This week was primarily dedicated to fleshing out the world of Codae; what did we want to say? How did we want the Codans to be a reflection of us? 

Sci-fi is usually used as a reflection of cultures, societies, and events that happen in the real world; seeing those events play out in an unfamiliar environment can both let the audience latch onto elements that they do recognise, as well as be able to draw parallels to their own values in the process. It’s the main reason many alien cultures in sci-fi are mono-cultured: the Klingons from Star Trek are all honourable warriors, and the Vulcans are all logic-bound and intelligence-driven. They help serve as focal points for those elements in our own culture and society. 

Zaidi mentions that “Science fiction gives us a world and story at once, depicting the broader context and implications of that context through plot and characters.” (2019:20), meaning that when developing a sci-fi world and culture, it is not only important, but necessary, to utilise shortcuts and elements that the audience can latch onto before fully exploring the universe created. 

In this vein, we decided to make the Codan story one of self-inflicted destruction, with the Codans relying on their environment for home and shelter, eventually bending it to their whim and leading to their destruction once nature rebelled against them. Not only did it draw parallels to climate issues in our modern world, but full reliance on nature — such as using trees for houses and structures — felt alien enough to properly distinguish them from humans as a different species. 

Leah Zaidi 2019, ‘Worldbuilding in Science Fiction, Foresight and Design’, Journal of Futures Studies, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 15-26