History Main / WagonTrainToTheStars

* ''Franchise/Homeworld'' has a whole wagon caravan to the stars. Namely the Kushan fleet wich gets contineually expanded through the game, as the player fights their way through the galaxy to reclaim Hiigara, the epinomus homeworld of their people. There is also the Mothership, serving as the base of operations, and the only vessel which must stay alive through the game.

* ''VideoGame/Homeworld'' has a whole wagon caravan to the stars. Namely the Kushan fleet wich gets contineually expanded through the game, as the player fights their way through the galaxy to reclaim Hiigara, the epinomus homeworld of their people. There is also the Mothership, serving as the base of operations, and the only vessel which must stay alive through the game.

* ''UchuuSenkanYamato'', especially the "Quest For Iscandar"

* ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' aka ''{{Robotech}}'' features this in a way when Macross City is rescued after a "[[OurWormholesAreDifferent space fold]]" accident and housed in the titular ship; the successor TV shows, ''Anime/{{Macross 7}}'' and ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' take place on actual, literal stellar wagon trains (complete with collapsible roofs) intended to colonize planets.

The ship is often enough, as in WagonTrain, a [[SettlingTheFrontier colonization/settlement]] effort that [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption never quite gets to its destination]], at least until the finale. In this case, the ship is likely to be a [[GenerationShip massive, self-sustained, multigenerational community]] - essentially a mobile city in space, which allows making use of tropes typical to both TheQuest and TheSiege basic plots as the heroes both have a goal in mind and are concerned with protecting their way of life until it can be reached.

[[folder:Literature]]
* Book one in the Star Trek: New Earth series is called "Wagon Train to the Stars". The book is nothing less than LITERALLY that. A group of civilian settlers embark on a nine month journey at warp two to the Occult system to colonize the planet Belle Terre as a new colony. At the last second, Starfleet decides to get involved, giving the settlers a four ship UFP escort led by (of course) the starship Enterprise under the command of the original space cowboy, Jim Kirk. In fact, the only way that the Council, and Spock (who was in command of the Enterprise as this takes place between TMP and TWOK) would even leave Federation space was if Kirk was in command of the Enterprise. The colonists are on Conestoga-class ships (partially designed by Scotty), most of which have Western-style names (i.e. the pathfinder ship is called the Rattlesnake, the hotel/casin vessel is Uncle Jake's Pocket), and when they fell under attack just after reaching the Occult system, they 'sphered the ships' with Kirk saying (and this is a DIRECT quote from the book)"It's an old defensive tactic. Circling the wagons, only in three dimensions instead of two."
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* ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' aka ''{{Robotech}}'' features this in a way when Macross City is rescued after a "[[OurWormholesAreDifferent space fold]]" accident and housed in the titular ship; the successor TV shows, ''{{Macross 7}}'' and ''MacrossFrontier'' take place on actual, literal stellar wagon trains (complete with collapsible roofs) intended to colonize planets.

* ''Series/BattlestarGalacticaClassic'' (and its 21st century ContinuityReboot of [[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined the same name]]) took it further by having a small 'ragtag fleet' of ships under the ''Galactica'''s protection, forming a ''literal'' Wagon Train to the Stars (well, minus the wagons anyway. And they were trying to get to Earth, ''from'' the stars, [[ButIDigress but that's not important right now]]).

* ''NightOnTheGalacticRailroad''

* ''SFSaiyukiStarzinger'' (dubbed as "Spaceketeers" in the US), a sci fi retelling of the classic Asian story JourneyToTheWest (Saiyuki) does this as well (the dub however, changes the Saiyuki references to [[Literature/TheThreeMusketeers Three Musketeers]] references).

The ship is often enough, as in WagonTrain, a [[SettlingTheFrontier colonization/settlement]] effort that [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption never quite gets to its destination]], at least until the finale. In this case, the ship is likely to be a [[GenerationShip massive, self-sustained, multigenerational community]] - essentially a mobile city in space, which allows making use of tropes typical to both TheQuest and TheSiege basic plots as the heroes both have a goal in mind and are concerned with protecting their way of life until it can be reached..

The ship is often enough, as in WagonTrain, a [[SettlingTheFrontier colonization/settlement]] effort that [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption never quite gets to its destination]], at least until the finale. If the ship has no fixed destination (''Series/DoctorWho, Series/{{Firefly}}'') then this overlaps with WalkingTheEarth, sharing most of the same tropes. In either case, it may feature the BoldExplorer.

* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': The journey that Marco, Santorelli, Menderash, Jeanette, Tobias and Jake take aboard the ''Rachel'' to find the Blade ship was, at least according to Marco. We never get the details of their adventures, though.

* In MelanieRawn's unfinished ''Exiles'' trilogy, colonists from Earth find a new home in another solar system. Rawn named their spaceship after the actual wagon one of her ancestors rode out West.

* ''SuperRobotMonkeyTeamHyperForceGo'', in later seasons.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' and spinoffs (except ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', which was set on a space station)
** It's actually the name of a Star Trek book.
*** It's also the phrase Gene Roddenberry used to pitch the show to network executives.
** ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' was instead compared to another Western, ''Series/TheRifleman''.

* ''Series/BattlestarGalacticaClassic'' took it further by having a small 'ragtag fleet' of ships under the ''Galactica'''s protection, forming a ''literal'' Wagon Train to the Stars (well, minus the wagons anyway. And they were trying to get to Earth, ''from'' the stars, [[ButIDigress but that's not important right now]]).

Note that these shows need not necessarily take place in outer space. ''Series/VoyageToTheBottomOfTheSea'', for example, was essentially a WagonTrainToTheStars show, underwater. (so, recycled in the ocean?)

All of the characters are on a ship that travels through space, a "space" ship, if you like. Exotic locations like AdventureTowns or the PlanetOfHats are just a "[[FasterThanLightTravel hyperjump]]" away. It's kind of like a WagonTrainToTheStars.

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[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''SuperRobotMonkeyTeamHyperForceGo'', in later seasons.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' and spinoffs (except ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', which was set on a space station)
** It's actually the name of a Star Trek book.
*** It's also the phrase Gene Roddenberry used to pitch the show to network executives.
** ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' was instead compared to another Western, ''Series/TheRifleman''.
* ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' aka Robotech features this in a way when Macross City is rescued after a "[[OurWormholesAreDifferent space fold]]" accident and housed in the titular ship; the successor TV shows, {{Macross 7}} and MacrossFrontier take place on actual, literal stellar wagon trains (complete with collapsible roofs) intended to colonize planets.
* ''Series/DoctorWho''
* ''Series/RedDwarf''

* ''VisualNovel/YamiToBoushiToHonNoTabibito'' is a literal Wagon Train Through The Books.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' makes this a prominent (and very convenient) aspect of gameplay.
* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' (though without the spaceship).
** VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2 has a spaceship ("or should I say ''faceship''?!")

* UchuuSenkanYamato, especially the "Quest For Iscandar"
* ''SuperRobotMonkeyTeamHyperForceGo'', in later seasons.

* ''SF Saiyuki Starzinger'' (dubbed as "Spaceketeers" in the US), a sci fi retelling of the classic Asian story JourneyToTheWest (Saiyuki) does this as well (the dub however, changes the Saiyuki references to [[Literature/TheThreeMusketeers Three Musketeers]] references).

* Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/TunnelInTheSky'' has interstellar colonization by means of quite literal wagon trains, using artificial gateways to get to their destination planets. They're not the focus of the book, but twice we see wagon trains preparing to embark.
* ''Franchise/StarWars'' has an evil version: the Yuuzhan Vong. They're from another galaxy, and had to travel millions of light-years at slower than light speed. They came in a HUGE fleet.
** So huge, in fact, that the novels created a {{Retcon}} stating that the primary reason the Empire constructed the Death Star and its other superweapons was to use them against the Yuuzhan Vong. The fact that they could be used to enforce their rule through fear and to fight the Rebellion was merely a bonus.
* In Melanie Rawn's unfinished ''Exiles'' trilogy, colonists from Earth find a new home in another solar system. Rawn named their spaceship after the actual wagon one of her ancestors rode out West.
* ''Manga/GalaxyExpress999''. Bonus point for having the main characters travel in an [[CoolTrain ACTUAL space train]].

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wagon.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[ComicBook/{{X-Men}} Magneto]] takes this concept [[VisualPun a bit too literally]]...]]

The term comes verbatim from Gene Roddenberry's original pitch for ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' to Creator/{{NBC}} in the middle of the 1960s, and references the early Western show ''WagonTrain'', which was [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin about a wagon train making its way west]]. The original is now less well known than the "...to the stars" phrase, making it an example of the WeirdAlEffect.

Naturally, this is a subtrope of [[RecycledInSpace Recycled IN SPACE!]] Note that these shows need not necessarily take place in outer space. ''Series/VoyageToTheBottomOfTheSea'', for example, was essentially a WagonTrainToTheStars show, underwater. (so, recycled in the ocean?)

* ''{{Macross}}'' aka Robotech features this in a way when Macross City is rescued after a "[[OurWormholesAreDifferent space fold]]" accident and housed in the titular ship; the successor TV shows, {{Macross 7}} and MacrossFrontier take place on actual, literal stellar wagon trains (complete with collapsible roofs) intended to colonize planets.

* ''Series/BattlestarGalacticaClassic'', which took it further by having a small 'ragtag fleet' of ships under the ''Galactica'''s protection, forming a ''literal'' WagonTrainToTheStars (well, minus the wagons anyway. And they were trying to get to Earth, ''from'' the stars, [[ButIDigress but that's not important right now]]).
* ''Andromeda''
* ''{{Space 1999}}''

* ''YamiToBoushiToHonNoTabibito'' is a literal Wagon Train Through The Books.
* ''KingdomHearts'' makes this a prominent (and very convenient) aspect of gameplay.
* As does VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy (though without the spaceship).
** VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2 has a spaceship ("or should I say ''[[IncrediblyLamePun faceship]]''?!")

* While the Galaxy in ''Franchise/MassEffect'' has a very effective and fast hyperspace highway network and the player never quite goes out of their way to explore new frontiers, the [[CoolShip Normandy]], her crew and the assorted adventures they have over the course of an overarching plot remain the heart and soul of the series' appeal.

* ''StarWars'' has an evil version: the Yuuzhan Vong. They're from another galaxy, and had to travel millions of light-years at slower than light speed. They came in a HUGE fleet.

* GalaxyExpress999. Bonus point for having the main characters travel in an ACTUAL space train.

* ''StarWars'' has an evil version. the Yuuzhan Vong. They're from another galaxy, and had to travel millions of light-years at slower than light speed. They came in a HUGE fleet.

* While the Galaxy in ''Franchise/MassEffect'' has a very effective and fast hyperspace highway network and most of the spacefaring species are organized in the [[TheFederation Citadel Council]], the quarians lost their homewold in a RobotWar and have been living on spaceships for the last three centuries. They travel the stars as scavengers who salvage wrecked ships, until one day they find a way to take back their ancestral home.

* While the Galaxy in ''MassEffect'' has a very effective and fast hyperspace highway network and most of the spacefaring species are organized in the [[TheFederation Citadel Council]], the quarians lost their homewold in a RobotWar and have been living on spaceships for the last three centuries. Traveling the stars as scavengers who salvage wrecked ships, until one day they find a way to take back their ancestral home.

Naturally, this is a subtrope of RecycledInSpace Note that these shows need not necessarily take place in outer space. ''Series/VoyageToTheBottomOfTheSea'', for example, was essentially a WagonTrainToTheStars show, underwater. (so, recycled in the ocean?)

Naturally, this is a subtrope of RecycledInSpace. Note that these shows need not necessarily take place in outer space. ''Series/VoyageToTheBottomOfTheSea'', for example, was essentially a WagonTrainToTheStars show, underwater. (so, recycled in the ocean?)

Note that these shows need not necessarily take place in outer space. ''Series/VoyageToTheBottomOfTheSea'', for example, was essentially a WagonTrainToTheStars show, underwater. (so, [[RecycledInSpace recycled in the ocean?)]]

Okay, so this is my pitch: All of the characters are on a ship that travels through space, a "space" ship, if you like. Exotic locations like AdventureTowns or the PlanetOfHats are just a "[[FasterThanLightTravel hyperjump]]" away. It's kind of like a WagonTrainToTheStars.