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What makes a good sci fi story?


Sniper0092

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And who could forget an entirely new universe to explore? Adventuring and exploring are the best parts of immersing yourself in a sci-fi story! If it wasn't for the huge amount of lore that Halo has to offer, it would be just another futuristic shooter.

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Somebody mentioned tech... which I think is incorrect. Look at the first 3 Star Wars films (episodes 4, 5 and 6). The lightsaber fights were so small in those movies yet they were hugely successful. The largest fight was in episode 6 and even that was a very small part of that film.

 

To me it is the story that creates successful sci-fi stuff. A story that captures the imagination and makes you truly wonder if something more is out there. Something no man/woman has ever seen before. A future for humanity that could be reality. It creates questions with in out own mind. It relates to what we already have and know while giving us unknowns to ponder about. It makes us want to believe is who we are and who we can become.

 

Great sci-fi inspires people to look towards the future. To build upon themselves and make their imagination into reality. All of our hopes, dreams, tears and fears are able to be explored with sci-fi. A realm of infinite possibilities. Great horrors, noble saviors and everything in between is possible.

 

While this can be said of any genre (for the most part) I tend to think of sci-fi leading the way in it. The futures it shows us as well as our distorted pasts (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) give us glimpses in both directions while still taking us forwards. Still taking us into an unknown tomorrow where our minds imagination is the only limit.

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Somebody mentioned tech... which I think is incorrect. Look at the first 3 Star Wars films (episodes 4, 5 and 6). The lightsaber fights were so small in those movies yet they were hugely successful. The largest fight was in episode 6 and even that was a very small part of that film.

 

To me it is the story that creates successful sci-fi stuff. A story that captures the imagination and makes you truly wonder if something more is out there. Something no man/woman has ever seen before. A future for humanity that could be reality. It creates questions with in out own mind. It relates to what we already have and know while giving us unknowns to ponder about. It makes us want to believe is who we are and who we can become.

 

Great sci-fi inspires people to look towards the future. To build upon themselves and make their imagination into reality. All of our hopes, dreams, tears and fears are able to be explored with sci-fi. A realm of infinite possibilities. Great horrors, noble saviors and everything in between is possible.

 

While this can be said of any genre (for the most part) I tend to think of sci-fi leading the way in it. The futures it shows us as well as our distorted pasts (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) give us glimpses in both directions while still taking us forwards. Still taking us into an unknown tomorrow where our minds imagination is the only limit.

I wrote a sci fi up here, Raiku, have you seen it?

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What makes any genre good? It is the same thing:

 

Uniqueness. If you read a book that had even the slightest indication that the universe used energy sabers, you would think it is a rip off of Halo or Star Wars or many other Sci-Fi stories.

 

If you want to write a good Sci-Fi, you have to think about your inspirations. When I first started writing fiction, I found myself using way to many of the same ideas from other books that I read. They should be inspirations that allow you to create something entirely different, not direct copies.

 

Feel free to disagree, btw. :)

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To me what makes Sci-fi is the atmosphere they create.

 

Our known world and observable universe is still so boring and primitive to us... Take a look at "Star Trek".

 

They can warp drive a vast distance in a matter of seconds to any where they want no matter how long a distance. They can take a vacation on any kind of environment they desire just by going to a plant with a suitable climate. They have high tech weaponry capable of destroying or apprehending just about anyone or anything... They have extremely high tech medical equipment capable of brain transplants, growing new organs, healing radiation, regenerating new limbs, and curing cancer and even paralysis... They have high tech computers that you can have entire conversations with, and ask questions and make jokes, that have a transporter that can just beam up people or objects to a ship or down to a planets surface.  There was no racism, or sexism or religious retribution. Everyone was truly equal, all men, women, children, and alien.

 

Now imagine being a kid in the 1960's and then seeing this... It was an escape from reality into a universe. One where anything was possible...  

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  • 4 weeks later...

What makes War of the Worlds good? Or Andromeda Strain? Or Code Gease? Or even Star Wars....?

As a  script writer of Temple of the aztecs (TOTA) , a sci-fi action story  - you need to have imagination and of course a  well balanced story that draws people in when they're reading your material. Write notes down , be imaginative and original. :)

 

hope this helps

 

-TDMan

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