# A weapon more destructive than the atom bomb
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [July 22, 2007, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764 "2007-07-22T18:49:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Small\_British\_Shop\_Owner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_British_Shop_Owner)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/1 "2007-07-22T18:49:36Z")
Is there any conceivable reason why one would want a weapon more potent than an atom bomb? I can’t see why the former would be more of a deterrant than the latter, and it would surely be even more useless in actual combat.
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### Author:  [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/2 "2007-07-22T18:53:44Z")
“Powerful” is a poor term. You don’t rate a weapon by its “power,” but judge it by how efficiently it does its work, its cost, its specific role, and its flexibility.
There could be uses for weapons more explodey than an atom bomb. It might be cheaper or easier to deploy. It might be _less_ lethal, depending on where and when you use it. It might have applications for space or marine warfare. It might be more directed, delivering more force to the actual enemy.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/3 "2007-07-22T18:55:01Z")
A planet-killing device is essential to maintain the integrity of a Galactic Empire.
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### Author:  [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/4 "2007-07-22T18:55:17Z")
A viral attack could potentially make an atom bomb look like a firecracker.
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### Author:  [@Small\_British\_Shop\_Owner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_British_Shop_Owner)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/5 "2007-07-22T19:16:05Z")
Please define destructive how you will. I was thinking in terms of destructive to humanity, but I’m sure there could be other definitions.
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### Author:  [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/6 "2007-07-22T19:16:41Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton]
A planet-killing device is essential to maintain the integrity of a Galactic Empire.
[/QUOTE]
Planet-killing or star system killing?
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/7 "2007-07-22T19:23:41Z")
It’s hard to destroy the universe with mere nuclear weapons. How will we cleanse the universe of life in the name of the Dark Gods ( praise their unholy names ! ) without galaxy destroying weapons, at the very least ?
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### Author:  [@Small\_British\_Shop\_Owner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_British_Shop_Owner)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/8 "2007-07-22T19:26:38Z")
Ok, so clearly in some kind of future civilisation where we own many planets, more destructive weapons will come in useful.
But on earth: any real use?
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### Author:  [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/9 "2007-07-22T19:37:28Z")
Well, after 1945 I think a lot of people were asking why anyone would need a more powerful bomb than a fission based atomic bomb. But we built one anyway. The fusion-based hydrogen bomb is a thousand times more powerful than the fission bomb.
Shows what happens when a species of aggressive, violent apes gets intelligence.
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### Author:  [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/10 "2007-07-22T19:48:38Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton]
A planet-killing device is essential to maintain the integrity of a Galactic Empire.
[/QUOTE]
But shield those exhaust ports!
Actually, if MOO2 has taught me anything, Stellar Converter+Stargate+Telepathy+Thorium Fuel Cells makes formation of a galactic empire a simple question of “How many ships can you build per turn?”
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### Author:  [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/11 "2007-07-22T20:00:13Z")
[Quote=Small British Shop Owner]
Is there any conceivable reason why one would want a weapon more potent than an atom bomb?
[/Quote]
Well, maybe if I had one, people would finally stop messing with me.
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/12 "2007-07-22T20:02:52Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Borgia]
Well, after 1945 I think a lot of people were asking why anyone would need a more powerful bomb than a fission based atomic bomb. But we built one anyway. The fusion-based hydrogen bomb is a thousand times more powerful than the fission bomb.
Shows what happens when a species of aggressive, violent apes gets intelligence.
[/QUOTE]
Somewhere in the universe, there is a completely nonviolent sentient species descended from something resembling a deer.
And when we find them, they’re toast! 😃
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### Author:  [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/13 "2007-07-22T20:15:13Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton]
Somewhere in the universe, there is a completely nonviolent sentient species descended from something resembling a deer.
And when we find them, they’re toast! 😃
[/QUOTE]
I’m reminded of the Arthur C. Clarke story “Second Dawn”:
[SPOILER]A civilization that had been based on psionics rather than technology (lacking good manipulating appendages) is at the brink of self-destruction, having developed a “chain-reaction mindwipe” telepathic weapon. One of them discovers another sentient race on their world, primitive but with functional hands. Their combined strengths start them on the road to material developments, which they hope might avert the coming conflict by producing plenty for everyone.
The story ends with an odd report, not seen by the characters as particularly significant, of a strange rock that left mysterious burns on the explorer who’d carried it home, and glows in the dark…[/SPOILER]
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### Author:  [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/14 "2007-07-22T20:17:30Z")
Because someday, someone will come up with a good way of stopping atom bombs.
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/15 "2007-07-22T20:56:10Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton]
Somewhere in the universe, there is a completely nonviolent sentient species descended from something resembling a deer.
And when we find them, they’re toast! 😃
[/QUOTE]
Reminds me of :
> [@](#):
>
> I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they’d never expect it.
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### Author:  [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/16 "2007-07-22T21:30:34Z")
[QUOTE=asterion]
But shield those exhaust ports!
Actually, if MOO2 has taught me anything, Stellar Converter+Stargate+Telepathy+Thorium Fuel Cells makes formation of a galactic empire a simple question of “How many ships can you build per turn?”
[/QUOTE]
[scifi]Well it was _ray_ shielded…
And why’d you need Telepathy? Did you mean Omniscience ? [/scifi]
Our most recent weapon developments seem to have been related to power generation. Combustion, Fission, Fusion. I don’t know of power technologies that are being developed beyond that. I don’t think Anti-matter is ever going to be a viable source of energy. So what else is there ?
Unless you want to wipe out whole countries in a single blast the only newer weapons we need are ones that carry the same destructive power we have in a smaller more controlled form. I’m thinking orbital ion cannons. That’d be cool.
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### Author:  [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)
#### Post date: [July 22, 2007, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/17 "2007-07-22T21:44:35Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Borgia]
Shows what happens when a species of aggressive, violent apes gets intelligence.
[/QUOTE]
Reality television, McDonald’s franchises, and mid-level marketing?
Stran ger
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### Author:  [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/18 "2007-07-23T00:20:05Z")
Python’s most dangerous joke.
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### Author:  [@I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_Ron_Burgundy)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2007, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/19 "2007-07-23T00:23:33Z")
And here I thought advertising was already deployed and terrorizing us all.
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### Author:  [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2007, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-weapon-more-destructive-than-the-atom-bomb/412764/20 "2007-07-23T01:19:34Z")
[QUOTE=essell]
[scifi]Well it was _ray_ shielded…
And why’d you need Telepathy? Did you mean Omniscience ? [/scifi]
[/QUOTE]
Nope. Play a creative race with 2 picks left unused. This works better on an easier setting and with the earlier version. Anyway, thanks to the creativity, you’ve gotten Doom Stars, the top armor, the top shields, the fastest engines, the unlimited range fuel cells, and lots of other things. Stick a Stellar Converter and a Time Warp Facilitator in the Doom Star and you get two sure kills every round. With the four extra picks from Evolutionary Mutation, you take Telepathy for six points total, which allows you to take over an entire planet without needing to invade and they all convert peacefully instantly. So, you go and take out all the defenses in a planetary system and use telepathy to take over the planet. Of course, you could just blow it up instead, but you get more points the bigger your population. The stargate is a free star system upgrade and means you can go a-conquering without getting your fleets out so far that you can’t get them back to defend a planet in time.
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