Science Fiction Prototypes Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying about the Future and Love Science Fiction

This paper is meant to be an introduction both to the short story Nebulous Mechanisms as well as the concept of science fiction prototypes. In the tradition of the legendary Isaac Asimov, we jump into the long and symbiotic history of science fact and science fiction. Briskly we move through current work in the field and delve into the particulars of the craft of combining current scientific research, theory and practice with the fictional construct of the science fiction story. Finally we look into the specifics of the story Nebulous Mechanisms and conclude with the challenge to employ the science fiction prototype to foster innovation and explore the boundaries of modern science.