A Glance at a Problem Unique to Writing Sci Fi

I ran into a small problem with my first venture into writing science fiction. When you are creating fantasy based on past eras you have a familiar framework you can weave your story around. Writing mediaeval-style fantasy? No problem. you can easily research weapons, military tactics, clothing, buildings, or you can draw on the books you've already read, the movies you've seen, to build your take around. There are lots of ancient cultures you can use as an inspiration for your story set in a pre-modern era, think of Rome, Greece, Egypt, China, or the Aztecs. Just these words alone are sufficient to plant a picture in yours and your reader's minds

So, what happens when you try to write a speculative fiction tale set in the near future? I first discovered this problem while writing "We're Not in Kansas." Supposedly set in the near future, I attempted to subtly incorporate some things that would indicate we were not set in the era of 2014-2015 back in the days when I wrote this beast. I discovered that science was often advancing faster than my imagination.

I steered clear of further future settings until I became caught up with the story "Of Destiny's Daughters." While this was set in the fictitious version of today (actually a future 2020) I was dealing with modern folk interacting with an advanced race of aliens. This story eventually turned into a full-blown Space Opera. When the setting moved from downtown Ottawa to the great universe beyond our borders, I had to try and build a world setting that might look like some five thousand years into the future.

How do you make the scene different from simply dumping modern humans into spaceships? What might it look like? How important are these details to the story anyway? Can you cheat and ignore them?.