teleportation in SciFi

[jefferiestubes8]

Teleportation is the transfer of matter from one point to another, more or less instantaneously. Teleportation has been widely utilized in works of science fiction.

For all the literary folk let's give credit:

The word "teleportation" was coined in 1931 by American writer Charles Fort...Fort's first formal use of the word was in the second chapter of his 1931 book, Lo!

as per Wiki
One of my favorite depictions of [Dematerialising] teleportation is in The Fly (1986) with the "Telepods".

Scenarios:

Dematerialising (The Fly, Star Trek transporters)
Dimensional teleportation
Wormhole (through space & time)

In science fiction, a jump gate (or 'jumpgate') is a fictional device able to create a wormhole or portal, allowing fast travel between two points in space. Several works use this term extensively.

A portal in science fiction and fantasy, is a magical or technological doorway that connects two locations, whether separated by time or more commonly, space.

There is a widespread conception within visual science fiction of what a "portal" should look like. The "ripple effect" is the most common part of this conception. One of the earliest examples is the Guardian of Forever, an artifact of the Star Trek universe. The device could open spacetime portals to any point in history on any world in the universe, and was ring-shaped with a watery "event horizon." It was first seen in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The City on the Edge of Forever" (1967) and later in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "Yesteryear" (1974).

Also included within the Wormhole scenario is subspace teleport technology

In Star Trek: Voyager ...the Borg have a device known as a Transwarp Conduit. The aperture of the conduit at the transwarp hub resembles the event horizon of a Stargate crossed with the wormhole effect created by the Stargate.

A transwarp conduit was an artificial construct that could be used to achieve faster-than-light travel, in a similar fashion to a wormhole. Vessels traveling in such conduits could traverse vast distances in a matter of hours at speeds estimated to be at least twenty times faster than a Galaxy-class starship's maximum warp.

via Memory Alpha

In the cartoon series The Transformers, the Decepticons built the Space Bridge, which serves a similar purpose. A large round ring built on Earth (lying flat) would create a subspace tunnel to a destination tower on Cybertron. One key difference in function was that matter was not broken apart for transport.

I've always liked the idea of a A portal in science fiction and fantasy connecting two distant locations. The possibilities are really endless.
In the Beetle Juice (1988) movie I love how the Maitlands create a portal to get help from their afterlife case worker, Juno.

In Trainspotting (1996) how

Renton decides to quit heroin. He buys opium rectal suppositories from Mikey Forrester which he uses right away, but has to retrieve them from a filthy lavatory

which he dives into the toilet which becomes a portal to swim down to find them .

and in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
The scene where Nancy is attacked by Krueger in her bathtub which became an underwater scene.

I've even used the idea of a wormhole in a short film I started writing over 10 years ago where a pager device could receive pages from 40 years in the future. Obviously using a cellphone (or a smartphone with e-mail) would allow for more uses of this wormhole and also monologues from the characters...


Shall we discuss out favorite teleportation in SciFi?

For easy reference here's the list with hyperlinks:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fiction_containing_teleportation

 

[Silent_Bob]

My own personal favourite use of teleportation comes from the sci-fi wargame Warhammer 40,000. One of the races in the game, Orks, have access to a weapon called the Shokk attack gun.
What this "gun" actually does is hoover up Snotlings (a diminutive goblin-like race) and teleports them at the enemy, the aim being for them to re-materialize within tanks or even enemy soldiers and cause havoc from the inside. Of course this being an Ork weapon, it's prone to malfunctions and can end up teleporting the wielder instead,with hilarious consequences.

 

[Janus VI]

I suppose you could add the "Portable Hole" often used in the old Warner Bros. Bugs Bunny cartoons.

The Hole Idea.

 

[Psion]

I want the gun that lets you shoot an entry hole against one surface and an exit hole on another. Creative uses of such a gun allow one to cross obstacles, retrieve objects from a distance, and appear to defy the laws of physics.

I am, of course, thinking of Portal.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I want the gun that lets you shoot an entry hole against one surface and an exit hole on another. Creative uses of such a gun allow one to cross obstacles, retrieve objects from a distance, and appear to defy the laws of physics.

I am, of course, thinking of Portal.

http://www.gizmowatch.com/entry/portal-gun-is-a-modded-action-out-of-the-game/

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Re: teleportation in SciFi videogame

I am, of course, thinking of Portal.

Portal which is a pack-in/download with Half-Life 2: Episode Two

The Portal Teaser Trailer you linked to Psion was pretty cool and I couldn't help but think of the TV show Sliders.
It's odd though how with Portal it's like anything when a concept is overdone it gets boring like the Borg as a villain on VOY.