History Main / SpaceCadet

* Buzz Lightyear from ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' is an homage/parody of this trope. He later received his own spinoff ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'', in which he plays the trope straight.

%%** Various midshipmen

For those of you who came here looking for the term's idiomatic meaning, that's a CloudCuckooLander.

** In the sequel "The Light Brigade", the cadet (also played by Creator/WilWheaton) was assigned to the ''Light Brigade'' during its mission to destroy the aliens' homeworld with a subatomic bomb due to the influence of his father, a member of the UNDF Council. [[GlorySeeker He wanted to be one of the 600 heroes who would save Earth from the aliens]]. [[{{Understatement}} It doesn't go according to plan]].

* ''Film/CommanderCody''.

A DiscreditedTrope from the early PulpMagazine days of media science fiction (peaked in the 1950's in movie serials and TV shows), involving a hero who was part of [[SpacePolice an organization that handles law and order in outer space]], much like in a [[SpaceWestern Western... in space]]. Frequently the titular SpaceCadet was a child or teen who was a new recruit or a sidekick to [[CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth an older hero]]. May be the equivalent of WalkingTheEarth with isolated outposts and frontier planets; especially strange when the KidHero seems not to have a family at home. His training place would be the SpaceCadetAcademy. His great goal in life is to someday become CaptainSpaceDefenderofEarth.

A DiscreditedTrope from the early PulpMagazine days of media science fiction (peaked in the 1950's in movie serials and TV shows), involving a hero who was part of [[SpacePolice an organization that handles law and order in outer space]], much like in a [[SpaceWestern Western... in space]]. Frequently the titular SpaceCadet was a child or teen who was a new recruit or a sidekick to [[CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth an older hero]]. May be the equivalent of WalkingTheEarth with isolated outposts and frontier planets; especially strange when the KidHero seems not to have a family at home. His training place would be the SpaceCadetAcademy.

* ''Commander Cody''.

* ''Literature/SpaceCadet'': By Creator/RobertAHeinlein. Notably interesting for being perhaps the UrExample, and showing what modern readers will easily recognize as a cell phone in the opening pages.

* ''Tom Corbett, Space Cadet'' (based on the novel)

* ''Tom Corbett: Space Cadet'': Tom, as well as his companions Astro and Roger Manning, are all cadets on a training ship.

* ''Radio/SonOfCliche'' with their sci-fi spoof "Dave Hollis: Space Cadet". The underlying but underdeveloped theme of the last living human lost in space was [[SoundtoScreenAdaptation later re-used]]; many of the gags from [=SoC=] were later reused in ''Series/RedDwarf''.

* ''Radio/SonOfCliche'' with their sci-fi spoof "Dave Hollis: Space Cadet". Some of the gags were later reused in ''Series/RedDwarf''.

* Creator/IsaacAsimov and Creator/JanetAsimov's ''Literature/NorbyChronicles'': Jefferson Wells is a cadet at Space Academy, training to become a member of Space Command. He purchased Norby to be a [[RobotBuddy teaching robot]], who was [[MedalsForEveryone made an Honorary Cadet for helping to defeat a terrorist]]. Norby tries to teach Jeff school subjects the normal way, but they keep getting drawn into interstellar, pan-dimensional, and TimeTravel adventures instead.

* Creator/IsaacAsimov and Creator/JanetAsimov's ''Literature/NorbyChronicles'': Jeff's older brother is a member of the Space Police, and Jeff buys Norby to help himself study for school, which is the pseudo-military academy required for the Space Police, making the titular character the sidekick to the Space Cadet. A sidekick who ends up being the cause of most of his (mis-)adventures.

A DiscreditedTrope from the early PulpMagazine days of media science fiction (peaked in the 1950's in movie serials and TV shows), involving a hero who was part of an organization that handles law and order in outer space, much like in a [[SpaceWestern Western... in space]]. Frequently the titular SpaceCadet was a child or teen who was a new recruit or a sidekick to [[CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth an older hero]]. May be the equivalent of WalkingTheEarth with isolated outposts and frontier planets; especially strange when the KidHero seems not to have a family at home. His training place would be the SpaceCadetAcademy.

-->-- '''Plan 7 of 9 from Outer Space'''

* What Jim becomes in ''Disney/TreasurePlanet''.

* The ''Literature/LuckyStarr'' series of books by Creator/IsaacAsimov, which started with ''David Starr, Space Ranger''.
** Jeff Wells of Isaac and Janet Asimov's ''Norby'' series is also technically a space cadet, although most of his adventures are unofficial ones.
* Various midshipmen throughout David Weber's ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' stories, including Harrington herself in the novella "Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington".
** [[Literature/TheStarKingdom Stephanie Harrington]] and several of her friends are Probationary Rangers with the Sphynxian Forestry Service. Sort of a {{Reconstruction}} of the trope, as Stephanie was made the first such Probationary Ranger to justify the Forestry Service keeping tabs on her to [[LeeroyJenkins keep her out of trouble.]]

* ''Tom Corbett: Space Cadet'', as well as his companions Astro and Roger Manning, all cadets on a training ship. ''Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers'' had a [[FollowTheLeader similar premise]].

* ''Literature/SpaceCadet'': By ** Creator/RobertAHeinlein novel. Notably interesting for being perhaps the UrExample, and showing what modern readers will easily recognize as a cell phone in the opening pages.

** Literature/StephanieHarrington and several of her friends are Probationary Rangers with the Sphynxian Forestry Service. Sort of a {{Reconstruction}} of the trope, as Stephanie was made the first such Probationary Ranger to justify the Forestry Service keeping tabs on her to [[LeeroyJenkins keep her out of trouble.]]

** The ShowWithinAShow ''Film/TheAdventuresOfCaptainProton'' has Buster Kincaid, though in the novelisation he's a journalist.

** Icheb becomes a long-range version (as in 30,000 light years from Starfleet Academy) in Season 7 of ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', being instructed by the command staff of ''Voyager''.

* Space Cadet Happy from ''Space Patrol'' (1950's radio and TV)
* The Video Ranger from ''Series/CaptainVideo and his Video Rangers''
* Winky and TagalongKid Bobby from ''Rocky Jones, Space Ranger''

* Wesley Crusher represents the best example in the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' universe. As a child prodigy, he represented an AudienceSurrogate for a young viewer and could be considered a "sidekick" to Picard. Later in the series, Wesley became a literal cadet in Starfleet.

** In the sequel "The Light Brigade", the cadet was assigned to the ''Light Brigade'' during its mission to destroy the aliens' homeworld with a subatomic bomb due to the influence of his father, a member of the UNDF Council. [[GlorySeeker He wanted to be one of the 600 heroes who would save Earth from the aliens]]. [[{{Understatement}} It doesn't go according to plan]].

For the Creator/RobertAHeinlein novel, see ''Literature/SpaceCadet''.

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]
* Sasami was cast as this in the Anime/TenchiMuyo [=OVA=] special ''Mihoshi's Space Police Adventure''. Of course, [[Anime/PrettySammy that's not all she was there for...]]

[[folder: Film]]

* What Jim becomes in ''Disney/TreasurePlanet.''

[[folder: Literature]]

[[folder: Live Action TV]]

[[folder: Radio]]

[[folder: Video Games]]
* ''[[VideoGame/SpaceCadet 3-D Pinball: Space Cadet]]'' is named after this.

[[folder: Western Animation]]
* Buzz Lightyear from ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' is an homage/parody of this trope.
* "Galaxy High" plays this trope semi-straight.
* Porky Pig's title in the WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes short ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgersInTheTwentyFourthAndAHalfCentury'' (and the [[WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers series based on it]]) is actually '''Eager Young Space Cadet'''.
[[/folder]]