them in any of my books, save one (and it's only a brief reference), because they're completely irrelevant to the story.

Captain Sheridan and Security Chief Garibaldi had a long conversation next to each other whilst using a urinal during an episode of babylon 5. The camera panned out and showed lots of public "little rooms" for all manner of alien races.

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by Steven Lake

Here's one for you.

- The more evil they are, the more likely they are to have eyes that glow. The same works with how powerful they are too.

and their minions lose the ability to shoot straight

[GlennD]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

AFAIK, gravity on space ships still counts itself as a silly sci-fi trope: On the largest to the smallest ships, it can provide full gravity; be turned off and on; it might be used to provide additional gravity where there is little or none, but is never used to remove too much gravity from a ship; there is absolutely no attempt to explain how it works, where it is installed, or how (in tandem with inertial dampers) it manages to change orientation well-nigh instantaneously in response to directional changes, impacts or unexpected turbulence.

It's just there, it works, end of discussion.

I don't mind the artificial gravity, as has been said it's an acceptable assumption for the sake of moving the story along.

But when the ship loses power and is adrift, the artificial gravity should be gone as well.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by sabredog

and their minions lose the ability to shoot straight

They also lose common sense, and if they rule the galaxy, whatever superiority in training and weaponry that got them to that position vanishes or becomes irrelevant the moment a small group of poor but idealistic adventurers that barely get along with each other decide to try and over-throw the imperial government.

[Ekaros]

How come humans aren't ever the evil overlord race slaving everyone?
Or we have united government and everyone speaks same language and holds exactly same believes once we reach space?

[sabredog]

The Emperor in SW was human

Including his right hand man and evil multitude of short sighted minions

[Iphinome]

Humans were evil in Avatar

[kennyc]

Humans are pretty much evil everywhere.

[EileenG]

Start trek might not show toilets, but they show very large luxorious bathrooms, all for one person. I swear, Troi's personal bathroom is bigger then my family one.

[dworth]

"How come humans aren't ever the evil overlord race slaving everyone?"

In the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the Imperium of Man is a galaxy-wide totalitarian regime run by xenophobic religious zealots.

[Steven Lake]

Here's another couple.

- Having a great big, scary powerful super weapon, and never using it.

- Hero is able to disable/destroy highly complex and extremely advanced indestructible super weapon with nothing more than some completely irrelevant object. (ie, cup of coffee, the family dog, etc)

- Family pet saves the day by doing something stupidly simple.

[Penforhire]

What, the Ultimate Nullifier and the MacGyver effect?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by GlennD

I don't mind the artificial gravity, as has been said it's an acceptable assumption for the sake of moving the story along.

But when the ship loses power and is adrift, the artificial gravity should be gone as well.

I would've loved a moment on the original Star Trek episode The Doomsday Machine, when Kirk and co beam over to the "dead" USS Constellation: If the gravity had been dead, the guys could've beamed over, immediately gone adrift, and someone (McCoy, probably) could've said, "Oh, crap."

Originally Posted by kennyc

Humans are pretty much evil everywhere.

You take that back or I'll... uh... write a stern letter to the Times.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by EileenG

Start trek might not show toilets, but they show very large luxorious bathrooms, all for one person. I swear, Troi's personal bathroom is bigger then my family one.

A notable scene in the Firefly pilot was Capt. Reynolds (just after) using a toilet, closing it when done, pulling out the sink and washing his hands... take that, Trek. One scene showed what you wouldn't show for 50 years.