Talk:Space opera

Lists of Space opera and Military Science Fiction fiction media
I think that we should try to merge these list articles: space opera and msf articles with their respective parent-pages: space opera, military science fiction. Me myself, tried to put some exemples into boxes in the main space opera article. I think we can successfully imbue the factual articles with the respective exemples that make sense and aren't just statistics. I think we should do that as well as for msf and space western, too. I think we should do that. These categories and bubble gums are just rubbish. We can imbue the actual articles without making protracted lists that only bore the fandom and the actual representation in this space opra and Starship Troopers as a whole is much more definitive than just a stupid list with no definitive art meaning in the article... just numbers... nothing. I say MERGE asap!
 * Regards: The Mad Hatter (talk)


 * I did some changes already to military science fiction as well as space opera articles and hope to proceed with merge soon. I will continue add exemples to msf, but I hope it will not cross-over with the space opera medias. I try to brand the uniques.
 * All the best:The Mad Hatter (talk)


 * ✅ For 3 weeks nobody said a thing, and I decided by Merging guidelines to be bold and perform the merge. Did a bunch of work; history and related stuff is saved, but the pages are redirected. Hope to get assistance, soon.
 * The Mad Hatter (talk)

Was the list deleted? It was really useful but now I can't find it? 59.167.111.154 (talk) 15:19, 11 September 2014 (UTC)

After some searching I found it. Copying it here for reference because it really is a priceless list and we shouldn't lose it. 59.167.111.154 (talk) 15:24, 11 September 2014 (UTC)


 * This discussion should be consolidated to only one location. Please take all discussion to Talk:Military science fiction. &mdash; Makyen (talk) 18:41, 12 September 2014 (UTC)

List copied from old list of media page
This list should be included on the Space Opera page somehow because it would be a terrible waste to lose is. 59.167.111.154 (talk) 15:24, 11 September 2014 (UTC)

What about making it a new article a list of Sci-Fi/Space Opera related media? Also, I for one would delete dark matter from the TV section in the article, as it is by far not as influential as the other franchises (applies to Guardians also): tried to see if somebody edited that in recently to revert, but the edit history is a nightmare. Diceypoo (talk) 10:30, 1 November 2016 (UTC)

Literature

 * Novels and series (ordered chronologically by date of first publication)
 * The Skylark series (1928–1965) and the Lensman series (1934–1948) by E. E. "Doc" Smith
 * Arcot, Wade and Morey (1930–32) by John W. Campbell
 * The Foundation series (1942–1999) by Isaac Asimov et al.
 * Alliance-Union universe (1976–present) and Foreigner universe (1994–present) by C. J. Cherryh
 * The Uplift Universe novels (1980–98) by David Brin
 * Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1982–1989) by Yoshiki Tanaka
 * The Ender's Game series (1985–present) by Orson Scott Card
 * The Vorkosigan Saga (1987–present) by Lois McMaster Bujold
 * Culture series (1987–2012) and The Algebraist (2004) by Iain M. Banks
 * The Hyperion Cantos (1989–1996) by Dan Simmons
 * The Gap Cycle (1990–1996) by Stephen R. Donaldson
 * The Xeelee Sequence (1991–present) by Stephen Baxter
 * Honorverse series (1992–present) by David Weber
 * Zones of Thought series (1992–present) by Vernor Vinge
 * Crest of the Stars (1996–present) by Hiroyuki Morioka
 * Revelation Space series (2001–2009) by Alastair Reynolds
 * Dread Empire's Fall (2002–2005) by Walter Jon Williams
 * Saga of Seven Suns (2002–2008) and The Saga of Shadows (2014–present) by Kevin J. Anderson
 * Commonwealth Saga (2004–2005) and The Night's Dawn Trilogy (1996–1999) by Peter F. Hamilton
 * The Lost Fleet (2006–present) by Jack Campbell
 * Spiral Arm series (2007–) by Michael F. Flynn
 * The Expanse (2011–present) by James S. A. Corey
 * Singularity Sky, Iron Sunrise and Saturn's Children (2003–present) by Charles Stross


 * Anthologies and collections
 * Space Opera, ed. Brian Aldiss (1974)
 * The Space Opera Renaissance (2006) ed. David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer
 * The New Space Opera by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan (2007)
 * The New Space Opera 2 by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan (2009)


 * Short fiction
 * "Buck Rogers" series (1928–present) by Philip Francis Nowlan and others
 * "Berserker" series (1967–2005) by Fred Saberhagen
 * "Perry Rhodan" series (1961–present) in German by K. H. Scheer and Clark Darlton.


 * Manga
 * Space Adventure Cobra, created by Buichi Terasawa


 * Comic books
 * Flash Gordon series (1934–present) by Alex Raymond and others
 * Valérian and Laureline (1967–present) by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières
 * Guardians of the Galaxy (1969–present) by Marvel Comics
 * Adam Warlock (1975–1977) by Jim Starlin
 * Dreadstar (1980–1988) by Jim Starlin
 * The Incal (1981–present) by Alejandro Jodorowsky
 * Nexus (comics) (1981–present) by Mike Baron & Steve Rude
 * Metabarons (1992–2003) by Alejandro Jodorowsky
 * The Cyann Cycle (1993–present) by François Bourgeon
 * Saga (comic book) (2012–present) by Brian K. Vaughan

Film and television

 * Doctor Who (1963–1989, 1996 TV film, 2005–present) created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber, Donald Wilson
 * Star Trek (1966–present) created by Gene Roddenberry
 * Star Wars (1977–present) created by George Lucas
 * Blake's 7 (1978–1981) created by Terry Nation
 * Battlestar Galactica (1978–1979 and 2004–2009) created by Glen A. Larson & Ronald D. Moore
 * Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985) created by Jeffrey Scott
 * Red Dwarf (1988–1999, 2009, 2012) created by Grant Naylor, Rob Grant, Doug Naylor
 * Babylon 5 (1993–1998) created by J. Michael Straczynski
 * Stargate (1994–2011 ) created by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin
 * The Fifth Element (1997) created by Luc Besson
 * Lexx (1997–2002) created by Paul Donovan, Lex Gigeroff, Jeffrey Hirschfield
 * Farscape (1999–2003) created by Rockne S. O'Bannon
 * Andromeda (2000–2005) created by Gene Roddenberry
 * Titan A.E. (2000) created by Ben Edlund, John August, and Joss Whedon
 * Firefly (2002) created by Joss Whedon
 * Duck Dodgers TV series (2003–2006)
 * The Chronicles of Riddick, (2004) characters by Ken Wheat and direction and universe by David Twohy.
 * Serenity (2005) created by Joss Whedon
 * John Carter (2012) directed by Andrew Stanton and created by Edgar Rice Burroughs
 * Prometheus (2012 film) created by Ridley Scott
 * Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) created by Marvel Comics and directed by James Gunn
 * Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Anime

 * Cowboy Bebop, Created by Shinichiro Watanabe
 * Space Battleship Yamato, Created by Yoshinobu Nishizaki and Leiji Matsumoto
 * Macross, created by Kawamori Shoji, and its U.S. counterpart Robotech, adapted by Carl Macek
 * Gundam, created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate
 * Space Pirate Captain Harlock, created by Leiji Matsumoto
 * Galaxy Express 999, created by Leiji Matsumoto
 * Legend of the Galactic Heroes, original light novel created by Yoshiki Tanaka
 * Tytania, original light novel by Yoshiki Tanaka
 * Crest of the Stars and Banner of the Stars, created by Hiroyuki Morioka
 * Irresponsible Captain Tylor, original light novel by Hitoshi Yoshioka
 * Space Adventure Cobra, created by Buichi Terasawa
 * Vandread, created by Gonzo and Media Factory
 * Starship Operators, produced by J.C.Staff, original Manga series by Ryo Mizuno.
 * Toward the Terra, original manga series by Keiko Takemiya
 * Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, created by Gainax and Kazuki Nakashima
 * Time Jam: Valerian & Laureline, based on Valérian and Laureline created by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières.
 * Odin: Photon Sailer Starlight, created by Yoshinobu Nishizaki

Stage

 * Space Opera (Opera)
 * Opera Galactica (Opera)

Tabletop games

 * Stellar Conquest (1974)
 * BattleTech (1984–present) FASA Corporation
 * Renegade Legion (1989–1993) FASA Corporation
 * Warhammer 40,000 (1987–present) Games Workshop
 * Twilight Imperium (1998–present) Fantasy Flight Games
 * Risk: Star Wars: Clone Wars Edition (2005) Hasbro, Winning Moves
 * Risk: Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition (2006) Hasbro, Winning Moves
 * Race for the Galaxy (2007–present) Rio Grande Games
 * Eclipse (2011) Asmodee
 * Space Empires: 4X (2011) GMT Games
 * Risk: Mass Effect Galaxy at War Edition (2013) Hasbro, Winning Moves

Card games

 * Star Trek Customizable Card Game
 * Star Wars Customizable Card Game
 * WARS Trading Card Game

Role-playing games

 * Alternity
 * Eclipse Phase
 * Starblazer Adventures
 * Traveller
 * WARS
 * OtherSpace
 * Serenity
 * The Chronicles of Amber

Video games

 * Star Control (1990-1996) created by Toys for Bob and Legend Entertainment
 * Wing Commander (1990–2007) created by Origin Systems, Inc.
 * ''Master of Orion (1993-2003) created by Simtex
 * Star Ocean (1996–2010) created by tri-Ace
 * StarCraft (1998–present) created by Blizzard Entertainment
 * X (game series) (1999–present) created by Egosoft
 * Homeworld (1999–2003) created by Relic Entertainment
 * Starlancer (2000) and Freelancer (2003) created by Digital Anvil
 * Halo (2001–present) created by Bungie and 343 Industries
 * Ratchet & Clank (2002–present) created by Insomniac Games
 * EVE Online (2003–present) created by CCP Games
 * Galactic Civilizations (2003-present) created by Stardock
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003–present) created by LucasArts and BioWare
 * Xenosaga (2003–2006) created by Monolith Soft
 * Star Sonata (2004) developed by Adam Miller
 * Advent Rising (2005) created by Majesco Entertainment
 * Sword of the Stars (2006) created by Kerberos Productions
 * Mass Effect (2007–present) created by BioWare
 * Sins of a Solar Empire (2008–present) created by Stardock
 * Infinite Space (2009) created by Nude Maker
 * Darkstar: The Interactive Movie (2010) created by Parallax Studio
 * Dead Space (2008–present) created by EA Redwood Shores and Glen Schofield
 * Endless Space (2012) created by Amplitude Studios

Social games

 * Outernauts (2012–present) created by Insomniac Games
 * Pluto Attacks (2011–present) created by StudioEx

Addition of Dune prequel series
I know Dune is considered a landmark of soft science fiction, but I read some of the prequels and it also has hard science fiction in it. I also know Dune isn't considered space opera, but the prequels are since they involve galactic space battles and that's what space opera is. So i think mentioning the prequels here at least OK--Taeyebaar (talk) 20:47, 20 January 2016 (UTC)

I'm looking for more sources
There's a quote form George Lucas that says his works of Star Wars is soft science fiction. There's a source that I added that says Star Wars become hard science fiction, now I need to add the source that says it's soft science fiction, so don't remove the part that says it soft sci-fi, I still need to add it.--Taeyebar 19:34, 14 August 2016 (UTC)

Ender...Space Opera?
Ender's Game was serious science fiction, even Speculative Fiction, the precise opposite of Space Opera. We need some serious sources if the claim that it's space opera is going to remain in the article. — Kaz (talk) 02:27, 20 March 2017 (UTC)

This was my reaction too.

Ninjalectual (talk) 04:40, 31 July 2018 (UTC)

The Parodies are themselves examples of Space Opera.
Fredric Brown's What Mad Universe has as its protagonist a sober-headed science fiction magazine editor who suddenly finds himself transported to an alternative history timeline where all the space opera elements (a larger-than-life space hero fighting evil aliens who are totally bent on humanity's destruction, etc.) are concrete, daily life realities.

Harry Harrison's Bill, the Galactic Hero parodies the conventions of classic space opera, as does his Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers, and his short story, Space Rats of the CCC - the Combat Camel Corps.

Jack Vance's Space Opera has an opera company go on tour into space.

The comedy film Spaceballs, directed and co-written by Mel Brooks, is a science fiction parody with many space opera characteristics. The anime Space Dandy by Studio Bones often parodies other science fiction works and the space opera subgenre.


 * So, why remove them? NickyMcLean (talk) 12:55, 31 August 2017 (UTC)

I agree, this seems like a good take to me.

Ninjalectual (talk) 04:41, 31 July 2018 (UTC)

Foundation … space opera?
The Foundation series seems a poor fit for the definitions given of space opera. It is true that the basic setting is what one might expect in a space opera, but Asimov's actual stories see very little of adventure or warfare (when wars aren't avoided entirely, they tend to take place elsewhere and between scenes); if anything, it's more like a deconstruction of space opera than actual space opera (unless possibly if one goes by the definition that any "good old stuff" is space opera, which does not seem the mainstream interpretation). Calling the Foundation series a space opera is kind of like calling The West Wing an action series—both feature similar amounts of smart people in meeting rooms discussing serious politics.

Source-wise, the support provided for labelling the Foundation series as space opera seems to be only that it was included in the above list of space opera, which regarding the Foundation series only quotes one web page (now dead, but preserved in the internet archive) that is a biography of Isaac Asimov and only once in passing calls the Foundation series space opera. That seems a poor source on the matter. 78.73.97.76 (talk) 17:04, 27 July 2018 (UTC)

I think this is a fair criticism, though I wouldn't have objected to leaving it either. What would you suggest in its place? How about Star Wars? Or personally, I'm partial to Peter F Hamilton's Commonwealth series of books.

Ninjalectual (talk) 04:39, 31 July 2018 (UTC)

The Expanse ... space opera?
The definition of space opera is undergoing such creep as to be almost meaningless. If The Expanse, probably the hardest science fiction ever televised, is space opera, then virtually anything is.

--Neopeius (talk) 22:51, 27 January 2020 (UTC)