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It’s impossible to investigate alternate worlds without starting to compare them to
one another.
The nature of their geopolitics, the roles of their most influential or prominent figures,
or oddities that seem to contradict the fundamental laws of the universe.
But I’d like to present a few alternate worlds, not based on any analytical criteria
but instead, on how they appeal to me personally.
Yes, in this perhaps inevitable episode of Incoming I’ll be ranking my Top 5 alternate
worlds.
Now the immediate question here is, by what criteria am I coming up with this list?
The answer is going to be frustrating because I don’t really have one.
What I do have is a sort of internal checklist of elements I think are important and are
going to be at least influencing my decisions.
On that list are things like believability and plausibility; anything requiring a huge
suspension of disbelief is probably not going to be on this list.
I can accept that giant winged reptiles that breath fire might exist somewhere, but there
should be a good explanation of how they fit in the local ecosystem and how any native
societies have adapted to their presence.
If starships are travelling across the galaxy faster than the speed of light, I’d like
to understand even just the basics of how such methods work, their limitations and cost.
Next on the list would be things like aesthetics, which I grant you, often clashes with the
previous point on my checklist and is often very subjective.
The point is, all other things being equal, whatever looks cooler will probably end up
on this list.
I’ll skip past the next few checkboxes and instead end with something that might be a
bit harder to quantify, and is again, pretty subjective.
When it comes to alternate worlds, I’m drawn to the ones that I wouldn’t mind living
in.
Ones that elicit a feeling of adventure or wonder or terror, or just, possibility.
I don’t object to overwhelming grim darkness, but when that’s all there is, it kinda loses
its power.
So that’s my criteria explained as best I’m able, but like everything else, there’s
some exceptions that we can worry about later.
Alright, so let’s jump in.
Here are my Top 5 Alternate Worlds.
The first is one you might not be overly familiar with; Kaiserreich.
In this alternate history, the Central Powers claimed victory in the Great War and by 1936
the world has been transformed into something remarkably different, yet still recognizable
as our own.
What makes Kaiserreich so good is that the entire geopolitical structure of the world
exists in such a way that almost anything can happen.
While certain events and scenarios vary from reasonable to outlandish, the latter are never
offensively so.
Every part of the Earth is interesting and dynamic, with a web of alliances, treaties,
and ideologies, regional power blocs, rivalies, it’s just endless.
As a fan of geopolitics and history, this world is right up my alley.
Next in the Number 4 slot is the world of Warhammer.
Now it may not be as popular as its counterpart in the 41st millennium, but Warhammer approaches
some level of brilliance in how it weaves together so many elements found in other worlds
we might classify as “fantasy” into one mostly coherent setting.
You have Vampire pirates running seedy port cities, Dwarven breweries pumping out alcohol
potent enough to kill a man, an entire under-empire inhabited by rat men, and at the top of the
world, a giant interdimensional rift threatening to swallow the entire world.
What's amazing is that none of these really feel that out of place.
What’s even better is that the multitude of races and factions present in Warhammer
all have detailed histories, psychologies and interact with each other in captivating
and unpredictable ways.
Orcs and goblins for example exist in a multitude of alternate worlds, but of all them, the
greenskins found in Warhammer are I think the best defined.
They have a unique religion, immediately identifiable aesthetics, and most importantly, they are
not a single unified faction, but a race that is split between a variety of warbosses, each
with their own specific goals.
The same can be said of any faction in Warhammer, no single race, from humans, to Skaven, to
the Undead, is a monolith.
Divisions exist everywhere which makes for an exponentially more interesting world.
The worst fantasy worlds in my opinion oversimplify these kinds of internal politics, the humans
are one race, the orcs another, elves, etc, with no variation within them.
In the number 3 slot we have Star Trek, and there is no ignoring it, Star Trek is weird.
Its universe seems to contradict so many of my checkboxes.
It is radically inconsistent with elements that appear no different from magic, societies
that have developed in impossible ways, and immense discoveries and ramifications that
don’t seem to have affected much of anything.
Planets inhabited by Roman gods and starships capable of time travel whenever they feel
like it exist alongside grounded and believable interstellar politics.
None of it makes much sense and yet here it is on my list.
Why exactly I include it here, I’m not quite sure, other than it was one of my first experiences
exploring a universe other than my own.
If I had to give a more definitive answer, I would say that the central pillar of Star
Trek, a captain and crew exploring the universe aboard a starship, is probably one of the
most appealing experiences I could imagine.
And even with the crazy disparity in its tone and feel, it’s best elements completely
overshadow its worst.
Within Star Trek there exists a galaxy of formidable alien empires and baffling scientific
anomalies well worth exploring.
At number 2 we have A Song of Ice and Fire and in my opinion, there has never been a
more intricate and consistent fantasy universe.
What makes the world of Westeros, Essos and the lands that lay beyond so fascinating is
that there exist so many hidden details and mysteries that are all too easy to miss entirely.
There are conspiracies, murders, plots, hidden identities and manipulations that persist
in the background, which might fundamentally alter the nature of the world itself.
The further you go, the more you discover, and the more you discover, the more questions
you have.
Was the religion of the Iron Islands inspired by a race of Deep Ones who live beneath the
surface of the oceans?
There’s evidence that says yes.
Did the Maesters of the Citadel conspire to rid the world of magic?
Maybe.
Have ships from Braavos encountered dinosaurs on Sothoryos, Syrio Ferrel claims they did.
There’s a thousand more stories and details in the background of A Song of Ice and Fire
and a thousand more that might never be uncovered.
It’s truly a world that you can just lose yourself in.
Now before we get to #1 in our top 5 alternate worlds, I’d like to make 2 honorable mentions.
The first is Strangereal, found in Ace Combat.
It’s version of Earth is remarkably similar to our own and sometimes indistinguishable,
yet has an entirely different history and geography.
How do American, European and Russian aircraft exist in a world without America, Europe or
Russia?
This is where the Strange part of Strangereal kicks in, but Ace Combat succeeds because
it does not attempt any sort of convoluted explanation but instead just presents the
world and then treats it seriously.
Strangereal is a world that on paper shouldn’t really work, but somehow does.
My other honorable mention is Freelancer.
In this universe, the Solar System was engulfed in a war between the Alliance and the Coalition.
Nearing defeat, the Alliance launched five colony ships to a distant star system.
Centuries later the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and Germany have reemerged
as interstellar nations known as Liberty, Bretonia, Kusari, and Rheinland respectively.
What’s so great about Freelancer is that it subverts the usual trend of a single world
government leading a united humanity in space.
The politics between each nation in Freelancer echoes that of the modern world, and seeing
that in a science fiction setting was really inventive.
So in the top spot I’m going to place Mass Effect.
I’m hardly the first person to discuss just how brilliant this universe is, so instead
I’ll focus on a few specific things I really enjoy about it.
And I want to start with tone.
Mass Effect is far more nuanced in how it portrays the “mood”, I guess you’d say,
of the universe.
There are elements that are terrifying and galaxy spanning threats, but they are countered
with a sense of discovery and wonder.
It’s not overly grim or utopian and instead charts a course right down the middle.
The next area where I think it succeeds is its scale.
Where other universes might exist solely within the viewpoint of a certain faction or organization,
Mass Effect takes us to the uppermost levels of interstellar politics and high society,
all the way down to the criminal underworld or simple colonists trying to eek out a living
on the edge of explored space.
Elements that might be otherwise relegated to the background are given their moment in
the spotlight and the universe feels larger and far more vibrant because of it.
There is no limit to the opportunities present in the Mass Effect universe and I’d be lying
if I told you I’d never thought about retiring to the Asari world of Illium and maybe opening
a casino or something.
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So with that, I’ll bring my Top 5 Alternate Worlds to a close, but these are just my opinions
after all and even though I incapable of error, especially in this video because I mean the
whole point is you came for my perspective, you might disagree with me.
Was there a universe you think should have been on this list?
Should I consider making a follow up explaining why certain universes didn’t make the cut?
Is a casino on Illium a stupid investment in the current economic climate?
Let me know in the comments below.
Until next time, this has been Incoming.
The Templin Institute investigates alternate worlds and realities.
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