What is and isn't Space Opera?

[Yora]

I think where the grand scope of Space Opera really manifests the most is a sense that a single person can never really learn about all the inhabited planets that are theoretically accessible to them. As a space traveler, you could keep going forever and there's always more worlds "beyond the horizon". Of course, a galaxy does have edges, but if you reach one you can just turn the ship around and head into a new direction. You're always only going to see slices of your galaxy, but it's too big visit it all.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

7? Would that make you a below average Joe?

Nah, I'm a very tall average joe dwarf.

 

[Umbran]

No, Firefly has no aliens and is clearly space opera.

Space Opera tends to happen in the context of war, or at least a conflict with broad impact, which Firefly doesn't. If the Firefly crew fails... they don't get paid. It isn't until the movie that they muck in on larger issues - the film might be Space Opera, while the series (as much of it as we got) isn't.

Firefly probably ought to be called a Space Western, or maybe Horse Opera in Space.

The characters are bigger, vs average joes.

And by "bigger" it is mostly in terms of the melodrama. They don't need to be particularly powerful, or skilled.

Security Chief Garibaldi, from Babylon 5, is a very basic kind of guy - former infantry, security officer, alcoholic. He's good at his job, but he's no genius, no superhero, or anything. But he's got personality in abundance, and is wrapped up i things above his pay grade.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Space Opera tends to happen in the context of war

That's a new one on me. Military sci fi is its own sub-genre.

Firefly probably ought to be called a Space Western

"Space Western" could cover everything from Star Trek TOS to the Mandalorian, but I don't think its generally considered a formal genre, and all those go in the Space Opera bucket, which is really a catch-all for any science fiction that isn't clearly something else.

 

[MarkB]

Do you consider Stargate to be Space Opera?

A lot of it, certainly. Once they start getting spaceships of their own and having big space battles, a fair number of episodes fall well within the genre, and even early on they've got a lot of the trappings.

 

[Yora]

Space Operas being about wars with galactic stakes is a commonly stated trait.

But that would mean that Star Trek isn't space opera, with only a few episodes being exceptions. And surely that can't be right.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Space Operas being about wars with galactic stakes is a commonly stated trait.

But that would mean that Star Trek isn't space opera, with only a few episodes being exceptions. And surely that can't be right.

Large scale epic conflict is a common trait in space opera, but it's not a requirement.

 

[dragoner]

But that would mean that Star Trek isn't space opera, with only a few episodes being exceptions.

Indeed it is often not included, story-wise. Though one has to delineate what the discussion is about, RPG's can differ from film, television, or novels.

 

[payn]

Space Operas being about wars with galactic stakes is a commonly stated trait.

But that would mean that Star Trek isn't space opera, with only a few episodes being exceptions. And surely that can't be right.

Depends on the Trek. Many of the movies are pretty clearly space opera in a dramatic sense. I dont think the galactic war is a necessary element but a common one.

 

[dragoner]

Another way one could look at it is big picture vs slice of life.