List of science fiction themes

The following is a list of articles about recurring themes in science fiction.

Overarching themes

 * First contact with aliens
 * Artificial intelligence
 * Machine rule/Cybernetic revolt/AI takeover
 * Extraterrestrials in fiction
 * End of humanity: Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
 * The future
 * Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction: Apocalypses or worldwide disasters and new societies that develop after the event
 * History
 * Alternate history
 * Scientific prediction of the future (e.g. psychohistory)
 * Human fears: List of science fiction horror films
 * Language
 * Alien languages (e.g. Klingon, Huttese)
 * The Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis (e.g. Babel 17, The Languages of Pao)
 * Universal translators (e.g. Babel fish)
 * Military/conflicts
 * Interstellar war
 * Weapons in science fiction
 * Parallel worlds or multiverse
 * Philosophies and philosophical ideas
 * Sex and sexuality
 * LGBT themes
 * Gender
 * Reproduction and pregnancy
 * Simulated reality and consciousness
 * Social science fiction
 * Technological singularity
 * Themes of fantasy fiction
 * Themes of fantasy fiction

Beings and entities

 * Artificial intelligences
 * Androids and Gynoid
 * Artificial life
 * Biological robot
 * Cyborgs
 * Robots and humanoid robots
 * Replicants
 * Simulated consciousness
 * Characters
 * The Absent-minded professor
 * The Golem
 * The Mad Scientist
 * Redshirt
 * Space Pirate
 * Super Soldier
 * Clones
 * Dinosaurs
 * Extraterrestrial life
 * Hypothetical types of biochemistry
 * Alien invasion
 * Astrobiology
 * God-like aliens
 * Principles of non-interference (e.g. Prime Directive)
 * Message from space
 * Living planets (both sentient and non-sentient)
 * Hive minds
 * Infomorphs—memories, characters, and consciences of persons being uploaded to a computer or storage media
 * Mutants
 * Shapeshifters
 * Superhumans
 * Superorganisms
 * Symbionts
 * UFOs
 * Uplifting—using technology to "raise" non-human animals to human evolutionary levels
 * Ancient astronauts
 * Progressor

Body and mind alterations

 * Biohacking/Amateur biotechnicians
 * Artificial organs
 * Additional or improved senses
 * X-ray vision
 * Cloning
 * Exocortex
 * Genetic engineering
 * Super race
 * Intelligence amplification
 * Invisibility
 * Life extension, Biological immortality, Universal immortalism and immortality
 * Cryonics
 * Digital immortality
 * Mind uploading
 * Organ transplantation
 * Organlegging
 * Prosthetics
 * Memory
 * Memory erasure/editing
 * Memory sharing
 * Group mind
 * Mind control
 * Mind swap
 * Mind uploading
 * Neural implants to directly interface with machinery
 * Psi powers and psychic phenomena
 * Clairvoyance
 * Precognition
 * Pyrokinesis
 * Retrocognition
 * Telepathy
 * Telekinesis
 * Parasitism
 * Psychedelia
 * Resizing (size-changing, miniaturization, magnification, shrinking, and enlargement)
 * Shapeshifting
 * Superhuman strength
 * Teleportation
 * Transhumanism and Posthumanism

Habitats

 * Artificial worlds
 * Alien Zoo—a zoo where humans are kept as exhibits
 * Arcologies—enormous habitats (hyperstructures) of extremely high human population density
 * Cyberspace—the new, virtual territory of societal interaction
 * Domed city
 * Floating city
 * Future of the Earth
 * Climate change—science fiction dealing with effects of anthropogenic climate change and global warming at the end of the Holocene era
 * Megacity
 * Pastoral science fiction—science fiction set in rural, bucolic, or agrarian worlds, either on Earth or on Earth-like planets, in which advanced technologies are downplayed.
 * Seasteading and ocean colonization
 * Pirate utopia
 * Reality Television
 * Space colonization
 * Colonization of the Moon
 * Ecumenopolis
 * Pantropy
 * Other planets
 * Desert planet
 * Mars
 * Terraformed planets
 * Space stations and habitats
 * Underground city

Political themes

 * Adhocracy
 * Anarcho-capitalism
 * Capitalism
 * Evil corporation
 * Megacorporation
 * Neo-feudalism
 * Cognitive liberty
 * Dystopias and utopias
 * Environmental pollution
 * Overpopulation
 * Technological utopianism
 * Totalitarianism
 * Galactic empires
 * Government by algorithm
 * Legal personality
 * Libertarianism
 * Mass surveillance
 * Mind reading and mind control
 * National security state
 * Post-scarcity economy
 * Socialism
 * Nanosocialism
 * Technoethics
 * Bioethics
 * Technophobia
 * Techno-progressivism
 * Terrorism
 * Bio-terrorism
 * Eco-terrorism
 * Totalitarianism vs. Libertarianism

Technologies

 * Artificial gravity
 * Artificial intelligence
 * Asteroid mining
 * Astronomical engineering
 * Brain–computer interface
 * Cloaking device
 * Emerging technologies
 * Robots
 * Self-replicating machines
 * Simulated reality
 * Star lifting and stellar engineering
 * Stasis device
 * Total conversion as energy source
 * Mecha
 * Megascale engineering and planetary engineering
 * Megastructures
 * Dyson sphere
 * Molecular manufacturing and Nanotechnology
 * Molecular assembler
 * Alien technology
 * Virtual reality, mixed reality, augmented reality
 * Infosphere
 * Metaverse
 * Weapons in science fiction

Travel

 * Accidental travel
 * Colonization of other planets, moons, asteroids, etc.
 * Embryo space colonization
 * Generation ship
 * Interstellar ark
 * Uploaded astronaut
 * Terraforming
 * Space exploration
 * Interstellar travel/Starships
 * Faster-than-light travel and communications
 * Hyperspace
 * Slipstream
 * Warp drives
 * Wormholes
 * Ansibles
 * Close to light speed
 * Bussard ramjets
 * Ursula K. Le Guin's NAFAL ships, and the Twin paradox
 * Much slower than light
 * Generation ship
 * Sleeper ship
 * Space stations
 * Teleportation
 * Teletransporter
 * Time travel
 * Alternate history: time travel can be used as a plot device to explore parallel universes. While alternate history has its own category (see above), it often occurs in time travel stories as well.
 * Alternate future
 * Time loop
 * Travel to the Earth's center
 * Hollow Earth