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You can either have the science fiction theme page like this, or go away, but if you want to delete this page I'm all for that, Yobmod stuffed it up anyway |
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The following is a list of recurring themes in science fiction |
The following is a list of recurring themes in science fiction. |
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==Overarching themes== |
==Overarching themes== |
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{{seealso|Science fiction genre}} |
{{seealso|Science fiction genre}} |
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*[[Cosmology]] <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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*[[Cosmology]] |
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*[[Creation myth|Creation of the Universe]] |
*[[Creation myth|Creation of the Universe]] <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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*The [[future]] <ref name="[[Doctor Who]]"/> <ref name="[[Back to the Future]]"/> <ref name="[[The Time Machine]]"/> |
*The [[future]] <ref name="[[Doctor Who]]"/> <ref name="[[Back to the Future]]"/> <ref name="[[The Time Machine]]"/> |
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*[[History]] <ref name="Doctor Who"/> |
*[[History]] <ref name="Doctor Who"/> |
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==Types of beings== |
==Types of beings== |
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*Alternate intelligences |
*Alternate intelligences |
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**[[Artificial intelligence]] |
**[[Artificial intelligence]] <ref name="[[AI. Artifical intelligence]]"/> |
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**Beings of pure mentality |
**Beings of pure mentality <ref name="[[The Stones of Blood]]"/> |
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**[[Hive mind]]s |
**[[Hive mind]]s <ref name="[[Kingdom of the Crystal Skull]]"/> |
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**[[Infomorph]]s - memories, characters and consciences of persons being uploaded to a computer or storage media |
**[[Infomorph]]s - memories, characters and consciences of persons being uploaded to a computer or storage media |
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**[[Noosphere]] - the "sphere of human thought" |
**[[Noosphere]] - the "sphere of human thought" |
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**[[Solipsism]] & [[Solipsism syndrome]] - a belief that the universe is entirely the creation of one's own mind |
**[[Solipsism]] & [[Solipsism syndrome]] - a belief that the universe is entirely the creation of one's own mind |
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*[[Android]]s and [[Gynoid]]s |
*[[Android]]s and [[Gynoid]]s <ref name="[[Doctor Who]]"/> <ref name="[[Star Trek]]"/> <ref name="[[Dragonball]]"/> |
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**[[Cyborg]]s <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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**[[Cyborg]]s |
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**[[Robot]]s and [[humanoid robot]]s |
**[[Robot]]s and [[humanoid robot]]s <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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**[[Replicant]]s <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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**[[Replicant]]s |
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**[[Pleasure Unit|Sexbot]]s |
**[[Pleasure Unit|Sexbot]]s |
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*Characters |
*Characters |
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**The [[Absent-minded professor]] or [[Monomane]] & [[Eclecticism]] |
**The [[Absent-minded professor]] or [[Monomane]] & [[Eclecticism]] <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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**The [[Detective]] |
**The [[Detective]] |
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**The God-Like Alien |
**The God-Like Alien |
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**The Robot Servant |
**The Robot Servant |
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**The [[Scientist]] |
**The [[Scientist]] |
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***The [[Mad Scientist]] <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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***The [[Mad Scientist]] |
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***The Amoral Scientist |
***The Amoral Scientist |
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***The Heroic Scientist |
***The Heroic Scientist |
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***The Lame Amoral Scientist |
***The Lame Amoral Scientist |
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**The [[Wedge Antilles|Wedge]] |
**The [[Wedge Antilles|Wedge]] |
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*[[Cloning|Clone]]s <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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*[[Cloning|Clone]]s |
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*[[Extraterrestrial life]] (see [[Extraterrestrial life in culture]]) |
*[[Extraterrestrial life]] (see [[Extraterrestrial life in culture]]) <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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**[[Alien invasion]] <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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**[[Alien invasion]] |
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**[[Astrobiology]] <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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**[[Astrobiology]] |
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**[[Benevolent aliens]] <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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**[[Benevolent aliens]] |
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**[[First contact (science fiction)|First contact]] |
**[[First contact (science fiction)|First contact]] <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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***Principles of non-interference (e.g. [[Prime Directive]]) |
***Principles of non-interference (e.g. [[Prime Directive]]) <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of time travelling stories"/> |
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*Living Planets |
*Living Planets <ref name="[[Marvel Universe]]"/> |
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*[[Mutant (fictional)|Mutants]] |
*[[Mutant (fictional)|Mutants]] <ref name="[[Marvel Universe]]"/> |
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*[[Shapeshifting|Shapeshifters]] |
*[[Shapeshifting|Shapeshifters]] <ref name="[[Marvel Universe]]"/> |
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*[[Superhuman]]s <ref name="[[Marvel Universe]]"/> <ref name="[[DC Universe]]"/> |
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*[[Superhuman]]s |
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*[[Symbiont]]s |
*[[Symbiont]]s <ref name="[[Men in Black]]"/> |
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*[[Biological uplift|Uplifted animals]] - using technology to "raise" non-human animals to human evolutionary levels |
*[[Biological uplift|Uplifted animals]] - using technology to "raise" non-human animals to human evolutionary levels <ref name="[[The Island of Dr. Moreau]]"/> |
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==Body and mind alterations== |
==Body and mind alterations== |
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*[[Bio-implant]]s <ref name="[[The Island of Dr. Moreau]]"/> <ref name="[[Marvel Universe]]"/> |
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*[[Bio-implant]]s |
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**[[Body modification]], including [[genetic modification]] |
**[[Body modification]], including [[genetic modification]] <ref name="[[The Island of Dr. Moreau]]"/> <ref name="[[Marvel Universe]]"/> |
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**[[Bionics]] <ref name="[[Doctor Who]]"/> <ref name="[[Marvel Universe]]"/> |
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**[[Bionics]] |
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**[[Cybernetics]] |
**[[Cybernetics]] <ref name="[[Doctor Who]]"/> <ref name="[[Marvel Universe]]"/> |
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*[[Intelligence amplification]] |
*[[Intelligence amplification]] <ref name="[[Planet of the Spiders]]"/> <ref name="[[The Lawnmower Man]]"/> |
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*[[Invisibility]] |
*[[Invisibility]] <ref name="[[The Face of Evil]]"/> |
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*[[Life extension]], [[Biological immortality]], Universal immortalism and [[immortality]] |
*[[Life extension]], [[Biological immortality]], Universal immortalism and [[immortality]] |
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**[[Artificial organ]]s |
**[[Artificial organ]]s |
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**[[Cloning]] <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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**[[Cloning]] |
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**[[Cryonics]] |
**[[Cryonics]] |
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**[[Organlegging#The Organ Bank Problem|The Organ Bank Problem]] - a proposed problem in which the reduced death rate caused by [[organ transplant]]s would lead to a shortage of organs available for transplant |
**[[Organlegging#The Organ Bank Problem|The Organ Bank Problem]] - a proposed problem in which the reduced death rate caused by [[organ transplant]]s would lead to a shortage of organs available for transplant |
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*Mind interfacing |
*Mind interfacing |
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**Memory removal/editing |
**Memory removal/editing |
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**[[Mind control]] <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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**[[Mind control]] |
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**[[Mind uploading]] |
**[[Mind uploading]] |
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**Neural implants to directly interface with machinery |
**Neural implants to directly interface with machinery |
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*[[Molecular manufacturing]] & [[Nanotechnology]] (nanomilitary, nanomaterials, nanoecology, nanomedicine, nanocomputing, nanospace, nanoenergy) |
*[[Molecular manufacturing]] & [[Nanotechnology]] (nanomilitary, nanomaterials, nanoecology, nanomedicine, nanocomputing, nanospace, nanoenergy) |
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*[[Parapsychology|Psi powers and psychic phenomenon]] |
*[[Parapsychology|Psi powers and psychic phenomenon]] <ref name="[[The Tomorrow People]]"/> |
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**[[Clairvoyance]] |
**[[Clairvoyance]] |
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**[[Telepathy]] |
**[[Telepathy]] |
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**[[Telekinesis]] |
**[[Telekinesis]] |
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*[[Paradise engineering]] |
*[[Paradise engineering]] <ref name="[[Forest of the Dead]]"/> |
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*[[Resizing (fiction)|Resizing]] (size-changing, miniaturization, magnification, shrinking, and enlargement) |
*[[Resizing (fiction)|Resizing]] (size-changing, miniaturization, magnification, shrinking, and enlargement) <ref name="[[X-Men]]"/> <ref name="[[Honey I Shrunk the Kids]]"/> |
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*[[Shapeshifting]] |
*[[Shapeshifting]] <ref name="[[X-Men]]"/> <ref name="[[Animorphs]]"/> |
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*[[Telepathy]] |
*[[Telepathy]] <ref name="[[The Tomorrow People]]"/> |
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*[[Teleportation]] |
*[[Teleportation]] <ref name="[[The Tomorrow People]]"/> |
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==Possible futures== |
==Possible futures== |
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==Political structures== |
==Political structures== |
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{{Main|Political ideas in science fiction}} |
{{Main|Political ideas in science fiction}} |
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*[[First contact (science fiction)|Alien Contact]] |
*[[First contact (science fiction)|Alien Contact]] <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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*[[Anarchism]] |
*[[Anarchism]] |
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*[[Anarcho-capitalism]] (see: [[Anarcho-capitalist literature]] and [[Libertarian science fiction]]) |
*[[Anarcho-capitalism]] (see: [[Anarcho-capitalist literature]] and [[Libertarian science fiction]]) |
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*[[Artificial intelligence]] <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
*[[Artificial intelligence]] <ref name="If you need a reference for this one, you must have only just heard of science fiction"/> |
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**[[von Neumann machine]]s |
**[[von Neumann machine]]s |
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*[[Technological singularity|Singularity]] |
*[[Technological singularity|Singularity]] <ref name="[[The War Machines]]"/> <ref name="[[DC Universe]]"/> <ref name="[[Marvel Universe]]"/> |
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*[[Star lifting]] & [[Stellar engineering]] |
*[[Star lifting]] & [[Stellar engineering]] |
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*[[Megascale engineering]] & [[Planetary engineering]] |
*[[Megascale engineering]] & [[Planetary engineering]] |
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**Far advanced technology for the time. |
**Far advanced technology for the time. |
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**Alien technology being found and used by humans. Most of the time for selfish purposes, or is being used incorrectly (not how it's supposed to work) |
**Alien technology being found and used by humans. Most of the time for selfish purposes, or is being used incorrectly (not how it's supposed to work) |
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*[[Virtual reality]] and [[simulated reality]] |
*[[Virtual reality]] <ref name="[[The Lawnmower Man]]"/> <ref name="[[Forest of the Dead]]"/>and [[simulated reality]]<ref name="[[Forest of the Dead]]"/> |
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*[[Weapons in science fiction|Weapons]] |
*[[Weapons in science fiction|Weapons]] <ref name="[[Doctor Who]]"/> <ref name="[[Star Trek]]"/> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
Revision as of 10:06, 20 January 2009
The following is a list of recurring themes in science fiction.
Overarching themes
- Cosmology [1]
- Creation of the Universe [1]
- The future [2] [3] [4]
- History [5]
- Alternate history [5]
- Historical cycles: history repeating itself (either on long or short scales)
- Scientific prediction of the future (e.g. psychohistory)
- Secret history [2]
- Language
- Alien languages [1]
- All humans speaking one language (possibly Esperanto)
- Current human languages evolving/splitting
- The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis being strongly true (e.g. Babel 17 by Samuel R. Delany or The Languages of Pao by Jack Vance)
- Universal Translators [2] [6]
- Military - strategy, weapons, ranks, technologies.
- Omega Point
- Quantum suicide and immortality
- Parallel worlds or universes. [2] [10]
- There is a space based civilization variant of this theme. This plot device allows writers to write soft science fiction while accounting for the lack of technological advancement and thus similarity to the present day.
- Religious ideas in science fiction
- Sci fantasy
- Sci horror [11], [12], [13]
- Sex (including gender roles, polygamy, sexuality and procreation) [14]
- Sociology and sociobiology
- Space Opera
Types of beings
- Alternate intelligences
- Artificial intelligence [15]
- Beings of pure mentality [16]
- Hive minds [17]
- Infomorphs - memories, characters and consciences of persons being uploaded to a computer or storage media
- Noosphere - the "sphere of human thought"
- Solipsism & Solipsism syndrome - a belief that the universe is entirely the creation of one's own mind
- Androids and Gynoids [2] [18] [19]
- Characters
- The Absent-minded professor or Monomane & Eclecticism [1]
- The Detective
- The God-Like Alien
- The Golem
- The Ignorant Friend
- Redshirt
- The Robot Clone
- The Robot Servant
- The Scientist
- The Mad Scientist [1]
- The Amoral Scientist
- The Heroic Scientist
- The Lame Amoral Scientist
- The Wedge
- Clones [1]
- Extraterrestrial life (see Extraterrestrial life in culture) [1]
- Alien invasion [1]
- Astrobiology [1]
- Benevolent aliens [1]
- First contact [1]
- Principles of non-interference (e.g. Prime Directive) [20]
- Living Planets [21]
- Mutants [21]
- Shapeshifters [21]
- Superhumans [21] [22]
- Symbionts [23]
- Uplifted animals - using technology to "raise" non-human animals to human evolutionary levels [24]
Body and mind alterations
- Bio-implants [24] [21]
- Body modification, including genetic modification [24] [21]
- Bionics [2] [21]
- Cybernetics [2] [21]
- Intelligence amplification [25] [26]
- Invisibility [27]
- Life extension, Biological immortality, Universal immortalism and immortality
- Artificial organs
- Cloning [1]
- Cryonics
- The Organ Bank Problem - a proposed problem in which the reduced death rate caused by organ transplants would lead to a shortage of organs available for transplant
- Mind interfacing
- Memory removal/editing
- Mind control [1]
- Mind uploading
- Neural implants to directly interface with machinery
- Molecular manufacturing & Nanotechnology (nanomilitary, nanomaterials, nanoecology, nanomedicine, nanocomputing, nanospace, nanoenergy)
- Psi powers and psychic phenomenon [28]
- Paradise engineering [29]
- Resizing (size-changing, miniaturization, magnification, shrinking, and enlargement) [30] [31]
- Shapeshifting [30] [32]
- Telepathy [28]
- Teleportation [28]
Possible futures
- Alien invasions [1]
- Apocalypses or world wide disasters
- Post-apocalyptic life - new societies that develop after the event
- Posthumanism
- Race of the Future
- Ultimate fate of the Universe & Kardashev scale
Political structures
- Alien Contact [1]
- Anarchism
- Anarcho-capitalism (see: Anarcho-capitalist literature and Libertarian science fiction)
- Assassination
- Astrosociology
- return to feudalism
- hive-like eusocial societies
- future caste systems
- Capitalism
- Dystopias and utopias [33]
- Environmentalism
- Science fiction is used to raise awareness of environmental ideas. Lends itself well to dystopian futures. Frank Herbert and Kim Stanley Robinson are known for their serious concern with ecological issues.
- Economics
- Eugenics
- Fascism
- Galactic empires [8]
- Interstellar federation of planets
- Legal personality
- Libertarianism
- Limited-franchise republic
- Militarism
- Mind reading and mind control
- National security state
- Nepotism
- Pacifism
- Plutocracy
- Proportional representation
- Racism
- Revolution
- Slavery
- Socialism
- Theocracy
- Totalitarianism vs. Libertarianism (see: Libertarian science fiction)
- Treason
- World government
- Zero population growth
Habitats
- Alien Reality Television, [34], [35] [36]
- Alien Zoo, [37]
- Arcologies - enormous habitats (hyperstructures) of extremely high human population density
- Domed city
- Endemic
- Exploring alien habitats.
- Floating City
- Seasteading & Ocean colonization
- Space colonization [2]
- Underground city
- Walking City
Travel
- Colonization of other planets, moons, asteroids, etc.
- Moving planets
- Space exploration [38]
- Interstellar travel [39]
- Faster-than-light travel and communications [40]
- Much slower than Light [45]
- Very nearly light speed [48]
- Bussard ramjets [49]
- Ursula LeGuin's NAFAL ships, and the Twin paradox
- Space stations [50]
- Interstellar travel [39]
- Time travel [1]
- Alternate histories: time travel can be used as a plot device to explore parallel universes. While alternate history has its own category (see above), it often occurs in time travel stories as well.
- Anachronism
- The Grandfather paradox -- e.g. Can someone go back in time and kill his parents before they beget the killer?
- Travel to the Earth's center
Technologies
- Artificial gravity
- Artificial intelligence [1]
- Singularity [51] [22] [21]
- Star lifting & Stellar engineering
- Megascale engineering & Planetary engineering
- Technology
- Far advanced technology for the time.
- Alien technology being found and used by humans. Most of the time for selfish purposes, or is being used incorrectly (not how it's supposed to work)
- Virtual reality [26] [29]and simulated reality[29]
- Weapons [2] [18]
See also
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