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A term used in discussing science fiction, a Big Dumb Object (BDO) is a mysterious artifact (usually alien) in a story which generates an intense sense of wonder just by being there; to a certain extent, the term deliberately deflates this.
Big Dumb Objects in science fiction include:
- Iain M. Banks' Excession
- Larry Niven's Ringworld
- Arthur C. Clarke's Rama
- Arthur C. Clarke's monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Greg Bear's Eon
- Bob Shaw's Orbitsville, and many other Dyson spheres
- Clifford D. Simak's abandoned machine-world in Limiting Factor (1949)
