Apocalypse in 7 not-so-easy steps
January 24th, 2007
Open the Future has devised an 7-level “apocalypse scale,” grading the threat to humanity and the planet of 7 levels of disaster.
Given the popularity of mega-disasters in movies, we can consider which of the levels have been depicted — or at least threatened — on screen.
LEVEL — SCALE
0 — Regional catastrophe
Movies depicting:
- 28 Days Later
1 — Human die-back
Movies depicting:
- The Day after Tomorrow
- The Postman
- The Road Warrior
- Terminator
2 — Civilizational extinction
Movies depicting:
- Deep Impact
- 12 Monkeys — due to a madman aiming for a 3A
- Planet of the Apes
- The Matrix
3A — Human extinction–engineered
Movies depicting:
- On the Beach — the apparently imminent fate of humanity after a nuclear war
- Children of Men — global sterility of unknown cause
- Independence Day — or so the aliens intend
3B — Human extinction–natural
Movies depicting:
- none known
4 — Biosphere extinction
Movies depicting:
- none known
5 — Planetary extinction
Movies depicting:
- Armageddon — “nothing will survive” unless the giant asteroid is deflected, though a Texas-sized asteroid might be more like a level 4
X — Planetary elimination
Movies depicting:
- Star Wars — Alderaan at the hands of the Death Star
Entry Filed under: Disaster
3 Comments Add your own
1. Jamais Cascio | January 25th, 2007 at 12:43 am
This rocks!
(Armageddon would be a Class 4; for an example of Class 5, check out this clip on YouTube)
2. Brian Wang | January 26th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
3b - In the movie AI (spielberg) it is implied that humans are extinct at the end of the movie. 2000 years in the future.
It might have been 3a or 3b.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0212720/
http://www.answers.com/topic/apocalyptic-and-post-apocalyptic-fiction
extended the wikipedia entry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalyptic_and_post-apocalyptic_fiction
I have not seen the movie but the description of
“The Day the Earth Caught Fire” (1964) Implies biosphere extinction (which might have come just before planetary elimination). Of course it is fairy tail physic. Nuclear testing knocks the earth from orbit. There was a book (I bleive weapons of 2080
http://www.amazon.com/War-2080-future-military-technology/dp/0688034268
which calculated out the energy needed to knock the earth from orbit. It is far beyond our nuclear weapons. Same goes for Star Wars of course.
Babylon 5 showed other planetary eliminations by the Vorlon and the Shadows.
Star Trek has had universe eliminations and planetary eliminations. The doomsday machine from the old series. Pickard travelling through time to prevent the earth and a good chunk of the galaxy from being destroyed (All good things). Spacetime events that would have destroyed the universe.
Enterprise had an alternate timeline where the earth was destroyed. (planetary elimination)
Star trek had biosphere elimination for other races. The race of Sargon in Return to Tomorrow.
Other fiction have had universe or galaxy eliminations.
wellworld
http://kimmel.tripod.com/bookstore/wellworld.html
—But thats not realistic…none of the movies are.
EE Doc Smith Books
Lensmen, Skylark series for galaxy eliminations
3. Brian Wang | January 26th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
Andromeda TV series had destruction of earth by the Abyss. Not sure about extent of destruction
http://www.answers.com/topic/andromeda-tv-series
Farscape
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farscape:_The_Peacekeeper_Wars
Had the destruction of a planet
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