I was just talking about this common trope on another thread, and how it usually makes no sense.
I liked A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Twain invented the “future man uses his modern knowledge to transform a primitive society” trope, and an engineer from Mark Twain’s day who worked in a machine shop (as the protagonist did) might possibly have enough hands-on skills combined with practical knowledge to help advance a society’s technology in a meaningful way. But in general, this trope is way off. Just as a modern kid who grew up using an iPhone would be practically helpless trying to work on a DOS-based computer (or at least be no more proficient than the folks who were already used to using them) most modern scientists & engineers would have little chance of being able to immediately improve upon the “primitive” technology of local people if suddenly sent back in time or marooned on a primitive planet. I consider myself a pretty hands-on person, and I’ve built a lot of stuff, but I have enough humility to know that indigenous peoples spent many generations developing and refining building techniques and technologies that work well for ther local environment, and I’d have little chance of doing things better if suddenly dropped into their home without without having the advantage of modern tools and materials at my disposal.
Maybe this is unduly harsh (especially since I haven’t read the book!) but this whole idea also has echoes of the “white savior” trope. But I really should read it before judging, I suppose.
