Rant About Amnesiac Worldbuilding
May. 28th, 2021 05:17 pmSo what is "Amnesiac Worldbuilding" and why do I want to rant about it?
We've all seen it before -- usually in TV/movie SF, though it isn't limited to that. The author needs a quick fix, either to solve a problem or to set up a situation which they need in order for the plot to work. So they toss in some technology, or instant cure, or magic, which will solve the immediate problem, and then promptly forget about it and its implications.
There isn't a good phrase to describe the phenomenon; I'm choosing "amnesiac worldbuilding" as the least-worst I could think of. Other phrases I considered: "deus-ex-machina worldbuilding", "worldbuilding without consequences", "you can do THAT and you didn't use it earlier?", "you can do THAT and you used it for something trivial?".
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Have you got any juicy examples of "amnesiac worldbuilding" to suggest?