Abstract
The parallels between Military Science Fiction and real-world military weapons is by no means a mere coincidence. In addition, these parallels have benefited the U.S. military in terms of offensive weaponry and defenses. The fact of the matter is that most of the weapon development by the U.S. military is done through the inspiration drawn by Science Fiction films. Where the appearance of a weapon is taken into account and weapon engineers have to determine whether or not a particular weapon is implementable. Which leads to the question: If so, how? Several approaches must be taken to correspond with the weapon development such as the design process. Should a particular weapon have a āstrangeā appearance? There areĀ also decisions made in terms of the lethality of the weapon, which ultimately leads to applied limitations on a weapon if they are deemed too powerful. Ā Lastly, there are moral issues to consider relative to a newly developed weapons. Ā Should they be lethal or non-lethal? If there are many factors that affect the production of these weapons; how canĀ the U.S. military benefit from these parallels?
The first benefit will be the idea of developing biologically enhanced soldiers,Ā in other words super soldiers. They are like human soldiers except they represent the stereotypical image of super humans. Which are individuals that are able to surpass beyond the capabilities of any regular person. Another Is the development of laser rifles, as they are very popular throughout Science Fiction films. They benefit the military in terms of the element of surprise however, they were made non-lethal. In addition, there is also the future production of auto-piloted aircrafts that are able to travel at unbelievable velocities and altitudes. Not to mention that the structure of the aircraft resembles designs from popular Science Fiction films. Lastly, one of the most important aspects to talk about when these parallels are beingĀ developed, is the limitations applied to the weapon in order to allow them to correspond with moral standards. This in turn, is probably one of the most influential aspects that is considered during the implementation process. The decision to make it lethal and non-lethal really depends on what a particular weapon is used for. Overall, these parallels have benefited the U.S. military in more ways than one.
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