The first time I ever heard about the possibility of alternate universes was in 1993 when I was twelve (though of course I had no idea what it meant.) It was in a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode called "Parallels" where Worf finds himself caught up in a rift that leads to many universes. With this term of a parallel universe we get more leeway into the Sci Fi aspect of it. There have been many TV episodes that have aired at least one episode that explored a "What if things had gone differently" scenario.

But what is a parallel universe? Some of you have already heard the theory where there's a reality that exists along with the one we know. These universes can be various sizes and shapes. They can even band together and be contained in a multiverse, (also called a meta-verse or many worlds) where several different universes (and their principles of space, time, matter and energy) exist together along with ours. There is also a scenario where a major event could cause a divergence. This is where the actual outcome happens and then there's another possible one where it doesn't, thus creating an alternate universe.

Now on to the pure science on the subject. Or my idea of it anyway...Don't worry this won't take long, I promise.

Do parallel universes actually exist? In 2013, after studying data from from the Planck spacecraft, cosmologists felt that the anomalies they saw could only be caused by the gravitational pull of other universes.* Follow that up in 2015 when Ranga-Ram Chary at the California Institute of Technology also saw evidence of a parallel universe.** After spotting a glow in the background radiation in space, he felt this could be evidence of multiple universes colliding. Whether it's true or not remains a mystery. While some say this proves they exist there are still many people remain more dubious about the prospect.

Makes sense. The theory of the multiverse, where it's said many universes exist together, is still nothing more than a hypothesis to some who study space.

With that said, this is only one of the theories which are the basis of Science Fiction. Knowing what could have been is the foundation of many great stories--Science Fiction or otherwise. Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Paratime by H. Beam Piper, The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, and Sidewise in Time by Murray Leinster are a small number of well-known stories that incorporate parallel universes in some way.

Which brings me over to the TV side of things. The application of this theory is another source rich with possibility. In the Star Trek:TNG episode I mentioned above, the idea was that there were an infinite number of possible outcomes based on any number of decisions that could have been made. In yet another TV episode on the show Fringe there was the alternate reality where Walter Bishop had to go to an alternate universe to save his son. When things went wrong, the results of the changes proved devastating in the "other" universe. Even Seth McFarlane gave his take on things, with the Family Guy episode "Road to the Multiverse."

If you happen to prefer the scientific side of the matter or to see the more creative ideas producers and writers come up with, there's plenty about parallel universes to go around. There's also no doubt that the multiverse is a theory that will be debated for many years to come. I for one am looking forward to seeing what they find. And since I love TV and SciFi, great new parallel universe episodes are sure to pop up too.

Here's to the fun in exploring the possible outcomes which play an integral role in the universe of parallel universe fiction.

* http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2326869/Is-universe-merely-billions-Evidence-existence-multiverse-revealed-time-cosmic-map.html

** http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/evidence-multiverse-we-might-have-just-bumped-into-another-universe-1526526