Space Opera Fans discussion

How important are maps?

In my opinion, I dislike having unnecessary notes and lore that just end up gathering dust. These bits of information may never have any relevance to the story, such as the distance between different systems. However, I believe they are useful in creating maps that can enhance the story by giving the reader a visual representation of the world. They bring the world to life in ways that just describing geography cannot. To me, maps play a crucial role in creating a believable and immersive world.



Did you follow along from the Shire to Helm's Deep?
Did you check to see if Mon Calamari was in the Outer Rim or Mid Rim?
Do maps add to the story or bring you closer to the adventure?

I really appreciate maps for fantasy worlds. I think they have less utility for science fiction works. Star maps just don't inspire me. In the first place trying to depict space in two dimensions just doesn't work. You get no sense of the real dimensions of space. Plus, it's just a bunch of dots. A terrestrial map has features like rivers and mountains and forests that I can relate to.

Map of a world can be useful if action is worldwide or near worldwide and influenced by the geography of the world.

Map of planetary system? If it is somehow very different from solar system then it might be helpful but otherwise just saying fifth planet, seventh planet, moon of fifth planet is probably all that is needed.

I seldom find star charts/maps particularly useful in SF. It's difficult if not impossible to indicate 3 dimensional locations using a 2 dimensional map.

I follow along on maps. I feel they help me visualize as I read. I don't think I've ever read a SF book with a map though.

Starmaps that I have always admired.

Star Trek-


Star Wars-


Firefly-


I’ve always been captivated by the vastness of the universe, which was fueled by my love for galactic scale maps in tabletop RPGs and video games. My fascination with deep space, black holes, and neutron stars has grown into a passion, and I wanted to set my Novel in a real place. As a sci-fi enthusiast, my ultimate goal is for fellow nerds to gaze up at the stars, point, and exclaim, “That’s Menkalinan - the very place where Kai Randel first encountered the Stygiamites!”