What is and isn't Space Opera?

[GreyLord]

Late to the conversation. I view Space Opera as Space Fantasy.

It is given under the guise of Science Fiction, but while Science Fiction includes how science would work...Space Opera basically tosses the laws of physics to the side at times and ignores that science even exists. It's basically a Fantasy in Outer Space.

 

[Yora]

I am in full agreement with this. Star Trek did a quite good of convincing me otherwise for many years. But the more I learn about physics and engineering, the clearer it becomes that all the technobabble is completely meaningless. It just sounds sciencey. The clean and disciplined look of TNG also makes it appear like the show regards itself as very serious futurism and doesn't revel in the joy of adventure, but that doesn't make it any less fantastical.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

We have mentioned Babylon 5. That is a good example of something that fits the description of space opera to a tee. But the author did not start with the idea of writing a space opera. JMS started out with the idea "Lord of the Rings, in space". Which, of course, connects it back to the fantasy genre.

A similar example would Revenger, by Alistar Reynolds, which is a good fit for space opera, but its core idea is "Pirates of the Caribbean, in space".

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

The whole point is the term is usually used by people who wouldn't read a Sci Fi trilogy if you threatened them with thumbscrews.

Which is most people outside the geek bubble.

My post was meant as tongue in cheek. Hand on heart, I couldn't care less about what people who don't like science fiction think about science fiction and it's subgenres. Well, almost

Sci-fi has been looked down upon during most of it's existence as a defined genre, even though it's more and more accepted at academies etc. And that's ok for me. I think that people who don't read sci-fi out of snobbery are lacking imagination and curiousity, and they think that I'm a tasteless geek. That's ok too. It's even more ok that my library includes a good part of the literary canon and Nobel prize winners, so I can smack them on the head if they deserve it ;-)

 

[Paul Farquhar]

My post was meant as tongue in cheek. Hand on heart, I couldn't care less about what people who don't like science fiction think about science fiction and it's subgenres. Well, almost

Sci-fi has been looked down upon during most of it's existence as a defined genre, even though it's more and more accepted at academies etc. And that's ok for me. I think that people who don't read sci-fi out of snobbery are lacking imagination and curiousity, and they think that I'm a tasteless geek. That's ok too. It's even more ok that my library includes a good part of the literary canon and Nobel prize winners, so I can smack them on the head if they deserve it ;-)

The reason gernes where invented where so people could decide whether or not they like a book without having to go to the bother of actually reading it.

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

The reason gernes where invented where so people could decide whether or not they like a book without having to go to the bother of actually reading it.

I obviously don't agree, but I hope you are being ironic. Many of my best reading experiences comes from books I seriously doubted I would like. I actually pity folks that don't read a book just because of it's advertised genre.

 

[payn]

We have mentioned Babylon 5. That is a good example of something that fits the description of space opera to a tee. But the author did not start with the idea of writing a space opera. JMS started out with the idea "Lord of the Rings, in space". Which, of course, connects it back to the fantasy genre.

A similar example would Revenger, by Alistar Reynolds, which is a good fit for space opera, but its core idea is "Pirates of the Caribbean, in space".

See, I hear Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings and think instantly of space opera; just add space.

 

[payn]

I obviously don't agree, but I hope you are being ironic. Many of my best reading experiences comes from books I seriously doubted I would like. I actually pity folks that don't read a book just because of it's advertised genre.

Well, pity me then because I do not like the fantasy genre. Dont get me wrong, my motto is "dont knock it until you rock it", but as far as literature goes, fantasy is almost always a disappointment to me. I let Game of Thrones, probably the best fantasy I have read, sit on the shelf for 10 years because I dont like the genre that much.

Folks just have convention tastes as well. It can be a very well written story, but if folks dont like westerns, horror, fantasy, space opera, etc..., they wont dig it anyways.

 

[Umbran]

I would have thought it was very naive that someone could look at the effect of the internet on the current news agenda and think that individual voices don't add up.

The "current news agenda" sounds a lot like politics, to me.

But, really, this seems to ignore scale. The "current news agenda" is a thing for the mass market. There's not a mass market movement of thousands and tens of thousands of people discussing sci-fi literature prior to the 1960s on the internet. So, no, I do not have the hubris to feel my voice on the topic matters one single whit.

 

[Cadence]

I'll give you another example then, to try and explain my statements. Would you consider "The Fifth Element" to be space opera? It tends to fit the definitions used by many, if not most people. Think about the story. The "Chosen One" is here to save the universe. Spoiler: The universe is ultimately saved by love. The presentation is excellent. Probably one of my 5 favourite movies of all time. The story, however, is as old as time. I think that qualifies as "trite and formulaic" but, as I stated previously, that doesn't mean "bad."

Does it get bonus points for literally having it too?