Skip to main content

trope - The cliche science fiction glass tube filled with liquid and a person floating in it, what do you call it?


For nearly every other science fiction trope there is a name. A movie where the heroes travel faster than light, whether they actually name the mechanism or not, will be called subspace/warp/hyperspace. Even the bolts in Frankenstein's neck have a name...


But the device I am referring to, surely there is something that this is called and I am merely ignorant of what that is, so what is it?



For those who want a precise definition: it is roughly 7-9ft tall. 30in to 48in in diameter. Cylindrical in shape. The front or even the entire exterior will be glass or a strong see-through substance. Usually they are upright, though occasionally they'll be horizontal. It will have a translucent (often colorless) liquid in it. Bubbles are often seen floating to the top, though not required. Sometimes the person placed in it has a facemask for breathing, this isn't required either. The purpose can range from maturing a clone, to healing the injured, or even at times placing them into some sort of suspended animation (bonus: you come out of stasis with perfectly conditioned hair and soft skin!).


Examples:



enter image description here


enter image description here



Answer



You might be looking for what TvTropes calls People Jars.


Examples they give include the Bacta tanks from Star Wars, the device Leloo was reconstructed in from 'The Fifth Element', and quite a few others.


They capitalize on the creepy factor of humans in jars, that (for a long time) people associated with biological experiments and medical oddities. (Think of the Mermaid Baby fetus exhibits at carnivals, or the jars containing brains of famous scientists.)


They are creepy enough just as they are... but add the possibility that they are alive (sometimes shown in horror movies with eyes opening) and they become VERY creepy.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

harry potter - How could Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra?

I want to be very careful about how I ask this question – I am not asking How did Voldemort die? [CLOSED] Below the text is the relevant passages from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows if anyone wants to review them (I'm sorry for the amount of text). How did Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra and kill Voldemort? I feel the reason Harry's Expelliarmus overpowered Voldemort's Avada Kedavra curse has to do with who was master of the Elder Wand and how the Elder Wand works. I've always had trouble understanding fully how the Elder Wand works, though. How much did the fact that Voldemort never truly won or mastered the Elder Wand factor into how Expelliarmus reacted to Avada Kedavra and caused Avada Kedavra to rebound and kill Voldemort? An answer based in book canon would be especially welcome, but any canon source really is fine. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he, too, yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco’s wand: ‘ Avada Kedavra !’ ‘ Expelliarmus !...
Post a Comment
Read more

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...
Post a Comment
Read more