One World Order
The oneness of habitable planets in science fiction
Planets languish under a trope of oneness in science fiction.
Movies or TV shows from the Star Trek or Star Wars franchises, for example, often depict alien worlds that are singular in every imaginable way. A planet will be home to a single advanced alien race. That's only the tip of the iceberg in oneness. This oneness also encompasses a single government, a single civilization, a single culture, a single religion, a single history, and a single language. The planet itself often has one climate ranging from desert world to ocean world.
One isn't the loneliest number on alien planets in popular science fiction. It's the only number.
The one world trope is a lazy cliche within the science fiction genre. It is a blinking neon sign showing an author took shortcuts in world building.
Planetary diversity
Earth is a living example of biodiversity and geological diversity.
Our planet is home to an abundance of mountains, valleys, volcanoes, lakes, rivers, oceans, deserts, forests, jungles, plains, plateaus, and canyons. Climate varies from one hemisphere to another and within each hemisphere. We experience four seasons and changing weather. Countless animal species of all shapes and sizes call Earth home. Our planet also has an equally diverse array of plant life.
It's lazy and ignorant to assume an alien planet orbiting in its parent star's habitable zone would be radically different than Earth in geological and biological composition. Different plant and animal species? Certainly, evolution won’t follow the same path on two different planets. But differences in evolution doesn’t translate to a lack of planetary diversity on another world.
A close examination of the human race also renders the oneness approach to building alien worlds lazy and illogical. Humans are a melting pot of races, languages, histories, and cultures. Thousands of civilizations have risen and fallen on this planet since the stone age. Diversity is interwoven into humanity. Why do sci-fi authors and readers assume such diversity wouldn't play a similar role on an alien planet?
Building alien worlds
I've made a point of building diverse alien worlds in my own science fiction stories. Planets featured in my stories follow an Earth blueprint in showcasing diversity in geography, geology, biology, and civilization.
Lathos stands out as a prime example of taking this approach to world building. In my Alien People Chronicles series, Lathos is an Earth-like planet orbiting an orange dwarf star located 3.495 parsecs or 11.4 light years from Earth. It is home to a diversity of animal species. Lathos features mountains, plains, deserts, jungles, forests, and islands. Three major nations call the planet home – The Confederation of Northern Tribes, Ra'ahm, and Daraconiah. Smaller countries exist alongside these larger ones. Each nation has its own language, history, and culture. Building out a planet in this fashion has provided me with a rich and complex backstory that influences individual stories of characters like Calandra Menankar and Xttra Oogan in meaningful ways.
Dare to be different in building alien worlds within a science fiction story. Taking a oneness approach makes a world feel less real. It's almost like a planet, and everything connected to that world, is constructed to specifically advance a specific plot and doesn't exist beyond what's written on the page. World building diversity enhances and enriches alien worlds — allowing them to live and thrive beyond lazy sci-fi tropes.
Remember the balloon-like creatures Sagan hypothesized could live on Jupiter? I love stuff like that!
Great insights on the need for more diversity in regard to planetary worldbuilding! I'll keep your remarks in mind when I try to take on the massive challenge of creating a whole planet from scratch *gulp*. Just curious--do you read history or sociology books or articles when doing research for your worldbuilding?