Rather than derailing the Wrong But Persistent Tropes discussion, starting a new thread.
In contrast with the inaccurate tropes spread by lazy creators, some authors and creators actually spend the time doing the research and working out a consistent world, or at least learning about how the real world works. And, frequently, this can result in boredom, because the author wants to show off what they’ve made or what they’ve learned, but, even more frequently, it leads to concentrated awesome, because the world is that much more consistent.
Two examples for me in this regard:
General example is Brandon Sanderson’s magic systems; they’re internally consistent, logical, and have a place in their world, rather than being bolted on to a pseudo-medieval setting. He’s made an entire rule of writing around this.
But an even more specific example would be the Missile Lock scene in The Incredibles. Why? Because Elastigirl not only gets to show off her awesome piloting skills, she is using actual piloting jargon while doing so. It sells that much more immersion, and allows her to communicate both the emotional and technical aspects of what her situation is without needless chatter. Or, to summarize, it not only “sounds right”, it is right, and that makes the scene that much more intense and feels almost unscripted.
So, what are examples of moments when the writers and creators clearly did their research, and managed to integrate that work into the world so seamlessly that it belongs there?