WDU Annual Science Fiction & Fantasy Virtual Conference

SESSION 5: Need a Future? Look at the Past

From Star Trek to Red Rising, if you’re trying to craft a believable fictional future the key is to look at historical patterns that repeat—and for the things that never seem to change. Star Trek pulled heavily from 18th and 19th-century naval traditions for its design and culture, Star Wars drew inspiration and design elements from old 1930s serials, and Red Rising imagined a future where the elites reached back to Ancient Rome for their iconography. You see it in the details too—like when Westworld imagines its tech paradise future but realizes that people still use French Presses for better coffee even when you can have a cup by pressing a button. We’ll discuss how to use real history as a template for your futures (and even your fantasy settings), and how to spot the Constants that never change even when technology surpasses them, and how using these Constants grounds your universe in ways readers can identify with, increasing their sense of verisimilitude and their suspension of disbelief.