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* IntangibleTimeTravel: The protagonist travels through both time ''and'' space this way. The various planets he (and his companions) visit are scattered throughout every age of the Galaxy.



* StarfishAliens: Literally. The Echinoderms are intelligent beings that evolved from a starfish-like creature. In general, the book describes a great many very bizarre life forms, including [[spoiler:intelligent stars and nebulae]].

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* StarfishAliens: Literally. The Echinoderms are Several examples.
** {{Subverted}} with the Echinoderms,
intelligent beings that evolved from a starfish-like creature. creature but ended up with a humanoid body plan.
**
In general, the book describes a great many very bizarre life forms, including living ships and [[spoiler:intelligent stars and nebulae]].

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* [[spoiler: EvilCannotComprehendGood: The warlike civilizations end up succumbing to the telepathic entreaties of an advanced star cluster, with societies geared for conquest unable to transition to peaceful ways of life and collapsing.]]



* TheMultiverse: [[spoiler:Some of the Star Maker's later creations consist of more than one universe.]]



* MentalFusion[=/=]AssimilationPlot: A simbiotic race eventually replaces physical simbiosis with a mental one. Later civilizations have species-wide telepathy that grants them a shared consciousness. [[spoiler: This later spreads to most of the universe.]]

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* MentalFusion[=/=]AssimilationPlot: A simbiotic symbiotic race eventually replaces physical simbiosis symbiosis with a mental one. Later civilizations have species-wide telepathy that grants them a shared consciousness. [[spoiler: This later spreads to most of the universe.]]
* TheMultiverse: [[spoiler:Some of the Star Maker's later creations consist of more than one universe.
]]


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* PostHistoricalTrauma: The mental anguish caused by various species succumbing to accident or nefarious means occasionally affects the explorers' minds, sometimes slowing down or even stopping their ability to travel across space.


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* SufficientlyAdvancedAliens: Those on a high-enough plane of existence are literally incomprehensible to the explorers until they themselves become more acquainted with more advanced modes of thinking.
* TelepathicSpacemen: Telepathy turns out to be one of the key ways to communicate across the stars.
* {{Utopia}}: From planetary to galactic ones.

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* AlienNonInterferenceClause

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* AlienNonInterferenceClauseAliensNeverInventedTheWheel: Many aquatic civilizations stagnate in industry due to the difficulty in creating fires underwater.
* AlienNonInterferenceClause: [[spoiler: During the time of the United Empire's conquests, a star cluster with a very advanced race of symbiotic telepaths ignores the pleas of pacifist populations until they themselves are attacked.]]



* HiveMind: Several of the species the author visits have this. A single specimen is just an animal, but a shared consciousness of a swarm is an equivalent of an individual.

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* HiveMind: Several of the species the author visits have this.this, like a few InsectoidAliens. A single specimen is just an animal, but a shared consciousness of a swarm is an equivalent of an individual.



* PlantAliens: An entire subgroup of intelligent lifeforms, with one species switching between sessile and motile modes playing a key role in galactic evolution.




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* TheSymbiote: A few species, particularly one between an aquatic fish-like species and a land-dwelling arachnoid race. [[WeAreStrugglingTogether The tension between their different lifestyles]] underpins their planetary evolution and history.
* VertebrateWithExtraLimbs: On planets populated with intelligent centaurs.
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* AnAesop: It is important to love your neighbor, and to balance action with contemplation.


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* BizarreAlienBiology: Many strange examples, the least exotic being a species similar to human that [[{{Squick}} regurgitate the cud to feed their young.]]


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* HumanoidAliens: Many of the planets visited, like the first one, have inhabitants with familiar bipedal anatomy.


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* NoSuchThingAsAlienPopCulture: Thoroughly {{Averted}} with the description of the Other Earth whose inhabitants have taste as a primary sense, and therefore a more gustatory media as opposed to a visual one.

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* DysonSphere: The [[UrExample actual origin of the concept]] (Dyson himself said they should have been called "Stapledon spheres"), though it's mentioned only briefly.

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* DeflectorShields: Necessary for interplanetary travel to protect against impacts from space dust.
* DysonSphere: The [[UrExample actual origin of the concept]] (Dyson himself said they should have been called "Stapledon spheres"), though it's mentioned only briefly. Other types of [[SpaceStation Space Stations]] are more common.



* ThePowerOfFriendship: [[spoiler:Progression into higher stages of being requires the ability to live in a community of diverse minds.]]




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* [[spoiler: TheStarsAreGoingOut: Some sentient stars explode themselves to rid them of the interfering planetary beings. Thankfully, this stops eventually.]]

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* TheEmpire: What some of the advanced civilizations end up as.
* TheFederation: What the other civilizations become.
* TheMultiverse: [[spoiler:Some of the Star Maker's later creations consist of more than one universe.]]



* TheEmpire: What some of the advanced civilizations end up as.
* TheFederation: What the other civilizations become.
* TheMultiverse: [[spoiler:Some of the Star Maker's later creations consist of more than one universe.]]

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* TheEmpire: What some of the advanced civilizations end up as.
* TheFederation: What the other civilizations become.
* TheMultiverse: [[spoiler:Some of the Star Maker's later creations consist of more than one universe.]]
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Not So Different has been renamed, and it needs to be dewicked/moved


* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler:Having become a part of the multigalactic overmind, the protagonist remains unaffected by the suffering of civilizations and individual beings, reasoning that their suffering ultimately serves a higher purpose. Yet he is horrified to find out that the Star Maker himself is just as indifferent to his own suffering for the very same reason.]]

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* NotSoDifferent: NotSoDifferentRemark: [[spoiler:Having become a part of the multigalactic overmind, the protagonist remains unaffected by the suffering of civilizations and individual beings, reasoning that their suffering ultimately serves a higher purpose. Yet he is horrified to find out that the Star Maker himself is just as indifferent to his own suffering for the very same reason.]]
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* DysonSphere: The actual origin of the concept (Dyson himself said they should have been called "Stapledon spheres"), though it's mentioned only briefly.

to:

* DysonSphere: The [[UrExample actual origin of the concept concept]] (Dyson himself said they should have been called "Stapledon spheres"), though it's mentioned only briefly.

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* HiveMind: several of the species the author visits have this. A single specimen is just an animal, but a shared consciousness of a swarm is an equivalent of an individual.

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* HiveMind: several Several of the species the author visits have this. A single specimen is just an animal, but a shared consciousness of a swarm is an equivalent of an individual.



* TheMultiverse: [[spoiler: Some of the Star Maker's later creations consist of more than one universe.]]


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* TheMultiverse: [[spoiler:Some of the Star Maker's later creations consist of more than one universe.]]
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* [[spoiler: ArtEvolution: The Star Maker's motivation to create a new universe after he is done with the previous one.]]

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* [[spoiler: ArtEvolution: [[spoiler: The Star Maker's motivation to create a new universe after he is done with the previous one.]]



* [[spoiler:GodIsEvil: Or at least remarkably callous toward the suffering of his creations.]]

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* [[spoiler:GodIsEvil: Or GodIsEvil: [[spoiler:Or at least remarkably callous toward the suffering of his creations.]]
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* AlienGeometries: [[spoiler: Not all of the Star Maker's creations are Euclidean. there are even some of them that are made of sound, some have time but lack space.]]

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* AlienGeometries: [[spoiler: Not all of the Star Maker's creations are Euclidean. there There are even some of them that are made of sound, some have time but lack space.]]



* MentalFusion[=/=]AssimilationPlot: A simbiotic race eventually replaces physical simbiosis with a mental one. Later civilizations have species-wide and telepathy that grants them a shared consciousness. [[spoiler: This later spreads to most of the universe.]]

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* MentalFusion[=/=]AssimilationPlot: A simbiotic race eventually replaces physical simbiosis with a mental one. Later civilizations have species-wide and telepathy that grants them a shared consciousness. [[spoiler: This later spreads to most of the universe.]]
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* AlienGeometries: Not all of the Star Maker's creations are Euclidean. there are even some of them that are made of sound, some have time but lack space.

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* AlienGeometries: [[spoiler: Not all of the Star Maker's creations are Euclidean. there are even some of them that are made of sound, some have time but lack space.]]

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* AlienGeometries: Not all of the Star Maker's creations are Euclidean. there are even some of them that are made of sound, some have time but lack space.



* [[spoiler: ArtEvolution: The Star Maker's motivation to create a new universe after he is done with the previous one.]]



* DysonSphere - The actual origin of the concept (Dyson himself said they should have been called "Stapledon spheres"), though it's mentioned only briefly.
* GeniusLoci - Later space civilizations eventually create them.
* [[spoiler:GodIsEvil - Or at least remarkably callous toward the suffering of his creations.]]
* HeavyWorlder - The beings designed to inhabit the white dwarfs, after there are few "living" stars left.
* HollowWorld
* InsignificantLittleBluePlanet - The entire history of humanity from the first to the last men leaves absolutely no impact on the history of the galaxy, let alone the universe.
* NotSoDifferent - [[spoiler:Having become a part of the multigalactic overmind, the protagonist remains unaffected by the suffering of civilizations and individual beings, reasoning that their suffering ultimately serves a higher purpose. Yet he is horrified to find out that the Star Maker himself is just as indifferent to his own suffering for the very same reason.]]
* StarfishAliens - Literally. The Echinoderms are intelligent beings that evolved from a starfish-like creature. In general, the book describes a great many very bizarre life forms, including [[spoiler:intelligent stars and nebulae]].

to:

* DysonSphere - DysonSphere: The actual origin of the concept (Dyson himself said they should have been called "Stapledon spheres"), though it's mentioned only briefly.
* GeniusLoci - GeniusLoci: Later space civilizations eventually create them.
sentient planets.
* [[spoiler:GodIsEvil - [[spoiler:GodIsEvil: Or at least remarkably callous toward the suffering of his creations.]]
* HeavyWorlder - HeavyWorlder: The beings designed to inhabit the white dwarfs, after there are few "living" stars left.
* HollowWorld
HiveMind: several of the species the author visits have this. A single specimen is just an animal, but a shared consciousness of a swarm is an equivalent of an individual.
* InsignificantLittleBluePlanet - HollowWorld: The artificial planets as well as all the "dead" stars eventually.
* InsignificantLittleBluePlanet: [[Literature/LastAndFirstMen
The entire history of humanity from the first to the last men men]] leaves absolutely no impact on the history of the galaxy, let alone the universe.
* NotSoDifferent - MentalFusion[=/=]AssimilationPlot: A simbiotic race eventually replaces physical simbiosis with a mental one. Later civilizations have species-wide and telepathy that grants them a shared consciousness. [[spoiler: This later spreads to most of the universe.]]
* NotSoDifferent:
[[spoiler:Having become a part of the multigalactic overmind, the protagonist remains unaffected by the suffering of civilizations and individual beings, reasoning that their suffering ultimately serves a higher purpose. Yet he is horrified to find out that the Star Maker himself is just as indifferent to his own suffering for the very same reason.]]
* StarfishAliens - StarfishAliens: Literally. The Echinoderms are intelligent beings that evolved from a starfish-like creature. In general, the book describes a great many very bizarre life forms, including [[spoiler:intelligent stars and nebulae]].nebulae]].
* TheMultiverse: [[spoiler: Some of the Star Maker's later creations consist of more than one universe.]]
* TheEmpire: What some of the advanced civilizations end up as.
* TheFederation: What the other civilizations become.

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* BlueAndOrangeMorality: [[spoiler: The stars, as well as the Star Maker.]]



* GodIsEvil - Or at least remarkably callous toward the suffering of his creations.

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* GodIsEvil GeniusLoci - Later space civilizations eventually create them.
* [[spoiler:GodIsEvil
- Or at least remarkably callous toward the suffering of his creations.]]



* NotSoDifferent - [[spoiler:Having become a multigalactic overmind, the protagonist remains unaffected by the suffering of civilizations and individual beings, reasoning that their suffering ultimately serves a higher purpose. Yet he is horrified to find out that the Star Maker himself is just as indifferent to his own suffering for the very same reason.]]

to:

* InsignificantLittleBluePlanet - The entire history of humanity from the first to the last men leaves absolutely no impact on the history of the galaxy, let alone the universe.
* NotSoDifferent - [[spoiler:Having become a part of the multigalactic overmind, the protagonist remains unaffected by the suffering of civilizations and individual beings, reasoning that their suffering ultimately serves a higher purpose. Yet he is horrified to find out that the Star Maker himself is just as indifferent to his own suffering for the very same reason.]]
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None

Added DiffLines:

* NotSoDifferent - [[spoiler:Having become a multigalactic overmind, the protagonist remains unaffected by the suffering of civilizations and individual beings, reasoning that their suffering ultimately serves a higher purpose. Yet he is horrified to find out that the Star Maker himself is just as indifferent to his own suffering for the very same reason.]]
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[[quoteright:175:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/StarMaker_1812.jpg]]
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A 1937 ScienceFiction novel by Creator/OlafStapledon, and a sequel of sorts to ''Literature/LastAndFirstMen''. When he decided that the former book -- which chronicled the entire (future) history of humankind -- had not been nearly ambitious enough, Stapledon followed it up with a history of the entire universe, culminating in a brief glimpse into the nature and history of God himself (the titular Star Maker).

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A ''Star Maker'' is a 1937 ScienceFiction novel by Creator/OlafStapledon, and a sequel of sorts to ''Literature/LastAndFirstMen''. When he decided that the former book -- which chronicled the entire (future) history of humankind -- had not been nearly ambitious enough, Stapledon followed it up with a history of the entire universe, culminating in a brief glimpse into the nature and history of God himself (the titular Star Maker).
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Added DiffLines:

A 1937 ScienceFiction novel by Creator/OlafStapledon, and a sequel of sorts to ''Literature/LastAndFirstMen''. When he decided that the former book -- which chronicled the entire (future) history of humankind -- had not been nearly ambitious enough, Stapledon followed it up with a history of the entire universe, culminating in a brief glimpse into the nature and history of God himself (the titular Star Maker).

Like ''Literature/LastAndFirstMen'', the story's viewpoint grows broader and broader as it progresses, though this time it is a broadness not only of time but of space. After examining several individual alien societies in some detail, the book's perspective gradually pulls back from a planetary to a galactic scale, then to a universal scale, and finally to a viewpoint that encompasses the Star Maker himself and all of his various created universes.

Also like its predecessor, it's told through the framing device of a man (Stapledon himself, presumably) being given this "guided tour" of reality telepathically by advanced beings from the future.

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!! This novel provides examples of:
* AlienNonInterferenceClause
* CreationMyth
* DysonSphere - The actual origin of the concept (Dyson himself said they should have been called "Stapledon spheres"), though it's mentioned only briefly.
* GodIsEvil - Or at least remarkably callous toward the suffering of his creations.
* HeavyWorlder - The beings designed to inhabit the white dwarfs, after there are few "living" stars left.
* HollowWorld
* StarfishAliens - Literally. The Echinoderms are intelligent beings that evolved from a starfish-like creature. In general, the book describes a great many very bizarre life forms, including [[spoiler:intelligent stars and nebulae]].
----

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