Imaginary Starships

I have a running theory that the best grounded sci fi get one big free technology that doesn’t need to be based in anything realistic whose implications create the rest of the setting.

In Mass Effect, it’s the mass effect created by eezo that allows for gravity manipulation. It’s how cars can fly, ships can travel between planets, and biotics get their superpowers. It allows the universe to ask “how would the world be impacted by gravity manipulation?”

In The Expanse, at least leading up to the events of the first book, it’s the Epstein Drive. How would continuous thrust allowing for interplanetary travel over days/weeks instead of months/years affect society’s growth? It allows for a more rich and interesting world by only asking for one strong suspension of disbelief.