: Re: The unknown and unexplained in science fiction Science fiction has been defined as a genre where the "incredible" elements are "recognizable as not-true, but also as not-unlike-true, not-flatly-

@Speyer920

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One approach you might look at is the "5-space theory" in Lois McMaster Bujold's "Vorkosigan" saga, particularly in "Komarr". The protagonist has to solve a plot in which a 5-space device plays a crucial role, so there has to be enough theory to drive the plot forwards while giving the reader a sense that there is some real science going on, but within an entirely fictional branch of physics.

Bujold does this by mixing two things:

Some honest magic: 5-space forces are manipulated by "Neklin rods". Apart from the fact that these are big and extremely precisely manufactured we never learn anything about their principles of operation.
References and resonances with real science. Einsteinian relativity is a 4-space phenomenon (3 dimensions plus time), so 5-space could be an extension of his theory. There is a reference to the idea that "wormholes" (exploited by 5-space drives) do not impinge on normal 3-space; their forces act at 90 degrees to our normal 3 dimensions, so we can't detect them.

So you can create a technology by setting down some ground rules with double-talk based on current science, extended with whatever magic you want. Make your future tech consistent and with rigid rules that the characters cannot break.

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