History Literature / SpaceAcademyDropouts

[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/space_academy_thumbnail.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:230:Boldly going because they're completely lost.]]

* RightWingMilitiaFanatics: The ''IMS General Bedford Forest'' is full of a bunch of white supremacist Neo-Confederates pretending its still the 19th century and armed to the teeth.

* RagtagBandOfMisfits: The entirety of the E.S.S Black Nebula crew. Literally everyone onboard. Vance is stunned to find out he’s TheParagon by comparison.

The newly renamed Vance Turbo has sabotaged his own career at Space Fleet Academy due to a desire to atone for training accident. Unfortunately, his actions result in him getting press-ganged into an expendable crew of misfits recruited by a legendary starship captain. Their mission? To recover a collection of lost sun-destroying missiles that could restart a galactic war. Unfortunately, Vance is smart enough to know something is wrong with this picture. After all, no sane person would recruit this crew to save the universe.

''Space Academy Dropouts'' is a AffectionateParody SpaceOpera by Creator/CTPhipps.

The setting is a {{Expy}} of ''Franchise/StarTrek'''s Federation called “The Community” with the exception that humanity is a minor player in the galaxy and struggling to maintain a sense of relevance when it is a NaiveNewcomer species.

The series contains the following volumes:

* ''Space Academy Dropouts'' (2022)
* ''Space Academy Rejects'' (2022)
* ''Space Academy Washouts'' (2022)

The book takes place in the distant future of the ''Literature/AgentG'' series and ''Literature/TheCyberDragonsTrilogy'' series as well as the past of the ''Literature/LucifersStar'' series.

* AbusivePrecursors: The Elder Races treat the Young Races as disposable and elevate or destroy them at will. Their technological advantage is such that the Young Races have absolutely no recourse when they choose to do this.
* AbsoluteXenophobe: The Notha consider all other races in the galaxy to be sapient animals at best and engage in slavery as well as genocide. This is speculated to be due to the fact they evolved as tiny omnivores on a DeathWorld and are massively overcompensating.
* TheAce: Vance Turbo despite his many flaws is intelligent, clever, charismatic, and skilled at virtually everything he does. What he is not is very good at coping with the stresses of command or losses among his crew. It verges on him becoming a BrokenAce.

* ANaziByAnyOtherName: The Notha are a race of fascists and an authoritarian totalitarian military dictatorship. They don’t consider other species sentient but talking animals. The Community races hold them in contempt in return with Vance struggling to treat them with the respect he doesn’t get from them.
* TheAtoner: Strangely, Vance turns out to be this. The reason he is acting out and got himself removed from Space Academy was he blames himself for a training accident that got a friend of his killed.
* BadassAdorable: The Notha are adorable honey badger-lemur-esque humanoids. It makes the fact they’re a bunch of space fascists more bizarre.
* BenevolentAI:
** Earth incorporates these into almost all of their starships and they actually handle the majority of the economy, construction, and starship functions. Humorously, Vance realizes that crew aren’t actually all that necessary on most ships.
** Trish is certainly an example, being a SpaceshipGirl and Vance's biggest supporter.
** Wadsworth is an unconventional example [[spoiler: as he rebelled against his crew members because he didn't want to commit genocide.]]
* BrainComputerInterface: Vance has one of these that allows him to instantly communicate with Trish, the ship’s AI. They’re implied to be uncommon but not especially noteworthy among crew.
* BrokenPedestal: Captain Elgan loses a lot of Vance’s respect when [[spoiler: he discovers that they were all set up to die by him for the man to steal some Elder Race technology.]]
* CharacterDevelopment: Vance goes from a selfish man hoping to torpedo his own Space Fleet career to being a deeply committed soldier out to serve the Community’s best interests.
* ChickMagnet: Vance seems to attract a large variety of female attention with being Leah's former boyfriend, hooking up with ActionGirl Hannah, and also the ship's AI.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder:
** Vance is a rare heroic example as he’s constantly playing every faction against one another in order to try to protect his crew.
** The General is another example as he is a Notha prisoner and wants to see all of them destroyed. [[spoiler: It gets him unceremoniously killed as Vance is the only one who wants to see him treated as a prisoner of war with all the rights and protections this entails.]]

* ComplexityAddiction: Vance has a major case of this as he could have just withdrawn from the Academy normally but chooses to almost get kicked out so he can blackmail the Commandant into letting him drop out, all for what appears to be the ego boost of outsmarting everyone.
* CuteIsEvil: The Notha are four-foot-tall honey badger squirrel-esque aliens that have a more than passing resemblance to Ewoks. They're also TheEmpire and consider all other races to be nonsentient animals they can kill with impunity.
* DeconReconSwitch: The book seems to be treating an enlightened Federation and collection of races working together for mutual advantage would never work. Instead, it becomes clear that it mostly does but plenty of people are suspicious of it or want to destroy it for their own ends.
* DeliberateUnderperformance: Vance deliberately gets himself within inches of being expelled due to a variety of screw ups and petty criminal activity. He then blackmails the Commandant as an EstablishingCharacterMoment to allow him to resign instead.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The Sun Killers ([=SKAMMs=]) are a strategic weapon of mass destruction that the deployment of during wartime would result in mutually assured destruction. Vance and many other individuals consider them to be innately evil but the fear of the other side having complete control over them keeps them in reserve. The weapons are initially introduced as "the nukes of their time" before Vance amends that to that the SKAMM is the SKAMM of its time due to its sheer destructive power.
* DoomedByCanon: ''Space Academy'' is set roughly eight hundred years before the events of ''Literature/LucifersStar'' where humanity lives in a [[CrapsackWorld Crapsack Universe]]. At some point in a few hundred years, Earth will be destroyed and humanity will enter a hundred year Dark Age due to its jumpspace systems being destroyed. AI will also be outlawed and bioroids will be reduced to the status of slaves. Interestingly, Vance is made aware of this and feels unsure about whether it's possible to avert this future.

* EpicFail: How Vance’s parents died. They managed to crash their starship—which was automated.
* EvilMentor: [[spoiler: Captain Elgan proves to be a bad guy, as the entirety of the ultra-secret mission was to provide disposable cannon fodder that would be eliminated upon its completion. Despite this, much of his advice to Vance is legitimate, and helps Vance become the officer he was meant to be.]]
* {{Expy}}: The Community is one for the United Federation of Planets.
* FamedInStory: Captain Elgan and Kathy Tagawa are both galactically famous captains with legendary adventures. This is later revealed to be an InvokedTrope as [=EarthGov=] compensates for its newcomer status by making extensive amounts of propaganda about its officers.
* FantasticRacism: Most of the races in the galaxy get along fine. The major exception is the Notha and everyone else. Artificial people are also treated poorly by the crew and more like equipment, though Vance is an exception.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture:
** The Sorkanan Empire is very similar to the 19th century British Empire, despite being a bunch of bipedal LizardFolk. At least in terms of how their spacers are treated (which is to say not well). Rum, sodomy, and the lash! [[spoiler: Played with as we find out increasingly more that is proves this a very wrong assessment.]]
** The Notha are compared to the Nazis and generally disgust and repulse most races with their brutality. They’re actually more like TheEmpire with genocide apparently less common than slavery.
* FantasticNuke: [=SKAMMs=] (“Sun Killers”) serve as this both in-universe and as a DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything example. Notably, they’ve actually been used once already in-setting and left much of the galaxy traumatized.
* TheFederation: The Community is this in most ways, being an alliance of races working together for mutual advantage and under strict rule of law. Somewhat {{Deconstructed}} as they still have weapons of mass destruction and a large navy as well as spy network to enforce its will.
* GenreSavvy: Vance has a large familiarity with late 20th century science fiction that he usually equates much of his situation to. Trish the AI is usually the only one who has any idea what he’s actually talking about.
* HeroWithBadPublicity: This happens to Vance in ''Space Academy Washouts'' after he is part of the diplomatic team that finally negotiates peace with the Notha Empire. Considered a traitor to humanity for its generous terms, he loses much of his sponsorship and movie deals. [[spoiler: This turns out to have been arranged by Director G to protect Vance from Dark Matter.]]
* HollywoodCyborg: Vance is enhanced in several unnoticeable ways. These include having translation software in his brain, computerized memory, and machines in his body that protect him from the side effects of space travel. This is apparently quite normal in the future but not required.
* HumanAliens: Played with. Most aliens are StarfishAlien types, but genetic modification has happened to several human branches. Most notably are the Ethereals who get called SpaceElves by multiple characters due to their attitude and longevity.
* HumansNeedAliens: This is the backstory for the setting. Two hundred years ago, humanity was a {{Cyberpunk}} {{Dystopia}} on its last legs before being contacted by the The [[TheFederation Community]] who proceeded to fix the environment as well as force badly needed forms that made Earth into a {{Utopia}}. Earth remains a minor part of the Community but has also had a lot of its standard of living as well as technology raised to galactic standards.
* InsignificantBluePlanet: Earth is a minor power in the Community and not even the most advanced ''human'' planet due to TransplantedHumans. Earth has only been space-faring for two hundred years or so and much of its efforts are to try to build up its military and technological forces to galactic standard. It's sadly DoomedByCanon since the ''Literature/LucifersStar'' series says Earth is eventually destroyed centuries later with her colonies carrying on.
* LizardFolk: The Sorkanan race is the oldest and most powerful alien species in the Community. It is a humanoid race of these.
* TheMentor: Captain Elgan and Captain Kathy Tagawa seem to be this for Vance. [[spoiler: Captain Elgan turns out to be an EvilMentor]]. The latter is notable in that he’s actually Vance’s great-great-great aunt.
* MildlyMilitary: Space Fleet is said to be this compared to [=EarthGov=]’s Homefleet. All the various different cultures have different standards and expectations of its members, so they have a deliberately looser code. For example, Sorkanan women are expected to sleep with subordinates. Among other things, this allows inter-crew fraternization but not with subordinates.

* NaiveNewcomer: ''Earth'' is this to the rest of the galaxy, having only been aware of other races for two hundred years. Compare this to the Sorkanan who have been in space for the better part of ''ten thousand.''
* {{Nepotism}}: Vance believes he benefits from this due to being the adopted son/nephew of a famous Earth Captain. He’s exactly right but his ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections actually saves the crew’s life as well as keeps them out of prison.
* NebulousEvilOrganization: Dark Matter in ''Space Academy Washouts'' is compared to Cobra and SPECTRE. It is involved in virtually every war humanity has fought in since its arrival in space. Taking it down has been the goal of [[spoiler: Director G]] for decades. It has access to its own private space navy, megacorporation holdings, as well as Elder Race technology.
* OddlySmallOrganization: {{Justified}} in ''Space Academy Washouts'' with Dark Matter [[spoiler: that actually just consists of Alexandra Ares as well as her immediate subordinates. This is because she's an AI and the manipulation of everything from the stock market to politics can be done instantaneously.]]
* TheParagon: Vance turns out to be a very unconventional version of this.
* PunyEarthlings: Earth has only been part of the Galactic Community for two hundred years and is still playing catch-up in technology as well as military forces. Ironically, due to AncientAstronauts kidnapping humans and settling them, Earth isn't even the most advanced or powerful planet populated by humans.

* RightWingMilitiaFanatic: Humans who couldn’t adapt to the cosmopolitan tolerant nature of the Community found themselves making isolationist CultColony settlements in Contested Space. Vance has to deal with a number of SpacePirates Neo-Confederates for example.
* RobotGirl: Trish becomes one of these once she successfully acquires a Space Cadet Sally bioroid body (implied to be a sexbot). She immediately attempts to break it in with Vance, which causes him no end of consternation.
* {{Robosexual}}: Implied to be considered kinky, if not perverse. Vance eventually gets into it. Interestingly, one of the main characters is a AI who downloads herself into a human body to experience sex with humans.
* ServantRace: The Ethereals serve as this for the Elder Races. They are uplifted members of existing races designed to serve as the Elder Race’s mouthpieces.
* SignedUpForTheDental: Apparently a very common reason for humans to join Space Fleet as it is still a largely backwater planet.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Virtually every character in the book is a wiseass and constantly playing off one another.
* SpaceCadetAcademy: The titular Academy is where all the future officers of the Community are trained. It has many campuses and students from all over the Spiral (Orion’s Arm). The branch that Vance attended had multiple environmental domes and was made inside an asteroid.
* SpacePirates: These represent a danger in the Contested Space part of the setting and are primarily made of desperate colonists trying to get rich by attacking automated shipping.
* SpaceNavy: Space Fleet is the galaxy’s largest collection of peacekeepers, explorers, and scientists. It is made up of member ships from each race and there are crew members from multiple species serving on other species ships.
* SpaceshipGirl: Trish is the ship’s AI and a GenkiGirl that has control over all major functions. That doesn’t mean she can’t be hacked, though.
* StarfishAlien: Most aliens are quite bizarre with tentacles, ooze, insectoid features, and more. The closest to human beings are the humanoid Sorkanan LizardFolk and the lemur/honey badger-esque Notha.
* StarKilling: The purpose of the SKAMM missiles is to trigger supernovas in healthy yellow stars within a matter of hours.
* SufficientlyAdvancedAliens: The Elder Races are impossibly advanced aliens in the core of the galaxy.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Despite their epic levels of heroism, Vance and the crew’s reward [[spoiler: is a relatively minor field commission as well as a citation for bravery.]]
* {{Transhuman}}: Many offshoots of humanity have been created by people adjusting to alien environments or space travel with genetic engineering or cybernetic enhancements.
* TransplantedHumans: One of the major advantages humans have is the fact that it turns out many colonies of these exist that include whole worlds of populations taken from Medieval and other times. This allows humanity to deal with other branches of itself even if they are rarely inclined to consider Earth to be anything special in dealings.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: Captain Elgan is this, wanting to acquire Elder Race technology because he believes that it will possibly let the human race advance to the point of being able to protect itself. Its suicidal, though, because the Elder Races destroy any race that seizes their technology.]]
* WretchedHive: Rand's World is a ultra-libertarian world run by pirates, criminals, and unscrupulous corporations. It is mostly desert due to being poorly terraformed and lacks most of the basic social services that are taken for granted on Earth and other Community worlds.

The book takes place in the distant future of the ''Literature/AgentG'' series and ''Literature/DaughterOfTheCyberDragons'' series as well as the past of the ''Literature/LucifersStar'' series.

* NebulousCriminalOrganization: Dark Matter in ''Space Academy Washouts'' is compared to Cobra and SPECTRE. It is involved in virtually every war humanity has fought in since its arrival in space. Taking it down has been the goal of [[spoiler: Director G]] for decades. It has access to its own private space navy, megacorporation holdings, as well as Elder Race technology.

* ''Space Academy Dropouts''
* ''Space Academy Rejects''

* PunyEarthlings: Earth has only been part of the Galactic Community for two hundred years and is still playing catch-up in technology as well as military forces. Ironically, due to AncientAliens kidnapping humans and settling them, Earth isn't even the most advanced or powerful planet populated by humans.

* InsignificantBluePlanet: Earth is a minor power in the Community and not even the most advanced ''human'' planet due to TransplantedHumans. Earth has only been space-faring for two hundred years or so and much of its efforts are to try to build up its military and technological forces to galactic standard. Its sadly, DoomedByCanon since the ''Literature/LucifersStar'' series says Earth is eventually destroyed centuries later with her colonies carrying on.

** [[spoiler: Vance believes Lorkan is one of these and he’s right but that’s because all of Captain Elgan’s loyalists are. There’s also an assassin bioroid left on the ship.]]

* DoomedByCanon: ''Space Academy'' is set roughly eight hundred years before the events of ''Literature/LucifersStar'' where humanity lives in a [[CrapsackWorld Crapsack Universe]]. At some point in a few hundred years, Earth will be destroyed and humanity will enter a hundred year Dark Age due to its jumpspace systems being destroyed. AI will also be outlawed and bioroids will be reduced to the status of slaves. Interestingly, Vance is made aware of this and unsure if its possible to avert this future.

* EvilMentor: [[spoiler: Captain Elgan proves to be this as the entirety of the ultra-secret mission was to provide disposable cannon fodder that would be eliminated upon its completion. Despite this, much of his advice to Vance is legitimate and helps him become the officer he was meant to be.]]

* FantasticRacism: Largely averted as most of the races in the galaxy get along fine. The major exception being the Notha and everyone else. Artificial people are also treated poorly by the crew and more like equipment with Vance being an exception.