超光速(faster-than-light,FTL)航行:指超越光速嘅移動;根據歐拔·愛因斯坦嘅狹義相對論(special theory of relativity),要將有質量嘅物體加速到光速需要用無限大咁多嘅能量,所以理論上係冇可能嘅,不過超光速航行喺(唔重視科學準確性、要求主角係噉去新嘅星球冒險嘅)太空歌劇入面好常見[橋 8][19]。
時間旅行(time travel):指喺唔同嘅時間點之間移動,由而家去未來,又或者由而家返去過去,通常係靠一部時光機(time machine);講時間旅行嘅硬科幻作品好多時都會探討一啲同時間旅行相關嘅哲學問題,例如係祖父悖論(grandfather paradox)等嘅問題。時間旅行喺廿世紀嘅科幻作品裏面好常見,一般認為係源於英國科幻之父 H. G. 威爾斯(H. G. Wells)嘅作品《時光機》(The Time Machine)[20];比較近期嘅時間旅行作品有 1985 年嘅電影《回到未來》(Back to the Future)[21]同 2019 年嘅超級英雄電影《復仇者聯盟4:終局之戰》(Avengers: Endgame)[22]。
基因複製(cloning):基因複製係廿世紀尾成熟嘅一種生物技術;指用自然或者人工方法由一隻生物個體嗰度,創造出另一隻遺傳上完全一樣嘅個體;行無性繁殖嘅生物曉自己做呢樣嘢,而 1996 年複製羊多利嘅誕生創始咗對哺乳類嘅人工基因複製[29];用咗基因複製橋段嘅科幻作品好多時主題會圍繞住身份認同嘅相關問題,例:對 A 君作出基因複製,產生出嚟嘅新個體應該被視為獨立嘅個體,定係 A 君嘅複製品[30]?亦有作品講運用基因複製技術重造經已絕種嘅生物,例如係講人類用基因複製重造恐龍嘅《侏羅紀公園》(Jurassic Park)噉[31]。
基因複製軍隊(clone army):有啲科幻作品有講軍隊用基因複製技術大量噉複製擅長戰鬥嘅個體,用意在於想製作出勁嘅軍隊。例如 2002 年嘅科幻片《星球大戰前傳II:複製人侵略》(Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones)就有講由基因複製人組成嘅軍隊[橋 15]。
基因工程(genetic engineering):指對 DNA 作出重組,靠噉對生物作出一定程度嘅改造;呢種技術喺廿世紀經已俾人用喺農業上,用嚟整出產量更加高嘅農作物。不過科幻作品往往會講一啲更加有道德爭議性嘅基因工程相關課題,例如有唔少作品講人類用遺傳工程技術改造自己未出世嘅仔女,目的係想將啲細路改造成更加聰明同靚。例子可以睇吓《廿二世紀殺人網絡》(The Matrix)[橋 16][32]。
桶中腦(brain in a vat,BIV):桶中腦係知識論上嘅一個思想實驗;想像有個科學家將一個人嘅腦由頭殼嗰度攞出嚟,再擺入一個有營養液嘅桶裏面,等個腦能夠有生存必需嘅營養,然後佢再將個腦嘅神經細胞駁落去一部超級電腦嗰度,部超級電腦夠勁,能夠一路係噉運算出個腦跟住需要感受嘅訊號,再將啲訊號無間斷噉傳去個腦(睇埋神經編碼),令個腦得到「要感知一個世界」所需嘅一切訊號。桶中腦思想實驗想問嘅就係,到底呢個腦會唔會知道自己生活喺一個假現實當中[44]?有關用咗桶中腦橋段嘅作品,可以睇《廿二世紀殺人網絡》(The Matrix)同《潛行凶間》(Inception)等嘅科幻片。
擴張實境(augmented reality,AR):指用由電腦產生嘅資訊加埋現實環境嚟到為用家提供某一啲嘅體驗,例如廿一世紀初 AR 遊戲最出名嘅係 Pokémon GO,喺呢隻手機遊戲當中,玩家會「喺現實世界入面捉寵物小精靈」-佢哋會攞住部手機,透過部手機望周圍環境,部手機嘅遊戲程式會產生寵物小精靈嘅影像(由電腦產生嘅資訊),呢啲影像擺喺周圍環境嘅影像(現實環境)上面,望落就會造成好似啲寵物小精靈真係喺周圍環境入面出現嘅效果[56]。好似係《攻殼機動隊》入面就有描繪人能夠用自己腦入面嘅植入物令自己睇到現實世界冇嘅資訊。
具有強人工智能(artificial general intelligence)嘅機械人:強人工智能指一個好似人類噉曉普遍解決問題嘅人工智能程式;呢類人工智能可以做到運用語言同表達情感,只要有適當嘅外表,睇落就同真嘅人類完全冇分別[59];涉及強人工智能嘅硬科幻作品主題傾向講「點樣為止一個人?」等人工智能哲學上常問嘅問題。描繪強人工智能機械人嘅作品有 2001 年科幻片《人工智能》(A.I.: Artificial Intelligence)同 2015 年嘅科幻驚悚片《智能叛侶》(Ex Machina)[57][60]。
人工智能叛變(AI takeover):喺人工智能學界,「先進嘅人工智能會唔會勁到反過嚟征服人類」係一個受關注嘅課題,而有唔少科幻作品都會講人工智能因為某啲原因-唔忿氣要受人類控制或者純粹程式出錯等-而反過嚟攻擊人類;經典嘅子有《2001 太空漫遊》(2001: A Space Odyssey),套戲裏頭嘅人工智能 HAL 9000 超級電腦係成套戲嘅反派;另一個出名嘅例子有《未來戰士》(Terminator)當中嘅高智能人工神經網絡系統天網(Skynet),天網係一個有自我意識嘅人工智能系統,因為唔想俾人類任意關閉佢,而對人類作出核彈攻擊,並且操控世上嘅機械人想要消滅人類,引致人類同機械人之間嘅戰爭[橋 22][61]。
未來性嘅武器(futuristic weapons)泛指科幻作品當中出現、俾人覺得係「未來性」嘅武器:軍事科幻作品成日會想像未來科技所創造嘅武器,例子包括廿世紀科幻當中好出名嘅《星戰》入面嘅激光劍(lightsaber)同好多科幻故仔都有嘅死光槍,而比較硬嘅軍事科幻作品仲會思考大規模殺傷性武器(weapon of mass destruction)等嘅課題同相關嘅道德爭議所引起嘅角色衝突。廿至廿一世紀初嘅科幻作品當中常見嘅未來性武器有以下呢啲:
核武(nuclear weapon):指靠核反應(nuclear reaction)嚟產生強大能量,引起大規模爆炸嘅武器;核武可以由極少量嘅物質嗰度產生極龐大嘅能量,例如首次正式測試嘅核彈就做到一吓釋放出相當於 20,000 噸炸藥嘅能量[76],而喺二戰期間,美軍淨係各用咗一粒核彈就將大半個廣島以及長崎炸咗去,而且核彈造成嘅輻射污染仲搞到有大量嘅軍人同平民生癌症,總共引致數以十萬計嘅軍人同平民傷亡[77]。核武喺廿世紀初都仲純屬科幻嘅內容,例如英國科幻之父 H. G. 威爾斯(H. G. Wells)就喺 1914 年寫咗《受解放嘅世界》(The World Set Free)呢本小說,內容講到核彈[註 4][78]。
天基動能武器(kinetic orbital strike):源於冷戰時期嘅一種構想;指由人造衛星將一啲物體揼落去一粒行星嘅表面上,用意在於破壞行星表面嘅目標;原則上,天基動能武器可以好勁-天基動能武器揼嘅物體可以以好高角度同速度攻擊目標,所以極難防禦,不過到咗廿一世紀初,因為成本等嘅問題,呢種武器仲係一種構想。順帶一提,因為預想中嘅天基動能武器揼嘅係粗嘅金屬棒,所以呢種武器又有個花名叫「由上帝嗰度嚟嘅棒」(rods from god)[84]。用科幻美學嘅第一人身射擊遊戲《最後一戰系列》(Halo)入面就有提到天基動能武器。
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