Line #148 Main/CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth


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4	[[quoteright:280:[[Series/TheColbertReport https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tek_jansen_adventures_9477.jpg]]]]
5	[[caption-width-right:280:[-He's [[SavingTheWorld saved the Earth]], fought [[TheEmpire galactic empires]], and [[ReallyGetsAround obviously had hundreds of girlfriends]].-] ]]
6	%%
7	%% The custom title is "Captain Space, Defender of Earth!" with the exclamation point, so don't put an exclamation
8	%% point after it, or there will be two!
9
10	->'''Dr Chaotica:''' Captain Proton!
11	->'''Tom Paris:''' Spaceman First Class, protector of Earth, scourge of intergalactic evil... at your service.
12	-->-- ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', "Night"
13
14	In TheFuture, when mankind has [[SpaceOpera explored the outer reaches of space]], the forces of evil threaten our peace. But never fear, for humanity is under the stalwart protection of the hero (or parody hero) of {{Space Opera}}s and serials, known as '''''[[LargeHamTitle Captain Space, Defender Of Earth!]]'''''
15
16	The parodies tend to be based more on (the popular perception of) [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Captain Kirk]] and on Creator/AdamWest's portrayal of [[Series/Batman1966 Batman]] than on the old ComicStrip/FlashGordon or ComicStrip/BuckRogers stories, but that does not stand in the way of their quest ForGreatJustice! Okay, it might, but even if he is an arrogant {{Jerkass}} (meant to mock the [[ValuesDissonance old values]], or [[HollywoodHistory what we think they were]]), that won't stop people from admiring him (or {{Green Skinned Space Babe}}s from falling into his arms) due to his deep, manly voice, [[LargeHam larger than life mannerisms]], dedication to truth and justice, and some of his trusty gadgets (RayGun mandatory).
17
18	When our hero actually is heroic, although sometimes an {{idiot\|Hero}}, he leads the fight to stop {{Death Ray}}s, alien armadas, SpacePirates, and {{Evil Overlord}}s from destroying TheFederation! Furthermore, he does not need to do this alone, as he is always accompanied by a GirlFriday, a RagtagBunchOfMisfits, or a SpaceCadet, who may also be parodies of their respective archetypes or [[HypercompetentSidekick the true saviors of the day]]!
19
20	In animation our hero is often drawn with [[LanternJawOfJustice an exaggerated chin]] and a [[TopHeavyGuy top-heavy body]], to show off his space manliness!
21
22	Compare the SpaceCadet (who aspires to be Captain Space when he grows up), SpacePolice, TheCape, TheAce, RaygunGothic, CaptainSuperhero (with which this can overlap if a character is [[SuperheroesInSpace a Superhero In Space)]], ForGreatJustice, SpaceX.
23
24	'''Note that this is not merely parodies of space operas. This is about any character(s) acting this way.'''
25	----
26	!!Examples:
27
28	[[foldercontrol]]
29
30	[[folder:Anime & Manga ]]
31	* The eponymous ''Anime/SpaceDandy'', though you'd be mistaken if you ever thought he was in it ForGreatJustice.
32	* ''Anime/CaptainFuture'' is based on one of the literary {{Trope Codifier}}s.
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Comic Books]]
36	* ''ComicBook/IgnitionCity'' is a murder mystery set in a [[DyingTown decrepit spaceport]] inhabited entirely by these.
37	* ''ComicBook/{{Nexus}}'' has more than a few elements of this, since he was based partly on WesternAnimation/SpaceGhost.
38	* ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'' has a ShowWithinAShow called ''Series/StormSaxon'' as an idealized Aryan hero. He seems to mainly be a MightyWhitey who fights black cannibals.
39	* ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'':
40	** In 1981 ''Dash Decent'' who was mostly a ''ComicStrip/FlashGordon'' parody, but whose name also suggested ''ComicStrip/DanDare''.
41	** Around this same time, a "ComicBook/ThargsFutureShocks" strip penned by Creator/AlanMoore centered around Rocket Redglare--"Golden-Haired Guardian of the Galaxy, Steel-Eyed Sentinel of the Spaceways, and Enemy of Evil Extra-Terrestrials." He's been living out his life as a washed up retiree, ever since he defeated his Meng the Merciless -styled arch enemy.
42	* ''ComicBook/{{Nova}}'' becomes a reconstruction of this in ''ComicBook/{{Annihilation}}''.
43	* Lance Blastoff, from Creator/FrankMiller's ''Tales to Offend'', is a parody of the sexist and racist elements this character sometimes embodies.
44	* ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'':
45	** ComicBook/RocketRaccoon started as a very weird version of this trope plus FunnyAnimal. He later learned that the people he was protecting were actually abandoned mental patients; he'd been created to serve as the least-threatening asylum orderly possible. This leads to his modern characterization as a cynical, kleptomaniac bounty hunter.
46	** ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2008'' started on the very premise of deconstructing this trope, taking some of Marvel's forgotten characters who had played it straight and remaking them as severely flawed characters.
47	* Creator/DCComics has their own stable of space heroes: Star Hawkins, Space Ranger, Tommy Tomorrow, and so on. ''Twilight'' was intended to give an update to all of them, as was the New 52 story ''Threshold''. Also from Creator/DCComics is ComicBook/AdamStrange, who is inspired by Literature/JohnCarterOfMars (a forerunner of ComicStrip/FlashGordon).
48	* ''ComicBook/{{Starlight}}'' was a reconstruction of ''Flash Gordon'' where the Flash expy has come back to Earth and grown old with nobody believing his stories of space adventures apart from his now dead wife. He comes out of retirement when an alien teenager comes to Earth and asks him to save their planet again.
49	* ''Magazine/PrivateEye'' had ''[[https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_yVCMzSWdDA/WfzkLYlTutI/AAAAAAAACvU/QTe6B2xMJ0ww974UoMl8T3_WHgr9XChfACLcBGAs/s1600/dire1_20171103_0001.jpg Dan Dire]]'', who was based on politician, Neil Kinnock and fought the Maggon (a [[ComicStrip/DanDare Mekon]] parody, based on UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher).
50	* ''ComicBook/AstroCity'''s own Astro-Naut (in honor of whom the city was named) is a DeconReconSwitch of the archetype - having developed space travel technology during the war with the help of (friendly) aliens, his refusal to share it with the goverment during the fifties led him to be labeled [[RedScare a traitor to the country]]. He kept traveling across the cosmos to keep an eye on alien menaces (and find his lost GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe love) despite his decreasing popularity and detatchment from human life. His fall from grace was reversed, however, once he gave his life protecting the city from Videogame/SpaceInvaders. In keeping with the DeliberateValuesDissonance of his mid-fifties time period, his spaceship had an airbrushed image of his girlfriend, and he kept smoking his cigarettes even when wearing a FishbowlHelmet.
51	* ''ComicBook/{{Valerian}}'' plays it straight and likely inspired many other examples. While the titular character is heroic, he is part of the SpacePolice instead of a lone hero.
52	* In the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue of ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'', it is revealed that one of Bigby and Snow's sons Connor Wolf would go on to become a renowned adventurer and hero to countless fable worlds, one of which in a ScienceFiction setting that evokes the idea of the trope.
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
56	* The original ''ComicStrip/DanDare'' is one of the most bona fide, straight examples you'll ever find, and we love him for it. Later iterations end up being deconstructions, though.
57	* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': Calvin's Spaceman Spiff persona, who doesn't defend Earth so much as get randomly captured and shot down on faraway planets.
58	* Comic strip character ''ComicStrip/BrewsterRockitSpaceGuy'' is the parody version of this trope.
59	* While neither strip started out this way, both ''ComicStrip/BuckRogers'' and ''ComicStrip/FlashGordon'' evolved into this trope over time. Buck started out with purely earth-bound adventures, but ended up venturing into space more and more often over the years, to the point that his early non-space stories feel like EarlyInstallmentWeirdness. Flash started out in a PlanetaryRomance constrained to the planet Mongo, but eventually left to have these sorts of planet-hopping adventures instead; however, since most fans regarded Mongo as the heart and soul of the story, Flash and his friends eventually returned there and the strip again became a Mongonian Planetary Romance until it ended in 2003.
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
63	* Uncle Art in ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons'' (voice, appropriately enough, by Creator/AdamWest) is a subversion--his spaceship is a conveyance for delivering pizza.
64	* Zig-zagged by [[TheLancer Buzz Lightyear]] of ''Franchise/ToyStory'', which plays up the parody factor because we see so little of the in-universe Buzz Lightyear franchise that it wouldn't stand out otherwise. The {{spinoff}} cartoon ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'' is more of a straight SpaceOpera for kids once it had room to stretch its legs, and ''WesternAnimation/{{Lightyear}}'' saw the in-universe origin story of the franchise.
65	* Captain Sternn from ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal'', although we don't get to see his [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking exploits]], just the trial.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
69	* The Prince of Space from ''Film/PrinceOfSpace''.
70	** Also his CaptainErsatz Space Chief from ''Film/InvasionOfTheNeptuneMen''.
71	* Bronco from ''Film/GentlemenBroncos''
72	* Buckaroo Banzai from ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossThe8thDimension''.
73	* The MCU incarnation of Peter "Star-Lord" Quill from ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'' styles himself as one with some LovableRogue mixed in for flavor. This is actually his intentional presentation of himself, curated from his only Earthly experience being life as a small child before being abducted into space. As such, he pulls this off as a form of self-identity. Also, Iron Man, who nicknames everybody, actually refers to him as "Flash Gordon" in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', which he actually takes as a compliment.
74	* Commander Peter Quincy Taggart in the ShowWithinAShow of the ''Film/GalaxyQuest'', played in-universe by Jason Nesmith (Creator/TimAllen). Taggart is a parody of Captain Kirk, while Nesmith is a parody of Creator/WilliamShatner for double bonus.
75	* "''[[Film/FlashGordon1980 Flash!]]'' [[Music/{{Queen}} AHAHHHH!]] He'll save every one of us!"
76	* ''Flesh Gordon'' is a softcore pornographic example of the trope.
77	* With a plot similar to ''Galaxy Quest'', ''The Adventures Of Captain Zoom In Outer Space'' has an actor getting abducted by aliens who don't understand his show is fiction. The main difference is that his TV show was a parody of ''ComicStrip/BuckRogers'' rather than ''Franchise/StarTrek''.
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Literature]]
81	* Many would claim Creator/EEDocSmith is the father of this trope, though his best-known creation, the ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series, is arguably more of a SpacePolice story.
82	* ''Literature/CaptainFuture'' and his friends are another early straight example, complete with a popular [[Anime/CaptainFuture animated adaptation]] in Japan.
83	* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' has the [[ShowWithinAShow series within a series]] ''Preston of the Spaceways'', often mentioned in the context of warning against stupid heroics. To be told one is "playing Preston of the Spaceways" is ''not'' a compliment.
84	* The parody was firmly entrenched by the time Creator/RobertAHeinlein wrote ''Literature/TheRollingStones1952'' in TheFifties: Roger Stone and, later, Grandma Hazel help support the family by writing a deliberately over-the-top three-vee serial in the Captain Space Defender mold.
85	* In [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 universe]], this is how Literature/CiaphasCain ('''HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!''') is portrayed. Whether he is or not in person is [[UnreliableNarrator debatable.]]
86	* Used as a joke in-universe in the Literature/XWingSeries.
87	-->"Elassar Targon, ''[[LargeHam master of the universe]]''!"
88	* The ''Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures'' novel ''The Highest Science'' has the Doctor discover a triangular video cassette showing "Captain Millennium" battling "Libida, Queen of the Virenies", which he considers to be SoBadItsGood. (And when it ends on a cliffhanger with the Captain's assistant being threatened by an evil robot, he concludes it's "almost like real life, in a glamorized sort of way".)
89	* [[Literature/JacquesMcKeown Jacques McKeown]] by Creator/BenCroshaw has this trope {{Deconstructed}}. The setting had a brief "golden age" of heroic star pilots before they were rendered technologically obsolete by teleportation. The protagonist and many other star pilots traveled the galaxy to battle evil, sleep with space princesses, and live up to every stereotype here. However, they were actually childishly living out their fantasies at the cost of building serious lives for themselves.
90	* There was a short written series in French kid magazine ''Astrapi'' called ''Nono le robot conteur'' ("Nono the robot story-teller"). In the last episode, a girl asks Nono to tell his own story, and he reveals he used to be Cosmo Max, a handsome and famous space adventurer with dozens of fangirls. However, he wanted to become immortal, so he turned himself into a robot.
91	* The ''Literature/SpaceAcademy'' series by Creator/CTPhipps: Vance Turbo, HERO OF SPACCCE develops this reputation by the third book where people correct his pronunctiation of the title affixed to his name. [=EarthGov=] and Space Fleet has worked to give him a legendary reputation as a defender of the innocent and opponent of evil through their propaganda machine. Interestingly, plenty of people believe he's the parody IdiotHero of the trope as well, though neither is accurate.
92	* Toby Frost's Literature/SpaceCaptainSmith, hero of the British Space Empire, is Captain Space with a StiffUpperLip.
93	* In ''Literature/RallyRoundTheFlagBoys'', Oscar Hoffa's work as a television producer includes watching an episode of ''The Adventures of Crunch Crandall, Spaceman'', whose titular hero fights to "save the fair Skarlotta, a Martian lass from the foul clutches of 'It,' the nameless monster of Ursa Minor." Oscar's executive complaints include not seeing enough cleavage on Skarlotta and the monster needing to be recast on the grounds of being "a faggot."
94	* Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/TheCompleteAdventuresOfLuckyStarr'' has overtones of this trope, intentionally as the series was requested as a juvenile series of sci-fi books who Asimov wrote under a pseudonym, but is downplayed by Asimov's traditional style.
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
98	* ''Series/RockyJonesSpaceRanger'' is exactly the sort of show the title makes you think it is, played straight.
99	* Likewise for ''[[Series/SpacePatrolUS Space Patrol]].'' Notably, [[WesternAnimation/TheJetsons Elroy Jetson's]] favorite TV hero, "Captain Blast," is clearly a parody of ''Space Patrol,'' complete with the characters doing ads for breakfast cereal with giveaway toys in the box.
100	* Not to be confused with... ''[[Series/SpacePatrolUK Space Patrol!]]'' This British series is this trope done with puppets.
101	* ''Series/CaptainVideo'', the original TV space hero, was PlayedStraight in his billing as an "electronic wizard! Master of time and space! Guardian of the safety of the world!" All this while being the face of the NoBudget Creator/DuMont network. His future space uniform was made out of an Army surplus uniform, and one of his weapons was made out of car parts. Not quite old enough to be the UrExample, but his show is certainly one of the [[TropeCodifier Trope Codifiers.]] Sadly, only a few recorded episodes survive today.
102	* While ''most'' versions of the ''Franchise/FlashGordon'' franchise focus on a single planet, Mongo, and would therefore fall under the PlanetaryRomance trope, the [[Series/FlashGordon1954 1950's Live Action TV series]] was of the Captain Space variety, with Flash, Dale, and Zarkov zipping all over the universe to fight evil. It was produced during the period when [[ComicStrip/FlashGordon the comic strip]] had gone a similar route.
103	* Tek Jansen of ''Series/TheColbertReport'' (which provides the above image) is a ParodySue who is [[HerCodeNameWasMarySue written by Colbert himself]].
104	* "Ace" Rimmer ([[PhraseCatcher What a guy!]]); Arnold Rimmer's AlternateUniverse self from ''Series/RedDwarf''. Smoke him a kipper, he'll be back for breakfast.
105	** "Our" Rimmer tried to fake this in an earlier episode when he introduced himself as "Captain Arnold J Rimmer, Space Adventurer" while dressed in a garish uniform.
106	* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. The holodeck program ''Film/TheAdventuresOfCaptainProton'' was an AffectionateParody of this trope, even if downplayed compared to most examples.
107	-->'''Tom Paris:''' (making a DynamicEntry as the hero) Captain Proton: Spaceman First Class, protector of Earth, scourge of intergalactic evil... at your service.
108	** Generally speaking, ''Franchise/StarTrek's'' critics have always accused the franchise of being this trope [[Administrivia.TropesAreNotBad (as if that were something to be ashamed of!),]] and its defenders have indignantly denied it, since the franchise has always tried to rise above the stereotypes and limitations of this trope's subgenre.
109	* The titular protagonist of ''Series/TheMiddleman'', a pulp hero who battles {{mad scientist}}s and {{supervillain}}s straight out of old-fashioned sci-fi novels and comic books.
110	* ''Series/BlackMirror'': Robert Daly, the antagonist of [[Recap/BlackMirrorUSSCallister "USS Callister"]], is a very dark take on this character type.
111	* Ed Mercer from ''Series/TheOrville'' (played by series creator Creator/SethMacFarlane) as the Orville is a parody of science fiction shows (mostly Star Trek) has overtones of this, although how much depends on the episode.
112	* ''Series/BuckRogersInThe25thCentury'' is basically this, albeit with a CassetteFuturism aesthetic instead of a RaygunGothic one.
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Music]]
116	* ''Music/DevinTownsend'': Captain Spectacular in ''Music/ZiltoidTheOmniscient'' is a parody of Star Trek captains. By the Z2 he became much more similar to Captain Space trope.
117	* ''Flash Fearless Vs The Zorg Women Parts 5 & 6'' is a 1975 ConceptAlbum with an AllStarCast (the cover credits Music/AliceCooper, Elkie Brooks, Jim Dandy, James Dewar, [[Music/TheWho John Entwhistle]] and [[Music/SteeleyeSpan Maddy Prior]], but that is far from a full list), described as "A Nostalgic Musical of the 24th Century", and with an accompanying comic featuring Fearless.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
121	* Masked {{legacy\|character}} wrestler Astroman, primarily seen in the Dominican Republic, though Astroman III wasn't particularly heroic, suffering from ChronicBackStabbingDisorder to the point "The Betrayer" was his RedBaron.
122	[[/folder]]
123
124	[[folder:Theme Parks]]
125	* Film/CaptainEO featured Music/MichaelJackson as a musical one of these.
126	[[/folder]]
127
128	[[folder:Toys]]
129	* Some ''Franchise/{{Lego}}'' minifigures;
130	** [[https://lego.fandom.com/wiki/Intergalactic_Girl Intergalactic Girl]] travels the universe saving people.
131	** [[https://lego.fandom.com/wiki/Retro_Space_Hero Retro Space Hero]] is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
132	* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Matt_Mason Major Matt Mason]] was a popular early line of action figures about an astronaut and his space exploring adventures with giant alien buddy Captain [[XtremeKoolLetterz Lazer.]]
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Video Games]]
136	* '''CAPTAIN GORDON, DEFENDER OF EARTH!''' of ''VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness'' is the TropeNamer.
137	* ''VideoGame/{{Blasto}}'': Creator/PhilHartman voices the title charter, who is played for comedy.
138	* Rad Gravity in ''VideoGame/TheAdventuresOfRadGravity''.
139	* ''VideoGame/CaptainCommando'' mixes this with {{Toku}} tropes.
140	* Your protagonist in ''VideoGame/CreatureShock'', investigating a monster-infested asteroid.
141	* ''Captain Quazar'': The title character.
142	* Drake Redcrest in ''VideoGame/ChibiRobo'' is an action figure from a ShowWithinAShow.
143	* Crash and Coco's Star skins in ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'' have them look the part, but play it for laughs, since they end up [[RecklessGunUsage having]] [[TeleporterAccident accidents]] with their respective tools.
144	* ''VideoGame/EarthwormJim'' was a deliberate parody of space heroes plus the MascotWithAttitude.
145	* ''VideoGame/{{Extrapower}}'': Galaxy Star is a sincere portrayal of this trope. Captain of the Galaxy's team, he's the charismatic and handsome {{America\|SavesTheDay}}n given jurisdiction to protect both Earth and Space, and does so without sinister intent. Both [[VideoGame/ExtrapowerGiantFist Zophy]] and [[VideoGame/ExtrapowerStarResistance Sharkungo]] consider him their good friend, and is eager to provide them with as much support as he can.
146	* Captain Falcon of ''VideoGame/FZero'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' fame is this trope as seen through Japanese eyes, particularly in the latter where he is voiced in [[LargeHam overly hammy]] and [[TerseTalker terse]] FakeAmerican [[IntentionalEngrishForFunny Engrish]].
147	* ''Captain Cosmos'' from ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}''. Posters even showed the time slot of his show to be identical to the original air time of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. In the fifth DLC, one of the major {{NPC}}s is a big fan.
148	* Rolf from ''VideoGame/GalaxyFight'' fits the bill, with his heroic personality, wearing a red and white space suit at all times, and utilizing a ray gun and jet pack in combat.
149	* Flip Hero in ''Hero'' and ''VideoGame/HeroCore''. This heroic spaceman thwarts the machinations of Cruiser Tetron and his robot minions. Subverted: [[spoiler: Hero is [[RoboticReveal one of Tetron's machines]] gone rogue]].
150	* ''VideoGame/LiveALive'''s Distant Future chapter features Captain Square, the protagonist of an [[ShowWithinAShow in-universe retro video game]]. He looks like Captain Future with goggles in lieu of a helmet, and fights alien monsters across 9 different levels.
151	* [[PlayerCharacter Commander Shepard]] in ''Franchise/MassEffect'' is a modern {{Reconstruction}} of this trope, alongside the myriad of other space sci-fi reconstructions that ''Mass Effect'' is famous for.
152	* Captain Jethro from ''VideoGame/Planet404''
153	* Captain Qwark of ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank''. In the first game, Ratchet seeks his help to fight Chairman Drek, only to learn he'd been hired by Drek as a spokesman and TheHeavy. In later games he varies between secondary antagonist and annoying DistressedDude.
154	* Ace (Dexter) from ''VideoGame/SpaceAce''. Parodied somewhat in that the villain's secret weapon has changed him into a gawky kid who's constantly yelling and screaming. The player gets the option of changing him back into the musclebound space warrior version, but doing this makes the level more difficult.
155	* In ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'', one RandomEvent has one of your science ship's chief officers (presumably a captain) going insane and believing themself to embody this trope, and that the very stars are pulsing to send them a coded warning about a coming catastrophe that only they can avert. The event ends with said officer being shipped back to your homeworld for therapy, bidding them farewell with "Thank you for your service, [Science Officer], protector of the realm!"
156	[[/folder]]
157
158	[[folder:Web Animation]]
159	* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' has "Space Captainface, pretender of the galaxies", Strong Bad's alter ego as head astronaut/poster boy for Strong Badia's space program, SBASAF (the Strong Badian Administration of Some Aluminum Foil, pronounced "sbace-aff"). His missions include CameraSpoofing an Italian spy satellite and attempting to turn fifteen bucks into a million dollars through a "vague understanding of the theory of relativity".
160	[[/folder]]
161
162	[[folder:Web Original]]
163	* ''Blog/HowToHero'' has Boost, the Man From Beyond.
164	* ''Website/TheOnion'': Crash Comet, Space Commander From The Year Two Thousand, nemesis of EvilOverlord opinion columnist [[https://www.theonion.com/tag/gorzo-the-mighty Gorzo the Mighty.]]
165	* ''[[http://soultrigger.freeforums.net/ Soul Trigger]]'''s [[CommandingCoolness Commander]] [[MeaningfulName Axenfire]] is essentially a parody of [[Franchise/MassEffect Commander Shepard]] as a space dwarf. His exaggerated celebrity status has led to some crazy things, including Axenfire-themed amusement parks and card games, to the point that the only reason he continues to go on missions in his old age is because he wants to stay away from the annoying limelight.
166	* ''Website/SCPFoundation'' has [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1233 SCP-1233,]] Moon Champion, [[ShapedLikeItself champion of the Moon]], defender of space justice and destroyer of evil.
167	[[/folder]]
168
169	[[folder:Western Animation]]
170	* ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhost'' is a rare latter-day example that plays this trope completely straight.
171	* As in the original game, Dexter is this in the ''VideoGame/SpaceAce'' segments of ''WesternAnimation/SaturdaySupercade.''
172	* ''WesternAnimation/AtomicBetty'' uses this trope to add to the retro-futuristic appeal of the show. The title character is notably different from other examples of this trope in that she's a 12-year-old girl who has to WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld (or in this case, the galaxy).
173	* ''Franchise/{{Ben 10}}'' and especially it sequels are known to play this trope straight. [[TheMenInBlack The Plumbers]] are a secret SpacePolice that deals with different inter-planetary issues, they travel between planets fighting against the bad guys with a different set of weapons or alien superpowers. It's clear that Ben wants to be like this, as he wanted to join in the first series a special organization that was mostly a lighthearted parody of this (They were portrayed as rather cartoonish but still capable and useful) and in the flashforward episodes he is seen as a straight example of this trope. The sequel series ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' and ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' shows a very diverse set of Plumbers with many of them falling squarely on this trope.
174	** With the increasing SpaceOpera elements in the series, this is seen as a logical progression, inter-planetary travelling became a standard of the series, and many of the villains in the show are classical sci-fi enemies that must be dealt with a regular space hero.
175	* ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers'', in both [[WesternAnimation/DuckDodgersInTheTwentyFourthAndAHalfCentury the original cartoon]] and its TV series SpinOff.
176	* ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'' is a cartoon based off the Buzz Lightyear property seen in the ''Franchise/ToyStory'' movies. In this cartoon, Buzz is less of a parody than Captain Space heroes often are and the show is closer in tone to genuine SpaceOpera.
177	* Major Courage (a parody of Shatner's Kirk) of ''Courage of the Cosmos'', a ShowWithinAShow in the ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' episode, "[[Recap/DuckTalesS1E4WhereNoDuckHasGoneBefore Where No Duck Has Gone Before]]".
178	* Zapp Brannigan of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' thinks he's a dashing space hero, but in actuality is a despicable, cowardly, perverted idiot who [[GeneralFailure inevitably]] gets [[WeHaveReserves all the men under his command killed pointlessly]]. Unlike most examples he is not so much a broad parody, as he is very explicitly based on [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Captain Kirk]] (his character was originally pitched as "What if Creator/WilliamShatner was captain of the Enterprise rather than Kirk?"), although he does have moments of referencing other things - in "[[Recap/FuturamaS6E2InAGaddaDaLeela In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela]]" he has a recurring ImagineSpot in the form of an [[StylisticSuck incredibly cheap looking]] black-and-white adventure serial called "The Transcredible Exploits of Zapp Brannigan", depicting ActionGirl Leela as a helpless DamselInDistress and Zapp as a macho hero fighting a stereotypical YellowPeril villain.
179	--> ''So, Emperor Chop Chop, once again we meet at last. Drop that space gun or I'll shoot... like so! [shoots]''
180	* The "Starboy and the Captain of Outer Space" movie-within-a-show in ''WesternAnimation/HomeMovies''.
181	* Crash Nebula is a ShowWithinAShow in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' starring the titular Crash Nebula, a prime example of this trope.
182	* The eponymous character of ''WesternAnimation/CaptainStar'' is an egotistical Captain Kirk spoof totally oblivious to the fact that he's been KickedUpstairs to a desolate planet at the edge of the universe.
183	* The Vindicators, and especially Vance Maximus (Renegade Starsoldier), from ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'', seem to be a more modern take on this, with Maximus himself being a clear nod to the film portrayal of [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014 Star-Lord]]. This contrasts with Rick and the various sci-fi beings he usually interacts with, who are based more on cheesy eighties and nineties cartoons.
184	* In ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'', Jupiter Jim is [[ShowWithinAShow a popular series the turtles are big fans of]], and the main character seems to be inspired by this trope.
185	* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', Lars helps the Off-Color Gems steal a CoolStarship in an OffscreenMomentOfAwesome. He then becomes the ship's commander, and gets fully into this trope when making decisions (while posing heroically).
186	* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainSimianAndTheSpaceMonkeys'' as the name indicates is a parody of this trope mixed with ApesInSpace.
187	* Captain Adam Francis Shatner in ''WesternAnimation/TrippingTheRift'' is a parody of this trope as the name implies (referencing two well-known actors of camp shows Creator/AdamWest and Creator/WilliamShatner) as captain of the Confederation (the in-universe parody of TheFederation) and with many characteristics of the trope.
188	* Marissa Faireborn in the third season of ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' has a bit of this vibe. It probably helps her badass status that she's implied to be [[WesternAnimation/GIJoe Flint and Lady Jaye's]] daughter.
189	* In the 1960's, ''Space Angel'' was this trope, with ''WesternAnimation/ClutchCargo''-style animation! (That is, real filmed actors' mouths superimposed over still drawings. Really!)
190	* The eponymous ''WesternAnimation/CommanderClark'' tries his hardest to live up to the trope, although [[MyInstinctsAreShowing his animal instincts can tend to get in the way]].
191	* In a ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'' episode about bullying, Junior daydreams of being a space hero of this type, facing off against an evil alien who resembles his bully.
192	[[/folder]]

Context Main / CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth