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The Best Fictional Doomsday Devices

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the doom-proof dept.

Ostracus writes to tell us that Wired has an interesting summary of some of the best fictional doomsday devices. These devices have featured heavily in movies, television, and fiction; their list includes favorites from Dr. Strangelove to Futurama. What devices have they missed? "By the time Futurama's sci-fi satire hit the scene, creator Matt Groening had the doomsday-device shtick down. Case in point: the Spheroboom. This highly explosive space/time-bending device isn't just the prized jewel of the show's mad scientist, Professor Farnsworth. It also destroys anyone/anything not wearing a 'Doom-proof Platinum Vest.'"

7 of 340 comments (clear)

  1. Wired slideshow by WK2 · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's a Wired slideshow, on 8 separate pages. If you value your time, don't even bother to RTFA. If you don't value your time, please try to find an "all on one page" version for the rest of us.

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  2. The Doomsday Machine - Star Trek - missing one by ACK!! · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doomsday_Machine_(TOS_episode) Overview: The starship Enterprise plays a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with an alien planet-killing machine. Come on if you cannot list a Star Trek episode where is the geek cred?

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    ACK /ak/ interj. 2. [from the comic strip "Bloom County"] An exclamation of surprised disgust, esp. i
  3. Monty Phyton by Andr+T. · · Score: 5, Informative

    You missed the funniest joke in the world!!!!

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    Any life is made up of a single moment, the moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he is.

  4. Re:ICE-9 by Psiren · · Score: 4, Informative

    Again, not strictly a doomsday device, but nevertheless, the Lazy Gun is the most ingenious weapon ever inventerised!

  5. Re:ICE-9 by Cornwallis · · Score: 4, Informative

    ICE-9 is great but I've always been enamored with Ren & Stimpy's "History Eraser Button"

  6. Good news, everyone! by Drakkenmensch · · Score: 4, Informative

    Don't forget the professor's Universe-in-a-box, which ended up containing our own universe at the conclusion of the episode. Imagine that - a simple cardboard box that could destroy reality as we know it, simply by being tossed into the recycling bin. Seems like the practice meant to save the environment is going to doom us all in the end!

  7. Re:Mass Driver by Evil+Pete · · Score: 3, Informative

    And before that in 1966 there was The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" during the war between Luna and Earth. Though I wouldn't be surprised if there were even earlier examples.

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    Bitter and proud of it.