Line #203 Main/ALongTimeAgoInAGalaxyFarFarAway


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5	->''"Somewhere in space, this may all be happening right now."''
6	-->-- '''Original ''Franchise/StarWars:'' ''Film/ANewHope'' trailer'''
7
8	[[Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy Space is big. Really, really big.]] So big in fact, that most of it can't even be seen from the Earth. So what exactly is out there? This trope is what happens when writers try to answer that question.
9
10	A galaxy far, far away is a setting for a story which is so far away from Earth, that the very fact of its distance lends an air of credibility to even the most fantastic of plots. After all, no one really knows what's out there in the vastness of space. There may be elements we've never heard of. The laws of physics may not work the same way. There may be space gods, ancient civilizations, RubberForeheadAliens, all kinds of AppliedPhlebotinum. Just about anything is fair game, because no one can prove that a given aspect of the story is impossible.
11
12	People have set their fantasy stories "far far away" for as long as they've been telling stories, but how far qualifies as "far away" changes as TechnologyMarchesOn. Once upon a time this might have been "about 30 miles south of the village", but as humans were able to travel further and faster, the plausibility of a troll living just over the mountain became less believable, so storytellers began conjuring up distant continents and {{Lost World}}s that explorers had yet to discover. When Earth was mostly mapped, writers began looking to Mars, Venus and the Moon, and once we were able to get a good look at those, they started setting stories in distant, unknowable space.
13
14	One doesn't actually have to give too much detail about their corner of the void to invoke this trope. They don't even have to make direct reference to the Earth. If a story takes on a planet that's clearly not Earth, and Earth is never mentioned, it will usually just be assumed that the planet in question is so far away that they've never heard of Earth. If the writer feels a need to explain why most of the characters are ([[AmbiguouslyHuman apparently]]) human or everyone seems to speak English, they may include some vague reference to a "theoretical ancestor planet", or TranslationConvention may be invoked. If they don't even try to explain it, then it's probably an [[MST3KMantra unimportant coincidence]].
15
16	The {{Trope Namer\|s}} is, of course, ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]'', although that movie was just adding the word "[[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace galaxy]]" to the fairy-tale trope about a ''land'' far far away in order to evoke a SpaceFantasy feel.
17
18	See also: InsignificantLittleBluePlanet, EarthThatWas. Compare with ConstructedWorld, where the story is set on a single planet/world that does not exist in real life.
19
20	[[foldercontrol]]
21	----
22	!!Straight examples:
23
24	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
25	* ''Anime/RoyalSpaceForceTheWingsOfHonneamise'' is about the development of spaceflight by [[HumanAliens a people who look identical to humans]] [[DieselPunk with a 1950s level of technology]], but the geography of their planet doesn't resemble that of Earth and their cultures don't exactly resemble any particular one from Earth's history either ([[CultureChopSuey beyond some minor mixing of elements]]).
26	* ''Literature/LostUniverse'' uses this trope, as it's in a different universe.
27	* Mamoru Nagano and Creator/YoshiyukiTomino's ''Anime/HeavyMetalLGaim'' and Nagano's later CreatorDrivenSuccessor ''Manga/TheFiveStarStories'' do this with the Pentagona Solar System and the Joker Star Cluster (or galaxy, or multiple star system depending on the translator) respectively. In addition to being populated entirely by humans or genetically engineered variants thereof, nearly all the plants and wildlife appear to be ordinary things like cranes, antelopes, lilies of the valley, etc. (with a few dinosaurs and fantasy creatures like dragons and fairies and the occasional god thrown in). And yet Earth is never mentioned. In ''The Five Star Stories'', the human race is believed to have originated on one of two planets, but it's not confirmed. Further complicating things is the fact that a planned future storyline involves a major character travelling through time and space to the last days of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.
28	%%* ''Anime/StrainStrategicArmoredInfantry''.
29	* Creator/MasamuneShirow's ''Orion'' is set in the fictional Orion Galaxy.
30	* ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'' is the same as the [[Franchise/{{Kirby}} games it's based on]] in that it focuses on the planet Pop Star and surrounding planets.
31	* ''Manga/EdensZero'' is about HumanAliens living in a region of space called the Sakura Cosmos that's separated from the rest of the universe by spaceship eating dragons.
32	* ''Manga/DragonBall'':
33	** As shown in the official maps (and a few times in the animated series), the "Earth" of ''Dragon Ball'' is Earth InNameOnly, with completely different geography. It's populated by humans, but also {{Funny Animal}}s, sapient robots, and various other intelligent species who are all considered native Earthlings, and the humans themselves have advanced technology, a fantastical culture (albeit one clearly inspired by real-world ones), and often display non-human traits (e.g. some people can shape-shift). That's not even getting into the SupernaturalMartialArts and completely different laws of physics. Real world events and nations are never referenced (except sometimes for [[NoFourthWall the sake of a joke]]), and the setting uses a fictional calendar system. In short, ''Dragon Ball'' would be a perfect example if they gave the planet any other name.
34	** Many other planets are visited in the series, and none correspond to any real-world location. Also, as shown in ''Daizenshuu 7'', Earth and all the other planets in the ''Dragon Ball'' universe are actually in a gigantic snow globe.
35	** The parallel universes from ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' all have their own sets of planets and aliens. The only one that has an Earth is our twin universe, Universe 6.
36	[[/folder]]
37
38	[[folder:Comic Books]]
39	* ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' is set on "the World of Two Moons."[[note]]Later to be called "Abode".[[/note]]
40	* ''ComicBook/{{Saga}}'', much like ''Franchise/StarWars'', is a [[ScienceFantasy science fiction/fantasy hybrid]] that takes place in an unnamed galaxy. Some human-looking characters exist but the word "human" and the planet Earth are never mentioned.
41	* ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' says that Sonic's home planet Moebius is "in a small galaxy that is 117,63222 light years from Earth, in a parallel dimension, in a different time zone and the whole region is made up of dark matter".
42	* ''ComicBook/AlbedoErmaFelnaEDF'' is set in a region of space inhabited by {{Funny Animal}}s with no knowledge of their origins. At one point a derelict spaceship is found with a human corpse on it, implying it's set in a distant future inhabited by {{Uplifted Animal}}s.
43	* ''Sharkey The Bounty Hunter'' by Creator/MarkMillar has played it completely straight so far. No Earth and the closest thing to HumanAliens are the AmazingTechnicolorPopulation.
44	* ''ComicBook/{{Dreadstar}}'' is set in the Empirical Galaxy. Dreadstar himself is a refugee from our destroyed galaxy after drifting frozen for a million years. He looks human, but it's not clear if he's a {{Human Alien\|s}} or can trace his origins to Earth.
45	* Brian Konietzko's ''Threadworld'' is a series of graphic novels focusing on anthropomorphic rabbits living on five planets that share an orbit.
46	* ''Astrid: Cult of The Volcanic Moon'' is a ''Franchise/StarTrek'' type setting with humans with no named homeworld.
47	[[/folder]]
48
49	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
50	* ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' mentions a few real-life stars but not Earth, and there are only three humans in the entire movie (and one only appears in flashback).
51	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Spark}}'' is set in a universe with {{Beast M\|an}}en but no humans or Earth.
52	* ''Animation/CatCity'' has an OpeningScroll parodying ''Star Wars'' that mentions it's set on Planet X.
53	* ''WesternAnimation/StarchaserTheLegendOfOrin'' is a fairly standard example with humans who definitely had a home world but whose name has been lost to time.
54	* ''WesternAnimation/KaenaTheProphecy'' focuses solely on aliens on another planet.
55	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gandahar}}'' is set in the distant future, on the planet of the same name.
56	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ark}}'' focuses on HumanAliens in a distant galaxy.
57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
60	* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
61	** The franchise is set in an unnamed galaxy in which humans exist and real-life animals sometimes turn up, but Earth and real-life stars are all entirely absent. ''Film/ANewHope'', the Trope Namer, used the phrase to set a fairy tale-like tone. The frequent jokes questioning the advanced technology of the setting despite it being in the past ignore the fact that being in ''a galaxy far, far away'', technologies could well have developed much earlier than similar ones on Earth did -- DecadeDissonance on an intergalactic scale. Depending on how meta one gets with the titles, the movies could take place in the future, the past ''or'' the present.
62	** In-universe, the fact that humans are a present and widespread species despite not actually having a known homeworld turns up on a number of occasions. In the ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' continuity, a number of theories are discussed in various works; most people assume humanity to have originated somewhere in the Core Worlds (Imperial propaganda claims that the human homeworld is specifically Coruscant, its capital), but ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' brings up speculation that humanity may descend from the original natives of Tatooine, before they were enslaved and their homeworld bombed to slag by an empire of AbusivePrecursors.
63	** One non-canon comic book went with the idea of ''Star Wars'' actually taking place about 200 years in the past from when the movies actually came out. Han and Chewie blindly jump into hyperspace to escape an Imperial fleet, coming out near and then crash-landing on Earth, where Han is quickly killed by natives. 126 years later, Franchise/IndianaJones comes in search of a beast the locals speak of having roamed the forest for decades and stumbles upon the wreckage of the ''Millennium Falcon''. After giving it some cursory exploration, however, he decides to leave that mystery to [[TitleDrop the "great unknown"]], after finding himself disturbed over the [[ActorAllusion strange feeling of familiarity]] he gets about [[Creator/HarrisonFord the corpse within the wreckage]].
64	** The ''Literature/RevengeOfTheSith'' novelization echoes the above tagline
65	--->"Though this all happened so long ago and so far away that words cannot describe the time or distance, it is also happening right now. Right here. It is happening as you read these words."
66	** A proposed novel in the ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' books gave an origin story for humans in the Galaxy; that they were were escapees from the dystopia government from Creator/GeorgeLucas's film ''Film/THX1138'' that had taken an experimental FTL drive, ending up on the other side of the universe and backwards in time. The pitch became the ''Literature/AlienChronicles'' instead.
67	* ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'', being a ''Star Wars'' parody, plays with this. The OpeningScroll begins with "[[OnceUponATime Once upon a time warp...]] In a galaxy very, very, very, very, far away, there lived a ruthless race of beings known as... [[TitleDrop Spaceballs]]." The rest of the movie had [[TheGenieKnowsJackNicholson everyone making references to Earth pop culture]], and culminates with Dark Helmet declaring, "Even in the future nothing works." A movie called ''[[Film/RockyV Rocky 5]] [[RidiculousFutureSequelisation thousand]]'' gets mentioned too.
68	* ''Film/TheWarriorAndTheSorceress'' is set in a distant galaxy, on the planet Ura.
69	* ''Film/{{Krull}}'' is completely set on the titular planet.
70	* ''Film/{{Starcrash}}'' is a ''Star Wars'' rip off, entirely set in a distant galaxy.
71	* ''Film/GalaxyOfTerror'': Earth is never mentioned.
72	* Creator/TheAsylum's ''Battle Star Wars'' is TheMockbuster of the {{Trope Namer\|s}} and plays it straight.
73	* ''Film/UpsideDown'': The narrator at the start says that it's set on a unique set of two planets.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Literature]]
77	* ''Literature/AlienChronicles'' is a trilogy of novels by Deborah Chester and published by Creator/{{Lucasfilm}}. It was originally intended to be based in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe, until a disagreement between Lucasfilm and Ace Books led to the novels instead being set in a similar but original universe. One that, notably, has no humans in it. However, a couple of the main species depicted in the trilogy have been mentioned in the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe, implying that they may share the same setting after all.
78	* Played with in Gene Wolfe's ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun''[=/=]''Literature/BookOfTheShortSun'' cycle. Urth is not actually our Earth, but in a separate universe entirely. It doesn't even get mentioned by name in the ''Literature/BookOfTheLongSun''.
79	* "Literature/LumbanicoTheCubicPlanet" takes place in a strangely shaped planet called Lumbanico, located in a completely different galaxy whose inhabitants have never even heard the names "Earth" or "Milky Way".
80	* In ''Literature/OutlanderLeander'' the characters live on a planet called Pressea. At least one country has begun traveling through space and is starting to explore the universe. No mention of Earth.
81	* ''The Pearl Saga'' by Eric van Lustbader, which is set on the planet Kundala after a century of V'ornn occupation. Both the Kundalan and the V'ornn are called "human", despite sharing no evolutionary ancestry, and the Kundalan are identical to what we call human (the V'ornn really not, being hairless humanoids with two hearts each and turquoise blood), but Kundala is decidedly not Earth and neither is the V'ornn homeworld. There is no Earth mentioned at any time and Kundala is not a colony of anywhere.
82	* ''Literature/TheWitcher'' franchise is set on an unnamed planet populated by various races displaced from other worlds through portal storm events. The one that brought the humans (among other other, non-sapient races) was called the [[https://witcher.fandom.com/wiki/Conjunction_of_the_Spheres Conjunction of the Spheres]], and it occurred 1,500 years before the events of the books. Elves, dwarves, halflings, and gnomes arrived on the planet in earlier events, as did now near-extinct races like orcs, vran, and ogres. Due to some characters (including the GreaterScopeVillain's army) having the ability to open portals to other worlds, [[https://witcher.fandom.com/wiki/Multiverse#Known_worlds several other planets]] are either visited or referenced over the course of the series, and while visuals in ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' make it clear that these are actual planets and not simply fantastical realms[[note]]In ''Witcher 2'', a character even suggests that the vast space between worlds could be cleared conventionally rather than with portals, they just lack the technology to do so. This makes it clear that these are conventional planets located in the same universe - or at least, that the characters think they are.[[/note]] no hints are ever given as to their location. It's lightly implied that the [[https://witcher.fandom.com/wiki/Earth_(world) original human home world]] could've been EarthAllAlong, but nothing's confirmed.
83	[[/folder]]
84
85	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
86	* ''Series/{{Killjoys}}'' takes place in a star cluster known as "The J". Although populated by humans, there are no direct references to Earth. So the where and when of the story is completely up for grabs.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
90	* ''{{TabletopGame/Bulldogs}}'': Like ''Franchise/StarWars'', its set in a whole other galaxy. Earth and humans do not exist but [[HumanAliens Arsubarans]] are a deliberate stand-in, being essentially human but with a wider ranger of skintones, hair, and eye color.
91	* ''TabletopGame/{{Dragonstar}}'' is set in the Serpent's Eye galaxy. Like ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}'', it's a ScienceFantasy series that is basically ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' JustForFun/RecycledInSpace.
92	* ''TabletopGame/IronswornStarforged'' is set in The Forge, a globular cluster located above an unnamed and fictional galaxy.
93	* ''TabletopGame/StarFrontiers'' is set "near the center of a great spiral galaxy, where stars are much closer together than Earth's sun and its neighbors. Humans are explicitly not Earth humans but are extremely similar. That said, the names of certain planets and stars in the region make reference to Terrestrial mythology and culture (most notably a star named Theseus, orbited by a planet named Minotaur) all of which raise never-answered questions about that.
94	* ''TabletopGame/{{Starfinder}}'' is a similar concept with ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' set in space and the latter game's Earth equivalent, Golarion mysteriously disappeared.
95	* ''TabletopGame/HELLASWorldsOfSunAndStone'' makes it clear that despite its star-spanning society having a strong resemblance to some Earth cultures (in particular, ancient Greek ones) it's not set in any kind of distant future of our own world. The Hellenes are a different species that just happens to be HumanAliens.
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	[[folder:Toys]]
99	* ''Franchise/{{Lego}}'';
100	** In the European continuity, the ''Toys/{{Slizer}}'' lived on a series of {{Single Biome Planet}}s, but the American version had them on the PatchworkMap planet Slizer.
101	** ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' is primarily set in the Matoran Universe, which despite the name is actually [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/bionicle/images/8/8c/MatoranUniverse2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20081207192045 a series of islands]] inside of a 12,000 kilometer tall HumongousMecha cum artificial planetoid. In the same area is the more conventional planet of Spherus Magna which eventually splits into three planets. There are no hints as to the location of the sector of space where all of this happens and there are no references to humans or Earth.
102	[[/folder]]
103
104	[[folder:Video Games]]
105	* In the ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}'' series, the player's faction appears to come from Planet Hiigara; the Earth is never mentioned in the entire storyline. The player, however, is eagerly invited to draw the conclusion that Hiigara is Earth. The final mission of the first game takes place near Hiigara and it has a very familiar looking moon orbiting it.
106	** Due to the essential nature of the ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}'' games (the gameplay is 3D ship-to-ship combat), presenting actual beings that the user could care about was problematic. They hit upon the solution of simply not showing anyone; the only real character, Karan Sjet, is in [[WetWareCPU possession]] of the Mothership, so you hear her voice a lot. With no real drawings of the people in the game, the player is invited to draw whatever conclusions they wish as to what the actual species is. The last mission is meant as something of [[TheReveal a reveal]], "[[EarthAllAlong they were human all along]]" kind of thing. For those who didn't get the clues in the first game, Homeworld 2 clarified things by actually showing Karan Sjet as being human (or exceedingly [[HumanAliens human-like]]). Karan also got bigger boobs, and [[ProgressivelyPrettier shed the whole 'ripped open nerve trunks/crippling cybernetics' bit, too]].
107	** Though Hiigara shares many similarities with Earth, and the Hiigarans are eventually revealed to be humanoid, it is also made very clear that Hiigara '''cannot''' be Earth. This is because (1) Hiigara is located near the center of its galaxy, while Earth is in a completely different location in the Milky Way, and (2) we get a closer look at Hiigara in ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}} 2'' and the continents look nothing like Earth's continents.
108	** Also, if you're an astronomy geek, you'll notice the galaxy ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}'' appears to be set in is M51 (aka the Whirlpool Galaxy). Which is about 23 million light years away from Earth.
109	* ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' up the ante, spanning three whole "galaxies far, far away" over the course of the series: Bogon, Solana, and Polaris.
110	* Most Creator/SquareEnix {{RPG}}s occur on ScienceFantasy planets with no visible relationship to Earth, or each other. Though, bizarrely enough, there's almost always humans, or just really HumanAliens.
111	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' has a mini-side-quest that semi-confirms a direct connection between it and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' as an in-joke, by implying that the Shinra in your group is the ancestor of those who will produce the technology to head to the stars and find a new planet thousands of years ago in the time-line of ''VII''.
112	* ''{{VideoGame/Z}}'' follows the war between two intergalactic robots [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots that look and act a lot like humans]]. No mention is ever made to who, when, why or where they were made. Ditto that any organic people where ever around.
113	* ''VideoGame/RibbitKing'' has a protagonist from the planet Hippitron who travels to five other planets with no Earth in this setting.
114	* ''VideoGame/MagicalStarsign'' takes place across six planets in another solar system.
115	* ''VideoGame/FreedomPlanet'' is set on the planet Avalice, inhabited by anthropomorphic animals and some visiting aliens but no humans.
116	* The ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' series is set on an unnamed planet populated mainly by SpaceElves (who [[CallARabbitASmeerp call themselves humans]]), and was visited and partially colonized by at least two species of non-native aliens.
117	* ''VideoGame/DrMuto'' has to travel across four planets to restore his home planet, Midway. None of these are Earth.
118	* ''VideoGame/ChexQuest'' seems to be set in a universe inhabited solely by various anthropomorphic breakfast cereal aliens.
119	* ''VideoGame/{{Ristar}}'' is set in the Valdi System.
120	* ''VideoGame/AlexKidd'' platforms his way across various fictional planets.
121	* ''VideoGame/FantasyZone'' is set in the titular region of space.
122	* ''VideoGame/JazzJackrabbit'' is ''Literature/TheTortoiseAndTheHare'' but thousands of years later. It's never specified if the original planet the tortoise and the hare lived on was Earth or not.
123	* ''VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram'' is entirely set in the fictional Kerbol System.
124	* ''VideoGame/CosmicOsmo'' is set in the Osmoian System.
125	* ''VideoGame/{{Celestus}}'' is set in the Amatens Galaxy.
126	* ''VideoGame/{{Noctis}}'' is set in the fictional Feltyrion Galaxy, about twice the size of ours.
127	* ''VideoGame/LegoUniverse'' is set mostly in the Nimbus System in a fictional Lego universe with no realistic planets.
128	* ''VideoGame/VoidBastards'' set in the fictional Sargasso Nebula. Humans are implied to live in other parts of the universe but Earth isn't mentioned.
129	* ''VideoGame/WarCraft'': The franchise is primarily set on Azeroth, a planet in "an isolated corner of the universe." Many races live on it including both those native to it (e.g. humans, elves, dwarves) and ones that have come from [[https://wow.gamepedia.com/Planet#Known_worlds various other planets]] that are occasionally visited thanks to [[PortalNetwork dimensional gateways]]. Every single named planet (Azeroth, Argus, Draenor, etc.) is fictional and real-world stellar references never come up.
130	* ''VideoGame/StarRuler'' is set in a randomly generated galaxy with no real life stars.
131	* ''VideoGame/ImmortalDefense'' is about the planet Dukis fighting alien invaders with no Earth or humans mentioned.
132	* ''Franchise/StarFox'' clone, ''Astrodogs'' plays it straight in a galaxy full of anthropomorphic animals and no humans.
133	* ''VideoGame/OuterWilds'' is set in a fictional solar system just referred to as [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the Solar System]] or [[TitleDrop the Outer Wilds]] with no mention of Earth.
134	* ''VideoGame/{{Anachronox}}'' has spacefaring humans with no Earth.
135	* The first two ''VideoGame/{{Spectrobes}}'' games are set in the Nanairo System and the third is in the Kaio System with no mention of Earth .
136	* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' is set on the planet Runeterra but some of the [[AlternateContinuity Alternate Continuities]] like "Odyssey" and "Space Groove" created to justify different character skins spread the setting across the galaxy.
137	* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' takes place on a fictional planet called Sera[[note]]Which is Ares, the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek god of war]], [[SdrawkcabName spelled backwards]][[/note]]. While the planet is populated by humans who are technologically and culturally similar to real life ones, the planet has some notable astronomical and geological differences from Earth, including a 26-hour day, two moons, and a crust full of underground tunnels home to various fantastical creatures.
138	* ''VideoGame/{{Timespinner}}'' is set on the planet Lachiem on the Erneah Galaxy.
139	* The protagonists of ''VideoGame/Haven2020'' hail from a planetary system known as the Apiary, and they spend the entirety of the story settling the distant, uninhabited planet Source.
140	* ''VideoGame/CopyKitty'' is set in the Zoincailla solar system with various monsters and anthropomorphic animals but no humans.
141	[[/folder]]
142
143	[[folder:Web Comics]]
144	* The "space arc" of ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace''. It's set in 5th century Britain, only "Britain" is TheFederation, and interstellar travel has been around since some point BC.
145	* The setting of ''Webcomic/AvasDemon'' takes place on an unnamed planet (not Earth), 1000 years in the future and intersteller travel is heavily implied. Wrathia also originates from a distant galaxy yet to be named.
146	* Two of these settings have appeared as [[AlternateUniverse other dimensions]] in ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance''.
147	* ''Webcomic/CommanderKitty'' is set in a [[WorldOfFunnyAnimals Galaxy of Funny Animals]] with no humans.
148	[[/folder]]
149
150	[[folder:Web Original]]
151	* ''WebSite/{{Neopets}}'' is set on the planet Neopia. A few Neopets such as the Grundos and alien Aisha come from other planets but nobody mentions Earth.
152	* ''WebAnimation/{{Starbarians}}'' is set "Thirty thousand billion trillion years in the future" with no Earth.
153	* ''[[https://www.galaxiki.org/ Galaxiki]]'' is a galaxy full of fictional user designed planets.
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder:Web Videos]]
157	* Hilariously discussed in an Creator/AchievementHunter LetsPlay of ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefront2''. Creator/GavinFree, who has somehow ignored the scrolling intro to the ''Star Wars'' franchise, is totally gobsmacked that it takes place in the past and really far away and wishes they put it in the beginning of the movie. The other Hunters respond by yelling "''THEY DID!''"
158	[[/folder]]
159
160	[[folder:Western Animation]]
161	* ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'' has a cast of various aliens, an AmbiguouslyHuman title character, and no reference to Earth. However, the series' FutureSlang mentions another planet from our solar system: "Sweet mother of UsefulNotes/{{Venus}}!".
162	* According to the opening narration, ''WesternAnimation/TheHerculoids'' is set "somewhere out in space."
163	* ''WesternAnimation/GalactikFootball'' is set in the Zaelion Galaxy.
164	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotix}}'' is set millions of years ago on the planet Skalorr.
165	* ''WesternAnimation/LavenderCastle'' is set in space with no humans or mention of Earth.
166	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Insektors}}'' is set on the planet Marvin in the original French and Krud in the [=UK=] dub. The [=UK=] dub throws in occasional references to real life Earth locations.
167	* Wherever the Planetary Cluster is located in ''WesternAnimation/ShadowRaiders'' Earth is never mentioned.
168	* ''WesternAnimation/TinyPlanets'' is set in a fictional solar system consisting of four [[BabyPlanet Baby Planets]].
169	* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'' is set on the planet Etheria, though [[TheStarsAreGoingOut strange circumstances]] mean it's not initially obvious if other planets ''exist'', much less would be relevant to the plot. Unlike the original series (see next section), there's no mention of Earth whatsoever, though Eternia ''might'' still be a place considering it was used as a special passphrase. [[spoiler:Later seasons reveal that Etheria was cut off from the rest of the universe by the last She-Ra, keeping it safe from Horde Prime, and that Adora was born on Eternia and brought to Etheria through a portal.]]
170	* ''WesternAnimation/TheGroovenians'' featured two planets called Jeepers and Groovenia and then never got past its pilot.
171	[[/folder]]
172
173	[[folder:Real Life]]
174	* All of the galaxies other than Milky Way [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_galaxies_of_the_Milky_Way and its satellites]]. They are at least millions of light years away, and whatever state observed by us now represents what happened to them that many years ago.
175	* A similar thing goes for any theoretical civilizations located around our own galaxy. Scientists estimate that there are 40 billion Earth-like planets orbiting the habitable zones of Sun-like stars, scattered throughout the 170,000 light-year diameter of the Milky Way. A theoretical alien lifeform on a planet orbiting a star a mere 10,000 light-years away both may as well not exist from our perspective and is currently having its star observed ten thousand years in the past.
176	* To make things extra freaky, space itself is constantly expanding at an accelerated rate, pushing even nearby superclusters of galaxies away from us. Eventually, they will be pushed beyond an "event horizon" of sorts where they are so far away that their light will NEVER reach us. Only the local galactic supercluster that contains the Milky Way and Andromeda will be visible, held together by gravity until that, too, fades away...
177	[[/folder]]
178
179	!!Examples in which Earth exists but has little to no relevance
180
181	[[folder:Comic Books]]
182	* Creator/DCComics' last attempt to do Starman before ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths was a benevolent planetary ruler named Prince Gavyn. He didn't come into contact with anyone from Earth until the end of the feature.
183	* ''ComicBook/TheTriganEmpire'' starts with a spaceship full of dead aliens crash-landing on Earth but the rest of the stories are flashbacks set on their home planet, Elekton.
184	* ''ComicBook/BuckyOHareAndTheToadWars'' is set in a region of space that the cartoon series named the Aniverse. Willy [=DuWitt=] travels there from Earth when his Photon Accelerator malfunctions.
185	* Although Earth appears in Creator/MarkMillar's ''ComicBook/{{Empress}}'', it's set 65 million years in the past and inhabited by HumanAliens that run a major space empire.
186	* Don Lawrence's ''ComicBook/{{Storm\|DonLawrence}}'' was originally set on a post-apocalyptic Earth but the protagonists were later moved to the Pandarve multiverse, a bubble of breathable air containing Pandarve and thousands of other planets.
187	* Even though most of the action in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse happens in the BigApplesauce, sometimes the setting shifts to the vast empires of the Kree, Skrulls, or Shi'Ar, all of whom have empires that span the greater part of a whole galaxy each (the Kree in particular often state that they control a "thousand, thousand stars" -- but then, they are [[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace Space]] [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazis]], and prone to bombastic claims of glory). Admittedly, if they count red dwarfs and brown dwarfs, a million stars (1000 squared) isn't really that much compared to 600 ''billion''. Guess how many stars are estimated to be in our galaxy?
188	[[/folder]]
189
190	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
191	* ''WesternAnimation/TimeMasters'' doesn't mention Earth, but some real-life stars are alluded to, like a planet called Aldebaran and a race of aliens called Centaurians. Also, Silbad sings about ''Literature/PeterPan'' and ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}''.
192	* The key from ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal2000'' glows green, implying it might be the Loc-Nar MacGuffin from ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal'' which features Earth, but the planet isn't mentioned in ''2000''.
193	* A subtitle at the start of ''WesternAnimation/{{Lightyear}}'' mentions that they're 4.2 million light years from Earth, with that being the only time the E-word is uttered. By the end of the movie, the crew have accepted they can't go home and have started a new Space Ranger corps to police the part of the universe they're stranded in.
194	[[/folder]]
195
196	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
197	* ''Franchise/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'' is a case of EarthDrift. The original movie, ''Film/PitchBlack'', is the only one that mentions Earth with the rest of the movies feeling like this trope. Every planet referenced in the sector of space that the series takes place in is fictional, and Earth never comes up.
198	* ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'' is set a thousand years ago on the planet Thra with mentions of an unnamed planet where the [=UrSkeks=] come from. The only reference to Earth is in ''The World of the Dark Crystal'' book which is written in a DirectLineToTheAuthor style from an Earth professor who studied books from That.
199	[[/folder]]
200
201	[[folder:Literature]]
202	* Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Franchise/{{Foundation}}'': This series is set so far into TheFuture that the Milky Way Galaxy has been fully colonized, but Earth has been lost to human knowledge, leading to a setting where at least two subspecies of humanity have developed. Later in the series, the protagonists embark on a search to find the origin planet of humanity, and eventually succeed.
203	* The ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' franchise is set on the titular world that rests on the back of a giant turtle that swims through space. In [[Literature/TheColourOfMagic the first book]], Tethis claims that the rest of the planets he saw were also discs on turtles' backs.
204	** Also in the original novel, Rincewind visits our world briefly as an AlternateUniverse.
205	** ''Literature/TheScienceOfDiscworld'' is about wizards of the Unseen University creating a world without magic (Earth) and dubbing it "Roundworld".
206	* Creator/MarkTwain's unfinished work ''Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven'' is an OlderThanTheyThink use of this trope. {{Heaven}} is [[PhysicalHeaven a region far, far out in space]], vaster than any planet since it has to have room for every generation, past and future, of every sentient race in the universe. Captain Stormfield arrives at the wrong planet's 'arrival gate' in Heaven and has a very rough time finding anybody who's even ''heard'' of the Earth. Eventually somebody narrows it down when he mentions that it's in the same [[UsefulNotes/TheSolarSystem solar system]] as UsefulNotes/{{Jupiter}}.
207	--> "Oh, yes! We do know of your planet. We call it the Wart."
208	[[/folder]]
209
210	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
211	* ''Franchise/BattlestarGalactica''. In both versions, the characters are human spacefarers inhabiting a fictional sector of space (the Cyrannus cluster), but not from Earth even ancestrally. They are from the Twelve Colonies that were settled by humans from Kobol and are looking for Earth, which is mentioned in their sacred scrolls as the 13th colony of Kobol. [[Series/BattlestarGalactica1978 The original series]] was set in ThePresentDay, while the series finale of [[Series/BattlestarGalactica2003 the 2000s version]] ultimately reveals that (major spoiler) [[spoiler: this ''is'' a long time ago far, far away (although in the Milky Way Galaxy) when the Fleet finally arrives on Earth and it's still the prehistoric era. They leave their ships and become one of the three co-ancestors of modern Earth humans along with the [[ArtificialHuman humanoid Cylons]] and the native humans]].
212	** Its prequel SpinOff ''Series/{{Caprica}}'', showing life on the Twelve Colonies before the Cylon Attack, played around with that a lot in trying to depict a human civilization that had nothing to do with Earth. Arguably it was the only TV show in recent history to have a go at that.
213	* This is the setting in ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' for all practical purposes. While protagonist John Crichton is from Earth, no-one else in the universe has ever heard of his species or planet, and the location of the show's setting, the "Uncharted Territories", in relation to Earth is never really established; the closest it gets is near the end of the third season, when [[spoiler:Scorpius reveals that he has discovered the location of Earth, and says that if John doesn't cooperate, he'll destroy it even though, going as fast as they can, it will take ''sixty years'' to reach it. "As fast as they can" is never really specified.]]
214	* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' is set in [[ConvenientlyClosePlanet a quintuple star system containing five dense planetary systems]] in a sector of space referred to as "the Verse" with occasional references to EarthThatWas but no explanation. The OpeningNarration to the ''Film/{{Serenity}}'' movie explains that Earth was evacuated centuries ago and humanity now inhabits a star system with five stars and dozens of terraformed planets, dwarf planets, and moons.
215	* ''Series/{{Lexx}}'' starts off in AlternateUniverse called the Light Zone with occasional mentions and visits to a [[DarkWorld Dark Zone]]. Both are full of planets inhabited by humans or at least HumanAliens. The Dark Zone is later revealed to be our universe and most of season 4 takes place on Earth. But Earth isn't the source of the humans on other planets in either universe.
216	* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' focuses on the titular ship getting stranded in the Delta Quadrant on the other side of the galaxy with no Federation presence and encountering various alien civilizations within it. It would take them 70 years to get back to Earth if they couldn't find a wormhole or some other shortcut. A downplayed example in that most of the main characters are either humans or alien members of a society where Earth is the capital.
217	[[/folder]]
218
219	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
220	* Although ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}'' is about portals opening all over the Earth, the "Three Galaxies" setting plays the trope straight. It's a ScienceFantasy SpaceOpera world inspired by ''Franchise/StarWars'' that has no Earth of its own.
221	[[/folder]]
222
223	[[folder:Video Games]]
224	* While Earth exists and is an important part of the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' franchise, ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' follows the journey of 100,000 colonists from various Milky Way species (only a quarter of whom are humans) trying to establish a long term civilization in the Andromeda galaxy. After extensive recon and survey, they settle on colonizing the Heleus Cluster, a sector of space with 38 star systems and hundreds of planets, and have plopped down on five of them by the end of the game. It takes six hundred years for the sleeper ships to arrive, so while occasional references are made to old home worlds, none of them play any role in the plot and all of the characters acknowledge that they'll never be able to see anyone from the Milky Way ever again. [[spoiler:Due to the MultipleEndings of ''Mass Effect 3'', it's even possible that there is no sapient life left in the Milky Way while the events of ''Andromeda'' are taking place.]]
225	* ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}'' is a PlanetaryRomance combining science fiction and magic -- and the HandWave given for the magic by TheSmartGuy is that we shouldn't expect the other, distant planet to work like the Earth.
226	* In the online TurnBasedStrategy game ''Ultracorps'', there are no references to Earth or humans except for one line about "that legendary creature of ancient Terra, the cockroach" in one race description.
227	* ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'': The prologue begins in a distant galaxy when a MileLongShip from Earth called the ''Eldridge'' comes under siege from an unknown force before activating the SelfDestructMechanism, causing it to crash onto a nearby planet and setting the story in motion. [[spoiler:The humans that live on this planet were created by the giant bio-weapon Deus 10,000 years ago in order to act as parts to repair its damage. The humans that created Deus were from Earth (which is now known as "Lost Jerusalem"), but they are mostly a separate gene pool from Deus' created humans]].
228	* The ''Franchise/StarFox'' series is mostly set in the Lylat system with occasional visits to other parts of the sector and no mention of Earth. The system's location is never given in the games, but the instruction booklet to the first game says is at the center of our galaxy. ''Star Fox'' characters appearing in ''VideoGame/StarlinkBattleForAtlas'' confirm that Earth and humans exist in this setting, but they're far off from any of the goings-on of the series itself.
229	* The ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}'' games were originally set on Earth but were later retconned into being set on the ''Planet Bomber'' in the ''Bomber Nebula''. ''100-hito Taisen Bomberman'' calls it the ''Bomber Galaxy'' and says it's hundreds of millions of light-years away from Earth.
230	* ''VideoGame/EveOnline'' is set in the New Eden galaxy. The people are descended from Earthlings but the connection between the two galaxies was permanently severed when a wormhole collapsed thousands of years before the game begins.
231	* You can find Earth in ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'' but it's uninhabitable and there are no humans in this setting.
232	* The ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' games are mainly set on Planet Popstar which according to the manual for ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'', is too far away to be seen from Earth. ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards'' features a planet called Shiver Star which is heavily implied to be Earth AfterTheEnd, but it seems to be in the same star system as Pop Star.
233	* ''VideoGame/{{Freelancer}}'': the opening movie makes it clear that humanity emigrated from Earth towards the forty-eight systems of the Sirius sector, and [[ThemeNaming the places are named after actual locations in the Earth]], yet nobody in the entire game makes even a single reference to Earth.
234	** "We have grown. We have prospered. We have flourished. '''But we will never forget.'''" My ass.
235	*** The original E3 trailer showed a Nomad ship arriving after the Exodus and destroying the Solar System. A single ship survived the nova and took off after the colonists to warn them. Suddenly, the "we will never forget" line takes on a whole new meaning... But yeah, they still forget. Then again, it's centuries after the Sirius sector is settled. There've been dozens of wars in the meantime. Who cares about EarthThatWas? They got their own problems.
236	** Earth is never mentioned by name, but several people obviously have detailed information about its geography, given that not only are various planets, stations, and ships named after locations on Earth, but their roles and importance match up. For instance, the planet Cambridge is home to a major university, while Newark Station is in its proper position orbiting Planet Manhattan. There are only a handful of locales that ''aren't'' named for places on Earth.
237	* ''VideoGame/FTLFasterThanLight'' makes an offhand comment about Earth, but otherwise completely focuses on the conflict between the Federation and the Rebellion, with no Earth in sight.
238	* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' thanks to EarthDrift making Mario originate from whatever fictional planet that the Mushroom Kingdom is on.
239	* ''VideoGame/{{Subverse}}'' is set in the Prodigium Galaxy, a "mysterious galaxy tucked firmly away in the asshole of the universe". But it does have human residents who got sent there by an UnrealisticBlackHole.
240	* ''VideoGame/{{Elite}}'' is this because of GameplayStorySegregation. Supplementary materials mention humans coming from Earth but the gameplay consists of fictional planets in eight procedurally generated galaxies. From ''Frontier: Elite II'' onwards, Earth and nearby stars were featured in a realistically sized galaxy. The eight galaxies from the original game were generally considered to be distant sectors of our own galaxy.
241	* The ''Franchise/StarCraft'' franchise mostly functions this way. With two exceptions (one of whom dies in the same game he's introduced in), every human character (usually referred to as "terrans") is descended from a group of colonists who arrived in the Koprulu sector when their ships' FTL drives malfunctioned and they wound up being blasted so far into deep space (a good sixty thousand light-years from Earth) that there was seemingly no hope of ever contacting their homeworld again. Hundreds of years later, the terrans have built up their own societies across dozens of planets and moons, and start to encounter sapient aliens also in the sector, namely the [[SpaceElves protoss]] and [[HordeOfAlienLocusts zerg]]. The terran characters almost never refer to Earth and the Koprulu sector is usually treated as synonymous with all of existence to them - even [[TheCaligula Arcturus]] [[{{Greed}} Mengsk]] only desires to rule the sector rather than seek out Earth. ''Brood War'' fits Earth back into the story via a long-range expeditionary fleet sent by the [[TheWarOfEarthlyAggression United Earth Directorate]], but the terran characters don't identify themselves with the invaders at all (pulling an EnemyMine with the protoss and zerg factions to repulse them), and it's gone by the end of the same expansion that introduces it. After the UED's defeat, Earth goes on to play no role in the rest of the series (beyond one of the survivors of the UED expedition becoming a minor recurring character who sometimes references it).
242	* The ''VideoGame/PhantasyStar'' series focuses on HumanAliens in the Algol System in the Andromeda Galaxy.
243	** ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarII'' has invading humans from EarthThatWas.
244	** ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline'' changes the setting to the planet Coral, whose population is trying to colonize a planet called Ragol.
245	** ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2'' focuses on a colony fleet exploring the universe but TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture Earth appearing in an AlternateUniverse.
246	* In ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'', if humanity is not already present on the galactic stage, you can potentially find Earth as a primitive world, undergoing a random period of human history up to the Space Age... or you can find it AfterTheEnd, a bombed-out husk [[CockroachesWillRuleTheEarth populated by giant cockroaches with budding sapience]].
247	* ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'' plays the trope mostly straight, being set on the planet Hillys in System 4. The upcoming ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil2'' prequel moves the setting to System 3 but specifies the humans are descended from colonists from "Old Earth".
248	* ''VideoGame/Privateer2TheDarkening'' is set in a region of space called the Tri-System and focuses on an AmbiguouslyHuman race called Anhurans. It's unrelated to the rest of the ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' series that follows Earth descended humans. It was originally an unrelated game called ''The Darkening'' before ExecutiveMeddling turned it into a DolledUpInstallment.
249	[[/folder]]
250
251	[[folder:Web Comics]]
252	* ''Webcomic/CosmicDash'' is set in a galaxy called the Silver Spiral, which has known human immigration for a few generations. Walter Kimney is described as "a second generation human resident of the Silver Spiral Galaxy", while the three human fleet commanders of the Federation, who appear younger than him, are listed as third generation citizens.
253	[[/folder]]
254
255	[[folder:Western Animation]]
256	* The ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse'' franchise is mostly set on the planet Eternia with the main connection to Earth is that He-Man's mother, Queen Marlena originated there.
257	** The UniverseBible for ''[[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983 He-Man and The Masters of The Universe]]'' says that Earth and Eternia are in different universes with Queen Marlena being a human astronaut sucked through a NegativeSpaceWedgie to get to Eternia. The astronauts from the ''Visitors from Earth'' episode also got sucked through a similar vortex.
258	** He-Man's mother coming from Earth was only written in for a ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' crossover mini-comic to explain the He-Man recognised Supes because his mother had described him before.
259	*** This and later [[Franchise/TheDCU DC Universe]] crossover had Eternia in AnotherDimension from Earth. Though they specify that the [=DC=] Earth is the same one Marlena came from.
260	** The OpeningNarration to the live-action ''Film/MastersOfTheUniverse'' movie says Eternia is at the center of the universe. The movie has He-Man and Skeletor chase a MacGuffin to Earth. WordOfGod says the reason for this HumanFocusedAdaptation was because it was originally meant to be a ''ComicBook/NewGods'' movie but he couldn't get the copyrights.
261	*** Early drafts and the ComicBookAdaptation reveal near the end that Eternia exists in the future and was settled by stranded space travellers from Earth.
262	** The ''WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower'' spin-off is set on the planet Etheria in the same solar system. As mentioned above the ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'' revival plays the trope straight. With Etheria being trapped in AnotherDimension for most of the series and no mention of Earth when they return to the main universe. For copyright reasons, they weren't allowed to mention Eternia or most things from other He-Man cartoons.
263	** Happens again in ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfHeMan'' where time travelers bring He-Man to their planet Primus in the future.
264	* ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' takes place in a galaxy full of {{Baby Planet}}s, all of which seem to be inhabited by different alien species. The only possible connection to Earth occurs in the the last shot of the series, which implies [[spoiler:Lord Hater is an [[ApesInSpace ape astronaut]], and shows a wrecked spaceship with what appears to be a US flag]].
265	* ''WesternAnimation/LoonaticsUnleashed'' focuses on the descendants of The ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' living on the CityPlanet of Acmeopolis.
266	* Third Earth of ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985'' was originally said to be post-apocalyptic Earth, but the show stopped mentioning it after the beginning. The 2000s comic book series, which included a crossover with [[Anime/BattleOfThePlanets G-Force]] from Earth, claimed that it was another planet after all.
267	* ''WesternAnimation/SWATKats'' was set on a world inhabited by anthropomorphic cats. The aliens from the episode "When Strikes Mutilor" were originally going to be revealed to be humans, complete with an American flag, but Creator/HannaBarbera executives found this confusing and [[ExecutiveMeddling made the writers replace them with cat aliens]].
268	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Visionaries}}'' is set on a planet where magic has become more powerful than science. The opening narration of the first episode begins:
269	-->''Far away in a distant galaxy, the people of the planet Prysmos lived in an age of great technology.''
270	** ''Visionaries'' was later added to the ''ComicBook/HasbroComicUniverse'' with the ''ComicBook/TransformersVsVisionaries'' miniseries.
271	* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekProdigy'' is a SequelSeries to ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' set in the same Delta Quadrant at the other side of the galaxy. The protagonists are a group of aliens who find an abandoned Starfleet ship. The characters' only knowledge about humans and the Federation comes from old ''Franchise/StarTrek'' cast members playing hologram versions of their characters generated by the ship.
272	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Farzar}}'' is a parody of ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse'' mostly set on the titular planet. Several TheGenieKnowsJackNicholson references are made to Earth culture for the sake of comedy but isn't clear if the planet actually exists in the setting. The creators have teased the idea of a crossover with their other two shows, ''WesternAnimation/{{Brickleberry}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/ParadisePD'' which are set on Earth.
273	[[/folder]]
274
275	!!Examples that seems to invoke this trope but turns out to be EarthAllAlong '''(unmarked spoilers below)'''
276
277	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
278	* ''Anime/PhotonTheIdiotAdventures'' mostly plays it straight apart from having Sandy Planet look like Earth at the end after it's terraformed. WordOfGod says it goes on to become the titular world of ''Anime/TenchiMuyoWarOnGeminar'' which would make it AnotherDimension to ''[[Anime/TenchiMuyoRyoOhki Tenchi Muyo]]'''s Earth.
279	[[/folder]]
280
281	[[folder:Comic Books]]
282	* ''ComicBook/{{Normalman}}'' was sent as a baby from the planet Arnold to land on Levram. Levram turns out to be an AlternateHistory Earth where a SuperSerum from the future gave everybody superpowers. Notably one of the few times normalman leaves these planets is to engage in a ''Star Wars'' parody story.
283	* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' uses the explanation written for the unmade third season of ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'': Mobius is Earth in a post-apocalyptic future where aliens wiped out most of humanity and accidentally [[UpliftedAnimal uplifted the animals]] in the process.
284	* ''ComicBook/KhaalTheChroniclesOfAGalacticEmperor'' is set on a PlanetSpaceship that's part of a vast space empire, though the series ends with them conquering modern-day Earth.
285	[[/folder]]
286
287	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
288	* The "Captain Sternn" segment of ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal'' is set on a SpaceStation that you'd assume would be in TheFuture but it originally lead into a DeletedScene called "[[https://youtu.be/miar5eKG4uY Neverwhere Land]]" where the [[GreenRocks Loc-Nar]] crashes on a nearby planet that turns out to be Earth and starts life. The short would be a montage of human history up to World War [=II=], bridging the "Captain Sternn" and "B-17" shorts.
289	[[/folder]]
290
291	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
292	* ''Film/TheIcePirates'' plays the trope straight, but the original ending was going to have the ice planet turning out to be Earth.
293	[[/folder]]
294
295	[[folder:Video Games]]
296	* ''VideoGame/ThunderForce I'' through ''IV'' are set in a distant galaxy known as the Galaxy Federation. ''V'', on the other hand, changes the focus from the Galaxy Federation to Earth.
297	* ''VideoGame/{{Tyrian}} 2000'' has [[spoiler:Trent Hawkins]] jump into hyperspace, set for an unheard-of planet 100 light years away. The planet in question is Earth.
298	* ''VideoGame/Pikmin2001'' appears to be on alien world being explored by diminutive humanoid space explorers, but it's heavily implied (and outright shown in ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'') to be EarthAllAlong after the humans died out.
299	* ''VideoGame/NoMansSky'' is set across 255 fictional galaxies with no Earth or humans. The ''Waking Titan'' AlternateRealityGame reveals [[spoiler:it's set in a computer simulation being run on Earth.]]
300	* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'': [[spoiler:A major part of the overall MythArc of the first three games and their respective expansions is that unlike other JRPG franchises like ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' or ''Franchise/DragonQuest'', ''Xenoblade Chronicles''[='=]s fantastical settings are actually just Earth AfterTheEnd:]]
301	** ''[[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1 Xenoblade Chronicles]]'': [[spoiler:The BigBad of the game was originally a human scientist from Earth, whose experiment ended up destroying his world and resulted in the creation of the world that the Bionis and the Mechonis inhabit.]]
302	** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'': [[spoiler:The {{God}} of Alrest is the LiteralSplitPersonality of the first game's BigBad, and Alrest itself was originally Earth. The worlds of the first two games exist parallel to each other, and the final act of both games are [[SimultaneousArcs happening simultaneously]].]]
303	** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'': [[spoiler:The worlds of the first two games began to drift back towards one another after being separated for an untold period of time, with the inhabitants of each world creating an ark called Origin to restore both worlds after they collide. However, Origin ends up being hijacked by [[TheHeartless the Moebius]] and results in the creation of a merged world frozen in time called Aionios.]]
304	** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3FutureRedeemed'': [[spoiler:Earth as it was prior to the experiment appears in a flashback, and several namedrops heavily imply that the MythArc of ''Xenoblade Chronicles'' seen up until this point is a StealthSequel to ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'', explaining how Earth/Lost Jerusalem disappeared and ended up reappearing in TheStinger for ''Xenosaga Episode III''.]]
305	* ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' has this in the form of "Lost Jerusalem", which is the colloquial term for the ancestral planet of humans. Humans have been living in space for a good 4000 years, and [[spoiler:Earth has long since been lost and forgotten over time.]] However, [[spoiler:''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3FutureRedeemed'' implies that Lost Jerusalem merely ended up becoming the two worlds seen in the first two ''Xenoblade Chronicles'' games, as well as their merged form in the third game.]]
306	[[/folder]]
307
308	[[folder:Western Animation]]
309	* Famously, ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' takes place on a strange, two-mooned planet with identical-to-Earth fauna, until one of the moons [[spoiler: is revealed as an alien superweapon. The ''other'' moon, which we never got a good look at until then, looks very familiar. EarthAllAlong; ''prehistoric'' Earth due to a time warp they ran into on the way.]] One of the bigger twists at first, ItWasHisSled by now.
310	* {{Retcon}}ned away (or never happened, depending on whom you ask) in the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series. In the West, the series took place on the planet Mobius, with no mention of Earth. However, in Japan, the series was always set on Earth. Beginning with ''Sonic Adventure'', the series officially took place on Earth in all regions (though Mobius survives in the [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Archie comic]], itself plagued by {{retcon}}s to make everything fit).
311	** ''WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground'' and ''Sonic the Comic'' still took place on Mobius even at the time of ''Sonic Adventure''. ''Sonic the Comic'' even mentioned Earth as being a different planet with a similar evolution, thus explaining the talking animals. The other two [=DiC=] cartoons, ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' and ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'' (aka ''[=SatAM=]'') also took place on Mobius; ''[=SatAM=]'' had planned to make TheReveal of it being Earth in the third season, but it was CutShort. So there are some more ''Sonic'' examples. Though in the ''Archie'' comics, it ''was'' revealed -- and thus the trope inverted with -- that Earth and Mobius are one and the same. Turned out humanity's paranoia towards aliens was their downfall, as when the [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Xorda]] emissary that ''had'' actually come in peace, was captured, and subsequently dissected by humans, the Xorda got rightfully pissed and unleashed Gene Bombs (bombs that destroy DNA) on the planet. However some people and animals survived, with the latter's DNA mixing with shredded bits of human DNA, thus turning them into the anthropomorphic creatures they are today.
312	[[/folder]]
313	----
314	->''...[[Music/MeatLoaf And it's so much better than it is today.]]''

Context Main / ALongTimeAgoInAGalaxyFarFarAway