Line #175 Main/TropesInSpace


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5	[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kerbalspace.png]]]]
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7	->''"The surface of the earth is the shore of the cosmic ocean. Recently, we've waded out a little way, and the water seems inviting."''
8	-->-- '''Creator/CarlSagan'''
9
10	Tropes relating to outer space, spaceships, space travel, and space colonies. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Has nothing to do with]] tropes [-[[JustForFun/RecycledINSPACE IN SPACE!]]-]
11
12	Before deciding to put a trope in this index, please check the sub-indexes and see if any of them are applicable.
13	----
14	!! Tropes:
15	[[index]]
16	[floatboxright:
17	'''Media index:'''
18	+ SpaceStories
19
20	'''Trope indexes:'''
21	+ AlienTropes
22	+ ArtisticLicenseSpace
23	+ FasterThanLightIndex
24	+ {{Heliotropes}}
25	+ IndexOnTheMoon
26	+ PlanetaryTropes
27	+ {{Spacecraft}}
28	+ SpaceGeologyTropes
29	+ StellarIndex
30	+ ThisIndexEarth
31	]
32	* AccidentalAstronaut: A character either accidentally launches the spacecraft they are in or they became an unwilling "astronaut" by stowing away on the spacecraft.
33	* AncientAstronauts: Aliens who developed space travel long before humans influenced ancient history by doing things like being mistaken for gods, building pyramids, etc.
34	* ApesInSpace: Monkeys and apes as astronauts rather than humans.
35	* ArbitraryWeaponRange: Weapons in space have a minimum or maximum range.
36	* ArtificialGravity: Spaceships and space stations with artificial gravity systems.
37	* ArtisticLicenseSpace: Astronomy does something that, in the real world, it shouldn't do.
38	* AsteroidMiners: People who mine from asteroids.
39	* AsteroidThicket: An area in space with a lot of dangerous asteroids.
40	* AstralFinale: The last episode takes place in space.
41	* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: Characters who can breathe in space.
42	* BlindJump: Usually, people have to calculate something before going into faster-than-light mode, but there's no time to do that, so they'll have to do it without calculating.
43	* BoardingParty: Boarding a ship.
44	* BornUnderTheSail: A whole culture of sailors/skyship drivers/spaceship drivers.
45	* TheBridge: The bridge of a starship.
46	* BridgeBunnies: Young women who control the spaceship from the bridge.
47	* BurialInSpace: Someone dies in space and has a funeral ritual.
48	* ButWhatAboutTheAstronauts: Everyone on Earth has something bad happen to them (they die, get infected etc) but there are astronauts who aren't affected and either survive in a post-apocalyptic world or save the other people.
49	* CameFromTheSky: Something huge falls out of the sky and lands on Earth.
50	* CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth: A parody of sci-fi heroes.
51	* CasualInterplanetaryTravel: Interplanetary travel is no big deal.
52	* CasualInterstellarTravel: Interstellar travel is no big deal.
53	* CentrifugalGravity: Scientifically accurate artificial gravity through rotation.
54	* ColonizedSolarSystem: The solar system is settled by humanity.
55	* ColonyDrop: The world is in danger because of something huge falling from the sky.
56	* ColonyShip: A spaceship with a whole colony on it.
57	* ContinuousDecompression: Explosive decompression is way more powerful than scientifically possible and lasts for way longer.
58	* CoolStarship: A cool, unusual spaceship.
59	* CorralledCosmos: People only hang out in a certain area of space.
60	* CosmicMotifs: Space used as a motif.
61	* CultColony: A religious cult living in a colony in space.
62	* CyborgHelmsman: Cybernetically-augmented spaceship pilots.
63	* DangerInTheGalacticCore: The center of the galaxy.
64	* DangerousOrbitalDebris: Orbiting remains of dead satellites or destroyed spaceships.
65	* DeflectorShields: A force field.
66	* DramaticAlienVTOL: Alien spaceships land slowly. ''Really'' slowly.
67	* DramaticSpaceDrifting: A body or pieces of a body floating in space after a space battle.
68	* DropPod: A single-use military vehicle dropped from the sky.
69	* DropShip: A ship designed to carry people and/or supplies to and from a planet or moon.
70	* DysonSphere: A thing in space big enough for a whole solar system.
71	* EscapePod: Like a lifeboat but for a spaceship.
72	* TheExactCenterOfEverything: In the very center of the galaxy or the universe(s), there is something ''really'' important waiting.
73	* ExplosionsInSpace: Something explodes in space in an unrealistic way.
74	* ExplosiveDecompression: People explode in space.
75	* ExposedStarshipBridge: A starship or spaceship's design places the bridge (i.e. the most important part of ship) in a location that easily exposes it to danger.
76	* EverythingInSpaceIsAGalaxy: Handfuls of stars and planets are treated as entire galaxies.
77	* FasterThanLightTravel: Spaceships that can move faster than light.
78	* FishbowlHelmet: The usual accompaniment to a LatexSpaceSuit.
79	* FTLTravelSickness: Traveling faster than light can do bad things to people who aren't properly protected.
80	* FlyingSaucer: A spaceship shaped like a saucer.
81	* GalacticConqueror: A villain who wants to conquer or destroy the ''whole universe''.
82	* GalacticSuperpower: Someone has political power over a large area of space.
83	* GenerationShips: A starship has several generations living and dying on it.
84	* GeneticAdaptation: Outsiders adapt to a hostile environment (such as that on other planets) by genetically modifying themselves.
85	* GravitySucks: Gravity is depicted as "catching" or "sucking" things.
86	* {{Heavyworlder}}: Someone from a planet with more gravity than Earth.
87	* HomeworldEvacuation: The planet is no longer inhabitable, forcing (a portion of) the populace to pack up and leave for elsewhere.
88	* HurlItIntoTheSun: Throwing something into a star.
89	* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: The dimension used for teleportation/warp speed is dangerous.
90	* HyperspaceLanes: When travelling faster than the speed of light, you have to go certain places at certain times.
91	* HyperspeedAmbush: Using hyperspace to attack.
92	* HyperspeedEscape: Using faster-than-light travel to escape.
93	* ImprovisedMicrogravityManeuvering: Using thrust to push oneself through space.
94	* IndustrializedMercury: The planet UsefulNotes/{{Mercury}} is used as an industrial hub for a ColonizedSolarSystem.
95	* InexplicableCulturalTies: Aliens with pretty Earth-like cultures.
96	* InSpaceEveryoneCanSeeYourFace: Somebody's face is visible through a space helmet.
97	* InterplanetaryVoyage: A story that focuses on the difficulties of a space voyage.
98	* InterstellarWeapon: A weapon that will hit something light-years away.
99	* KillSat: A satellite designed to kill.
100	* LatexSpaceSuit: A very tight spacesuit.
101	* LibertariansInSpace: A setting where Earth has become narrow-minded and nonconformists are sent to live in space.
102	* LifeInZeroG: Lifeforms that have evolved to live in the gravityless void.
103	* LightspeedLeapfrog: A spaceship that can't travel faster than light is beaten by one that can.
104	* {{Lightworlder}}: Someone from a low-gravity planet.
105	* LostColony: A human colony in space that's lost contact with Earth.
106	* MaleSunFemaleMoon: The sun portrayed as male and the moon as female.
107	* MegaMawManeuver: A huge spaceship uses its door to "swallow" a smaller one.
108	* MentalSpaceTravel: "Teleporting" people to other planets by uploading their brains to their destination.
109	* TheMilkyWayIsTheOnlyWay: Nobody can go beyond the Milky Way.
110	* TheMothership: The flagship of an alien army.
111	* NegativeSpaceWedgie: A strange, dangerous event in space.
112	* NoEndorHolocaust: Something huge explodes but leaves little to no collateral damage.
113	* NoGravityForYou: A villain whose weakness is they can't fight in zero-gravity.
114	* NoSeatBelts: Spaceships don't have safety belts.
115	* NoSuchThingAsSpaceJesus: Never seeing a godlike alien as an actual deity.
116	* NoWarpingZone: An area where travelling faster than light is not allowed.
117	* NuclearTorchRocket: Amp up your piddly little chemical rockets by heating the propellant with nuclear power.
118	* OldSchoolDogfight: Planes and spaceships fighting like pre-Cold War planes even when they logically shouldn't.
119	* OnlyElectricSheepAreCheap: Natural things are more expensive than an artificial version of it.
120	* OrbitalBombardment: Shooting from orbit.
121	* OrionDrive: Using nukes to travel through space.
122	* OurDarkMatterIsMysterious: Dark matter makes up as much as 4/5 of the visible universe. Nobody knows what it actually is, so writers fill in the gaps.
123	* OurWormholesAreDifferent: Exploiting wormholes.
124	* PlanarShockwave: When something explodes in space, there's a ring of... stuff.
125	* PlanetaryRelocation: Relocating planets.
126	* PortalNetwork: Space travel via portals.
127	* PoweredByABlackHole: Harnessing a black hole as a power source.
128	* PsychicStarshipPilot: Psychics are the ideal pilots for faster-than-light travel.
129	* RammingAlwaysWorks: Ramming a spaceship with another always destroys one of them.
130	* RamScoop: A spaceship that fuels itself by collecting hydrogen directly from space.
131	* ReentryScare: While someone reenters the atmosphere, it goes quiet for dramatic effect.
132	* RocketlessReentry: Going back to Earth from space without using rockets.
133	* RoguePlanet: Planets not in orbit around (a) star(s)
134	* SalvagePirates: Being saved and endangered at the same time by pirates.
135	* SaveSat: A satellite crashing down has a beneficial/defensive effect.
136	* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: Sci-fi writers make distances in space seem smaller than in reality.
137	* SciFiFlyby: Used as an establishing shoot to tell the audience that what they're seeing is a CoolShip.
138	* ShinyLookingSpaceships: A spaceship that looks shiny.
139	* SilentRunningMode: A vessel going silent to avoid detection. Often used by spaceships.
140	* SleeperStarship: A slow spacecraft that puts the passengers in hibernation until they arrive at their destination.
141	* SmallUniverseAfterAll: Easily travelling to other galaxies.
142	* SolarSail: Spaceships that run with a device like a sail but that uses the sun's power.
143	* SpaceAmish: Space travelers who use more primitive technology.
144	* SpaceBase: The villain's space station.
145	* SpaceBattle: Fighting in space.
146	* SpaceBrasilia: An alien species with only one form of architecture.
147	* SpaceCadet: Kind of like a police officer but in space.
148	* SpaceCadetAcademy: Where you learn to be a space cadet.
149	* SpaceClothes: People wear wacky clothes in space.
150	* SpaceClouds: Nebulae that seem like clouds.
151	* SpaceColdWar: A war in space that's sort of like the Cold War.
152	* SpaceCossacks: A rugged group of outlaws lost in space.
153	* SpaceElevator: An elevator or similar that takes people to space.
154	* SpaceElves: Elvish, smug, possibly superior aliens.
155	* SpaceEpisode: An episode of a normally Earth-set series is set in space.
156	* SpaceFighter: A little spaceship designed for combat.
157	* SpaceFriction: If a spaceship breaks, it will slow down and eventually stop.
158	* SpaceIsAir: Spaceships are like planes.
159	* SpaceIsAnOcean: Space is compared to the ocean.
160	* SpaceIsCold: Things freeze in space.
161	* SpaceIsMagic: Space is incomprehensible.
162	* SpaceIsNoisy: You can hear noises in space.
163	* SpaceIsSlowMotion: Things move slowly in zero-gravity.
164	* SpaceIsolationHorror: Horror derived from the emptiness and loneliness of space.
165	* SpaceJews: An alien that has traits associated with a racial/religious stereotype.
166	* SpaceMadness: Being in space makes you insane.
167	* SpaceMarine: Troops in spaceships that are sort of like marines.
168	* SpaceMask: Face or head protection that's somehow a substitute for a full space suit.
169	* SpaceMaster: Characters who have the ability to control the fabric of space and spatial dimensions.
170	* SpaceMines: Like {{Sea Mine}}s but in space.
171	* SpaceNavy: A military fleet of spaceships.
172	* SpaceNomads: People who live in space and don't really have a place to call home.
173	* SpaceOpera: An epic adventure story set in space.
174	* SpaceOrcs: Brutish, violent and primitive aliens.
175	* SpacePeople: People who live in space.
176	* SpacePirates: Pirates in space.
177	* SpacePlane: A spacecraft that looks and can take off and land like an airplane.
178	* SpacePolice: An organization of peacekeepers in space.
179	* SpaceRomans: An alien culture that resembles a historical Earth culture.
180	* SpaceSailing: Spaceships that look like sea ships.
181	* SpaceSector: Specific regions in space are described as "the Something Sector" or "Sector Something".
182	* SpaceStation: An artificial structure in space.
183	* SpaceSuitsAreSCUBAGear: Space suits with visible air tubes.
184	* SpaceTravelVeto: Opposition, restrictions or bans on space travel.
185	* SpaceTrucker: People who haul cargo from one planet to another.
186	* SpaceWestern: A cowboyish story set in space.
187	* SpaceWhale: Creatures on space that resemble whales.
188	* SpaceX: An alien creature has the word "space" somewhere in its name.
189	* SpaceZone: Unrealistic video game space.
190	* SpaceshipSlingshotStunt: Heading towards an item with heavy gravity in space so that they'd get flung back into space like a slingshot.
191	* SpySatellites: Satellites that watch you from space.
192	* StandardAlienSpaceship: Alien ships are smooth and colorful.
193	* StandardEstablishingSpaceshipShot: The spaceship entering the screen to establish how cool it is.
194	* StandardHumanSpaceship: Spaceships piloted by humans all look the same.
195	* StandardizedSpaceViews: Stock space scenes.
196	* StandardSciFiFleet: Spaceship classification similar to the navy.
197	* StandardStarshipScuffle: Spaceships fighting.
198	* StandardTimeUnits: A group of planets that have one way of measuring time.
199	* StarshipLuxurious: A spaceship with very large rooms.
200	* StealthInSpace: A spaceship can turn itself invisible.
201	* StellarStation: A type of space station in close orbit around the Sun or other stars.
202	* SubLightspeedSetting: A setting with space travel at strictly slower-than-light speeds.
203	* SubspaceAnsible: Faster-than-light space communication.
204	* SubspaceOrHyperspace: Areas of space that can do things that are impossible in regular space.
205	* SublightSubterfuge: Normally, you would use FTL to travel interstellar distances. But your situation isn't normal.
206	* SuperheroesInSpace: Superheroes whose missions commonly take place beyond Earth.
207	* {{Teleportation}}: Disappearing from one location and reappearing in another.
208	* {{Terraform}}: A planet's enviroment is artificially changed to better suit a species, human-like or otherwise.
209	* ThrownOutTheAirlock: Someone gets thrown out of a spaceship's airlock without a spacesuit on.
210	* TimeDilation: Time passes slower in space.
211	* TractorBeam: A beam of light that can pull things through space.
212	* TranshumansInSpace: Humans in space who have been augmented.
213	* TransplantedHumans: Humans that came from space because their ancestors were taken from space.
214	* TwoOfYourEarthMinutes: Aliens specify that they're talking about our time, not their time.
215	* UngovernableGalaxy: It's impossible for a whole galaxy to have a government.
216	* UnitedSpaceOfAmerica: Interstellar travel programs work in a similar way to American culture.
217	* UniversalUniverseTime: The whole universe uses the same measurements of time.
218	* UnnecessarilyLargeVessel: A ship is way bigger than it needs to be.
219	* UnrealisticBlackHole: A black hole that doesn't work like a real black hole.
220	* WagonTrainToTheStars: A series takes place on a ship.
221	* TheWarOfEarthlyAggression: The Earth is the leader of an interplanetary group, but some of the planets start a revolution.
222	* WeaponizedExhaust: A spaceship's exhaust fumes are used as a weapon.
223	* WhatOtherGalaxies: Dialogue that suggests this is the only galaxy.
224	* WizardsFromOuterSpace: Fantasy stuff happens in space.
225	* ZeroGSpot: Sex in space.
226	* ZodiacMotifs: Constellations that are used as a motif.
227	[[/index]]
228
229	!!Useful Notes:
230	[[index]]
231	* UsefulNotes/BlackHoles
232	* UsefulNotes/TheMilkyWayGalaxy
233	* UsefulNotes/{{Planets}}
234	** UsefulNotes/DwarfPlanets
235	* UsefulNotes/TheSolarSystem
236	** UsefulNotes/TheSun
237	** Solar System Planets:
238	*** UsefulNotes/{{Mercury}}
239	*** UsefulNotes/{{Venus}}
240	*** UsefulNotes/{{Earth}}
241	*** UsefulNotes/{{Mars}}
242	*** UsefulNotes/{{Jupiter}}
243	*** UsefulNotes/{{Saturn}}
244	*** UsefulNotes/{{Uranus}}
245	*** UsefulNotes/{{Neptune}}
246	** Natural Satellites / Moons:
247	*** UsefulNotes/TheMoon
248	*** UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfJupiter
249	*** UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfSaturn
250	*** UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfUranus
251	[[/index]]
252	----
253	->[-''[[Creator/MelBrooks See! TROPES! IN! SPAAAAAAAAAACE!]]''-]

Context Main / TropesInSpace