Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Dark matter in fiction (2nd nomination)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was merge to Dark matter. Liz Read! Talk! 06:12, 11 December 2022 (UTC)

Dark matter in fiction
AfDs for this article:


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90% of the article is the usual "list of media that mention the term dark matter", that fails WP:LISTN, WP:INDISCRIMINATE, WP:IPC. The lead suggests that this could be rescued into a prose article, but all the mentions are checked seem to fail WP:SIGCOV. I checked the usual science-fiction encyclopedias and such, and they don't discuss this with the singular exception of two paragraphs in Stableford's  Science fact and science fiction, in his chapter on "matter". Since I don't think that's enough to warrant a stand-alone article, but not a total mess (the lead is ok-ish), thinking about a good WP:PRESERVE/WP:ATD solution, I'd like to recommend merging the lead to Dark_matter (a tiny, currently unreferenced section), and redirecting this article there, leaving the WP:NOTTVTROPES-list hidden in the redirect's history. Thoughts? Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus&#124; reply here 05:06, 4 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the deletion sorting lists for the following topics: Fictional elements, Science fiction and fantasy,  and Science. Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus&#124; reply here  05:06, 4 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Keep and trim, as I tried to do so back in 2009, or Merge per nom. Many of these clearly just use the name for a concept unrelated to the real-world astrophysics model. Jclemens (talk) 08:54, 4 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Redirect to Dark_matter per nom. Fails WP:LISTN due to the lack of multiple instances of SIGCOV in reliable sources of the article subject as a group . This is just an indiscriminate list of mentions of dark matter in fiction and as such is pure WP:TRIVIA. Nothing to preserve really except the link.
 * Piotrus - It really needs to be emphasised that edit histories are not intended as a form of shadow database. and WP:PRESERVE/WP:ATD says nothing about using it as such. Wikipedia is not a database. FOARP (talk) 09:34, 4 December 2022 (UTC)


 * Comment Even in academic writing, the phrase "dark matter" is often used metaphorically, as a poetic way to express "things unseen" . This has a tendency to clutter up search results... There's probably enough secondary sourcing to say something about "Dust" in His Dark Materials, and the plot arc of Baxter's Xeelee sequence. It might be best to write a short, referenced section at Dark matter (which could be split off in the event that it grows too big). I don't have strong feelings about whether we need a separate page. XOR&#39;easter (talk) 17:50, 4 December 2022 (UTC)
 * The list did remind me about the X-Files episode "Soft Light", which led me to this review that mentions just how goofy its take on dark matter was. XOR&#39;easter (talk) 18:00, 4 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Merge to Dark matter as proposed. While I don't think there is any of the actual text currently in this list that would need to be moved over, a couple of the books being cited in the opening few sentences look like they would be decent enough sources to add as citations to the currently un-sourced target section. As mentioned by XOR'easter, if that section ever actually becomes too large with well sourced prose material, it can be spun back out into a separate topic, but that does not look to be the case currently. Rorshacma (talk) 17:54, 4 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Redirect per nom. Fails WP:LISTN as there is no WP:SIGCOV about this subject as a group. Most of this list of examples is WP:OR based on editors observation of primary sources. There is nothing that reliably verifies that these are examples of the same scientific phenomenon. Jontesta (talk) 21:14, 4 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Redirect to Dark_matter as a user above said, it is not WP:LIST Ask me about air Cryogenic air (talk) 15:33, 6 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Merge to Dark matter, preserving useful sources and sourced sections, seems fine to me. Daranios (talk) 18:34, 7 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Redirect to dark matter without the WP:NOTTVTROPES list, per nom. Many of these aren't related to the real-world astrophysics concept. Shooterwalker (talk) 20:18, 7 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Redirect and very selectively merge to Dark matter, as there are multiple examples that are or can easily be supported by secondary sources, but not extensive discussion of the concept as a whole. XOR&#39;easter (talk) 16:30, 9 December 2022 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.