Space Opera

Space opera

Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Dan Dare, Star Wars.

Iain M. Banks‘s galaxy-spanning Culture series, begining with Consider Phlebas (1987).

Dan Simmons‘ Hyperion Cantos (the novels Hyperion (1989), The Fall of Hyperion (1990), Endymion (1996) and The Rise of Endymion (1997), and the short stories ”Remembering Siri” (1983), ”The Death of the Centaur” (1990) and ”Orphans of the Helix” (1999)).

Russell Hoban‘s Fremder (1996) is a rare space opera by a ‘literary’ author.

TV space operas include the various iterations of the Star Trek franchise, the dystopian Blake’s 7 (1978-81)

Babylon 5

Joss Whedon created the ‘Space Western’ Firefly (2002) and directed the movie version sequel, Serenity (2005).

References:

• Banks, Iain M., Consider Phlebas (1987)
• Hoban, Russell, Fremder (1996)
• Palmer, Christopher, ”Galactic Empires and the Contemporary Extravaganza: Dan Simmons and Iain M. Banks” (1999) in Science Fiction Studies #77, Volume 26, Part 1, March 1999
• Simmons, Dan, Hyperion (1989)
  
• —— The Fall of Hyperion (1990)
• —— Endymion (1996)
• —— The Rise of Endymion (1997)