The Day the Earth Stood Still

[Carl in Michigan]

A movie from 1951. The scene where Gort first appears, he uses what looks like a LASER weapon to destroy the weapons of his adversaries.

Anybody see the "problem" here?

 

[excalibur]

He let Biden live?

 

[Carl in Michigan]

 

[hjmick]

There's a problem with fiction... make believe? No, there's no problem, at least not with the movie...

 

[Carl in Michigan]

There's a problem with fiction... make believe? No, there's no problem, at least not with the movie...

The laser wasn't invented until 9 years after the movie was made

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

The laser wasn't invented until 9 years after the movie was made

"Death rays" have been in science fiction long before the movie was made.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

"Death rays" have been in science fiction long before the movie was made.

But none had the appearance of a laser beam -- except Gort

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

But none had the appearance of a laser beam

They appeared like laser beams in all the books I read.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

War of the Worlds 1953
A death ray, but definitely not a tight "laser beam"

 

[Lastamender]

"Death rays" have been in science fiction long before the movie was made.

Flash Gordon dodged those things.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

War of the Worlds 1953
A death ray, but definitely not a tight "laser beam"

Meh.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

Gort's laser (before it was invented)

 

[Carl in Michigan]

And today, Styropyro's laser

 

[tyroneweaver]

A movie from 1951. The scene where Gort first appears, he uses what looks like a LASER weapon to destroy the weapons of his adversaries.

Anybody see the "problem" here?

ya it's wll know the actor was drunk

 

[petro]

Sci fi writers have been pondering future technologies since the genre bacame popular.

Captain Kirk essentially carried a flip phone long before wireless.

Other fiction writers imagined advanced genetics and cloning in the 60's. Especially Frank Herbert, writer of Dune.
Advanced computers that fit in the palm of your hand that contains access to all information was a feature in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

We actually take a lot of technology for granted that was only fantasy just a few decades ago.


It was even considered laughable that people would cook with microwaves when I was a child.

 

[rampart]

The laser wasn't invented until 9 years after the movie was made

ray guns have been science fiction staples since "war of the worlds."

and, besides, you should do your own research on that alien technology. they may be a few million years ahead of 1955 earth.

 

[Stryder50]

A movie from 1951. The scene where Gort first appears, he uses what looks like a LASER weapon to destroy the weapons of his adversaries.

Anybody see the "problem" here?

Problem I see isn't the form of tech, but it's power level.
I'm skeptical such a small device(robot) could have generated the energy to melt so many weapons. Maybe "ONE" at best, but that should have depleted it's 'battery'~power source.

Second problem is using violence/weapon to destroy other weapons of violence as a solution to ability to do violence in first place. A sort of "Kettle calling the pot black" here. Hypocritical at the least. But typical of the mindset of writers for this sort of fiction back then = pedestrian, simplistic, and immature.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Problem I see isn't the form of tech, but it's power level.
I'm skeptical such a small device(robot) could have generated the energy to melt so many weapons. Maybe "ONE" at best, but that should have depleted it's 'battery'~power source.

Second problem is using violence/weapon to destroy other weapons of violence as a solution to ability to do violence in first place. A sort of "Kettle calling the pot black" here. Hypocritical at the least. But typical of the mindset of writers for this sort of fiction back then = pedestrian, simplistic, and immature.

that ship can transverse space and you dont think they could have built a power source for the robot?

~ Klaatu on Gort's race.

According to Klaatu in the 1951 film, Gort holds irrevocable powers, and Gort demonstrates this when he first appears, reducing guns, turrets and even a tank to dust with a laserlike weapon that is projected from beneath a visor on his head, precise enough to destroy any object without harming anything around it. Is is stated that he had enough power to destroy the entire planet and is seemingly indestructible, and unstoppable against all of Earth's weapons, even atomic bombs. As the pilot and captain of Klaatu's ship, Gort can also operate highly complex machinery, just like the other members of his race which use similar ships to patrol planets. As his size would imply, Gort is also very strong physically, able to knock out men with a single blow.

 

[Stryder50]

that ship can transverse space and you dont think they could have built a power source for the robot?

~ Klaatu on Gort's race.

According to Klaatu in the 1951 film, Gort holds irrevocable powers, and Gort demonstrates this when he first appears, reducing guns, turrets and even a tank to dust with a laserlike weapon that is projected from beneath a visor on his head, precise enough to destroy any object without harming anything around it. Is is stated that he had enough power to destroy the entire planet and is seemingly indestructible, and unstoppable against all of Earth's weapons, even atomic bombs. As the pilot and captain of Klaatu's ship, Gort can also operate highly complex machinery, just like the other members of his race which use similar ships to patrol planets. As his size would imply, Gort is also very strong physically, able to knock out men with a single blow.

Well it must be close to 60+ years since I last watched that movie.
Not uncommon for science fiction back then and even today to get imaginative with the science used to make a plot.

Maybe should have "googled" (duckduckgo) first ...

The Day the Earth Stood Still - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Flopper]

The laser wasn't invented until 9 years after the movie was made

It was a death ray created by Killer Kane in the Buck Rogers comic strips in the 30's, so there is no problem at all.