The Plausibility of Time
Examples from D&D, Star Trek, and WW2
Time to plan versus just enough time to react.
An important component in creating plausible and immersive worlds.
Let’s demonstrate the difference with a few examples.
The D&D Hook
D&D’s foremost goal is to engage the players at the table. No players = no game. Often the grand plot hook is a group of low-level, rag-tag adventurers called upon to save the world. It’s a clear and compelling thesis statement. A simple plot structure where worldbuilding is secondary to the opportunity to relax, hang out with friends, roll dice, and kill monsters.
As we think about creating immersive worlds, these kinds of hooks always leave me with another question. Where is everyone else? Given the time to plan and choose, why has a powerful wizard order tasked a group of level 1 characters to solve the world’s greatest troubles? It would be similar to a situation like, in lieu of asking the Navy Seals, Green Berets, SAS, or some major metro area SWAT team, the powers that be decide to pick four friends from a Buffalo Wild Wings to handle some high-profile incident.
Conversely, if some unexpected incident unfolds in front of the players, the asymmetry becomes plausible, not to mention the drama. The fortune-seeking adventurers revel in a tavern. The building shakes as the adjacent market square is flooded with piercing blue light. Tiamat’s minions pour out from a portal. There is no time to plan, and the characters are forced into a dramatic situation with barely enough time to decide what to do next.
Captain Picard
“Chain of Command” is a two-part episode from Star Trek: The Next Generation in which Captain Picard is relieved of command of the Enterprise to lead a commando mission to destroy a suspected Cardassian bio weapon facility.
This episode is often highly acclaimed given the performance of Patrick Stewart and the episode’s departure from the series’ usually sanitized approach to conflict. For the showrunners, it was a way to get Picard out of his captain’s chair and to demonstrate Stewart’s acting range. I also get that when you have a show with seven or so main characters, they will be the ones who feature prominently in the storylines.
Taking a broader view, this episode is a good reminder to worldbuilders and storytellers that that which is unsaid also reveals much about the world.
Given this was a planned mission from Starfleet command, let’s consider these questions:
The decision to conscript Picard implies that there are no special forces units within Starfleet. Why not? Groups that could be training all the time for these kinds of missions versus having to hastily train Picard, Crusher, and Worf. I know. See comment above about seven or so main characters.
Why risk Picard? With the amount of knowledge he has about Starfleet and the Federation, why take the chance of sending him on a very dangerous mission where capture is a very likely possibility?
I don’t think it was ever considered that General Eisenhower would be in the initial waves hitting Omaha Beach or parachuting in with the 82nd or 101st Airborne. Nor, Montgomery participating in daring SAS missions in the Mediterranean Theater.
“Chain of Command” has a very different feel than other Star Trek: TNG episodes. The Enterprise crew is typically free to swashbuckle and solve their way through any challenge, but this episode is a jarring contrast. Three main characters are treated as disposable pawns in a larger game, and the main character subjected to brutal interrogation.
While something new and a shake-up to the show’s general format, what worldbuilding and narrative decisions were taken to achieve that? How plausible are they if maintaining cohesion and internal logic are also important considerations in the world you are building?
Ok, so General Eisenhower parachuting into Normandy on D-Day would be unthinkable. How about this alternate history? After the initial beachheads are secured and the Allies take several inland objectives, the Supreme Commander decides to visit his troops. Unexpectedly taken under fire, the damaged plane is forced to land in contested territory. Can a wounded Eisenhower and the few other survivors make their way to safety before they are captured by the Germans? Certainly, a less far-fetched scenario.
Understanding timing aids plausibility. Plausibility creates immersion in the world and the story.
What are your thoughts on balancing dramatic moments while maintaining the cohesion of a fantasy world? Leave a comment and share this post with another worldbuilder!
To add to the article - Chain of Command airs just weeks before the launch of the Deep Space Nine series. The tone in Chain of Command foreshadows the grittier feel of DS9 and highlights the tension with the Cardassians. What better way to establish the Cardassians as the antagonists in the yet-to-be-aired DS9? Have them in the established series (TNG) treat Picard the way they did just weeks before. Here, real-world considerations in helping to launch the new series took priority.
Really great points here. As much as I love Trek, it's a problem the show regularly has. They refer to the Enterprise having a crew of over 1000 people in TNG, but every mission is assigned to one or a handful of bridge officers. It certainly can break immersion.