Sunday, August 28, 2011

The Diamond Planet Heist!


Astronomers have discovered a planet 4000 light-years away orbiting a neutron star every two hours that appears to be composed of diamond.  Read the details here.


Could you ask for a better science ficiton/space opera adventure locale?  It could be a ritzy casino world full of sauve spies like something out of a Bond film or novel.  Or you could do a swinging sci-fi heist film, like a space opera Ocean's 11.  Maybe it's a glitzy disco world like something you might have seen on the 80s Buck Rogers if it had had a bigger budget?

Of course, one could go against all those diamond associations.  Doctor Who has a "crystalline world" in the episode "Midnight" and that's a horror story.

10 comments:

Jim Shelley said...

I see the seeds for a Dylan Gunn story!

Nate said...

You may not have to travel as far out as you think for planet-sized diamonds.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-01/diamond-oceans-may-cover-neptune-and-uranus

christian said...

I'm not sure what the exact, legal process is, but I call "dibs" on all ice-berg sized diamons floating on the seas of Neptune. Consider this an official decree.

Trey said...

@Jim - 4000 light-years is a bit far away for Dylan Gunn, but perhaps the diamond-islands Nate refers to.

@Nate - Thanks for the link!

@Christian - You'll have to file a claim at the Solar Claim office on Mercury.

Chris C. said...

Wow cool. With enough technology (wormhole manipulation?) one could even think of stealing the planet itself (with suitable effects on the rest of the system). Just one more item in the collection of someone like Kivas Fajo.

Trey said...

Good point. I could see the Collector from Marvel Comics going after it as well.

Needles said...

http://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/2011/08/gates-of-machabogugg.html
I got your technology right here man!
Brilliant & inspiring post!

Trey said...

That would work :)

Jason kielbasa said...

You could also go in an opposite direction and have the PCs save the planet from an intergalatic diamond cartel that wants the planet destroyed for fear that their monopoly will end.

Trey said...

Very true. There are a lot of different ways one could go with it, definitely.