Elliot Kessler

I am a huge fan of science fiction stories and have read many fantastic novels. Many of these try to take themselves too seriously, however, and lose the magic of what drew me into science fiction in the first place. Of course, you can have serious stories. But there is one rule in writing that can be easily implemented into science fiction but is often neglected. This is called the “rule of cool.”

What is the rule of cool? Well, take Star Wars, for instance. The giant, four-legged AT-AT walkers in “The Empire Strikes Back” are not practical military machines by any means. They are slow, wide-open targets and should quickly be taken out by a torpedo or two to the leg. But the point of these monstrous tanks is not to be realistic or practical. They are there because they are awesome. A giant metal dog with massive laser cannons? Count me in.

There is another form of Star Wars media that embraces the rule of cool so much that the show is essentially built around it. This is the animated show “The Clone Wars.” But I’m talking about the 2003 show. The 2008 Clone Wars has incredible story arcs, unforgettable characters that develop as the show progresses, and fantastic themes and concepts. However, the 2003 miniseries has less of that and more lightsabers, blasters, and explosions. Lots of explosions. Does that make it a worse show? I don’t think so. There are some fantastic moments in the show demonstrating characters’ growth and some moral dilemmas, but that is not what the show is about. A lot of the show is built around fast-paced, engaging action scenes that have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. For the most part, it does not have an interesting narrative. But the action scenes are incredible. They look great, they are written well, and, most importantly, they are super cool.

Another example comes from a Micheal Chrichton book. The novel wanted to explore whether man could control nature. It tried to demonstrate the chaos that could conquer humankind if we tried to force nature to go our way. How did he display this? With a theme park filled with dinosaurs on a tropical island. The man who made the park, John Hammond, wanted to control nature and recreate extinct species from the beginning eras of the Earth. But when a tropical storm hit the island, the animals broke loose and killed several people. They even almost reached the mainland. By trying to control nature, Hammond almost ended humanity. Did Chrichton have to show these themes in a novel about a dinosaur theme park gone wrong? Of course not. I am sure that there were many other ways he could have illustrated his thoughts. Is a dinosaur park practical? It might make a lot of money at first, but, as the story shows, it would not be productive in the end. However, is a dinosaur theme park a really cool idea? Most definitely. If Chrichton had tried to show his ideas through any other story, it probably would not have been half as fun as Jurassic Park was. Chrichton already had the foundation for a fantastic story with the themes and ideas, but the cool dinosaurs and thrilling action sequences elevated it to a whole other level.

So, is it a good idea to write a story with a strong theme, good messaging, great characters, and a fantastic plot? Yes. Definitely a yes for that. However, don’t ever be afraid to add something crazy to your story simply because it would be super awesome. In his show, Boba Fett defeating Cad Bane with his Ghaffi stick was very thematic and a poetic way to end the story, but Boba Fett riding a huge Rancor while it tears massive robots apart was super cool to watch, even if it had nothing to do with the themes of the story. Stories, especially science fiction and fantasy, are meant to be fun, so live a little. Throw something crazy out there. Don’t be afraid to make dinosaurs with machine guns, planet-sized spaceships, or even cosmic gods that eat star systems for breakfast (if Marvel can do it then so can we). Go wild and let your imagination flow.