In “Worldbuilding in Science Fiction, Foresight and Design,” Leah Zaidi describes the role of narration and worldbuilding in science fiction and futures studies. “[S]cience fiction is more than a technophilic wellspring. Good science fiction presents “a fully realized, multidimensional vision, including not only the technological and scientific, but the psychological, cultural, moral, social, and environmental dimensions of future human existence. The real future will be an interactive synthesis of all these dimensions.” There is an additional moral dimension to science fiction, in the act of creation and publication, which involves the empowerment of otherwise marginalized voices by the envisioning of alternative possible futures. For Zaidi, worldbuilding is “the process of constructing a complete and plausible imaginary world that serves as a context for a story” and “is embedded within foresight and design practices” to a larger extent than in science fiction. “Notable examples [of the intersection of worldbuilding and foresight and design] include scenario generation, science fiction prototyping, experiential futures, and transition design.” In the case of science fiction, worldbuilding is unrestrained by real world constraints, and is largely a creative endeavor. Zaidi advocates for the use of worldbuilding in order to foster “emotionally resonant visions of the future,” and to reflect on the place of humanity within those futures.
We can complicate Zaidi’s understanding of science fiction by considering its other forms and expressions. Science fiction has often taken the form of allegory, representing some moral dilemma or value-laden scenario, under circumstances more palatable to contemporary audiences (for instance, race relations in the far future). Contrariwise, metaphors and allegory have been presented within the narrative structure of science fiction as tools or obstacles for characters to use or overcome. One notable example is from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Far Beyond the Stars.” In this episode, which takes place in the latter half of the twenty-fourth century aboard a massive deep space outpost, Captain Benjamin Sisko (a black man) is afflicted with visions or hallucinations of being a science fiction author (Benny Russell) in the mid-twentieth century. Russell is the victim of racism, both systemic and personal, as he strives to publish his story involving a black captain in the far future. “Far Beyond the Stars” has been interpreted as using the personal struggle of facing racism as a metaphor for Captain Sisko’s struggle to maintain strength and courage in the face of a costly twenty-fourth century interstellar war.