# Green Lantern Ring? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 29, 2003, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-ring/178245 "2003-05-29T13:03:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![spectrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@spectrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spectrum)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-ring/178245/21 "2003-05-30T00:37:22Z")
The ring is merely a conduit for the power of the Central Battery of Oa (or New Oa nowadays), as mangified by the will of the bearer. With enough will power, one could, say, destroy the fabric of time space and collapse the beginning and end of time into one point, then recreate the Universe in your own image. If one chose to do so. In fact, you wouldn’t even need to, say, consume the Central Battery to do that. You could do that just with the power channeled through one ring… Unless the Hack Ron Marz is writing your character, and totally screws up several decades worth of continuity just for the sake of a lame, predictable “story.” ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-ring/178245/22 "2003-05-30T03:06:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tyler Do’Urden \* > \*\*Gotchya ya. \*\* :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-ring/178245/23 "2003-05-30T03:42:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > \*\*:dubious: \*\* Oh come now. Registered in 2000 and you don’t know “Gotcha Ya!”? Which reminds me, Tyler, I wanted to express my admiration of using that phrase so eloquently. You may have only registered lately but you must be a long time lurker. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-ring/178245/24 "2003-05-30T12:34:36Z")
Yeah, but he got it wrong - he said “Gotchya ya!” ---
**Author:** ![dalovindj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@dalovindj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalovindj)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-ring/178245/25 "2003-05-30T13:12:38Z")
Love the “unique” debate. I would have to come in on the side that allows it to be used comparitively. Now “_haecceity_” is a word that _really_ means unique. That is to say that no two things will ever have the same haecceity. Two (or 100) rings can properly be described as unique weapons, but each one of them will have its own haecceity. That is to say that each ring has its own “thisness” which no other ring will possess - even if they are unique objects. Now the whole unique thing becomes relative. On our planet a man who could fly and dodge bullets would be unique, even if there is a planet full of these guys somewhere else. So a guy like that would be more or less unique (relative to his surroundings) depending on which planet he was residing. Regardless, he would have his own haecceity as would all of the other flying men on the other planet. I am constantly amazed at my not-so-unique tendency to be amused by pointless debates. . . DaLovin’ Dj ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-ring/178245/26 "2003-05-30T14:59:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*Yeah, but he got it wrong - he said “Gotchya ya!” \*\* Oh, you’re too picky. ItShut up! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-ring/178245/27 "2003-05-30T15:00:25Z")
Of smash! ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-ring/178245/28 "2003-05-30T18:13:26Z")
Og smash typos refering to him! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-ring/178245/29 "2003-05-31T06:52:14Z")
> [@](#): > > One memorable issue was when Hal was able to defeat 2 other Green Lanterns by retreating at nearly the speed of light as he attacked so his power would go through a doppler shift. That. Is. So. Cool. Matter of fact, I think that that’s the coolest superhero gimmick I’ve ever heard of. Pray tell, what writer was it who came up with that stroke of genius, and is said writer still doing comics? ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-ring/178245/30 "2003-05-31T07:03:15Z")
Sorry, It was a few years back so I don’t remember who wrote it. All I do remember is that Hal was accompanied by one of the creators of the ring who told him about that trick so he could take down a pair of GLs who went bad or were deluded or something. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-ring/178245/31 "2003-06-03T16:33:04Z")
The bad-ass application of redshift occured in “Ganthet’s Tale” by Larry Niven. You may have heard of some of his works before… oh, and: [http://www.larryniven.org/](http://www.larryniven.org/) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-ring/178245/32 "2003-06-03T17:14:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Otto \* > \*\*Not properly it can’t. “Unique” means one of a kind. If there’s more of one of something it by definition is not unique. \*\* But certainly something can be more one-of-a-kind than another: Getting married is a unique experience. Going to the moon is a unique experience. Going to the moon is more unique than getting married. They’re both one-of-a-kind, but one is rarer, and thus more unique. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-ring/178245.md?page=1)