On Science Fiction, Real Science, and Simulations

[STSF Jami 0]

The Excitement of Real Science, the Principles of Science Fiction, and The Rules of Simulation

 

One basic quality of good science fiction is that it is believable, it is plausible, and does not jar one's sense of science or reality.  According to A. C. Crispin, prominent Star Trek writer, "A good science fiction writer never destroys the reader's sense of reality."  That is, the writer makes the reader believe what he or she is reading is real and not just a story.  That is what made Star Trek so good, and that is what should make our log-writing and simming good.  This should be especially so for the academies, for those who are learning the online game called a Star Trek Simulation.

 

In order to preserve a sense of reality in science fiction, the basic laws of science cannot be violated without good reason or a plausible explanation.  When a basic scientific principle is broken in Star Trek (faster-than-light travel, for instance), an entire web of explanation called the warp principle is used to explain it, a principle that is theoretically sound but has yet to be proven.

 

In order to illustrate this point, I would like to reprint an article I wrote for a popular fan magazine several years ago.  Please remember that this article cannot be reproduced in any way, shape or form, without the express written consent of the author.

 

Perchance To Dream

 

July 20, 1969  

Those of us who remember that date probably remember having our eyes glued to the TV set as the Eagle slowly, cautiously descended to the surface of the moon, depositing Terran life there for the first time.  Within seconds, one small step for man became a giant leap for Mankind.

 

On that same day, in the heart of New York City, an eleven-year-old boy sat atop a pile of packing crates, his hands on his knees, eagerly watching the first lunar landing.  

 

"Someday," he vowed, "someday I'm going to be part of that."  Then he walked outside, looked into the sky, and marveled that there were men up there, standing on the surface of the moon.

 

That young boy was Jeff Goldstein, now one of only 3,000 successful astrophysicists in the world, discoverer of the winds of Mars, formerly with the Laboratory for Astrophysics, National Air & Space Museum, now working at the Challenger Center in Alexandria, Virginia.  During his science presentation, How Big Is Big, he fervently recalls that eventful day, as he points to a slide taken by Columbia on her outward journey.  His eyes still light up in delight, and his voice sinks to a wondrous whisper.  "I knew there were men up there. We reached the moon, and I wanted to be a part of it.  At the age of eleven I knew what I wanted to do in life!  I dared to dream. And when I got older, they dangled a set of keys in front of me and said, 'Here!  These are the keys to a multimillion dollar telescope. It costs $10,000 a day to run it!  Go play!' "  

 

As the slide changes to the famous picture Earth Rise, taken by the astronauts from the moon, he says, "...and here we are on the moon.  Do you know the most exciting thing about this picture?  I'm in it!"  A low murmur always passes through the audience until he points his laser pen at the earth and encircles it with a red beam.  "There I am. I'm in it! You're in it, too!"  

 

Dr. Jeff Goldstein is not only a prominent astrophysicist, but a young, dynamic, enthusiastic purveyor of science education and exploration who travels incessantly, encouraging young and old to dream, to " . . . imagine ourselves in the shoes of our heroes, or doing something that will go beyond what anyone has ever done."  He continues, "We as a species see life as a challenge, a game worth playing.  Why do we create heroes?  Why do we feel good living through the acts of the heroic, or aspire to do the things our heroes do when we grow up?  The answer for me is simple, it is our nature -- for at the very core of it all we humans are explorers."

 

What does all this have to do with STSF?  We are all basically explorers in the realm of science fiction.

 

I count myself privileged to have been able to work with Dr. Goldstein for several years.  I found that as a boy Jeff Goldstein was not only influenced by accomplishments in the real frontiers of space, but also by the science fiction prevalent at the time, namely Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry.  Inside the cover of his doctoral dissertation sits a copy of a letter from his mother, reminding him of his science fiction roots, encouraging him to go where no one has gone before.  His enthusiasm for science spills into the realm of science fiction when he recounts with awe the experience of watching Leonard Nimoy film a special in the Air & Space Museum with wheelchair bound Gene Roddenberry, surrounded by crowds, viewing NASM exhibits.

 

"Isn't there a fine line between science fiction and science theory?" I asked him over dinner one evening.  

 

Dr. Goldstein sat back and suddenly became very serious. "What's wrong with science fiction writers is that they invent things," he replied, "things like warp engines and artificial gravity; things that are fiction that many people take for fact.  Now, there's nothing wrong with their inventing, but when people, especially our young people, believe them as fact, then we have a problem.  

 

"We can't imagine the enormity of the universe.  If our sun is the size of a grapefruit in New York City, then the closest star is a cherry in Golden Gate Park in California!  Now, that's BIG!  And to have people believe we can star-hop!"  He paused for a minute, then illustrated his point by telling several stories of students who firmly believed the USS Enterprise, NCC 1701-D, exists.

 

The table of science educators fell silent for quite a while until one of our number said quietly, "We can't warp now.  Not with our present technology.  But we can dream, can't we?"  

     

Yes, we dream, and some of us put our dreams into text in the chat room.  When we do, we must never forget the reality behind the unreality we create.  Someday we will have warp, and someday we will have transporters, because in real science it is theoretically possible.  There is an element, however small, of real science behind good science fiction, and there should be an element of real science behind what we do in our simulations.  When we step too far beyond the theoretically possible we jump out of the realm of science fission into the realm of fantasy.  There are other places to sim in fantasy.  For us, let's stay in the realm of science fiction.

 

Reference:

Scientific Exploration: A Journey of Discovery by Jeff Goldstein

American Association for the Advancement of Science

March 1992

[T'Aniz Jozef 0]

SPECTACULAR !! Good science fiction must have relevance to the current facts of science.  Otherwise it's the fantasy genre.  Agreed.  It's interesting to note that prior to the moon landing, Star Trek, TOS, had just been cancelled.  The show's social and psychological themes probably got it as much time as it got on air.  But the technology was unheard of in 1969.  It's hard to imagine a time when people didn't know what warp drive was.  And knew nothing about beaming up.  But that was then.  So science fiction also evolves, just as actual science evolves.  (Before Kitty Hawk,  many believed man was just not meant to fly.  Not the Creator's will for man!)  Jules Verne forsaw miracles far ahead of his time.  But often, the realization of his vision has become different from his fictional portrayal.  And so it will ever be.  The gap between vision and scientific development is one we never close.  

 

I am all for keeping sims in the world of Star Trek technology.  I think one reason the ST producers set the new episode BACK in time is that they could not easily exceed the futuristic vision they had already created.  They couldn't out-future their own future.  I suppose they are awaiting for real time future developments, so they can then create an uber-future.  It might be prudent for us to also stick to the conventions of the already invented future.  Unless we really have a handle on what innovation's around the bend. ** Know this is an August topic.  But it is too interesting to leave unnoticed and unnoted.       :nod:

[Tovan 0]

To dream, is to create with the mind, one of the most amazing things living things can do. I'm inspired.....