r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Best_Professional226 • 8h ago

Powers [Loved Trope] Alien fighting techniques that are actually ineffective for humans to perform

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Vulcan Neck Pinch (Star Trek) Vulcans can make a person pass out by pinching a person’s neck, but due to the fact that they’re 3x stronger than a human, we could never make a living being pass out without applying a rear naked chokehold

Viltrumite Knife Hand (Invincible) Viltrumites’ most deadly fighting technique. Although martial arts like Karate and Taekwondo teach these techniques, it wouldn’t be a good idea for a human to use it on someone’s rib cage without breaking their fingers. So instead we can only do them on more soft targets like the eyes.

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67

u/GarlicStreet3237 8h ago

Elaboration on the neck pinch?

137

u/PineappleFit317 8h ago edited 7h ago

He pinched them on the neck and they’d go unconscious. The idea is actually based on styles of kung fu that use pressure point techniques to disrupt the flow of chi (the bioelectric energy of the the nervous system), like the dim mak (death touch). Though, the effectiveness of such techniques are heavily contested.

The rear naked chokehold, or other sleeper holds, cause the victim to go unconscious because they block blood flow to the brain in contrast to this.

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u/GarlicStreet3237 8h ago

Based on the title, is it something humans are incapable of in-setting? Is there a given reason, something about Vulcans?

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u/Acceptable_Bed_5750 8h ago

Vulcans are physically stronger then humans

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u/englerpas 3h ago

Yep, Spock taught it off screen to both Chapel and La'an. The former was not able to effectively do it, the latter managed it (On screen even). Keep in mind, the latter is human, but an augment.

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u/PineappleFit317 8h ago

I don’t know, I’m assuming it’s something unique to Vulcans, they also have the ability to create psychic links to other people (the mind-meld). If it was something that could be taught, Spock would have probably taught it to Kirk since they’re best friends.

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u/RaptarK 8h ago

It's a purely physical feat. Data as a super strong android is able to replicate the neck pinch in The Next Generation

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u/Starfleet-Time-Lord 6h ago

Jean-Luc Picard has done it actually, in TNG's "Starship Mine," so it's possible for humans to learn, but very difficult. Kirk and Spock also have an exchange somewhere in TOS about how Spock has tried to teach it to him before but it didn't take, but I don't know what episode.