When Building a Sci-Fi Story, What Should You Do FIRST?

When Building a Sci-Fi Story, What Should You Do FIRST?

by Daniel Orrett

Humanities, Social Sciences & Thought Language & Linguistics CBVCreative writing and creative writing guidesCBVSScreenwriting techniques
🎙 Daniel Orrett 👥 476K 📅 August 25, 2026 ⏱ 11 min 👁 12K 📄 expert opinion 🧭 2026-08-26
Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

themeintentionalityworldbuildingstorytellingsci-fi

Summary

In this video, Daniel Orrett, a career sci-fi writer and analyst, argues that the first and most crucial step in building a sci-fi story or world is to establish its theme and intentionality. He contrasts this with the common tendency to start with factions, ships, and systems, which he considers secondary. Orrett illustrates his point by analyzing the recent remaster of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, where new scenes written by different writers feel ‘soulless’ compared to the original, attributing this to a lack of thematic cohesion. He uses Stargate as an example of a light-hearted show that still maintains a consistent theme of stolen agency and domination, and Mass Effect, Star Trek’s Borg, and Star Wars Legends to show how themes can shape antagonists and create identity. He also highlights Battlestar Galactica as a masterclass in purposeful worldbuilding, where every element serves the central story. Orrett shares his own experience with his audio drama ‘The Sojourn’, explaining that its theme of self-definition preceded and guided the creation of its societies. He acknowledges that themes can sometimes emerge during the process, as with Jurassic Park, but advises that starting with intention greatly increases the chances of creating a memorable and resonant story.

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Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The video offers valuable insights for writers and creators, emphasizing the importance of thematic coherence over mere worldbuilding. Orrett’s argument is well-structured and persuasive, using a variety of examples to illustrate his points. He effectively demonstrates how a strong theme can serve as a creative guide, making the writing process easier and more focused. The discussion of how themes can be used to create compelling antagonists (e.g., the Borg as a dark mirror of the Federation) is particularly insightful. The argument is solid, though it relies heavily on anecdotal evidence and personal opinion rather than empirical research, which is typical for this genre of content.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The video demonstrates a good level of rigor in its use of examples, which are well-known and accurately described. The author’s credentials as a professional writer add credibility to his opinions. However, no formal sources are cited, and the content is primarily based on personal analysis and experience. The title accurately reflects the content, which is a focused discussion on the first step in sci-fi storytelling. The video does not claim to be scientific, but rather offers expert opinion and practical advice, which is appropriate for its format.

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Title / Content Match

The title accurately reflects the video's core question and content, which focuses on the first step in building a sci-fi story: establishing theme.

Quality & Reliability

8/10

The video presents a coherent and well-argued thesis on the primacy of theme in sci-fi storytelling, supported by concrete examples from well-known franchises (Stargate, Mass Effect, Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica). The author is a professional writer with credible credentials, and the argument is internally consistent. However, the content is largely opinion-based and lacks empirical or academic grounding, which slightly reduces its scientific reliability.

Key Moments

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

Cited Sources

Concurring Sources

Contribution & Novelties

The video provides a clear and compelling argument for prioritizing theme in sci-fi storytelling, a perspective that is often overlooked in favor of worldbuilding. It offers practical advice and examples that can help writers focus their creative process. The discussion of how themes can be used to create antagonists and maintain consistency across a franchise is particularly useful.

Pour aller plus loin :

  • Theme (narrative) — Provides a general overview of theme in storytelling.
  • Worldbuilding — Discusses the practice of constructing fictional worlds, relevant to the video’s critique of worldbuilding-first approaches.
  • The Sojourn — The author’s own work, cited as an example of theme-driven worldbuilding.

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Radar Profile

The radar profile shows high scores in information quality and reliability, with slightly lower scores in quantity and technical depth. This indicates a well-argued and credible opinion piece, but one that is not highly technical or data-rich.

Reliability 7/10

💬 Très positif. Sur les 30 commentaires analysés, la grande majorité exprime une forte appréciation, avec des remerciements et des éloges pour la clarté et la pertinence des conseils, certains mentionnant un impact direct sur leur propre écriture.