Fanfic idea question

[Captain Kathryn]

Hello!

I am a huge fan of both Star Trek and the Book of Mormon musical and am outlining a cross-over fic idea, however I am stuck on the sci-fi/tech aspect of something (see below).

So there's 2 boys who are Mormon missionaries in the year 2018 (or some year around our time) who are walking around in Uganda (where their mission is located) to go find their friend who had wandered off and it's starting to get late. Meanwhile, in the 23rd Century in an alternate dimension that mirrors the Star Trek universe down to the smallest detail, the same 2 boys (duplicates, for lack of a better word) are also wandering in the same spot during a mission (they are ensigns or cadets - haven't decided yet). I want there to be this situation where they encounter a device that somehow sends the 2 boys from the 23rd century to the 21st and vice versa. There's a whole ton of plot and relationship stuff but the part I don't have down is the technobabble excuse for why this could happen. The idea is super out there and far-fetched so I am not sure I can pull it off in its current state. Does anyone have any ideas for a more plausible tech-y excuse for why this could happen? I just need the duplicates to switch places with each other, thus forcing them to each navigate a world that is foreign to them, yet inexplicably the same.

 

[TrickyDickie]

Thin spot in the quantum layering of universes. So it could be a 'natural' phenomenon.

My technobabble is *sort of* backed up by this:

https://phys.org/news/2017-03-quantum-movement-electrons-atomic-layers.html



Edit: Book of Mormon musical....would that be the Hill Cumorah Pageant ?

 

[Abi Smith]

Hello
My name is Ensign Price
And I would like to share with you the most amazing directive

Hello
My name is Ensign Grant
It's a directive about not interfering with the internal development of alien civilizations

 

[Captain Kathryn]

Hello
My name is Ensign Price
And I would like to share with you the most amazing directive

Hello
My name is Ensign Grant
It's a directive about not interfering with the internal development of alien civilizations

YASSS SOMEONE WHO KNOWS BOOK OF MORMON! Haha. This made me crack up! XD I've written way too much BOM fanfiction, to be honest. I'm really excited to try and marry my two fave universes together.

 

[Captain Kathryn]

Thin spot in the quantum layering of universes. So it could be a 'natural' phenomenon.

My technobabble is *sort of* backed up by this:

https://phys.org/news/2017-03-quantum-movement-electrons-atomic-layers.html



Edit: Book of Mormon musical....would that be the Hill Cumorah Pageant ?

OMG Thank you!!!! I am really excited to read your link and possibly use it to include some plausible technobabble. And nope I meant the Broadway musical from the creators of South Park! haha I am not a Mormon. It's this musical: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Mormon_(musical)

 

[TrickyDickie]

OMG Thank you!!!! I am really excited to read your link and possibly use it to include some plausible technobabble. And nope I meant the Broadway musical from the creators of South Park! haha I am not a Mormon. It's this musical: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Mormon_(musical)

Thanks for the link! I knew nothing about that! I only knew about HCP because it is just a stone's throw away. I have never been to see it. Not being a Christian of any kind any more, I probably never will.

 

[Captain Kathryn]

Thanks for the link! I knew nothing about that! I only knew about HCP because it is just a stone's throw away. I have never been to see it. Not being a Christian of any kind any more, I probably never will.

Oh it's not for religious people really - it's a satire! So it kind of makes fun of religion in a lot of ways, but also celebrates it kinda at the end I guess. I'm personally agnostic. It's a musical comedy. It's written by the dudes behind South Park so it's not religious haha.

 

[TrickyDickie]

Oh it's not for religious people really - it's a satire! So it kind of makes fun of religion in a lot of ways, but also celebrates it kinda at the end I guess. I'm personally agnostic. It's a musical comedy. It's written by the dudes behind South Park so it's not religious haha.

I'll probably enjoy it a lot!

South Park is hilarious a good share of the time. Arguably, they are a wee bit over the top at times, but I can overlook that. They've had a long ride with that show and it's better than The Simpsons, in my opinion.

Here's a link to a site I found about 'thin spots'....more mystical than scientific, but interesting nonetheless:

http://www.thinplace.net/2008/02/what-are-thin-places.html

 

[FormerLurker]

Your crossover bears shades of the early fanzine story "Visit to a Small Planet", wherein Kirk, Spock, and McCoy switch places with Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley and find themselves filming an episode of Star Trek, and its sequel, "Visit to a Small Planet Revisited", showing Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley's experiences in the 23rd century.

 

[TrickyDickie]

Your crossover bears shades of the early fanzine story "Visit to a Small Planet", wherein Kirk, Spock, and McCoy switch places with Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley and find themselves filming an episode of Star Trek, and its sequel, "Visit to a Small Planet Revisited", showing Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley's experiences in the 23rd century.

The second story was published in Bantam's paperback 'Star Trek: The New Voyages'.

Not sure if the first is available anywhere outside of fanzines.

Anyone know?

 

[Captain Kathryn]

Your crossover bears shades of the early fanzine story "Visit to a Small Planet", wherein Kirk, Spock, and McCoy switch places with Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley and find themselves filming an episode of Star Trek, and its sequel, "Visit to a Small Planet Revisited", showing Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley's experiences in the 23rd century.

Interesting! I've never read that. I'll have to check it out! Do you happen to know what caused them to switch places?

 

[Captain Kathryn]

I'll probably enjoy it a lot!

South Park is hilarious a good share of the time. Arguably, they are a wee bit over the top at times, but I can overlook that. They've had a long ride with that show and it's better than The Simpsons, in my opinion.

Here's a link to a site I found about 'thin spots'....more mystical than scientific, but interesting nonetheless:

http://www.thinplace.net/2008/02/what-are-thin-places.html

Thank you so much!!! I will check it out. And yea if the BOM tour comes your way or if you are ever in NYC, I recommend it!

 

[FormerLurker]

Interesting! I've never read that. I'll have to check it out! Do you happen to know what caused them to switch places?

Some kind of transporter malfunction (I know, unbelievable. That never happens!)

 

[Captain Kathryn]

Some kind of transporter malfunction (I know, unbelievable. That never happens!)

 

[Captain Kathryn]

Not sure if anyone cares but I found a solution to my problem of what will cause them to switch places. Since my fic is going be a crossover of Star Trek DS9 in particular, I am going to use a lost Bajoran Orb / the Prophets as a medium for the switch. There's more to it than that - there's going to be an entire plot around it (I am thinking the fic is going to be like 100k or more) but just in case anyone was curious!

 

[WarpTenLizard]

I feel like I need more information to be helpful.

When you say "the same two boys" ... how much are they the "same?" Obviously life experiences will be different, due to growing up in different centuries. But, are they *genetically* the same? Do they have the same names? The same family members?

I could think of ways for the boys to have "genetic reincarnations" in the 23rd Century, but reasons for them also to have the exact same names and personalities would be tricky.

 

[Captain Kathryn]

I feel like I need more information to be helpful.

When you say "the same two boys" ... how much are they the "same?" Obviously life experiences will be different, due to growing up in different centuries. But, are they *genetically* the same? Do they have the same names? The same family members?

I could think of ways for the boys to have "genetic reincarnations" in the 23rd Century, but reasons for them also to have the exact same names and personalities would be tricky.

They will be different!! For the exact reasons you said! Their core personalities will be the same, but life experiences and having grown up in different cultures etc. make them different. It will be more like a mirror universe where they have the same genetics, same family members etc, but their life experiences will be different. I have the entire thing mapped out, it's just hard to explain in a succinct way. It wasn't that they exist in the same universe and switch from past to present, it's a dimensional switch also.