Space Opera Renaissance

[Illeos]

I'm looking forward to seeing Rogue One in theaters, I already saw Guardians of the Galaxy and The Force Awakens, and I already know about the Stargate reboot and Star Trek: Discovery next year.

How many of you are convinced that we're entering a Space Opera Renaissance?

I may have just pointed out Movies and Show, Novels and Comics have been around for a while, but I guess I'm including Video Games like Mass Effect and Master of Orion too.

 

[krisbslick]

I was thinking along similar lines, myself. There definitely seems like there's a space trend in the mainstream public, at least here in the states. We saw the Martian, Avatar, and Interstellar do VERY well in the movies, in addition to the ones you said above. In television, you have the Expanse, a rebooted Cosmos, and the new Mars National Geographic miniseries. Don't forget about Destiny and Halo - both huge games.

Also in other areas of society:
In music, you currently have "Starboy" by the Weeknd at #1 in the charts. Elon Musk making big headlines with his vision for Mars and SpaceX. NASA is gearing up their SLS for a 2018 launch date.

And these are just a few examples - Definitely a cool time for science fiction fans, I think.

Then again, I might just be more cognizant of anything space related.

 

[psikeyhackr]

I am rather "Old School" on the use of the term "Space Opera". The Original Star Trek was not space opera though the last 3 movies probably qualify.

To a lot of people today, if it is in space then it is "Space Opera".

psik

 

[Hereford Eye]

To continue the thought:
Space Opera An increasingly popular genre of Science Fiction. The term is largely self explanatory in that a space opera is a drama that is simply put in the context of science fiction. Although it can be "hard" science fiction, space operas typically focus on the characters to a point where the actual setting (space obviously, but more specifically, a technological future) is largely unimportant.
Urban Dictionary.com
Space Opera refers to works set in a spacefaring civilization, usually, though not always, set in the future, specifically the far future. Technology is ubiquitous and secondary to the story. Space opera has an epic character to it: the universe is big, there are usually many sprawling civilizations and empires, there are political conflicts and intrigue. The action will range part of a solar system, at least, and possibly a whole galaxy or more than one. It frequently takes place in a Standard Sci Fi Setting. It has a romantic element which distinguishes it from most Hard Science Fiction: big love stories, epic space battles, oversized heroes and villains, awe-inspiring scenery, and insanely gorgeous men and women.
TVtropes.org
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, melodramatic adventure, interplanetary battles, as well as chivalric romance, and often risk-taking. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it usually involves conflict between opponents possessing advanced abilities, futuristic weapons, and other sophisticated technology. The term has no relation to music, but is instead a play on the terms "soap opera" and "horse opera", the latter of which was coined during the heyday of silent movies to indicate clichéd and formulaic Western movies. Space operas emerged in the 1930s and they continue to be produced in literature, film, comics, and video games.
wikipedia

According to wikipedia Asimov's Foundation Series is a space opera. By that thinking Heinlien"s Starship Trooper is a space opera but Stranger in a Strange Land is not. McCaffery's original Pern series would not be but the entire series would be. As a person of the elderly persuasion having been born the year the term space opera was coined, I'm inclined to side with those who find the term derogatory.

If a renaissance is occurring, it must be limited to media as I have had a steady book diet of the subgenre for more than half a century.

 

[Woofdog2]

Jack Vance had a piercingly clear understanding of what a space opera was.

A space opera is a story about an opera traveling in space.

More to the topic, I would argue Disney alone is a big part of this, in their decision to depart from the jar-jar style movies and try to pace/write more like the original star wars movie.

the star trek reboots are mentioned above. are they space opera? I think they verge on being parodies of the original series in some of the writing/humor, more like a saturday night live version. it is easier for me personally to take galaxy quest seriously as space opera despite it being an intentional star trek parody.

 

[JacenAster]

Addressing the original question, rather than debating the nature of Space Operas.... I personally think it's less a renaissance, and more a new generation of both audiences and filmmakers replacing the old. With a new generation that didn't see things like Star Trek or Star Wars in theater, there is a refreshed market for the films. The same goes for games and books, as there was something of a slump period of burnout for the old generation. There are other contributing factors, of course, like a mild returning interest in space due to other countries starting their own space-race, and new tech making sci-fi films in particular easier to shoot. The effective result for us, in the moment, is a resurgence of sci-fi films. Whether or not that lasts, becoming a new "Renaissance" for the genre, is much hard to guess. Given that all industries are driven by success however, and Star Trek and Star Wars are pulling huge amounts of cash, we'll likely have at least a small boon of copycats.