Sci-Fi Writers: Soft, hard, or somewhere between (quasi-solid)?

[David Adams]

Because everybody was peaceful unless it was a battle scene at/in/around the neutral zone, of course. lol

Good answer. My next question is... in Star Trek, all nations are equal, all people are represented and everyone from all nations come together under the one banner. There's a place for everyone and everyone's equal.

... so where's all the Chinese people? Sulu is Japanese, Hoshi is Japanese, Kim is Korean... not a single Chinese national in the whole series, and they make up about 1/4 of the Earth's population currently. Was World War III really, really, really bad for China...?

(I am a diehard Trek fan, but that doesn't mean I can't take the p*ss out of its sometimes ludicrous mistakes, too)

[flipside]

Depends on the type of story you're telling.

Some stories require or flesh out the world better with comprehensive research. Others might just get bogged down by it.

[Patty Jansen]

All stories do better with decent research. The type of story dictates how much of it makes in onto the page.

[kea]

I'm softer sci-fi blended with fantasy. However, my book is YA. I chose to do this because I didn't want too much tech overshadowing the core themes of the story.The sci-fi elements are just meant to be a backdrop.

[Chad Winters]

Because everybody was peaceful unless it was a battle scene at/in/around the neutral zone, of course. lol

That was their original premise. Crime and greed were totally eliminated, except it popped up in every episode. They seemed to demeonstrate the premise was wrong in every episode.  The Starfleet admiral turned out to be a greedy criminal, etc.

There seemed to be about as many exceptions to the moral, law abiding populace rule as we have now.

[BrianKittrell]

lol Yes, Star Trek does have several moments where it contradicts itself. Greed? Crime? Wealth? All things of the past, you say? Why all the talk about getting paid, money, the Ferengis, and all the things done for avarice?

As to the Chinese, I noticed that, too. Of course, some of the unnamed Asian folks (extras, "colonists", etc.) might have been Chinese, but it's true that the show made no effort to include specifically Chinese characters.

Could have been a sign of the times, though. For The Original Series, the last war was against the North Koreans and Chinese, and they might have thought it risky enough to include Chekov, the cheeky Russian tactical officer. With the Next Generation, it seemed like they were very apt not to have anyone from a Communist country. But, the trope could be true for a number of other countries. I don't remember any Germans being in either series, either.

[CoraBuhlert]

There's a German redshirt character in Squire of Gothos in the original series. The Squire (forgot his name) makes some reference about the warlike Prussians and gets a "WTF are you on about?" look from the German lieutenant.

[Chad Winters]

I think this is a natural and difficult to avoid TV problem. If Star Trek had been made in Bollywood it would have had a very different cast and we would have been saying "are there no white people in Starfleet?"

Or if the BBC had made it Picard wouldn't have been the token Brit drinking Earl Grey

Personally I think its a little odd when the casting director clearly went out of his way to include one of every ethnic group.
They were more interested in making it obvious that any blue or green skinned alien dude (or dudette) could join. Except the Ferengi...

[BrianKittrell]

There's a German redshirt character in Squire of Gothos in the original series. The Squire (forgot his name) makes some reference about the warlike Prussians and gets a "WTF are you on about?" look from the German lieutenant.

Oh, yeah, I remember that now. Yes, they did have a small representation. lol

They were more interested in making it obvious that any blue or green skinned alien dude (or dudette) could join. Except the Ferengi...

I think they finally let a Ferengi in on Deep Space 9, and it seemed like there was one in The Next Generation somewhere, but I can't quite remember. The DS9 and TNG uniforms tended to be similar.

But, it does need mentioning that the Ferengi were probably allowed to join Starfleet, but they themselves didn't want to join. You can't roam the galaxy freely and trade for wealth while tied to an earthling battle fleet or somesuch, after all.

[BrianKittrell]

Or if the BBC had made it Picard wouldn't have been the token Brit drinking Earl Grey

Picard was of French origin, though, but the tea is decidedly British.

[Seanathin23]

Picard was of French origin, though, but the tea is decidedly British.

Everything about Picard was British exsept for his name, I like to think that Patrick Stewart desided he wasn't going to be French and everybody just left him run with it.

[BrianKittrell]

Everything about Picard was British exsept for his name, I like to think that Patrick Stewart desided he wasn't going to be French and everybody just left him run with it.

Well, canon says that he was born in (La Barre?) France. Patrick Stewart... I don't think he could be anything other than British, though.

[BJMorgan]

Patrick Stewart is definitely British, not only that he's Northern British - born in Dewsbury West Yorkshire, not that far from myself Maybe the film studio thought 'Picard' sounded French but I don't think a French character would have worked.

[Edward M. Grant]

Maybe the film studio thought 'Picard' sounded French but I don't think a French character would have worked.

In the 24th Century, Britain has recovered its lost French territories and everyone there now speaks English.

[BJMorgan]

In the 24th Century, Britain has recovered its lost French territories and everyone there now speaks English.

Mon Dieu !!

[J.R.Mooneyham]

Brian, I've been a sci fi fan since about the age of 5. By 16 or 17 I was beginning to prefer 'hard' sci fi. In fact, nothing turns me off faster in a sci fi book than a scientifically implausible technology or event. Of course, there's ways to get around that, like having such stuff only show up in dreams, hallucinations, or virtual realities/programmed simulations, etc.

This doesn't mean you necessarily have to explain in detail something like a warp drive to use it in your story. Just that you make sure not to present it as practically magical or miraculous technologies: in real life tech almost always has flaws or shortcomings, and it should in sci fi as well. Of course, staying within at least the bounds of the wildest current theories of physics regarding such matters is prudent as well.

I had high ambitions for my own sci fi series in this regard. So I spent years during the 1990s researching and building the most plausible timeline of tech and social advances I could, based on the science and news reports available then (as well as using past history as a guide to how things might be adopted or not, and/or skewed along the way by various forces).

In the end, I petered out in creativity and endurance after extending it about 4000 years into the future. But that was plenty for my purposes, as my sci fi series only whisks the hero through the next 1000 anyway.

I posted this timeline for other sci fi writers to use too, if they wish (and so allow them to focus more on telling a story, rather than trying to figure out plausible tech innovations). Hence, this text at the bottom of the front page:

"ATTENTION science fiction writers: One of the reasons I created the signposts document in the first place was to help nurture the creation of 'hard' science fiction across-the-board. Nothing so ruins a science fiction novel for many readers as a glaring implausibility, either in terms of technology or a reasonable historical order to events. Even small errors of this sort tend to get magnified with the passage of time-- as can be witnessed today in much science fiction written five, ten, and twenty years ago. Plus, the 'harder' or more grounded in real science and history your fiction is, the more truly educational it will be for both yourself and your readers, thus possibly offering us all much more than momentary entertainment, in the form of knowledge and ideas which might aid us all in our own lives and pursuits. So I encourage writers to use this chronology as a springboard from which to launch their own speculative fiction, with perhaps inclusion of a note acknowledging me and my web site where appropriate. Any caveats? Yes. Please respect my own fictional efforts by avoiding more than passing references to my Perspectives characters (J. Staute, Kerri, Cluke, the Pearsalls, etc., etc.). And if such references to my characters are included in your work, please do not make any significant changes to the course of those events or actions specifically ascribed to them here (unless of course your story explicitly describes an alternate or parallel universe or dimension(s), distinct and separate from that portrayed on my site). If you feel strongly that a particular event in the signposts document requires correction or improvement of some sort, please email me about it. Second caveat? The signposts document may be updated or expanded as warranted by breaking news and ideas and thus is always subject to significant change without warning (though I always strive to maintain as much consistency and feasibility as possible throughout). -- J.R.M."

-- An illustrated speculative timeline of future technology and social change
How advances in technology may reshape humanity
http://www.jrmooneyham.com/future_history_timeline.html

[Cliff Ball]

Oh, yeah, I remember that now. Yes, they did have a small representation. lol

I think they finally let a Ferengi in on Deep Space 9, and it seemed like there was one in The Next Generation somewhere, but I can't quite remember. The DS9 and TNG uniforms tended to be similar.

But, it does need mentioning that the Ferengi were probably allowed to join Starfleet, but they themselves didn't want to join. You can't roam the galaxy freely and trade for wealth while tied to an earthling battle fleet or somesuch, after all.

Nog, the nephew of Quark, became the first Ferengi in Starfleet, as an engineer (thanks the Chief O'Brien) and worked both on DS9 and the Defiant.

[ericbt]

Perhaps this is why I get annoyed and frustrated with so much SFR. Often it's written by people who don't actually grasp SF, don't red SF, and don't really understand science. I end up rolling my eyes and rarely make it past ch 7 because I've already found a plot hole that could be fixed if they'd just read IO9 once a week...

Perhaps I wasn't clear. SF that gets too bogged down in technical detail can easily become a huge yawn fest IF the SCIENCE is NOT IMPORTANT to the PLOT. If plot holes are created because the science is wrong, then obviously it was important to the plot and should have been researched better.

For example: If the plot simply requires the hero to get from a planet in system A to a planet in system B, FTL is assumed and there's no reason to explain the science behind the FTL. However, if the FTL is to create an obstacle to the hero getting from A to B in time, then more research is required to understand the restrictions of the science involved.


ETA: Oh, and Chekov was not considered a risk. He was added (partly) due to complaints that Russia should be represented since they were first in space.   

[BrianKittrell]

Patrick Stewart is definitely British, not only that he's Northern British - born in Dewsbury West Yorkshire, not that far from myself Maybe the film studio thought 'Picard' sounded French but I don't think a French character would have worked.

No, the character is French. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_Picard#Depiction That's what I mean; the character is French, the actor is unable to do anything except British.

Jean-Luc Picard was born to Maurice and Yvette Picard[13] in La Barre, France, on July 13, 2305, and dreamed of joining Starfleet.[14]

[BrianKittrell]

Brian, I've been a sci fi fan since about the age of 5. By 16 or 17 I was beginning to prefer 'hard' sci fi. In fact, nothing turns me off faster in a sci fi book than a scientifically implausible technology or event. Of course, there's ways to get around that, like having such stuff only show up in dreams, hallucinations, or virtual realities/programmed simulations, etc.

This doesn't mean you necessarily have to explain in detail something like a warp drive to use it in your story. Just that you make sure not to present it as practically magical or miraculous technologies: in real life tech almost always has flaws or shortcomings, and it should in sci fi as well. Of course, staying within at least the bounds of the wildest current theories of physics regarding such matters is prudent as well.

I had high ambitions for my own sci fi series in this regard. So I spent years during the 1990s researching and building the most plausible timeline of tech and social advances I could, based on the science and news reports available then (as well as using past history as a guide to how things might be adopted or not, and/or skewed along the way by various forces).
<snip>

Excellent. Very nice work, by the way, and I like how the information is presented. It's good to have a timeline of what people could expect in the coming years especially when it's based on how things are going now. *bookmarked*

[Amera]

I'm writing a space opera now, which I generally feel is more blended with fantasy and the technobabble isn't really important. I mean you don't want to have some obvious glaring scientific problem, but I don't think a lot of readers in that genre care precisely how your FTL drive works or how much power output a phaser produces. Battlestar Galactica was a pretty good example of this - the technology really didn't matter a whole lot to the show, it was just about characters. That's what I prefer to read and what I would like to write.

But I think if you're not writing in space opera then details are going to be a lot more important.

[Chad Winters]

Perhaps I wasn't clear. SF that gets too bogged down in technical detail can easily become a huge yawn fest IF the SCIENCE is NOT IMPORTANT to the PLOT. If plot holes are created because the science is wrong, then obviously it was important to the plot and should have been researched better.

For example: If the plot simply requires the hero to get from a planet in system A to a planet in system B, FTL is assumed and there's no reason to explain the science behind the FTL. However, if the FTL is to create an obstacle to the hero getting from A to B in time, then more research is required to understand the restrictions of the science involved.


ETA: Oh, and Chekov was not considered a risk. He was added (partly) due to complaints that Russia should be represented since they were first in space.   

But some of my favorites are har SF where the science is the main point. Look at The Cold Equations. Some of the old Masters like Sheffield gave me a layman's education in physics when I was in High School, I daresay I learned more science from hard SF than I did in class