Dark matter in fiction
Encyclopedia
Dark matter
is defined as hypothetical matter that is undetectable by its emitted radiation, but whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter. It has been used in a variety of fictional media, including computer and video games and books. In such cases, dark matter is usually attributed extraordinary physical or magical properties. Such descriptions are often inconsistent with the known properties of dark matter proposed in physics
and cosmology
. For example in computer games, it is often used as material for making weapons and items.
Dark matter regularly appears as a topic in hybrid periodicals that cover both factual scientific topics and science fiction, and dark matter itself has been referred to as "the stuff of science fiction". A review of The Physics of Star Trek
discusses dark matter before noting that "the best modern science fiction borrows heavily from cosmology". In literary discussion dark matter has been used metaphorically to discuss Black science fiction
.
Dark matter
In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is matter that neither emits nor scatters light or other electromagnetic radiation, and so cannot be directly detected via optical or radio astronomy...
is defined as hypothetical matter that is undetectable by its emitted radiation, but whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter. It has been used in a variety of fictional media, including computer and video games and books. In such cases, dark matter is usually attributed extraordinary physical or magical properties. Such descriptions are often inconsistent with the known properties of dark matter proposed in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
. For example in computer games, it is often used as material for making weapons and items.
Dark matter regularly appears as a topic in hybrid periodicals that cover both factual scientific topics and science fiction, and dark matter itself has been referred to as "the stuff of science fiction". A review of The Physics of Star Trek
The Physics of Star Trek
The Physics of Star Trek is a 1995 nonfiction book by Arizona State University professor Lawrence M. Krauss. It discusses the physics involved in various concepts and objects described in the Star Trek universe. He investigates the possibility of such things as inertial dampeners and warp drive,...
discusses dark matter before noting that "the best modern science fiction borrows heavily from cosmology". In literary discussion dark matter has been used metaphorically to discuss Black science fiction
Black science fiction
Black science fiction or black speculation fiction is an umbrella term that covers a variety of activities within the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres where people of the African diaspora take part and/or are depicted...
.
In computer and video games
- In several games produced by SquareSquare (company)was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
, including Chrono TriggerChrono Triggeris a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a...
, Final Fantasy VFinal Fantasy Vis a medieval-fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1992 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Famicom . It has been ported with minor differences to Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance...
, Final Fantasy VIIIFinal Fantasy VIIIis a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically...
, Final Fantasy IXFinal Fantasy IXis a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth title in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced new features to the series like the 'Active Time Event', 'Mognet' and a unique equipment and skill system.Final Fantasy IXs...
, and Final Fantasy XFinal Fantasy Xis a role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth title in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 2001 for Sony's PlayStation 2, and will be re-released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012...
, dark matter exists as a powerful magical element, enabling certain kinds of major attacks. - In Quake 4Quake 4Quake 4 is the fourth title in the series of Quake first-person shooter computer games. The game was developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. Raven Software has collaborated with id Software, the creators and historical developers of preceding Quake games...
, the most powerful weapon is called the Dark Matter Gun. - In many of the Kirby videogames, Dark Matter is an evil entity from space that possesses characters, such as King Dedede, to do its bidding.
- In the video game, Metroid Prime 2: EchoesMetroid Prime 2: EchoesMetroid Prime 2: Echoes, known as in Japan, is a first-person, action-adventure video game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the GameCube video game console. It is the seventh game in the Metroid series, a direct sequel to Metroid Prime, and the first game in the series with...
, Samus AranSamus Aranis the protagonist of the Metroid video game series. Introduced in the 1986 video game Metroid, Samus is a female ex-army soldier bounty hunter usually fitted with a powered armor suit with weapons that include beams and missiles...
's "Dark Beam" fires blasts of Dark Matter. - In Shining Soul II and Golden Sun: The Lost AgeGolden Sun: The Lost Ageis the second installment of a series of role-playing video games developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo. The game was released in April 2003 for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance, being a sequel to the Game Boy Advance Golden Sun...
, dark matter is used in forging very powerful but cursed equipment. - In Universe at War: Earth AssaultUniverse at War: Earth AssaultUniverse at War: Earth Assault is a real-time strategy game originally to be named Invasion: Earth, developed by Petroglyph and published by Sega...
, the Masari use Dark Matter as a weapon. Dark Matter is also used as shielding for the Masari in the form of Dark Matter armour. - In the game Super Mario GalaxySuper Mario Galaxyis a 3D platform game developed by Nintendo EAD Tokyo and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It was released in most regions in November 2007, and is the third 3D original platformer in the Mario series, after Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. The game follows the protagonist, Mario, on a...
, there is dark matter in Bowser's Dark Matter Plant. It is portrayed as a purple-black fluid that disintegrates Mario upon contact, killing him instantly. - In the Nintendo DS game, DragladeDragladeis a fighting video game with music video game and role-playing game elements for the Nintendo DS developed by dimps and published in Japan by Banpresto and Bandai Namco Games. It was then later published in the US by Atlus....
, Dark Matter is a substance that can control living being's minds. - In Turok: EvolutionTurok: EvolutionTurok: EvoIution is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by Acclaim Entertainment, released for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Game Boy Advance in 2002. A port for Microsoft Windows was released in 2003 for the European market...
, there are Dark Matter Cubes that can be used as weapons. In one form, they disintegrate whatever touches the explosion. In its second form, it sucks everything in its radius in. - In the Dark•MatterDark•Matter1Dark•Matter is a science fiction/conspiracy theory campaign setting that was originally published in 1999 by Wizards of the Coast as the second campaign setting for the Alternity role-playing game. It was written by Wolfgang Baur and Monte Cook...
campaign setting for AlternityAlternityAlternity is a science fiction role-playing game published by TSR in 1998...
and d20 ModernD20 Modernd20 Modern is a roleplaying game designed by Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, and Charles Ryan. It was published by Wizards of the Coast in November 2002, and uses the d20 System...
dark matter influences the power and frequency of paranormal phenomena and psionic abilities in humans. - In the game LittleBigPlanetLittleBigPlanetLittleBigPlanet, commonly abbreviated LBP, is a puzzle platformer video game, based on user-generated content, for the PlayStation 3 first announced on 7 March 2007, by Phil Harrison at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California...
, dark matter is used as a material for making things float and can be used as an anchor to hang things off of. - In the game series Mass EffectMass EffectMass Effect is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows by Demiurge Studios. The Xbox 360 version was released worldwide in November 2007 published by Microsoft Game Studios...
, dark matter and subsequently dark energy is manifested in the form of "Element Zero" and used for Faster than Light travel and seemingly instantaneous transportation across light years. In the sequel, dark matter is found to be altering the mass of a star, causing it to rapidly age. - In League of LegendsLeague of LegendsThe BetFred League of Legends was a darts tournament featuring some of the legends of the game of darts which commenced in May 2008. The tournament is broadcast on Setanta Sports in the United Kingdom....
, a character by the name of Veigar has an ability known as "Dark Matter", which summons a dark meteor/orb of matter to fall from the sky after a short delay, severely injuring whoever is struck by it.
In film and television
- In the popular comedy cartoon series FuturamaFuturamaFuturama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
, dark matter is a black substance used as fuel in the show's starships. In the episode "The Birdbot of Ice-CatrazThe Birdbot of Ice-Catraz"The Birdbot of Ice-Catraz" is the fifth episode in the third production season of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on March 4, 2001 as the ninth episode of the third season. The episode was written by Dan Vebber and directed by James Purdum...
", the liquid form of dark matter can cause an increase of reproductive rate of penguinPenguinPenguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
s and even causes males to lay eggs. After the events of the film Futurama: Bender's GameFuturama: Bender's GameFuturama: Bender's Game is the third of the four direct-to-DVD Futurama films that make up the show's fifth season. It was released on November 4, 2008 on DVD and Blu-ray....
dark matter is rendered completely useless, but before that, it is revealed that dark matter has reality-warping properties. - In the Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
episode "In TheoryIn TheoryIn Theory might refer to one of the following:*"In Theory" , an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation*In Theory , an American rock band...
," the Enterprise encounters a dark matter nebulaNebulaA nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas, helium gas and other ionized gases...
. The dark matter temporarily disrupts the matter or energy fields with which it comes in contact. - In the Star Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
episode "Rocks and Shoals," Sisko and his crew attempt to hide from Jem'Hadar in a dark-matter nebulaNebulaA nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas, helium gas and other ionized gases...
, but crash land their stolen Dominion ship into a planet before they reach the nebula. - In the Star Trek: VoyagerStar Trek: VoyagerStar Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
episode "One Small Step," the crew encounter a Dark Matter asteroidAsteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
while observing a gravimetric spatial anomaly. - In the Star Trek: VoyagerStar Trek: VoyagerStar Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
episode "Good Shepherd," JanewayJaneway-Medical:*Janeway Children's Health and Rehabilitation Centre, Canada*Janeway lesion, type of skin lesion-People:*Carol Brown Janeway, British editor and translator of many novels, including The Reader*Charles Janeway , American immunologist...
and an away team encounter a type of dark matter lifeformOrganismIn biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
. - In the Star Trek: EnterpriseStar Trek: EnterpriseStar Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
episode "First Flight," two members of the crew go looking for a dark matter nebula in a shuttlepod. - In the animated television series ExosquadExosquadExosquad is an American animated television series created by Universal Cartoon Studios as a response to Japanese anime. The show is set in the beginning of the 22nd century and covers the interplanetary war between humanity and Neosapiens, a fictional race artificially created as workers/slaves...
, dark matter was a material found naturally on the planet Chaos. The Pirate ClansPirate ClansIn the 1993-1995 sci-fi animated television series Exosquad, Pirate Clans were the descendants of the human criminals who were exiled from the Homeworlds and forced to work as miners on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn . However, after the invention of Neosapiens, the Pirates' ancestors were...
and the ExofleetExofleetExofleet is the name for all battle spaceships in the sci-fi animated television series Exosquad, built by the humans of the Homeworlds also known as the Terran space navy...
used it to cloakCloaking deviceCloaking devices are advanced stealth technologies still in development that will cause objects, such as spaceships or individuals, to be partially or wholly invisible to parts of the electromagnetic spectrum...
their spaceships; however, continued exposure causes humans to become violent and short tempered. - A 1995 episode of The Outer LimitsThe Outer Limits (1995 TV series)The Outer Limits is an American television series that originally aired on Showtime,the Sci Fi Channel and in syndication between 1995 and 2002...
, "Dark Matters," revolves around the problems caused by a planetoidAsteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
-sized chunk of dark matter. - In the Earth: Final ConflictEarth: Final ConflictEarth: Final Conflict is a Canadian science fiction television series based on story ideas created by Gene Roddenberry, and produced under the guidance of his widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. It was not produced, filmed or broadcast until after his death...
episode "Dark Matter," the substance collides with the energy-based Taelon Mothership, paralyzing the ship and all the TaelonTaelonThe Taelons are a fictional race of humanoid aliens appearing in the Canadian science fiction television series Earth: Final Conflict. The arrival of the Taelons on Earth at first appears to be an unmitigated blessing, with their advanced technology bringing great prosperity...
s aboard in a slow-motion freeze frameFreeze frame shotA freeze frame shot is used when one shot is printed in a single frame several times, in order to make an interesting illusion of a still photograph....
mimicking stasis. - In a 1995 episode of The X-FilesThe X-FilesThe X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
, "Soft Light," Dr. Chester Ray Banton is exposed to dark matter. This causes his shadow to break down every molecule of whatever comes in contact with it, converting it into a black and blue puddle of pure energy. - In "The Big Bang TheoryThe Big Bang TheoryThe Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers...
," RajRajesh KoothrappaliRajesh Ramayan "Raj" Koothrappali, Ph.D. is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Kunal Nayyar....
, an astrophysicistAstrophysicsAstrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
, helps SheldonSheldon CooperSheldon Lee Cooper, B.S., M.S., M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D. is a fictional character from Texas on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Jim Parsons...
study dark matter annihilationsDark matterIn astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is matter that neither emits nor scatters light or other electromagnetic radiation, and so cannot be directly detected via optical or radio astronomy...
in the episode The Pirate Solution, aired Oct. 12, 2009.
In literature
- Dark matter plays a central role in the His Dark MaterialsHis Dark MaterialsHis Dark Materials is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman comprising Northern Lights , The Subtle Knife , and The Amber Spyglass...
trilogy by the British author Philip PullmanPhilip PullmanPhilip Pullman CBE, FRSL is an English writer from Norwich. He is the best-selling author of several books, most notably his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, and his fictionalised biography of Jesus, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ...
, introduced by the name of DustDust (His Dark Materials)Dust in Philip Pullman's trilogy of novels His Dark Materials is a mysterious cosmic particle that is integral to the plot. In Northern Lights, Lord Asriel reveals the origins of the term "Dust" to be from a passage from the slightly alternate version of the Bible in Lyra's World: "In the sweat of...
. Dust, or dark matter, was actually a form of consciousness that kept multiple worlds linked together and, effectively, alive. - Dark Matter is the title of a science fiction novel by Garfield Reeves-StevensJudith and Garfield Reeves-StevensJudith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens are a prolific husband and wife writing team, known mainly for their involvement with the Star Trek franchise. They have written several books both within and outside of Star Trek, and acted as executive story editors and co-producers on the fourth season of the...
involving mystery, horror, and physics. - Dark Matters is a three-part Star Trek novel by Christie Golden, with a plot involving "corrupted" dark matter threatening the entire universe.
- In Stephen BaxterStephen BaxterStephen Baxter is a prolific British hard science fiction author. He has degrees in mathematics and engineering.- Writing style :...
's "Ring", dark matter causes the sun to leave the main sequenceMain sequenceThe main sequence is a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness. These color-magnitude plots are known as Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams after their co-developers, Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Norris Russell...
(becoming a red giantRed giantA red giant is a luminous giant star of low or intermediate mass in a late phase of stellar evolution. The outer atmosphere is inflated and tenuous, making the radius immense and the surface temperature low, somewhere from 5,000 K and lower...
) within only a few million years. - In Ghost LegionStar of the GuardiansStar of the Guardians is a series of fantasy novels by Margaret Weis. The series consists of four volumes:# The Lost King# King's Test# King's Sacrifice# Ghost Legion...
, the fourth and last book from the Star of the GuardiansStar of the GuardiansStar of the Guardians is a series of fantasy novels by Margaret Weis. The series consists of four volumes:# The Lost King# King's Test# King's Sacrifice# Ghost Legion...
series, Margaret WeisMargaret WeisMargaret Edith Weis is a fantasy novelist who, along with Tracy Hickman, is one of the original creators of the Dragonlance game world and has written numerous novels and short stories set in fantastic worlds.-Early life:Margaret Weis was born in 1948 in Independence, Missouri, and later attended...
describes life forms made of dark matter. Among other powers, these life forms can fly in space and alter gravity. - In the Young WizardsYoung WizardsYoung Wizards is a series of novels by Diane Duane.The Young Wizards series presently consists of nine books, with a tenth in progress, focusing on the adventures of two young wizards named Nita and Kit. Each novel pits Nita and Kit against the "Lone Power", an entity ultimately bent on the...
series by Diane DuaneDiane DuaneDiane Duane is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Her works include the Young Wizards young adult fantasy series and the Rihannsu Star Trek novels.-Biography :...
, dark matter increases the expansion of the universe, effectively helping the Lone Power. - In the fourth book of Larry NivenLarry NivenLaurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
's RingworldRingworldRingworld is a Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning 1970 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe and considered a classic of science fiction literature. It is followed by three sequels, and preceded by four prequels, and ties into numerous other books set in Known Space...
series, Ringworld's ChildrenRingworld's ChildrenRingworld's Children is a 2004 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, the fourth in the Ringworld series set in the Known Space universe. It describes the continuing adventures of Louis Wu and companions on Ringworld.-Plot summary:...
, it is revealed that the Hyperdrive used in the Known SpaceKnown SpaceKnown Space is the fictional setting of some dozen science fiction novels and several collections of short stories written by author Larry Niven. It has also in part been used as a shared universe in the Man-Kzin Wars spin-off anthologies sub-series....
stories actually allows ships to travel through a dark matter universe, and this dark matter tends to cluster around gravity wells, indirectly causing the gravity singularity problem with hyperdrive. - In D.J. MacHale's PendragonThe Pendragon AdventureThe Pendragon Adventure is a young adult series of science fiction/fantasy novels by D. J. MacHale. They follow the chronicles of Bobby Pendragon, a teenager who discovers that he, as well as his two best friends, Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde, must prevent the destruction of the universe.The...
series, it is revealed in book nine that dark matter is what makes up the flumes and created the universe. - Dark matter plays a side role in the HeecheeHeecheeThe Heechee are a fictional alien race from the science fiction works of Frederik Pohl. The Heechee are portrayed as an exceedingly advanced star-travelling race that explored Earth's solar system millennia ago and then disappeared without a trace before humankind began space exploration.The...
series by Frederik PohlFrederik PohlFrederik George Pohl, Jr. is an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years — from his first published work, "Elegy to a Dead Planet: Luna" , to his most recent novel, All the Lives He Led .He won the National Book Award in 1980 for his novel Jem...
. It is proposed that an alien race artificially created a large amount of dark matter in order to perpetuate the eventual collapse of the universe.
Other
- The webcomic Schlock MercenarySchlock MercenarySchlock Mercenary is a comedic webcomic written and drawn by Howard Tayler. It follows the tribulations of a star-travelling mercenary company in a satiric, mildly dystopian 31st-century space opera setting...
involves several battles with dark matter entities, who have been plotting to destroy the galaxy for several hundred thousand years. - In the Star*Drive campaign setting of the AlternityAlternityAlternity is a science fiction role-playing game published by TSR in 1998...
Role-playing game, the Dark Matter is said to slowly decay releasing energy and the mass reactor is the fictional power plant that harness this energy in a useful way.