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From: "Michael F. Stemper" <michael.stemper@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: =?UTF-8?Q?Re=3a_=e2=80=9cTop_10_Space_Opera_Books_and_Series?=
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Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2024 09:27:55 -0500
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On 03/06/2024 08.46, Chris Buckley wrote:
> On 2024-06-03, Michael F. Stemper <michael.stemper@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 02/06/2024 10.55, Paul S Person wrote:

>>> I think I've mostly regarded "space opera" as a formation based on
>>> "horse opera". FWIW. YMMV.
>>
>> I have no doubt about that being the etymology of the term. But, it's hardly
>> a definition. And I was wondering specifically about the definition used by
>> the folks setting up the poll; the definition that viewed Hyperion and
>> Foundation as "space opera".
>>
>> My guess is that the pollsters had no criteria, and this poll was really
>> "what science fiction do you like?" With serious sampling issues.
> 
> Wikipedia has a nice article on "space opera"; a very major focus of
> it is how the definition has changed over the years, and how many
> different definitions of it there are.
>    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_opera

Interesting article, thanks.

One bit of it that did bring me up short was a definition of "hard science
fiction" as:
   [...] emphasis is on the effects of technological progress and inventions,
   and where the settings are carefully worked out to obey the laws of
   physics, cosmology, mathematics, and biology.

This is a fine definition of hard SF, but it goes on to say:
   [...] Examples are seen in the works of Alastair Reynolds or the movie
   The Last Starfighter.
   
I have a lot of trouble figuring out how _The Last Starfighter_ has a
setting "carefully worked out to obey the laws of physics". It's a great
flick, but its physics is laughable.


-- 
Michael F. Stemper
Indians scattered on dawn's highway bleeding;
Ghosts crowd the young child's fragile eggshell mind.