VH 1: The End

[ManofTheAtom]

Imagine all the modern technological advancements we take for granted that people a 100 or 150 years ago would dismiss as "impossible".

They never even heard of microcircuitry.

We keep approaching these questions as in-universe scientists and you look at them as a fiction writer outside the universe.

As in-universe human scientists, hence Leon's dismissal of an alien suit of armor with near limitless energy and oxygen reserves. It's alien tech. How is that different to us today than present-day tech is to ancient humans from the past?

As for the rest, the last two from Shadowman of course are outright fantasy, while psychic powers fit the definition of hard science FICTION.

I think when discussing this we tend to forget that, ultimately, it's not a discussion about hard SCIENCE, it's about hard SCIENCE FICTION.

Inherent in any application of 'hard science fiction' as a descriptor is that there is least rigour applied to the science fiction presented; hand-waving alien armour as able to safely compress oxygen sufficient for activity for days upon end in space or to have near-limitless energy reserves is not the same as explaining why alien armour can do this with an inherent and credible logic.

In The Abyss, they inhale water instead of oxygen when travelling to the bottom of the ocean. That's hard science fiction.

The X-O Manowar armor could use similar means to provide oxygen to its wearer.

As for energy source, I'd have to check the schematics to see what they say.

[Ryan]

Inherent in any application of 'hard science fiction' as a descriptor is that there is least rigour applied to the science fiction presented; hand-waving alien armour as able to safely compress oxygen sufficient for activity for days upon end in space or to have near-limitless energy reserves is not the same as explaining why alien armour can do this with an inherent and credible logic.

I've never said that any Valiant comics conform to all the rigorous applications demanded for true hard science fiction or 'hard science'. This discussion is taking place in the context of comic book superhero universes. In that context, early Valiant (and New Universe) were attempting to do a more logical, hard sci-fi, realistic approach to superhero comics.

Saying they're more realistic doesn't mean they have to conform to all the conventions of Literary Realism, just like saying they're more like hard sci-fi doesn't mean anyone is saying they conformed to all the conventions of Hard Science Fiction.

That should be obvious in the context of the conversation, but I guess it's not for everybody.

[ManofTheAtom]

The X-O Manowar class armor...can provide nutrition, atmosphere, and waste removal using its matter to energy/energy to matter capabilities.

At some point, millennia in the past, the Spider Aliens discovered a semi-sentient, silicon-based, life-form capable of acting as a living transducer -- absorbing energy (and/or matter) and then converting it into new forms. Seeking to harness this creatures' abilities, they set about combining its generic code with other desirable traits from a diverse field of genetic material, gathered from dozens of worlds (ie: a bacterium capable of digesting and recycling biological waste).

There's more information about such things in the database. Check it out.

[ManofTheAtom]

In essence, all three types of Spider Alien armors are a synthesis between the technological and biological. Not just one of either.

[leonmallett]

Inherent in any application of 'hard science fiction' as a descriptor is that there is least rigour applied to the science fiction presented; hand-waving alien armour as able to safely compress oxygen sufficient for activity for days upon end in space or to have near-limitless energy reserves is not the same as explaining why alien armour can do this with an inherent and credible logic.

I've never said that any Valiant comics conform to all the rigorous applications demanded for true hard science fiction or 'hard science'. This discussion is taking place in the context of comic book superhero universes. In that context, early Valiant (and New Universe) were attempting to do a more logical, hard sci-fi, realistic approach to superhero comics.

Saying they're more realistic doesn't mean they have to conform to all the conventions of Literary Realism, just like saying they're more like hard sci-fi doesn't mean anyone is saying they conformed to all the conventions of Hard Science Fiction.

That should be obvious in the context of the conversation, but I guess it's not for everybody.

Hi Ryan. My comment was on reply to MOTA, not your stance. I think there are differences between the two.