Judgment at the Edge of Space
On a remote outpost at the edge of the known universe, the crew discovers a signal indicating they are not only being watched, but judged by a vastly superior intelligence. How do they respond to the realization that their every action might influence an advanced alien civilization's decision to make contact?
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Make the magic or technology cost your hero something they can't get back.
- Give the villain a reason that would convince you, if you lived there.
- Let the hero's plan work, and make that the problem.
Writing science fiction
Change one thing about the world. Follow it all the way.
Science fiction asks what happens to people when science, technology or contact with something new changes the rules. The spaceships are optional; the question is the point. The best of it says as much about today as it does about the future.
What readers expect
- An idea that drives the plot
- Technology or science with consequences
- Futures, other worlds or alternate presents
- Big questions about being human
A tip before you start
Show how your big change reshapes ordinary life: what people eat, fear and joke about. Scenery alone isn't world-building.
More Space Exploration prompts
- The Mirror UniverseExplore a scenario where space explorers find a portal to a parallel universe during a routine mapping of the outer reach. This other universe is a…
- The Journalist's Hidden MovementDevelop a story about an intergalactic journalist who travels to war-torn planets to document the impacts of cosmic wars. On their latest assignment…
- Hitchhiking to the Cursed StarImagine a future where interstellar travel is common and "space hitchhikers" are the adventurous souls who thumb rides on cargo ships heading toward…
- A Last Hope for the StarImagine a society living on a space station orbiting a dying star. As the star’s end approaches, causing dangerous radiation levels, the leaders of…
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