Conventions & Obligatory Scenes in Space Opera

[Carolyn]

So I'm finally reading Shawn Coyne's 'Story Grid' book, and one of the things he discusses is obligatory scenes and conventions within a genre. If you don't have them, the reader will toss your book and claim it didn't work for them.
Well, I don't know about tossing the book, but I do know that as an avid reader, I do expect certain things from the books I read. As far as Space Opera is concerned, I would expect to see some space travelling, and a long form story arc. I'm not sure about obligatory scenes though.

What would all of you expect to see in a space opera story?

[Michael]

I agree on the space travel thing. I think maybe a big space battle of some kind, too, or at least a climactic scene in space.

[Jonathan]

More than one planet, at least a few scenes on a spaceship, and a huge cast of characters.

[Royce]

This is a great topic, and very timely I might add. I don't know about most, but I detest the term 'Space Opera' and wish it would go away...

I've always expected a degree of realism in Space Literature. (see how I avoided that term) Even if we have FTL travel and aliens from all over the galaxy, at least try to make the mechanics of space travel plausible. In a previous comment, Jonathan mentioned a "huge cast of characters," and while the huge cast of characters is often necessary, for the story to really mean something to the reader we need to have that core group of characters that we as readers REALLY get to know. That group has to be relatable, real, and mean something to the reader. (I saw this lack of character relatable in Pandora's Star and it highlighted that need for me)

Another question that I would like to throw out that's related to this question is "What would you expect to see in a "Hard Sci Fi Space Literature (Opera)?"

[C. John]

If you know the history of the term Space Opera is a perfectly good term. Space Literature reminds me too much of the Sci-Fi vs Spec Fic wars of the seventies.
Anyway as to obligatory elements of Space Opera. Definitely space travel. That is why the category came into existence in the first place, to explore the far reaches of the universe and not be confined to our galaxy. Alien races are a necessity, though if it is a series then the same ones can appear in different books without the necessity of creating new ones all the time. A villain of some sort is usually a good thing, whether it be an alien race, an organization or an individual.

[Royce]

Good point, John. While I am familiar with the history of the term, I was not familiar with the Sci-Fi vs Spec Fic wars of the seventies. I think my adversity to the term stems from the correlation between "Space Opera" and "Soap Opera."

Are alien races a necessity, even in a 'hard' sci-fi space opera, taking place almost entirely within our own solar system? If, say the first book in a series starts off without aliens and takes place within our solar system, should it incorporate alien races in the successive books?

[[deleted user]]

Royce wrote: "Are alien races a necessity, even in a 'hard' sci-fi space opera, taking place almost entirely within our own solar system? If, say the first book in a series starts off without aliens and takes place within our solar system, should it incorporate alien races in the successive books?..."

I don't believe that aliens are necessary to Space Opera, although opposing space faring ships and a battle certainly are. I write books and stories that I consider to be space opera, but I haven't used any sentient aliens (yet). An author has to be very careful with aliens, and I've found very few that didn't destroy the believability of a story (for me).

Royce wrote: "This is a great topic, and very timely I might add. I don't know about most, but I detest the term 'Space Opera' and wish it would go away...

I've always expected a degree of realism in Space Lite..."

I agree that the term sounds derogatory, just as the term "Soap Opera" was a derogatory term for those old daytime TV series. I think it's accepted now, and I'm not bothered by it. The term Sci-Fi was once considered derogatory by certain SF authors, but it's in common use now without controversy.

[Royce]

Thanks, Ken! I agree with you on the alien issue. If it's not done carefully, the aliens can definitely damage or destroy the believability.

The term, space opera, does seem to be pretty widely accepted now. My problem with it is probably related to my association of the term "soap opera" dating back to my childhood memories of the weak plots and unbelievable story arcs of shows like "General Hospital" that I watched with my mother.

[C. John]

Ah but the term Space Opera actually derives from the musical term Grand Opera. I would have to check to be sure but I am not even sure that the soaps had appeared on radio when the earliest examples of Space Opera were written. The problem with sentient alens is they have to be similiar to us but also different, and do that without going into the ridiculous.

[[deleted user]]

One of the best examples I've found of believable aliens is not a Space Opera. It's Carl Sagan's Contact. You never see the aliens, but you see some of their works, and you know they're out there, and believably so. The book, as opposed to the movie, also includes elements that indicate a second, higher level of aliens beyond those we contact, and the evidence is so subtle that it rings true.

[[deleted user]]

I'm wondering if H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds would be Space Opera. If so, it easily preceded radio (published 1898). It had space travel and aliens, along with battles of a sort. Another element was "invasion," a feature of many Space Operas. I'm sure there has been a debate on this, but off-hand I'm not aware of one.

[C. John]

Well I checked and Skylark of Space, which is often cited as the first Space Opera, was published in Amazing in 1928 so it was quite possibly written in 1927. The first soap opera to be broadcast nationally was in 1930 (there was an earlier one but it was only broadcast in the Chicago area). War of the Worlds wouldn't be considered space opera as it was basically confined to earth. Space opera uses the entire universe as its palette.

[[deleted user]]

This is a history of the term I found in Wikipedia: "The term "space opera" was coined in 1941 by fan writer (and later author) Wilson Tucker, in a fanzine article,[2] as a pejorative term. At the time, serial radio dramas in the US had become popularly known as soap operas because many were sponsored by soap manufacturers. Tucker defined space opera as the science fiction equivalent: a "hacky, grinding, stinking, outworn, spaceship yarn".[3] Even earlier, the term horse opera had come into use as a term for Western films. In fact, some fans and critics have noted that the plots of space operas have sometimes been taken from horse operas and simply translated into an outer space environment, as famously parodied on the back cover of the first issue of Galaxy Science Fiction."

This is the modern acceptance and definition of the term: "[David G.] Hartwell and [Kathryn] Cramer define space opera as "colorful, dramatic, large-scale science fiction adventure, competently and sometimes beautifully written, usually focused on a sympathetic, heroic central character and plot action, and usually set in the relatively distant future, and in space or on other worlds, characteristically optimistic in tone. It often deals with war, piracy, military virtues, and very large-scale action, large stakes."

It doesn't require that the universe be involved; an interplanetary battle would qualify.

[Sarah]

I expect some sense of a technology that is beyond our current state, even if it isn't well defined in the story, as well as a more social equality at least amongst humans. Maybe it's my own thought pattern but I just feel that if we're bright enough to finally get past our own moon that we would have more advanced technology than what is currently available and that we'd be beyond petty gender, racial, cultural differences to a large degree, especially if aliens are present in the story (I figure nothing would bring humanity closer together than finding out we aren't alone in this universe).

[[deleted user]]

Sarah wrote: "I just feel that if we're bright enough to finally get past our own moon that we would have more advanced technology than what is currently available and that we'd be beyond petty gender, racial, cultural differences to a large degree, especially if aliens are present in the story..."

I would like to think so, too, but it seems that advances in technology don't always bring enlightenment. It's very possible that the things that provide drama today will also be at least a component of drama in the future. Human nature is volatile and unpredictable. When I was a kid back in the '50s, reading Science Fiction, I was sure that the world of 2000 and beyond would be a bright, highly advanced place where intelligence was more the rule than the exception, and everyone was unified toward the goal of advancing science and technology. But when the new century arrived, I hardly recognized the place.

[Trike]

I like the term Space Opera. It tells you what you're in for.

As for "Conventions and Obligatory Scenes", I think the only real requirements are 1) ship-to-ship action in outer space and 2) an epic story.

You can tell an epic story while focusing on just a few characters (Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars), so you don't need numerous named cast members but you certainly need a great mob of people doing stuff in the background.

The quintessential small cast Space Opera is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I think that's about as small as you can go before you've dropped out of Space Opera into something else... the something else not having a specific name. In Star Trek TOS there was an excellent episode called "Balance of Terror" that was about the Enterprise encountering a Romulan warship for the first time. It has all the hallmarks of Space Opera, but it is so confined in scope that I have a hard time classifying it as such. It plays out exactly like a WWII submarine versus submarine movie, except in space.

I think Wrath of Khan becomes a space opera because it has just enough outside characters in addition to the main protagonists (and antagonists) plus it travels to numerous locations and the resolution involves foiling a plot that has epic implications.

I definitely classify the first Expanse novel, Leviathan Wakes, as a Space Opera, even though it only involves humans and is confined to our solar system. R. M. Meluch's "Tour of the Merrimack" series also only has humans, but it's definitely Space Opera.

[Watts]

"Space Opera" has always seemed to have a pretty loose definition. Years ago I had a conception of it as being--well--more like "soap opera," with a grand scope and, of course, a lot of action set in space, but a melodramatic story, and little explanation given for the fantastic elements. Buck Rogers, and arguably Star Wars.

But, I've come to think of it more the way Trike's comment descries it. It doesn't require aliens, and it doesn't require melodrama, really. I think I'd stick with "a grand scope" and "a lot of action set in space" as the defining characteristics.

[Jonathan]

Royce wrote: "This is a great topic, and very timely I might add. I don't know about most, but I detest the term 'Space Opera' and wish it would go away...

I've always expected a degree of realism in Space Lite..."

I'll agree to that. If a story doesn't have that small cast of core characters that are made interesting, it doesn't matter how many characters are in story. It's just not going to be good.

[R.]

Whatever definition of space opera you choose I can probably find a story that doesn't fit it. In a genre that is characterised by extreme imagination almost anything can, and frequently does, happen.

To my mind the joy of space opera is that while technology may have advanced beyond our weirdest dreams, and disease, famine and war may have been ended, the battle of the sexes rages unchecked and the ability of humans to do really stupid things is undiminished. It is possible to take all human failings and, by putting them in a new context, show them afresh to the reader.

[Beth]

In the military sci fi type of space opera, some conventions include those already mentioned (such as grand scope, advanced technology including space travel, and space battles), as well as: demonstration of competence, noble self-sacrifice, plucky underdog crew in an aging ship, and personal heroics.

[Lizzie]

For space opera, a core group of characters, a variety of stages (which would be space stations, spaceships, planets, interstellar space), differing cultures which may be human or alien, heroic acts (which doesn't mean perfection as heroes are usually flawed). I don't think it requires military battles. I like Honor Harrington, but I don't like reading detailed descriptions of fleet and ship actions.

[Trike]

Lizzie wrote: "I don't think it requires military battles. I like Honor Harrington, but I don't like reading detailed descriptions of fleet and ship actions."

I wonder how many space operas exist which aren't also military themed?

If we accept some very basic requirements of the genre as absolutely necessary, namely Space Travel and Epic Scope, it's hard to find many that qualify without massive battles. It's rather the same issue we have trying to find an Epic Fantasy that doesn't involve a war.

I think that the movie Serenity probably qualifies, although it does have a battle at the end. Brin's Startide Rising is another possible contender. (Although it does have a space battle.) I'm iffy on whether The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet qualifies. I think not, mostly because it comes up short on the "epic" aspect.

A lot of people claim books like Dune and Foundation are space opera, but they are very decidedly *not*. If anything, they belong in Planetary Romance. Epic, yes. Space? Not much at all.

I can't speak to Ian Banks' Culture books because I've only read a few and decades ago at that, so I don't recall very many details, but I have the distinct impression they do involve space battles.

As for Niven's Known Space, which is immensely epic when taken as a whole, the only book which I would put in the box of "non-military Space Opera" is Protector. It certainly mostly takes place in space, visits multiple locations, and has truly epic implications... but it has so few characters it's almost too focused, much like Star Trek episode "Balance of Terror" that I mentioned in an earlier post.

Now that I think about it more, I'd probably use Protector as the absolute lowest limit for something being Space Opera. Plot and character spoilers in the wiki summary: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prote... If the epic implications and galaxy-spanning adventure that Brennan and Roy go on counts, then yeah, this story meets the bare minimum requirements of Space Opera.

[Tobias]

Well, space battles don't need to be military in nature, do they? House of Suns springs to mind.

[R.]

Beth wrote: "In the military sci fi type of space opera, some conventions include those already mentioned (such as grand scope, advanced technology including space travel, and space battles), as well as: demons..."

Naturally I beg to differ. A recurring theme in my SF it the gigantic space battle that never happens because of the self-sacrifice and unconventional brilliance of a couple of characters, and often only one. In fact the thesis of the Jane novels turns on the fact that Space Fleet hasn't fought a major battle in living memory, and is becoming old and inflexible.

[Mary]

I don't think a battle is necessary, but some kind of action/adventure is. First contact, perhaps, or exploration, or a daring rescue. Including when the castaways have to rescue themselves.

[Lizzie]

I did use the term military battles and as some others pointed out - there can be battles without it being military battles. Pirates vs. commercial shippers. Slavers preying on the space lanes. There can be wars. I just don't want to read detailed descriptions of ship and troop movements.

I want characters, cultures, and action on a larger scale than our solar system.

I don't want huge romances being a central theme although they can be peripheral to the story as part of the character development. I do want heroes/heroines.

When I think of an ideal space opera, Babylon 5 comes to mind. There was a war, but we didn't have to sit through hour long episodes with the only thing happening was which ships moved where and who was on them. Delann and the Captain did fall in love, but it was about the cultural differences and overcoming it and not just a love story. The space station was central, but we saw other planets too. Yes, on B5 the aliens were interesting, but the humans themselves, the underground, Bester and psy corp, and the politics between Earth and Mars were just as interesting and contributory toward it being a huge ongoing space opera.

[Prof.]

Carolyn wrote: "So I'm finally reading Shawn Coyne's 'Story Grid' book, and one of the things he discusses is obligatory scenes and conventions within a genre. If you don't have them, the reader will toss your boo..."

For me it has to have an epic story i think of Beth Rivers Across the Universe series when I hear Space Opera.
my list of must haves is:
1] Epic Story Ark
2] Set in Space, not the entire universe but at least 2 different star systems
3] Massive prolonged battles
4] Invasions and plausible reasons why the battle is raging
5] Technology is not a sticking point for me but I do draw the line at some kind of hybrid steam punk space opera hybrid blend.

I hope this helps

[Brian]

I believe that space opera needs a certain amount of conflict between characters, as well as on a larger scale. That's why the characters have to be fleshed out. Each must have his or her own motivation and goal within the larger story arc, and when goals are at odds, you have drama that propels the story along. It's the writer's job to balance between the scales of conflict so that the story doesn't focus too much on one or the other.

[Steph]

Prof. wrote: "5] Technology is not a sticking point for me but I do draw the line at some kind of hybrid steam punk space opera hybrid blend."

That's a shame, as otherwise I heartily recommend the Space Captain Smith series...!