Quote:
Originally Posted by nyrath
Yes, when Gene Roddenberry was creating the writer's bible for the original Star Trek TV show, he noted that in a cop show, when a policeman fires his gun, he does NOT stop and explain that the hammer strikes the firing cap, igniting a charge of gunpowder, which expands and pushes the lead bullet out the barrel.
So neither should a starship captain explain how his ray-gun works. Just let your readers know it is a futuristic kind of hand-gun and leave it at that.
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True... but
Star Trek (
TOS and
Next Generation particularly) also went out of its way to describe minute details of everything they did, disguised as military convention--specific orders and detailing actions to command structure, and of course, the conference room discussions that often included the ship's doctor, who only seemed to be needed there in order to say "I'm a doctor... not an engineer! Just what does that mean?" and providing room for any necessary exposition.
SF shows often use a "foil" to provide excuses for exposition, like annoying children (looking at
you, Wesley!) or alien companions that are "not well-versed in Human ways," etc.