Space Opera Noir

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Space Opera Noir is a term utilised to discuss one of the new schools of the more classic Space Opera subgenre of speculative fiction or science fiction that evolved during the late 20th and early 21st century. It's name is derived from the traditional science fiction term for tales regarding space ships, and from cinematic term film noir. Heavily influenced by the emergence of Cyberpunk, space opera noir continues to emphasize dramatic adventures and exotic settings of the classic space opera genre, and maintains the use of 'harder' science in its story telling that is traditional in the "New" Space Opera, but differs in its much darker plot lines, and its frequent emphasis on dark settings and/or morally questionable characters or situations.

[edit] Characteristics

A space opera noir can be differentiated from the more traditional space opera by its frequent use of dark, disturbing or questionable situations.[1] This stands in marked contrast to the more heroic, good versus evil plot lines of the traditional space opera. In fact critics of the genre often complain that the moral ambiguity of the genre makes for difficult reading. In contrast fans of the genre suggest that the complexity of the shades of grey more accurately reflect the real world and thus aid in the suspension of disbelief.[2]

Related to the moral ambiguity of the genre, is the complexity of the characters involved. While there tends to be a heavy reliance on Hard Science Fiction elements, the general focus of the Space Opera Noir is on the nature of the human condition, normally as impacted by technology or alien presences. In this manner it frequently bears a strong resemblence to cyberpunk, but remains markedly different due to its use of far future settings and interstellar space travel. To this end, it can also be said to be further descriptor of works within the sub-genre known as New Space Opera (see Space Opera).

[edit] Examples

Examples of space opera noirs can be seen in the works of Alastair Reynolds, William C. Dietz, and many of the works by Iain M. Banks. Though each of these works is fundamentally different, they can be used to illustrate the emerging genre. The revitalised and re-imagined 2003 television mini-series Battlestar Galactica (TV miniseries) and its subsequent regular television program Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series) can also readily be defined as part of the genre.

Alastair Reynolds' work Revelation Space, and his related series of novels that go by the same name, may in fact best exemplify the space opera noir genre. They occur in a technologically advanced, but fundamentally flawed society marked by decay and corruption. Perhaps most importantly, throughout the series, Reynolds creates a list of protagonists who include war criminals and mass murders with whom he manages to create a sense of sympathy which can sit uneasily upon some readers. The overall result is an attempt to create a morally ambigious world where no clear answers are provided.

William Dietz’ military based Legion series is also an excellent example of the genre. In his works, Dietz focuses on an army made up primarily of criminals who effectively perform their term of incarceration by being turned into cyborgs and serving within a military service descended from the Foreign Legion. Through these characters, he examines the concept of cultural values, responsibility, loyalty, forgiveness and even love between individuals locked in a cybernetic existence.

Many of Iain M. Banks’ science fiction novels clearly fall within the genre. Though most feature to some extent a utopian society, The Culture, they tend to focus on the darker elements within that society which allow it to exist. Their action is often set outside of the Culture in less enlightened societies, with plots typically revolving around the machinations of the Special Circumstances division of the Contact (The Culture) organisation, a sort of secret service, who use deception and violence to defend the Culture and spread its values of tolerance and hedonism. To this end, while Bank’s works speak of a brighter society than the afore mentioned authors, his novels can be classified as Space Opera Noir because of their deep examination of questionable acts, ethical paradoxes and flawed, morally ambivalent characters.

In the case of Battlestar Galactica (re-imagining), the dark, post holocaustic nature or the series, with its strong emphasis on moral ambiguity clearly identifies it as part of the Space Opera Noir genre. Such cannot be said of the original Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), which was also set after the attempted mass genocide of the human race, but had very readily identifiable heroes and villains and clear falls into the classic Space Opera category. In contrast, the re-imagined series questions the nature of the relationship between the human protagonists and the cylon nemeses. It does not clearly identify one as necessarily morally superior to the other, and has fatally flawed but sympathetic primary characters on both sides of the story’s conflict. Such self-reflective and dark subject matter are, indeed the principal charactersitics of the sub-genre as a whole.

Though there are numerous other examples, this selection gives a generally broad view to the range that can be loosely defined as part of the genre.