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A Little Knowledge Goes a Long Way
Even in fiction, a little knowledge helps make connections.
Have you ever read a book, watched a TV show or movie, and come across something so implausible that it ruined the story?
Lots of fantasy and sci-fi are built on largely impossible things. Superheroes aren’t real, faster-than-light travel violates current physics, most people can’t do flips in mid-air from flat ground, and so on.
I was taught that much of fiction is based in the idea of suspension of disbelief. In many instances, this is easy because the story/show/film offers just enough credulity to keep you engaged.
But then, sometimes, it fails. When that happens, you might still accept it — like the bridge of a Star Destroyer burning as it impacts the Death Star in Return of the Jedi, or oxygen-breathing Superman flying into space without a suit.
But then, sometimes, it’s just too far gone. The implausibility of what you are reading or seeing is so badly glaring that it takes you out of the story completely. The science is utter crap, the costuming is wrong, the character does something massively out-of-character, and so on.
Yes, this is totally subjective. For example — I love the movie A Knight’s Tale. But I know people who cannot get past the terrible…
