Dragons in Science Fiction

[Cathbad]

I suppose I'll be PM'ing you lots of dragon-related questions (if I really commit to ever writing it.. I have 3 to write before then ) as my dragon expert.

I'd be pleased to serve! ~bows~

 

[nixie]

Now about these zombie dragons, can I have one?

 

[Phyrebrat]

Oh Lawdy...



pH

 

[Druico]

My general question was more if the heavily fantasy based premise of dragons and riders could or should be used in a more sci-fi setting or genre?

Maybe dragons had their own world which was destroyed so not many left, humans saved them for their own gains etc etc

Think it can work if done well, just worried about putting it together with dragons and a rider being able to be useful and even successful in modern/advanced warefare and how that would work?

 

[Cathbad]

Armor the dragons and give the riders advanced weapons?

 

[TheDustyZebra]

I'd be pleased to serve! ~bows~

I hereby delegate some of the nagging to you.

 

[RX-79G]

My general question was more if the heavily fantasy based premise of dragons and riders could or should be used in a more sci-fi setting or genre?

Maybe dragons had their own world which was destroyed so not many left, humans saved them for their own gains etc etc

Think it can work if done well, just worried about putting it together with dragons and a rider being able to be useful and even successful in modern/advanced warefare and how that would work?

You can do almost anything with a strong enough force field. A kitten with an unstoppable force field around it could destroy a battleship.

 

[Druico]

What about dragons in spaceships flying to other planets as a fighting unit, as that will be the brunt of space travel!

 

[RX-79G]

What about dragons in spaceships flying to other planets as a fighting unit, as that will be the brunt of space travel!

Not sure what you're asking: How that might look, or whether it could be made believable?

Anything can be made to sound believable.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

A kitten with an unstoppable force field around it could destroy a battleship.

I believe we've had challenge stories about that.

 

[RX-79G]

I believe we've had challenge stories about that.

I was thinking about Marvelman/Miracleman.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

You wouldn't believe what we do to kittens around here.

 

[RX-79G]

You wouldn't believe what we do to kittens around here.

I caught other references to that, but have yet to figure out the joke.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

I caught other references to that, but have yet to figure out the joke.

If you go and dig up the April 2013 75-word writing challenge, you'll find an entire month's worth of what we do to kittens. (I don't know whose idea that was. ) It actually goes further back, because that was spurred on by individual stories in other, non-kitten-themed, months. Those were mostly Chrispy's fault, as I recall.

 

[psikeyhackr]

If science-fiction can have faster-than-light travel, matter-transmitters, and directed energy weapons that don't appear to suffer from any dispersion over vast distances... dragons sound dead easy.

It is an issue of unknown physics. It has been discovered that the rate of expansion of the universe is increasing. Before empirical data to support that was discovered it was presumed that it was slowing down but fast enough to not collapse again, or that it would collapse again. I have never heard of any physicist imagining that the rate was increasing.

That means there is unknown physics out there. A creature large enough to pick up or carry humans and breath fire in a atmosphere that humans can survive in without special equipment presents lot of biochemical and bio-mechanical issues.

So do we try to draw a fuzzy line between SF and Fantasy or not?

I have read McCaffrey's Crystal Singer, that is all I remember finishing by her. I may the started The Ship Who Sang. But I have told people that Star Trek is 'weak' SF.

The Heisenberg Compensator is more hilarious than Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Here are some McCaffrey statistics:


The input file is:
AMcCaffrey/AM.ShipWhoSang.txt with 424819 characters.

It uses 91 SF words 388 times for an SF density of 0.914

brain 42

The word count limit of: 42 was exceeded by: 5

10 Fantasy words used 16 times for a Fantasy density of 0.038

The input file is:
AMcCaffrey/AM.ThWhiteDragon.txt with 790145 characters.

It uses 18 SF words 65 times for an SF density of 0.083

queens == 46
queen == 86
dragons == 211
dragon == 279

12 Fantasy words used 639 times for a Fantasy density of 0.809


psik

 

[hopewrites]

All the Weirs of Pern would be better to check out for space dragons by McCaffrey. I haven't followed up with much of what Tod did, but I assume he stuck to on planet adventures.

----

Would a war story be SF even if space travel? I mean, what besides space travel have you got going on that's SF?

What's your definition of SF v your definition of Fantasy? I've noted that outside of broad strokes, everyone's definitions are a little different. Maybe what you've got a hold of is more Magical Realism than Hard Sci-Fi. Maybe it's a Space Opera.

I say write it and find out. If the question can spark hot debate like it has, then there will be people who want to read it. Right...

 

[RX-79G]

A suggestion:
If the dragons are aliens with their own name for themselves and all that, consider using the word "dragon" as a human derogatory term for them. "Got a cargo hold of those nasty dragons." Etc.

 

[Druico]

Yeah that makes sense! Was perhaps thinking of using dragon riders as an order that kept peace throughout the universe, say like Jedi's almost. Keeping the natural balance etc, something bad happened, some rebelled and the order was brought down in shame sort of thing.

Almost disappeared but a new rider appears blah blah blah, not as cliche as all that this is just a broad overview. Then about him rebuilding the order and restoring balance to the world, along with the other good riders who went into hiding.

Maybe since the fall of the riders, man replaced them with a new species of dragon they found who were simpler beasts think like horses who can be trained etc. Legends of wise dragons with great power has been forgotten so people are ignorant towards them!

New rider joins against an emerging threat, has to earn loyalty of those around him as he doesn't answer to one race or one leader only the cause.

Any thoughts? This just a general overview whilst watching the football guys

 

[hopewrites]

I could see it working... The newer - lesser species, vocalizations only? The older wiser, other species... does it do telepathy? Some kind of esp that allows for a deeper connection to their "rider" or something that requires a deeper connection so that you can't just hop on any dragon? But requires a bond first? Otherwise why would the smarter dragons let humans ride them?


It would be cool if some of the old pairings were hiding out on developing world's where their identities could be mistaken for the more mythical origins, but it just being a case of advanced technology appearing magical to the natives.

 

[farntfar]

It's been a long time since I read them, and I forget the details, but wasn't there a race in the Lensman seried by E.E. Doc Smith that was described as pretty dragonlike.
They were goodies, ie on the side of men and Arisia. I think there were even lensed ones in the later books.