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[[quoteright:246:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stars_like_dust.jpg]]
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* VehicularSabotage: Gillbret sabotages the hyperatomic motors on the Tyranni ship which is taking him, Biron, Artemisia, Director Hinrik, and Simok Aratap to the last candidate planet for the rebellion world, with the intention of sacrificing all their lives in order to save the resistance movement's hidden base. [[spoiler:Biron must undo the sabotage -- at the cost of poor Gillbret's life, as it turns out -- because he knows they're on a wild goose chase ''and'' that Director Hinrik is the true leader of the resistance and mustn't be killed.]]
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* ForceFieldDoor: The prison cells aboard a Tyrannian warship don't have doors, but instead "a force field stretched from side to side, top to bottom". This field is described as having "a tiny resilience" when touched, causing a tingling to the hand, and being completely impenetrable by material objects (though the beams of energy weapons--such as the guard's neuronic whip--will pass right through the field).
* FutureImperfect: Several examples, including the reference to "the traditional Einstein" to whom "so many things are credited" (under Faster-Than-Light Travel) and the discussion of the alleged etymology of the Horsehead Nebula (under Namesake Gag).
* FutureImperfect: Several examples, including the reference to "the traditional Einstein" to whom "so many things are credited" (under Faster-Than-Light Travel) and the discussion of the alleged etymology of the Horsehead Nebula (under Namesake Gag).
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* ForceFieldDoor: The prison cells aboard a Tyrannian warship don't have doors, but instead "a force field stretched from side to side, top to bottom". This field is described as having "a tiny resilience" when touched, causing a tingling to the hand, and being completely impenetrable by material objects (though the beams of energy weapons--such weapons -- such as the guard's neuronic whip--will whip -- will pass right through the field).
* FutureImperfect: Severalexamples, examples come up of modern knowledge being lost to time, including the a reference to "the traditional Einstein" to whom "so many things are credited" (under Faster-Than-Light Travel) and the discussion of the alleged etymology of the Horsehead Nebula (under Namesake Gag).Nebula, where one character claims that it was named after "Horace Hedd", the first person to travel through it, while another recalls that Earthmen describe it as resembling a local animal called a "horse".
* FutureImperfect: Several
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-->'''Gillbret:''' I would suggest you leave a guard at Lady Artemisia's door...Pick a large one. Take that one. A fine uniform our guards have, Artemesia. You can recognize a guard as far as you can see him by his uniform alone.
* NamesakeGag: Biron and Gillbret discuss the etymology of the Horsehead Nebula (through which they are traveling at the time). Gillbret confidently asserts that the name actually comes from a man named Horace Hedd (who was the first person to explore the nebula); the name "Horsehead" Nebula is thus presumably an example of folk etymology. (Biron, who has recently visited Earth, does note that Earthmen explain the name as the nebula resumbling the head of a certain Eath animal, a "horse". As Biron points out, the name could only have arisen on a planet that looks at the Nebula from the correct angle, and that perhaps there never was any such person as "Horace Hedd".)
* NamesakeGag: Biron and Gillbret discuss the etymology of the Horsehead Nebula (through which they are traveling at the time). Gillbret confidently asserts that the name actually comes from a man named Horace Hedd (who was the first person to explore the nebula); the name "Horsehead" Nebula is thus presumably an example of folk etymology. (Biron, who has recently visited Earth, does note that Earthmen explain the name as the nebula resumbling the head of a certain Eath animal, a "horse". As Biron points out, the name could only have arisen on a planet that looks at the Nebula from the correct angle, and that perhaps there never was any such person as "Horace Hedd".)
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-->'''Gillbret:''' I would suggest you leave a guard at Lady Artemisia's door...Pick pick a large one. Take that one. A fine uniform our guards have, Artemesia. You can recognize a guard as far as you can see him by his uniform alone.
* NamesakeGag: Biron and Gillbret discuss the etymology of the Horsehead Nebula (through which they are traveling at the time). Gillbret confidently asserts that the name actually comes from a man named HoraceHedd (who Hedd, who was the first person to explore the nebula); nebula; the name "Horsehead" Nebula is thus presumably an example of folk etymology. (Biron, Biron, who has recently visited Earth, does note notes that Earthmen explain the name as the nebula resumbling the head of a certain Eath Earth animal, a "horse". As Biron points out, the name could only have arisen on a planet that looks at the Nebula from the correct angle, and that perhaps there never was any such person as "Horace Hedd".)
* NamesakeGag: Biron and Gillbret discuss the etymology of the Horsehead Nebula (through which they are traveling at the time). Gillbret confidently asserts that the name actually comes from a man named Horace
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* EntertaininglyWrong: Aratap, who is noted to have a need to find pattern and order in everything, spends most of the book under the assumption that Biron is an agent of the same anti-Tyrannian conspiracy as his father, and that everything he does is in accord with some prearranged plan. In fact, Biron doesn't even learn that any such conspiracy exists until about halfway through, and his actions are all dictated by circumstance and the machinations of others (mostly Jonti).
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* VideoPhone: The novel opens with Biron Farrill receiving a visiphone call. (The phone doesn't work, as the elaborate plot which Farrill is the victim of evidently included sabotaging the visiphone in his college dorm room--Farrill can both hear and see the caller, but the person on the other end of the line can neither see nor hear Farrill.)
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* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Earth's radioactivity is expressly stated here to be the result of nuclear war (which was seen as more or less inevitable at the time it was written), with the narration at one point stating that its patterns mark out the points where the bombs landed. Later books set in the same universe would establish that said war never actually happened, and that it was caused by Spacer saboteurs accelerating the natural radioactivity in the soil.
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* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Like many of the future societies depicted in Asimov's books, the Nebular Kingdoms are inspired by one from Earth's history, specifically the [[UsefulNotes/KievanRus Rus' principalities]] under the Mongol rule of the 13th-15th centuries.
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* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Like many of the future societies depicted in Asimov's books, the Nebular Kingdoms are inspired by one from Earth's history, specifically the [[UsefulNotes/KievanRus Rus' principalities]] under the Mongol rule of the 13th-15th centuries. The Directorship of Rhodia in particular, with its head of state elected from within the ruling family, is strongly reminiscent of the Novgorod Republic.
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* ElectiveMonarchy: In spite of the rather un-royal title, the Director of Rhodia and his family are consistently referred to as "royal". The Directors of Rhodia are however elected--from within the ruling family, the Hinriads--rather than succeeding by any straightforward means of hereditary succession (such as primogeniture). In earlier times, this was used to ensure that the Directorship would pass down to the ablest members of the ruling dynasty; [[AdoptedIntoRoyalty adoptions into the royal family]] had also once been common to further ensure effective rulers. After their conquest of the Nebular Kingdoms the Tyranni are able to influence the elections to ensure that the most pliable and easily controlled of the Hinriads will become Director.
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* HitAndRunTactics: This is how the Tyranni conquered the Nebular Kingdoms two generations before the action of the book: Squadrons of "small, flitting ships that had struck and vanished, then struck again" were able to defeat the "lumbering titanic ships" of their enemies, which "found themselves flailing at emptiness and wasting their stores of energy" before the Tyranni ships reduced them to scrap. Even fifty years after the conquest, Tyrannian cruisers are still notably small and fast.
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* RestAndResupplyStop: Although Lingane is a "planet state" it does also control a number of strategically located small planetoids (incapable of supporting any independent populations themselves) on which the Linganians have built servicing stations which provide anything passing ships might need "from hyperatomic replacements to new book reels".
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* MuggedForDisguise: With Biron a fugitive from an arrest order, he, Artemisia, and Gillbret are seeking to flee the Palace on Rhodia. Biron jumps a guard and takes his uniform so he can pose as a common soldier escorting the two members of the royal family. The issue of finding an enemy mook whose uniform fits is addressed: Gillbret carefully maneuvers the captain of the guard into leaving a suitably large soldier "on guard" outside Artemisia's room (where he can be easily lured in for Biron to attack). Gillbret later also mentions the "advantage of a uniform", that anyone will see only "a soldier and nothing else". The hapless guard is naturally left BoundAndGagged.
-->'''Gillbret:''' I would suggest you leave a guard at Lady Artemisia's door...Pick a large one. Take that one. A fine uniform our guards have, Artemesia. You can recognize a guard as far as you can see him by his uniform alone.
-->'''Gillbret:''' I would suggest you leave a guard at Lady Artemisia's door...Pick a large one. Take that one. A fine uniform our guards have, Artemesia. You can recognize a guard as far as you can see him by his uniform alone.
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* YouGotSpunk: Artemisia is angrily telling her father Hinrik of her absolute determination to never go through with a political marriage to a Tyrannian nobleman (who is much older than her, and also shorter, and has bad breath). She tells her horrified father that when she met the man she pushed him away and knocked him to the ground, but the would-be groom merely replied "Ha! A spirited wench! I like her all the better for that!" Artemisia explicitly notes this is "straight out of a video" and it only solidifies her determination to never marry the guy.
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* HegemonicEmpire: The Tyranni are outnumbered "hundreds to one" by the subject populations of their empire, and must therefore resort to "devious methods" (such as assassination) to maintain their rule. Their conquest of that empire evidently involved a good bit of taking advantage of the disunity of the Nebular Kingdoms--"the opposed Kingdoms toppled one after another, singly; each waiting (half joyfully at the discomfiture of its neighbors)". But they also rule with a relatively light touch, leaving previous rulers in place to serve as vassals, and mainly concern themselves with collecting tribute--"taxes"--from the subject worlds.
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* KingIncognito: Or rather, Autarch incognito. It turns out that [[spoiler:Sander Jonti]] is actually the Autarch of Lingane (ruler of the "planet state" of Lingane, an "Associated State" of the Tyranni).
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* FutureImperfect: Biron and Gillbret discuss the etymology of the Horsehead Nebula (through which they are traveling at the time). Gillbret confidently asserts that the name actually comes from a man named Horace Hedd (who was the first person to explore the nebula); the name "Horsehead" Nebula is thus presumably an example of folk etymology. (Biron, who has recently visited Earth, does note that Earthmen explain the name as the nebula resumbling the head of a certain Eath animal, a "horse". As Biron points out, the name could ''only'' have arisen on a planet that looks at the Nebula from the correct angle, and that perhaps there never was any such person as "Horace Hedd".)
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* FutureImperfect: Biron Several examples, including the reference to "the traditional Einstein" to whom "so many things are credited" (under Faster-Than-Light Travel) and Gillbret discuss the discussion of the alleged etymology of the Horsehead Nebula (through which they are traveling at the time). Gillbret confidently asserts that the name actually comes from a man named Horace Hedd (who was the first person to explore the nebula); the name "Horsehead" Nebula is thus presumably an example of folk etymology. (Biron, who has recently visited Earth, does note that Earthmen explain the name as the nebula resumbling the head of a certain Eath animal, a "horse". As Biron points out, the name could ''only'' have arisen on a planet that looks at the Nebula from the correct angle, and that perhaps there never was any such person as "Horace Hedd".)(under Namesake Gag).
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* NamesakeGag: Biron and Gillbret discuss the etymology of the Horsehead Nebula (through which they are traveling at the time). Gillbret confidently asserts that the name actually comes from a man named Horace Hedd (who was the first person to explore the nebula); the name "Horsehead" Nebula is thus presumably an example of folk etymology. (Biron, who has recently visited Earth, does note that Earthmen explain the name as the nebula resumbling the head of a certain Eath animal, a "horse". As Biron points out, the name could only have arisen on a planet that looks at the Nebula from the correct angle, and that perhaps there never was any such person as "Horace Hedd".)
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* UnderCoverWhenAlone: At one point, Gillbret says that he has to pretend to be loyal to the Tyranni, even when alone, so that he never slips up. Biron later observes that Gillbret isn't really very good at this sort of role-playing; he's too quick to reveal his true self to newly-made acquaintances. The book's ''real'' master of the trope is [[spoiler:Director Hinrik, the true leader of the rebellion. At certain points we see Hinrik's thoughts, but Asimov is careful to portray these in a way that leaves it ambiguous as to whether--as it initially seems--they are the fearful thoughts of a cowed vassal of the Tyranni...or the fear of a rebel leader who knows he is being watched at every turn, and that he must be prepared to sacrifice his own family for the cause if he has to.]]
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* UnderCoverWhenAlone: UndercoverWhenAlone: At one point, Gillbret says that he has to pretend to be loyal to the Tyranni, even when alone, so that he never slips up. Biron later observes that Gillbret isn't really very good at this sort of role-playing; he's too quick to reveal his true self to newly-made acquaintances. The book's ''real'' master of the trope is [[spoiler:Director Hinrik, the true leader of the rebellion. At certain points we see Hinrik's thoughts, but Asimov is careful to portray these in a way that leaves it ambiguous as to whether--as it initially seems--they are the fearful thoughts of a cowed vassal of the Tyranni...or the fear of a rebel leader who knows he is being watched at every turn, and that he must be prepared to sacrifice his own family for the cause if he has to.]]
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* UnderCoverWhenAlone: At one point, Gillbret says that he has to pretend to be loyal to the Tyranni, even when alone, so that he never slips up. Biron later observes that Gillbret isn't really very good at this sort of role-playing; he's too quick to reveal his true self to newly-made acquaintances. The book's ''real'' master of the trope is [[spoiler:Director Hinrik, the true leader of the rebellion. At certain points we see Hinrik's thoughts, but Asimov is careful to portray these in a way that leaves it ambiguous as to whether--as it initially seems--they are the fearful thoughts of a cowed vassal of the Tyranni...or the fear of a rebel leader who knows he is being watched at every turn, and that he must be prepared to sacrifice his own family for the cause if he has to.]]
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* FasterThanLightTravel: The book acknowledges that "in the fabric of space-time, it is impossible to travel faster than the speed a light" (a fact discovered by "one of the ancients, the traditional Einstein, perhaps, except that so many things are credited to him"). Interstellar travel is therefore accomplished using "the Jump" through [[SubspaceOrHyperspace hyperspace]], allowing many light-years to be traversed in zero time. Ships require multiple Jumps to reach their destinations (although Tyrannian ships can automatically make multiple pre-progammed Jumps, something the ships of other planets in the setting are unable to do).
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* InertialDampening: Rather than any fancy "force-fields" spaceships (at least when taking off from a planetary surface) counteract the effects of the "sickening pressures of the take-off" by having all passengers don "acceleration suits"--"cold, tight, uncomfortable"--which cradle the passengers in a hydraulic system to protect them from the forces of acceleration.
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* BulletproofFashionPlate: After forty-eight hours on a rather cramped spaceship [[LampshadeHanging Biron wonders to himself how Artemisia's white blouse is still smooth and unwrinkled]]. Her hair ''is'' a little bedraggled, though.
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* InsignificantLittleBluePlanet: Although scholars at least do still know that Earth is the planet of origin of the human race, Artemisia has never heard of it, and Biron merely tells her it is "a small planet of [[SpaceSector the Sirian Sector]]".
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* InsignificantLittleBluePlanet: Although scholars at least do still know that Earth is the planet of origin of the human race, Artemisia has never heard of it, and Biron merely tells her it is "a small planet of [[SpaceSector the Sirian Sector]]".Sector".
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* SpaceSector: The Nebular Kingdoms are also referred to as the Nebular Sector, while Earth is described as being in the Sirian Sector.
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* AgriWorld: Gillbret laments that the worlds of the "Nebular Kingdoms" are doomed to become these. Normally, newly-colonized worlds progress naturally from farming simply to feed themselves, to farming (and mining) for export to more advanced planets in exchange for industrial products, to developing budding industrial civilizations of their own, to eventually becoming advanced industrialized planets that import food and raw materials from less developed planets while investing in their farming and mining economies (thus aiding in the future development of those planets). But the Tyranni, as conquerors, have stymied this natural progression for their own reasons, and even after the Tyranni inevitably become soft and lazy and are overthrown, "we will still all be agricultural worlds with no industrial or scientific heritage to speak of".
