I have this vague memory of a time when Superman became too powerful. He just overwhelmed his own stories. The writers even found a way to get rid of all the kryptonite on Earth. Mistake. Power always needs some balancing for narrative. Some imbalance drives a story. Too much imbalance kills a story. Thus Superman needs kryptonite (and more fell to Earth/was mined from the moon). But not too much kryptonite! I’ve since read this was the motivation for transmuting kryptonite into iron – it seemed like every corner-store robber could have a stash and the writers had to find a way to limit the amount around, lest the imbalance become too great in the other direction.
Fictional elements like kryptonite can play a great role in SFF, but must be employed with care. In my first novel, I didn’t need to invent a fantastic new metal because the events occur during the period when iron was first steeled in the Mediterranean/SWANA regions, allowing it to move from merely a decorative element to weapons grade. A few characters have weapons from this innovative imported metal, giving them an advantage.
But many other fantastical worlds have their own fictional elements that feed into the plot in wonderful – or not so wonderful ways. In addition to find ways check the power of the fictional element, one must also be sure to make them “realistic,” i.e. that the properties are coherent and make sense, and that they serve an inherent function, something that moves them beyond plot devices/macguffins to organic parts of the world building.
This list could be much, much longer, but here are some that came to mind and how their potential power (and thus power imbalances) are handled:
- Mithril (Tolkein’s Middle Earth) and Beskar (Star Wars, esp. The Mandalorian): Both are prized weapons-grade metals that gives the wearer or wielder a great advantage in battle. In both these cases, the mines from which the metals come now lie out of reach for one reason or another.
- Dilithium (Star Trek) and Kyber crystals (Star Wars) are both crystalline structures used as power sources for matter/antimatter reactors and light sabers (and Deathstars) respectively. Both are rare. Dilithium cannot be synthesized at a quality level beyond the most rudimentary uses, leaving natural dilithium in demand. The main source of Kyber crystals was first taken over by the Empire and its successor the First Order, then destroyed by the Resistance/New Republic. But while the Empire controlled the kyber’s main source, it led to a plot-driving imbalance of power (the Death Star and its successors).
- Adamant (Classical Mythology)/Adamantine (various)/ Adamantium (Marvel Comics and MCU): the strongest, most indestructible metal alloy. The secrets of this alloy are tightly controlled, thus limiting its occurrences (also at some point, vibranium becomes a component, further limiting it).
- Vibranium (Marvel Comics/MCU: I hesitate to admit, I have issues with vibranium. I mean, what can’t it do at this point? Fantastic weapons-grade metal, power source (and storage of power as it absorbs and returns power), sound-dampener, mutagen, medicinal. I’m sure the list could go on. It’s become a little much for my taste. But limited in that it has an extra-terrestrial origin and Wakanda and Talokan have a near monopoly on it due to a meteor strikes.
- Unobtanium (from Cameron’s Avatar movies): I always thought the name unimaginative and that Cameron should have just called it MacGuffinite, but apparently there is some engineering history to the name (see Wikipedia). But its very rareness more than any property inherent in it is the main plot driver and thus does seem a macguffin.
- Celestial Bronze/Imperial Gold/Stygian Iron/Bone Steel (Rick Riordan’s YA myth books): The first three are rare (bronze mined by cyclopes on Mt. Olympus; gold consecrated in Ancient Rome/tempered in the River Styx) but also limited in their powers (the bronze and gold can’t hurt normal mortals; the iron could but can be only be wielded by the off spring of Hades). The gold also has the danger of exploding. Bone steel has a real history, with bones being used by Vikings for the carbon in the steeling process. I’m not sure it has the same limitations as the bronze and gold, but all four are useful against Demi-gods, monsters, and gods. In a way, they level the playing field rather than imbalancing it. And a brief shout out to stygian ice, which can only be made with the River Styx, is hard to craft, and shatters after one use.
Those were the first to jump to my mind. Do have favorite fictional elements from your own reading/viewing? Have you created some of your own? If so how have you handled them?
Ramblings 