Discussing scientific principles can be a dry and dull affair. However, as a follow-on to my article about Parallax’s World, it becomes a necessary element to understanding how things work in that particular story world. Between you and me, this article took almost the entire day to write and wasn’t the easiest to do so now that it’s finished, I’m happy to share it with you.
Like it or not, Science rules every aspect of our physical lives from the gravity that keeps us on the ground to the accumulation of mass in our bodies that aim us at the nearest treadmill. While I am not adverse to reinventing the wheel, I also believe that if I can use our living breathing reality as a story template then you can be sure that I’m hopping all over that.
The Science that went into Parallax is identical to what we know today, only extrapolated and advanced through the use of Macguffins to account for the gap between 2015 and 2223. Here are a few examples:
1. Technology: By the Year 2223, Space Travel is a normal fact of life and human beings have spread out from Earth to live on space stations and planetary colony settlements. We also terraform planets to suit our needs, establish trade routes and have an interstellar economy for goods and services. Hyperspace Travel is a reality though not without its own share of hazards and limitations. Weapons of War still exist though human ingenuity has advanced them as well from basic projectile weapons to directed energy and even plasma-based weapons that shoot balls of ionized gas. That’s right, in Parallax, there are weapons that shoot fireballs. Cool, huh?
2. Physics: Sorry but ships that bank in Space do not exist in Parallax. All spacecraft, military and otherwise, use directional thrusters to make turns which make for some interesting maneuvering exposition in certain scenes. Also, inertia often comes into play when stopping. I love Star Trek, but in my writing I tend to lean more toward Babylon 5. Explosions in Space? That one I got around by having explosive missiles penetrate the target before exploding, using the target’s own atmosphere to provide the oomph needed to make a nice bang. Otherwise, it’s just punching holes with a laser, mass driver, or particle beam.
3. Psychology: Each of the featured races in Parallax have their own psychology and philosophies. I found this necessary to create and illustrate the similarities and differences between the Humans, Locknar, and Parans in the story. Doing this also opens up an endless potential for character interactions both in Parallax and in the upcoming sequels. Everyone in the story has an agenda of some kind.
I’ve only scratched the surface of Parallax’s Science, but I believe that I’ve given enough information to show a story world based on sound and realistic science. Thanks for your time. 🙂
Writing in Real Time 
For the first time, I think of the year 2223 because of your post.
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One of many possible futures. 🙂
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