Science fiction is usually about the incredible advancements in technology that the future could hold. However, since most of the genre is intensely cynical, a lot of writers imagine those innovations being used for evil. When science gets out of hand, it’s up to primitive methods to put the future in its place.
Far too often, science fiction is more hateful toward science than it is toward the people who create it.Anti-science science fictionis shockingly common, but it’s also just fun to see an underdog win. It’s tough to imagine someone with more odds against them than a hero facing an enemy armed with lasers while he’s carrying only a humble rock.
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The evil empire isa go-to antagonist of the sci-fi genre. Global megacorporations, oppressive technocratic governments, and imperialist armies are all common villains for the medium. These ideas have a lot in common, but, most notably, they all possess a huge logistical, financial, and technological advantage over their subjects. The heroes of the tale might find themselves struggling to scratch the expensive armor of their enemy without appropriate weaponry. However, old-fashioned methods can often find the weakness of futuristic armaments and win the day. When a primitive planet, armed only with what they could find lying around the forest floor, defeats theseemingly all-powerful enemy army, it’s an example of the Rock Beats Laser trope.
Technically, this trope is far older than science fiction. Even when metal was the height of technological innovation, stories of warriors wielding found objects and defeating better-armed enemies were common. The Bible features the tale of Samson, the superhuman who slays 1000 soldiers with a donkey’s jawbone. The warriors Samson beat to death with the discarded mandible of an animal were presumably clad in armor and wielding swords, making Samson’s triumph even more impressive. Even before the Old Testament,Homer’sIliadfeatured longfawning descriptions of the futuristic wonder of bronze. Many of the characters in the epic tale are immune to bronze weaponry, making them effectively bulletproof by the standards of the time. However, these seemingly godlike warriors are frequently taken out by large rocks. The Trojan warrior Hector is almost slain with a big rock twice, despite his incredible skill in combat and advanced contemporary weaponry. Defeating a foe with nothing but a rock demonstrates superiority over a foe, even when the only other option is a fancier rock.
The most iconic version of this trope on the big screen is almost undoubtedly the battle on the forest moon of Endor inReturn of the Jedi. Though this scene isn’t the most fondly-remembered part of the original trilogy, it does demonstrate one of the funniest weak points of the Empire. After centuries of advancement in laser weaponry and massive war machines, the people at the top seem to have forgotten the lethal potential of natural methods. Led by a small team of heroes, thenative Ewoks' most advancedpiece of tech is a catapult. The individual infantry Ewoks wield shepherd’s slings and sharpened sticks while special stealth units simply drop from trees onto their foes. The battle really turns in favor of the heroes when Chewbacca and a couple of Ewoks steal an AT-ST, but rocks and swinging logs give them the power to take over their weaponry. The power of primitive weaponry and clever strategy allows a bunch of 3-foot-tall bears to defeat the Empire’s crack troops.
To see this concept expanded to an entire franchise, check out thePredatorfilms.The Yautja species travelsthe universe seeking out worthwhile prey. For the purpose of the movies, they almost always find humanity to be their ideal target. Pretty much every film in the franchise follows the same general plot progression. The Predator arrives, clad in impenetrable armor, and armed with a variety of space-age weapons. The human prey tries to defeat their new enemy with contemporary firearms and whatever military technology they have to hand. Their attempts fall flat, leading almost all of them to die horribly. The final survivors abandon their fancy guns and revert to caveman tactics to defeat the Predator. Through appropriate tactics, humanity can use rocks, sticks, and leaves to best their technologically superior foe. Nowhere is this seen more aggressively than inPrey, in which a small army of men with guns are butchered,while the Native American’sbows and axes continually succeed.
Rocks beating lasers is as common as it is entertaining.Everyone loves an underdog, and no one predicts victory for the person with the rock. No technological hurdle is too big to overcome, so long as the hero is on the side of the primitive. For all the incredible innovations that can be made with the world of future technology, people are still fragile, rocks are still heavy, and the right strategy can still win the day.
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