Consider the history of the people you are writing about in your fiction. You can borrow from modern day events. However you should be subtle. Your prose should not sound like an essay. For science fiction, pay attention to the elements. What does the material do? Consider them from a scientific viewpoint.Politics are a big deal. Some people wants to be more important than others. Who is in charge? How do people make decisions? The politics of the region are going to lead to conflict. This conflict is what will give birth to your story. If you don't have conflict, you won't have a story. Or you will not have a story that anyone wants to read.
Finally pay attention to the religion of your characters. What is the place of each character in their universe? Do the religions conflict with each other? How does science affect the religion? These questions can drive your plot in an interesting way.
