In second-rate fiction, the cosmic and personal stories are irrelevant to each
other -- we get "characters" solely to be witnesses of the cool stuff that
happens on a cosmic level, or we get "ideas" thrown in only to make standard
adventure or character stories seem like science fiction. In the best sf -- like
Nemesis -- the two stories absolutely depend on each other. Resolutions
of the problems posed by Nemesis depends on Marlene and her family, resolutions
of Marlene's needs, and the needs of her parents, absolutely depend on the ideas
and discoveries in the cosmic story.