I often come across posts where people are discussing the logic of a movie or comic book. An example could be Star Wars, where they discuss how a light saber works. Or which superheroes would win in a fight against each other. To me, it seems pointless to discuss such things as it is fiction. Just an insight into someone else’s imagination.
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Equally pointless as reading fiction in general, playing a video game, or daydreaming.
Because it makes things more interesting. What do you like to talk about? Whatever it is, there’s someone who would tell you it’s pointless. The point in talking about fiction is the same as the point in consuming fiction in the first place: it’s entertaining
Just an insight into someone else’s imagination.
Which is exactly why it can be interesting to discuss?
Edit: to add to everyone else saying “it’s fun,” it’s not just about that.
For me, it’s important that fictional stories (particularly outlandish subgenres like sci-fi or fantasy) must have internal consistency, unless I lose my ability to suspend disbelief.
Sometimes that means checking that the internal logic the author is using makes sense and stays consistent.
Absolutely 100% agree. Internal consistency is where the key is. And in order to have that consistency, the rules for the worldbuilding must be relatively clear and well established. It’s really interesting where a few fantasy/scifi creative ideas can take you if you start unraveling the consequences those ideas have on the rest of the created worldbuilding.
And conversely, there’s nothing more disappointing than a promising sci-fi or fantasy story that doesn’t care about internal consistency
It’s because people can talk about anything they want and don’t even know you exist.
I never said they weren’t allowed to talk about it. I was asking why they do it.
What is pointless to you might be meaningful to someone else. And there are as many reasons why as there are people in the world.
Yes, that’s why I asked.
Okay. Rephrase your question. What is it exactly that you want to know and also explain how my response did not answer your question?
Others seem to understand my question just fine.
And you didn’t answer my question, you just stated the obvious. Like, how does a car move? The wheels goes round…
And how am I supposed to point out what it is exactly I want to know, when the reason I ask, is that I don’t know.
Have you thought about why people ignore and interrupt you at parties? Because I’m trying to think why you would be invited in the first place.
Seems like you’ve spend more than 60 seconds going through my history. ;)
People like to talk, and often already debate real life things to a level that borderlines on tedium, but they enjoy it. Anyone who has been in a group of academics in a conversation are familiar with this.
When it comes to fiction, I don’t look into it too deeply, but suspension of disbelief only goes so far. The logic of the work must make some kind of sense in the world that it takes place.
- If there is a civilization underwater, did they evolve to have gills or do they stay inside oxygen filled bubbles?
- If you can move objects with your mind, can be strengthen like a muscle and does it get tired out?
And the most important:
- If a character is evil, why are they that way? Lost sight of a lofty goal? Revenge for a past wrong? TBI?
This is why I’m not a big fan of “magic” because it seems like a lazy way to explain a phenomenon in fiction.
It’s fun. There are two angles you can come at how lightsabers work from: how they work in the Star Wars fictional universe, and how something like that might work in our universe. The former builds out the fictional universe into something more “reasonable” in the sense that you can reason within the internal rules of the fiction. Reasoning about fictional worlds, especially with other people, is very fun (see D&D, or religion). The latter is a fun scientific diversion that could even lead to real inventions.
Fun thought experiments. Like, for example, The Flash has been portrayed as so inconceivably fast that why couldn’t he instantly transport anyone, anywhere and entirely replace all of the world’s manufacturing plants?. It’s absurd and amusing to think about.
I used to say that about people who discuss movies and football, but then I realized I’m just like them when it comes to music. I don’t see any reason to mock people’s trivial interests or claim that our triviality is somehow better than theirs. Life is harsh, and people just want to be happy.
Discussing how light sabers work is relevant to technological progress, many real life inventions were inspired by sci-fi (some even out pace sci-fi like with the Star Trek communicator vs the real life smart phone). Super hero fights are relevant so when avengers civil war or Batman vs Superman is announced you can make your bets on kalshi
A lot of science fiction has to put some emphasis into world building because it is how they create the settings in which their stories work. The setting is narratively important in a way that it isn’t for a medical drama since the audience can’t backfill seeing information from their personal knowledge base. The Tommy Westphall Universe was presented as a critique of this requirement as, if you followed crossovers, most of American television occurs in the head of Tommy Westphall.
So why is it important how pretend worlds work? Well, it creates a place for stories and plot to exist without the baggage of reality. It also creates interesting implications for how we view our own world. For instance, the transporter issues in Star Trek have spawned a lot of conversations on personhood in the wake of copying things. It also becomes a way to talk about ethical issues before technology catches up to create an ethical issue.
Some of it is fluff, but there are interesting ideas being discussed within the worlds we make.
Maybe they discuss it to get an insight into someone else’s imagination.
As others said, it’s fun.
Also, it engages critical thinking. One has to examine, make a claim, and defend with evidence. It may be silly, but it’s fundamentally helping you to think better.
To develop a deeper understanding of and apprectikn for a universe.
The same reason people discuss religion logic.
It’s nice to have hope for something, even if it’s a fictional universe.
