Space opera

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(Redirected from Space Opera)
For other uses, see Space Opera (disambiguation)

Space opera is a subgenre of speculative fiction or science fiction that emphasizes romantic adventure, exotic settings, and larger than life characters.

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History

"Space opera" was originally a derogatory term, a variant of "horse opera" and "soap opera". It does not directly refer to opera. Wilson Tucker suggested the term in 1941 to describe what he called "the hacky, grinding, stinking, outworn space-ship yarn" -- i.e., substandard science fiction[1]. "Space opera" may still be used with a similar pejorative sense.

A nostalgic fondness for the best examples of the genre of story which produced "space operas" in the original sense led to a revaluation of the term. It is now commonly used to mean a tale of space adventure whose emphasis is on boldly delineated characters, drama, and especially action. Originators of the first space opera stories in this second sense were E. E. Smith, with his Skylark and Lensman series; Edmond Hamilton; Jack Williamson; and later Leigh Brackett.

The first writers of space opera had, of course, no real-life models or experience of life in space to draw upon. Their early stories therefore owe a great deal to existing adventure and pulp fiction of the 1920s-1940s; notably frontier stories of the American West, and stories with exotic settings such as Africa or the orient. There were often parallels between sailing ships and spaceships, between African explorers and space explorers, between pirates and space pirates. Galaxy ran an ad on its back cover, "You won't find it in Galaxy", which gave the beginnings of make-believe parallel western and sf stories featuring a character named Bat Durston.

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Characteristics

A space opera is usually set in outer space or on a distant planet. In most cases, to keep the story fast moving, a spaceship can fly almost unlimited distances in a short time, and can turn on a dime, without the boring necessity of decelerating. The planets usually have earthlike atmospheres (Earth's moon is an exception) and exotic life forms. Aliens usually speak English, sometimes with an accent. The machinery of space opera often includes (in addition to spaceships) ray-guns, robots, and flying cars.

Space opera backgrounds may vary considerably in scientific plausibility. Most space operas conveniently violate the known laws of physics by positing some form of faster-than-light travel. Many space operas diverge even more from known physical reality, and not uncommonly invoke paranormal forces, or vast powers capable of destroying whole planets, stars, or galaxies.

Depth of character development and description may also vary in space operas. Lois McMaster Bujold and Iain M. Banks write space operas with a great deal of human interest. Some critics and fans refuse to use the term 'space opera' for a work with well-developed characterization. Both sides of this debate have been expounded at length in the Usenet forum rec.arts.sf.written.

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Definitions by contrast

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Space opera and planetary romance

Some critics distinguish between space opera and planetary romance. Where space opera grows out of both the Western and sea adventure traditions, the planetary romance grows out of the lost world or lost civilisation tradition. Both feature adventures in exotic settings, but space opera emphasizes space travel, while planetary romances focus on alien worlds. In this view, the Martian-, Venusian-, and lunar-setting stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs would be planetary romances (and among the earliest), as would be Leigh Brackett's Burroughs-influenced Eric John Stark stories, initially set on Mars, but Brackett's script for The Empire Strikes Back would belong to space opera, as does most of the work of her husband (and frequent collaborator), Edmond Hamilton. In recent years, works like Robert Silverberg's Majipoor sequence have seen the planetary romance move closer to being considered as fantasy rather than science fiction.

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Space opera and hard sf

Space opera can also be contrasted with "hard science fiction", in which the emphasis is on the effects of technological progress and inventions, and where the settings are carefully worked out to obey the laws of science. There is, however (according to some), no sharp division between hard sf and true space opera. Many of Robert A. Heinlein's young adult novels, such as Starship Troopers, are seen by his fans to qualify as both.

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Space opera and military sf

One subset of space opera overlaps with military science fiction, concentrating on large-scale space battles with futuristic weapons (example: Honor Harrington series by David Weber). In such stories, the military tone and weapon system technology may be taken very seriously. At one extreme, the genre is used to speculate about future wars involving space travel, or the effects of such a war on humans; at the other it consists of the use of military fiction plots with some superficial sf trappings.

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New Space Opera

Starting with M. John Harrison's The Centauri Device in 1975 and, following a 'call to arms' editorial in Interzone, a number of writers, mostly British, began to reinvent space opera. This new space opera, which evolved around the same time cyberpunk emerged and was influenced by it, is darker, moves away from the 'triumph of mankind' template of space opera, involves newer technologies, and has stronger characterisation than the space opera of old. It does, though retain the interstellar scale and grandeur of traditional space opera. New space opera is therefore scientifically rigorous while ambitious in scope. Among the practitioners of the new space opera are Iain Banks, Alastair Reynolds, Stephen Baxter, Paul McAuley, John Clute, Charles Stross, M. John Harrison, John C. Wright, and Ken MacLeod.

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Parodies

In his 1965 story Space Opera, Jack Vance parodied the genre by writing about an interstellar operatic company which brought culture to deprived worlds. Harry Harrison and Douglas Adams have also parodied space opera clichés, for example, from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: "...men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri."

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Other media

In Manga, possibly the most ambitious and long-running space opera series is the Five Star Stories.

Most science fiction in television and film, from Star Trek to Battlestar Galactica are space opera. Anime has also has produced many space operas, notably Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, the Gundam series, the Macross/Robotech series and its spinoffs, Crest of the Stars, and Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

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Space Opera and Scientology

Template:Main Space opera plays a minor part in the belief system of Scientology, whose founder L. Ron Hubbard was originally a pulp science fiction writer. The story of Xenu illustrates space opera themes in Scientology, which regards science fictional space opera as being an unconscious recollection of real events which occurred in the distant past.

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Sample space opera backgrounds

In all media.

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Books

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Comic Strips

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Television

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Stage

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Film

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Music

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Games

Role Playing Games:

Board games:

  • Full Thrust, a popular 2D space battle simulation board (and miniatures) game
  • Hard Vacuum, a Board/Miniatures game of WWII space combat in an alternate universe where the Allies and Axis have both achieved space flight

Computer games:

  • Freelancer, a powerful space opera like storyline that focuses around deception and deceit set in an environment light years from Earth
  • Half-Life a video game that takes place on earth, but features alien elements and an epic plot
  • Halo: Combat Evolved, FPS with an especially dramatic space opera story line. Novelized into 3 books (prequel, novelization, and sequel).
  • Homeworld, a 3D space real time space battle simulation with a space opera story (campaign)
  • Master of Orion and Alpha Centauri, classic 4X games
  • Mission Critical, a textbook combination of space opera and hard SF in an adventure game
  • Nexus: The Jupiter Incident, a game of real time tactical combat with an epic story
  • Space Quest, series of adventure games that follow the adventures of a hapless janitor named Roger Wilco, as he campaigns through the galaxy for "truth, justice and really clean floors"
  • Star Control, a series of strategy/adventure games
  • StarCraft, a real time strategy game, often cited as one of the best and most popular PC games in the world.
  • System Shock Series, FPS with hard cyberpunk undertones
  • Wing Commander, Space flight simulator games heavily space opera based. With long involved plots detailing humanity's war with the kilrathi and other enemies.

Console games:

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Other

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See also

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Articles

  • Dave Langford: Fun With Senseless Violence
  • David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer: Space Opera Redefined
  • Locus, August 2003: Special section on "The New Space Opera." Articles by Russell Letson & Gary K. Wolfe, Ken MacLeod, Paul McAuley, Gwyneth Jones, M. John Harrison, and Stephen Baxter.cs:Space opera

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