->''"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."''
-->-- '''Franchise/StarWars'''

The universe is in danger. There is a quest to save the world, and a hero to undertake it. They meet aliens and exotic creatures, they travel from planet to planet, and fight armies of insurmountable odds to great personal cost, all to beat a powerful and evil villain. The genre is the SpaceOpera, one of the most beloved subgenres in science fiction. Everyone knows a Space Opera when they see it, but then, not everyone can name what elements separate it from any other sci-fi story set in space. How does one write a Space Opera? And more importantly, how does one write a ''good'' Space Opera? Below you'll find some tips to help you do just that...
-----

!'''Necessary Tropes'''

There's a poem by Creator/BrianAldiss that is often considered the descriptor for the ideal Space Opera, so it can be used as a solid model for writing one. We'll go over it line-by-line.

* '''The world must be in peril:''' As a general rule, Space Operas are about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. You'll find exceptions--''Anime/CowboyBebop'' is one--but those tend to be only marginally considered Space Operas. The "classic" model will present world- or often galaxy-ending stakes. This is often represented by some kind of MacGuffin that the heroes need to protect, retrieve, or destroy in order to prevent the villain's victory. Other times it's simply about leading a charge against TheEmpire's army to prevent their conquest of the galaxy. Check out ApocalypseHow and explore the "[[ApocalypseHow/ClassX Planetary]]", "[[ApocalypseHow/ClassX2 Stellar]]", and "[[ApocalypseHow/ClassX3 Galactic]]" levels for ideas on how to achieve this.
* '''There must be a quest:''' In order to prevent the End of the World, the hero will invariably have to go on a journey. As mentioned above, it's usually a matter of escorting a MacGuffin across the galaxy to get it to a hiding place or to be able to use it against the villains. The important point, though, is travel; people read and watch Space Operas to see the exotic locations. Popular locales are [[MulticulturalAlienPlanet cities where a multitude of races intermingle]], often with a [[BarFullOfAliens hive of scum and villany]], or any variety of [[SingleBiomePlanet Single Biome Planets]]; ice planets, forest planets, desert planets, cloud planets, volcanic planets... the limits are your own imagination. The only requirement is that you choose a couple of diverse locales to bounce between.
* '''And a man or woman to meet the mighty hour:''' At the center of this story must be the main character. Space Opera heroes are rarely very complex; they don't have a lot of moral quandaries, and even when they're a LovableRogue, they tend to be [[ButNotTooEvil just a click beneath]] your run-of-the-mill hero types, meaning they're a little more prone to being snarky and are open about their selfish interests, even though they're willing to put them aside for the greater good[[note]][[Film/HotFuzz THE GREATER GOOD]][[/note]]. Most examples of Space Operas tend to feature a man in the central role, but don't let that stop you from creating a kick-ass heroine. On the other hand, it's almost unheard of for Space Operas to [[MostWritersAreHuman star an alien]]; your story is guaranteed to be marketed to humans, and starring a fellow human makes them easier to sympathize with. Sometimes the humans [[AmbiguouslyHuman aren't even from Earth]]; in ''Franchise/StarWars'', despite taking place in a galaxy far, far away, humans that are identical to Earthlings are all over the galaxy without so much as an explanation. In ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}'', Earth explicitly ''exists'', but all the aliens encountered in the story are HumanAliens (with the exception of [[Creator/BrianBlessed BRIAN BLESSED]]'s [[WingedHumanoid Winged Humanoids]]), although the titular hero is still from Earth. {{take a third option}} and perhaps go the [[Franchise/Ben10 Ben 10]] route by making the human protagonist have the ability to shapeshift into an alien.
* '''That man or woman must confront aliens and exotic creatures:''' So we've established that the ''hero'' has to be human, but that doesn't mean that the entire cast has to as well. Just as important as the exotic locations are the exotic creatures that live in them, and a good Space Opera has a ton of interesting aliens. Sometimes they'll be the villains, but more often they'll be [[TokenNonHuman part of the main character's team]], or at least make the background look interesting. Expect the really exotic aliens--the ones who don't look human at all--to play minor parts in the story, often appearing only in a single scene. This is usually for budgetary reasons (in tv and films), but can also be because they will be harder to relate to for the audience (in other mediums). That shouldn't stop you from pulling out all the stops to create the weirdest aliens you can imagine. That's not you say [[AbsentAliens you must have aliens in your story]], but keep this information in mind if you want an expansive universe.
* '''Space must flow past the ports like wine from a pitcher:''' As mentioned above, Space Operas take place primarily ''in space''. They differ from Planetary Romance by virtue of jumping between multiple planets, as opposed to taking place on a single alien world. Expect to have at least one scene that takes place entirely on the main characters' space ship, probably transitioning into a SpaceBattle.
* '''Blood must rain down the palace steps:''' This line serves two purposes. The first part indicates the stakes of the adventure. Lives will be lost, and there will often be some kind of BigBadassBattleSequence between the villain's army, and whoever the hero can rally to help him. [[BloodlessCarnage It's admittedly rare for blood to be shown onscreen, though.]] The second part mentions a palace, and refers to the fantasy-esque nature of the genre. Space Operas are basically fantasies that use science-fiction elements. Planets are effectively just different cities, in a narrative sense, hence the propagation of the SingleBiomePlanet. Many of them still use magic, and castles, and royalty as major plot devices. It's just that instead of [[StandardFantasyRaces elves and dwarves]], you have aliens.
* '''And ships launch out into the louring dark:''' As mentioned before, spaceships are essential to this sort of narrative. Your characters need a CoolShip to travel in, and the villains should have a variety of their own, equally cool, but more menacing ships. In recent years, it's become more popular to have the characters ride in a [[WhatAPieceOfJunk piece of junk]]--although the ship will invariably look cool to the viewers, the players will constantly complain about how outdated and poorly maintained their ship is. The ship should be [[SettingAsACharacter treated as a character in its own right]]; the main cast should never describe their ship as an "it", instead following the long-standing tradition of ships being given [[AlwaysFemale female pronouns]]. You as the writer should develop a design, a history, and a "personality" for the ship, even if you don't end up making it a SapientShip. If the ship is destroyed, treat it like a character death, with all the gravity and grief associated with it.
* '''There must be a woman or man fairer than the skies:''' Generally the story features a QuestGiver, more often than not in the form of princess, although [[TheGoodKing kings]] are not unheard of. This character will invariably be [[NonActionGuy someone who stays out of the action]], although sometimes they will [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething accompany the hero]] on their journey, despite being largely unskilled in combat. Just because the trope is implicitly about royalty doesn't mean it has to be; in ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', Simon Tam is very much an example of this trope, coming from a privileged background, having to learn from the ground up how to be helpful, and presenting the problem that carries the whole season.
* '''And a villain darker than a Black Hole:''' [[LoveToHate It's amazing that we've gotten this far without talking about the villain.]] Villains in Space Operas tend to be pretty unambiguous. Just as heroes tend to be all-around good guys, the villains are almost never anti-heroes. They tend to be pretty loose with the FinalSolution, and usually [[OrcusOnHisThrone stay pretty close to their empire]], preferring to send [[FacelessGoons minions]] to do their bidding. But this lack of ambiguity doesn't mean they're boring; in fact, the villain is sometimes [[EnsembleDarkhorse the most popular figure]] in a Space Opera. Usually a human, but sometimes the evil empire are made up of a [[AlwaysChaoticEvil villainous alien race]]. Alternatively, the villain may be a human that commands an army of aliens. Usually ends up dying pretty spectacularly, but if their cause is shown to be [[AlasPoorVillain at least somewhat reasonable]], they may end up [[HeelFaceTurn redeeming themselves]] or coming to some sort of [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath peaceful agreement]].
* '''And all must come right in the end:''' Space Operas tend to be pretty far on the idealistic side of the [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism Sliding Scale]], so they almost always have a HappyEnding. The villain is defeated, the hero gets what they wanted, and they get to return home to much fanfare and parades. This is very rarely subverted or even challenged.

!'''Choices, Choices'''

As much as the above poem indicates some generalized requirements, by no means are you expected to use ''all'' of them. [[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl The poem is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules]]. Do you want your story to involve the End of the Galaxy As We Know It? That's great! But if you'd rather tell a story about a [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits Ragtag Bunch of]] [[SpacePirates Scavengers]], traversing the galaxy and stealing from other ships, that's fine, too. And if you're not sure which one appeals to you more, well, [[JustForFun/XMeetsY why not both?]]

That's another important thing to note; much like the [[SuperHero superhero genre]], Space Operas can get boring if you treat them as having a set plotline. Space Operas really lend themselves to GenreBlending, hence the RecycledInSpace gag; it's not hard at all to take something like ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' and retell it as a Space Opera. Most Space Operas follow the basic set-up of a HeroicFantasy, and transmute the tropes into space. You could structure your story as a typical [[TheCaper Heist Movie]], but instead of a TrainJob it's an [[FasterThanLightTravel FTL]] spaceship. You could base your story on classic {{Pirate}} movies, but with [[SpaceIsAnOcean the void of space replacing the ocean]]. Or you could base your Space Opera on a [[TheWestern cowboy movie]], but then you run the risk of sliding into a SpaceWestern, which is different from a Space Opera. Then again, you could always just combine the tropes of a Space Opera with a Space Western and see how it works out!

!'''Pitfalls'''

There are a couple of easy mistakes to fall into when writing a Space Opera that could totally bog down the story. While the examples that work often become [[CultClassic Cult Classics]], the ones that don't become known as [[BileFascination laughingstocks]]--or worse, [[SoOkayItsAverage are completely forgettable]]. Fortunately, those failed attempts give us a good basis for what ''not'' to do when making a Space Opera.

One easy pitfall is to spend too much time on world-building. While it is important to figure out the details of how your universe works, this isn't information that needs to be shared with the audience unless it's going to be important. If your characters are going to a planet where [[HostileWeather the rain is acidic]], that's one thing. We don't really need to know every intricacy of the planet's economic system, how their leaders are elected, the history of their major countries, etc. It's good that you, the author, know the answers to these questions ''in case they come up'', but if they don't come up...well, there's a difference between [[ShownTheirWork showing your work]] and dropping an unnecessary InfoDump. World-building should always be limited to what is necessary for the ''story'', and should never overtake the characters or the plot. It's better to have fun characters and an intriguing plot with vague world-building than to create flat characters and a boring plot to show off the cool world you made.

That said, if you do too ''little'' world-building, you run the risk of creating plot holes for yourself. As mentioned above, it's important that ''you'' know how your universe works, even if you don't disclose it over the course of your story.

!'''Potential Subversions'''
* Whenever aliens are involved in the story, the ones who often get the most attention are usually RubberForeheadAliens, HumanAliens, AmazingTechnicolorPopulation aliens (especially [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe Green-Skinned Space Babes]]), TheGreys, LittleGreenMen, as well as other, very [[HumanoidAliens humanoid]] aliens. More exotic-looking aliens are often shoved into the background, or, if they are [[LizardFolk Reptilian Aliens]] or InsectoidAliens, are treated as AlwaysChaoticEvil races. RubberForeheadAliens and other human-looking aliens are good for creators facing budgetary restraints, especially in the world of live-action films and television shows. Unfortunately, they also tend to look cheap and generic, especially since space is a setting that is rich with opportunities. So, if you have a large enough budget, or you are working in a medium where budget is less of a concern, maybe you should consider making your alien characters more...well, alien. There are an endless number of creative designs to put together, from simply less human-looking [[HumanoidAliens humanoids]], to StarfishAliens, StarfishRobots, [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]], and everything in-between. It may be harder to make such aliens relatable, but as long as you have imagination, it is NOT impossible.
----
!'''Departments'''

!!'''Casting Director'''
The cast of a Space Opera--or, honestly, any piece of media--is the most important part. You'll want characters that are unusual enough to be interesting, but familiar enough to be relatable. Fortunately, the Space Opera comes with its own set of character tropes that you can play with.
* '''TheHero''': The [[LanternJawOfJustice square-jawed]] protagonist of the story. They are usually TheCaptain of their spaceship, armed with a RayGun and a [[GuileHero sharp wit]] with which to outsmart their enemies. This character has a trick up their sleeve for nearly every situation, and is often staunchly just and good, to the point of skirting the edge of being an InvincibleHero. Sometimes they have a background in the military or law enforcement. Traditionally presented as AlwaysMale, but nothing's stopping you from creating a [[ActionGirl heroine]] in the same vein. A little harder to subvert is that this character is Always Human; after all, your audience is [[MostWritersAreHuman almost always human]], and you want them to be able to empathize with and project onto this character. One popular subversion is to turn this character into a KidHero, and have them be a NaiveNewcomer to the larger world of the Space Opera, serving as something as an AudienceSurrogate both in that the audience learns about the world alongside them, and the target audience is usually teens. (Examples: ComicStrip/BuckRogers, ComicStrip/FlashGordon, ComicBook/{{Valerian}}, [[VideoGame/MassEffect Commander Shepard]].)
* '''The LovableRogue''': Diametrically opposed to the staunch, just hero is this character, the amoral JerkWithAHeartOfGold. They are always portrayed as [[OnlyInItForTheMoney in it for the money]], and don't much care about SavingTheWorld or [[NotInThisForYourRevolution overthrowing the empire]]. They usually work as a [[VenturousSmuggler smuggler]], [[GentlemanThief thief]], [[BountyHunter bounty hunter]], [[SpacePirates space pirate]], or some other profession that allows them to be charming yet more morally loose than TheHero. Expect them to be [[EnsembleDarkHorse the coolest character]], with the [[DeadpanSnarker best one-liners]] and the [[GuileHero best solutions to bad situations]]. If put on the same crew as TheHero, they will often be TheLancer, and the Hero might be presented as less witty by comparison and more of a stickler for the rules. They will almost always be--or, at least, consider themselves to be--an AcePilot. This is another trope that is [[AlwaysMale usually male]] and [[MostWritersAreHuman always human]]. (Examples: [[Film/ANewHope Han Solo]], [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014 Peter Quill]], [[Anime/CowboyBebop Spike Spiegel]]).
* '''ActionGirl''': Since the protagonists of these series are so often male, there is often also a badass female character for them to play off of. These characters are often [[HyperCompetentSidekick more skilled than the hero]], so as to prevent them from being the useless chick, and will often avert the GuysSmashGirlsShoot trope. Expect them to have some sort of [[BrokenBird tragic backstory]]. This trope is obviously AlwaysFemale, but is much more likely to be [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe some kind of alien]]. (Examples: [[Film/TheForceAwakens Rey]], [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014 Gamora]], [[Anime/CowboyBebop Faye Valentine]]).
* '''TheEngineer''': If you're spending most of your time on a spaceship, you'd better have someone on your crew who can deal with the AppliedPhlebotinum that runs it. This character is the GadgeteerGenius, often far more familiar with the inner workings of a spaceship than anyone else onboard. They tend to be something of a [[NonActionGuy Non-Action Hero]], focusing on keeping the ship running. This trope is rarely the protagonist, varies in species as well as gender, with [[MrFixit Mr. Fixits]] being about as common as [[WrenchWench Wrench Wenches]]. (Examples: [[Film/StarTrek2009 Montgomery Scott]], [[Series/{{Firefly}} Kaylee Frye]], [[Series/{{Andromeda}} Seamus Harper]])
* '''The ProudWarriorRaceGuy''': A stock alien character, this guy--or girl, if combined with ActionGirl--will sometimes be the TokenNonHuman, and provide some world-building through juxtaposing their culture against human culture. Will often be either TheStoic or a BoisterousBruiser, and will always be TheBigGuy. Expect them to [[HaveIMentionedIAmADwarfToday talk about their alien culture all the time]], and any personality quirks will be related to their culture. Might [[FantasyCounterpartCulture take their cues]] from famous Real Life Examples, most likely [[HornyVikings Vikings]], [[TheSpartanWay Spartans]], or [[FeudalJapan samurai]]. (Examples: [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Worf]], [[Series/{{Andromeda}} Tyr Asanazi]], [[Film/JupiterAscending Caine Wise]]).
* '''[[TelepathicSpacemen The Psychic]]''': Another stock alien, it's pretty common to see alien telepaths as the TokenNonHuman. More recently, outright psychics have been replaced with [[TheEmpath empaths]], which are a little less [[OverpoweredTropes overpowered]]. When paired with a ProudWarriorRaceGuy, they'll often have an ElvesVersusDwarves relationship, with the telepathic aliens serving as the more demure SpaceElves, compared to the dwarf-like warrior race. A fun twist on this trope is to have the character be a CloudCuckooLander, due to their overload on other people's thoughts and feelings. This trope is often female, so you can expect this character to be the resident GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe. (Examples: [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Deanna Troi]], [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2 Mantis]], [[Film/BattleBeyondTheStars Nestor]])
* '''The InnocentFanserviceGirl''': Despite being a bit dated, this is a trope that has managed to endure into the modern era. There is some [[JustifiedTrope justifiable]] logic to it; there's no reason why an alien race [[ValuesDissonance would have the same taboos]] concerning sex that humans do, especially when many cultures acknowledge how wonky they are. Nonetheless, there's no mistaking why this character exists; it's because SexSells. Usually, the conceit of the character is that she has NoNudityTaboo, and is CultureBlind to human customs of modesty. Personality-wise, they will either have a [[GenkiGirl childlike innocence]], or be stoic to the point of [[EmotionlessGirl emotionlessness]]. A subversion that's beginning to gain some traction is to combine this trope with the Proud Warrior Race and make the character a little more HotBlooded. Obviously, this trope is almost always a MsFanservice, but it could be refreshing to see a [[MrFanservice male version]] instead. (Examples: [[Film/TheFifthElement Leeloo]], [[Series/{{Farscape}} Chiana]], [[Film/{{Barbarella}} Barbarella]])
* '''The EvilOverlord''': Where there's a [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits Ragtag Bunch Of Heroes]], there's an evil overlord for them to topple. Villains are one of the highlights of the genre, and so their appearance must be immediately striking. Many a Space Opera has gone the route of EvilIsHammy by giving their antagonist a flair for the dramatic. The risk here is that, by making the villain too flamboyant, they might come off as a SissyVillain. A good villain must be intimidating, though, and a tried and true method is to use the TinTyrant; put them in darkly colored full-body armor that completely obscures their features, and give them [[TheStoic the personality of an iceberg]]. In case you couldn't already tell, this character will often be a Darth Vader {{Expy}}. Bonus points for a baritone or a voice modulator. Consult the StandardEvilEmpireHierarchy for some ideas of who might be working under your main villain. (Examples: [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack Darth Vader]], [[Film/FlashGordon1980 Emperor Ming]], [[Film/BattleBeyondTheStars Sador of the Malmori]])

!!'''Set Designer''' / '''Location Scout'''
As mentioned above, part of the appeal of a Space Opera over any other type of science fiction is that you get to explore all sorts of exciting new planets. If that's not something you think you can have fun with, you might be better off working with a different sort of sci-fi genre. You're going to have to design at least two; if you only design one alien planet and set your entire story there, then we're dealing with a PlanetaryRomance. If you're dealing with a movie, you might want to rely on the ThreeActStructure to dictate your settings, because many films will have location changes coincide with act changes[[note]]Easy example; in ''Star Wars'', the first act is primarily on Tatooine, the second act are interiors for the Death Star and the Millennium Falcon, and the final act is the space battle around the Death Star.[[/note]] This will leave you with about three planets. If you're working in a more serial format, you'll have dozens of planets, and can expect to create as much as a new planet for each instalment. To make this process easier, you'll probably have to rely a bit on PlanetOfHats. This is a good time for the reminder that [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools Tropes Are Not Bad]], and a couple of shortcuts like Planet Of Hats or the SingleBiomePlanet exist for a reason. If you're only going to be on this planet for a couple of scenes, there's no reason that you have to stress about every single detail of the planet when a nice, memorable gimmick will suffice.

The second thing to remember is that ArtisticLicense exists. While it's always fun to notice scientific accuracy in science fiction, it's not completely necessary. The fun of Speculative Fiction is the speculative part, so feel free to come up with things that are not entirely plausible according to modern science. Don't go overboard, of course, as an idea that's too ridiculous will break your audience's WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief. One recurring example is FasterThanLightTravel; according to basically every law of physics, it's impossible. However, for any sort of interstellar travel to be viable, your characters would need to move faster than the speed of light. Thus, this is considered an [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality Acceptable Break From Reality]]. There are various other typical sci-fi tropes--aliens, mutants, droids, clones, [[SlowLaser Slow Lasers]]--that are popular in Space Operas and aren't necessarily supported by modern science. Don't let reality stifle your imagination!

!!'''Costume Designer'''
When designing Princess Leia in the original ''Star Wars'' film, George Lucas apparently designed her hairstyle with the intention of creating something that was distinctly outside the fashion of the time, so that it wouldn't inevitably become dated when the '70s had ended. This is the sort of thinking that you'll want to have when it comes to designing your characters' costumes. No one can predict what will be hip in the future, so it's better to come up with something that's out there, rather than rely too heavily on modern sensibilities. If you don't, then a couple decades down the line your Space Opera will be covered in {{Zeerust}}. That being said, that's not necessarily a bad thing. There's a certain charm to an UnintentionalPeriodPiece that's meant to be set in the future, and some of those end up being cult classics-and if you want to create a RetroUniverse, than this isn't something you need to worry about.

The other challenge is that you have to design different fashion styles for your different alien cultures. Each race should have a distinct look to their clothing that can be easily identified by the audience. You don't have to adhere too closely to this, especially among your multi-ethnic alien crew, but as a general rule, each planet or race should have their own fashion sense. Fortunately, there are plenty of tropes to help you with that. Do you have a race of SpaceElves that live in a pacifistic or so-called "enlightened" society? Well, tradition dictates that they'll wear [[CrystalSpiresAndTogas flowing white togas]]. If you have a proud warrior from a militaristic race, you'll often find them wearing 24HourArmor. A race that lives in a tightly (often uncomfortably) structured society will often symbolically wear FutureSpandex. Nothing says you can't ''subvert'' these tropes, of course, or mix and match aspects of each one, but it's good to know where these ideas come from beforehand.

This is also a good place to talk about alien designs. There's a lot of standard alien types that viewers will expect to see. You'll want to have [[LizardFolk Reptilian Aliens]] and InsectoidAliens, which are some pretty typical [[AlwaysChaoticEvil enemy races]]. TheGreys and some form of LittleGreenMen are also a solid inclusion, with the former working well as [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate mysterious scientists]] while the latter makes a good quirky sidekick. Then, of course, you have your RubberForeheadAliens; these are great on a budget, if you plan for your story to be filmed in live-action--a bit of amateur prosthetics is all that's needed. And much like anime, You Gotta Have Green Skin. A GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe is a classic Space Opera trope. Her skin doesn't have to be green specifically--purple, blue, anything works so long [[AsLongAsItSoundsForeign as long as it looks alien]] enough. It's also become common to feature furry, mammalian aliens--UrsineAliens is the closest tropes, but nothing says they have to be bears. This is without getting into your PlantAliens, [[BlobMonster Blob Monsters]], StarfishAliens, EnergyBeings, [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]], and various other types of aliens you can design. The point is to have fun with it, and let your imagination roam free!

Also, don't feel like you're limited to just humans and aliens for your characters. [[RobotRollCall Robots]], [[{{Cyborg}} cyborgs]], [[ClonesArePeopleToo clones]], [[{{Mutants}} mutants]], and [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots androids]] are all standard fare for a Space Opera as well.

!!'''Props Department'''
{{Ray gun}}s, {{laser blade}}s, and anything in the StandardSciFiFleet are fair game! Generally speaking, though, TheAestheticsOfTechnology in your work should have an internal consistency of some sort. This means that, if one piece of technology is of a certain design style, be it RaygunGothic, CassetteFuturism, [[EverythingIsAnIpodInTheFuture iPod-like]], {{Cyberpunk}}, or some mix of all of the above, most if not all tech in your story should fit into the same style, unless you want to create a different look and feel for technology of different races to make them seem truly ''alien''.

!!'''Stunt Department'''
* Epic space battles between space fighters and warships! Equally epic land battles between footsoldiers and fantastical pieces of machinery! ''HumongousMecha fights,'' in land [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs AND]] space! Swordfights and gunfights [[RecycledInSpace WITH]] [[SlowLaser FRICKIN' LASER BEAMS]]! Anything goes [[RuleOfCool if it's awesome enough.]]
* SciFiFlyby: As a am establishing shot in visual mediums.

----
!'''Writers' Lounge'''

!!'''Suggested Themes and Aesops'''


!!'''Potential Motifs'''

!!'''Suggested Plots'''

----
!'''Extra Credit'''

!!'''The Greats'''
* While certainly not the first Space Opera, the French comic ''[[ComicBook/{{Valerian}} Valerian and Laureline]]'' is arguably one of the most influential examples of the genre in modern times, inspiring some of the most well-remembered Space Operas in recent memory, including ''Star Wars'' and ''The Fifth Element'', and providing a near-universal "look" to the worlds that were yet to come. Take special note of the colorful aliens and intricate planets of artist Jean-Claude Mézières, as well as the banter between the main characters as written by Pierre Christin. These elements would go on to be mimicked in many noteworthy space operas.
* Obviously we can't talk about science fantasy without talking about ''Franchise/StarWars'', arguably the most successful Space Opera of all time. You'll need to be familiar with at least some of the series, but the wealth of movies, cartoons, novels, comics, and video games that make up the ''Star Wars'' canon can be overwhelming. Start with 1976's ''Film/ANewHope'', which is probably the straightest Space Opera of the franchise, then follow up with ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' and ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. Between these three, you'll have enough ''Star Wars'' in your vocabulary to write a decent Space Opera, and if you'd like, you can follow it up with the Prequel Trilogy and the Sequel Trilogy. Pay close attention to the balance between science and fantasy, the presence of magic through The Force[[note]]Midi-chlorians be damned[[/note]], the overwhelming reach of [[TheEmpire the evil Empire]], and the division between land-based action sequences, [[SpaceBattle Space Battles]], and snappy dialogue between fun characters.
* For a more self-contained modern Space Opera, look no further than Luc Besson's ''Valerian''-inspired ''Film/TheFifthElement'', which is a great example of a story taking inspiration from past works without being overtly derivative. You get a host of colorful characters between Leeloo, Cornelius, and especially Ruby Rhod, a properly evil but no less entertaining villain in Zorg, and some memorable alien designs. On top of all that, the plot is properly grand in scale without overwhelming the heroes' journey.
* To shift gears for a moment, another great Space Opera to delve into is ''Anime/CowboyBebop'', which presents a very different image of outer space, where things are just [[UsedFuture a little bit dingier]]. Whereas ''Star Wars'' and ''Valérian'' are based firmly in adventure stories and fantasy, ''Bebop'' builds off of the Western and FilmNoir genres, but setting it in space and centering on a cast that includes a cyborg and a [[FishOutOfTemporalWater cryogenic time-traveller]]. ''Bebop'' features no aliens, but its main focus is on the banter between its main characters, which makes it one of the seminal Space Operas.
* If any work can be considered Space Opera concentrate, it's [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse Marvel's]] ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014''. This film really captures the feel of the classic Space Operas, but makes use of modern CGI technology to present a vast array of colorful aliens, both in the background and among the main characters, including two of the weirdest characters in the genre; a [[FunnyAnimal mutant raccoon]] and a [[PlantPerson a walking tree]] that [[PokemonSpeak can only say one phrase]]. Between these two, and Star-Lord's [[NoSuchThingAsAlienPopCulture obsession with nostalgia]] and Drax's [[BluntMetaphorsTrauma inability to understand metaphors]], the film really showcases how weird this genre can be. At the same time, the plot is a great example of a solid MacGuffin story, and the interplay between the various characters, as well as the culture clash inherent in Drax's premise, makes for a [[{{Reconstruction}} great use]] of the genre's conventions.
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect'' is a great {{Reconstruction}} of the classic Space Opera and all its usual tropes: It makes a straight example of CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth believable in Commander Shepard and does away entirely with the PlanetOfHats trope by making your two closest allies, [[TheLancer Garrus]] and [[TheEngineer Tali]], respectively the same races as the BigBad of the first game and the creators of the Geth, who in turn are revealed to be GoodAllAlong come the second game.
* The ''Literature/FoundationSeries'' is an early example, dating back from the Golden Age of science fiction, and while it did inspire loads of later space operas (Franchise/StarWars is one, {{Literature/Dune}} is another), but it's unique on its own merits, given how it gleefully [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructs]] and [[{{Subversion}} subverts]] common space opera tropes, [[UnbuiltTrope even before they were commonly used.]]

!!'''The Epic Fails'''

----