List of science fiction themes

While science fiction stories have many themes, exploration and discovery in space is a recurring focus.

The following is a list of articles about recurring themes in science fiction.

Overarching themes

See also: Science fiction genre

• First contact with aliens
• Artificial intelligence
  • Machine rule/Cybernetic revolt/AI takeover
• Extraterrestrials in fiction
• End of humanity: Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
• The future
  • Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction: Apocalypses or worldwide disasters and new societies that develop after the event
• History
  • Alternate history
  • Scientific prediction of the future (e.g. psychohistory)
• Human fears: List of science fiction horror films
• Language
  • Alien languages (e.g. Klingon, Huttese)
  • The Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis (e.g. Babel 17, The Languages of Pao)
  • Universal translators (e.g. Babel fish)
• Military/conflicts
  • Interstellar war
  • Weapons in science fiction
• Parallel worlds or multiverse
• Philosophies and philosophical ideas
• Sex and sexuality
  • LGBT themes
  • Gender
  • Reproduction and pregnancy
• Simulated reality and consciousness
• Social science fiction
• Technological singularity
• Themes of fantasy fiction

Beings and entities

• Artificial intelligences
  • Androids and Gynoid
  • Artificial life
  • Biological robot
  • Cyborgs
  • Robots and humanoid robots
  • Replicants
  • Simulated consciousness
• Characters
  • The Absent-minded professor
  • The Golem
  • The Mad Scientist
  • Redshirt
  • Space Pirate
  • Super Soldier
• Clones
• Dinosaurs
• Extraterrestrial life
  • Hypothetical types of biochemistry
  • Alien invasion
  • Astrobiology
  • God-like aliens
    • Principles of non-interference (e.g. Prime Directive)
    • Message from space
• Living planets (both sentient and non-sentient)
• Hive minds
• Infomorphs—memories, characters, and consciences of persons being uploaded to a computer or storage media
• Mutants
• Shapeshifters
• Superhumans
• Superorganisms
• Symbionts
• UFOs
• Uplifting—using technology to "raise" non-human animals to human evolutionary levels
  • Ancient astronauts
  • Progressor

Body and mind alterations

• Biohacking/Amateur biotechnicians
• Artificial organs
• Additional or improved senses^[page needed]
  • X-ray vision
• Cloning
• Exocortex
• Genetic engineering
  • Super race
• Intelligence amplification
• Invisibility
• Life extension, Biological immortality, Universal immortalism and immortality
  • Cryonics
  • Digital immortality
  • Mind uploading
  • Organ transplantation
  • Organlegging
• Prosthetics
• Memory
  • Memory erasure/editing
  • Memory sharing
    • Group mind
  • Mind control
  • Mind swap
  • Mind uploading
  • Neural implants to directly interface with machinery
• Psi powers and psychic phenomena
  • Clairvoyance
  • Precognition
  • Pyrokinesis
  • Retrocognition
  • Telepathy
  • Telekinesis
• Parasitism[1][2][3][4][5]
• Psychedelia
• Resizing (size-changing, miniaturization, magnification, shrinking, and enlargement)
• Shapeshifting
• Superhuman strength
• Teleportation
• Transhumanism and Posthumanism

Habitats

• Artificial worlds
• Alien Zoo—a zoo where humans are kept as exhibits
• Arcologies—enormous habitats (hyperstructures) of extremely high human population density
• Cyberspace—the new, virtual territory of societal interaction
• Domed city
• Floating city
• Future of the Earth
  • Climate change—science fiction dealing with effects of anthropogenic climate change and global warming at the end of the Holocene era
• Megacity
• Pastoral science fiction—science fiction set in rural, bucolic, or agrarian worlds, either on Earth or on Earth-like planets, in which advanced technologies are downplayed.
• Seasteading and ocean colonization
  • Pirate utopia
• Reality Television
• Space colonization
  • Colonization of the Moon
  • Ecumenopolis
  • Pantropy
  • Other planets
    • Desert planet
      • Mars
  • Terraformed planets
• Space stations and habitats
• Underground city

Political themes

• Adhocracy
• Anarcho-capitalism
• Capitalism
  • Evil corporation
  • Megacorporation
  • Neo-feudalism
• Cognitive liberty
• Dystopias and utopias
  • Environmental pollution
  • Overpopulation
  • Technological utopianism
  • Totalitarianism
• Galactic empires
• Government by algorithm
• Legal personality
• Libertarianism
• Mass surveillance
• Mind reading and mind control
• National security state
• Post-scarcity economy
• Socialism
  • Nanosocialism
• Technoethics
  • Bioethics
• Technophobia
• Techno-progressivism
• Terrorism
  • Bio-terrorism
  • Eco-terrorism
• Totalitarianism vs. Libertarianism

Technologies

See also: Fictional technology and Technology in science fiction

• Artificial gravity
• Artificial intelligence
• Asteroid mining
• Astronomical engineering
• Brain–computer interface
• Cloaking device
• Emerging technologies
• Robots
• Self-replicating machines
• Simulated reality
• Star lifting and stellar engineering
• Stasis device
• Total conversion as energy source
• Mecha
• Megascale engineering and planetary engineering
  • Megastructures
  • Dyson sphere
• Molecular manufacturing and Nanotechnology
  • Molecular assembler
• Alien technology
• Virtual reality, mixed reality, augmented reality
  • Infosphere
  • Metaverse
• Weapons in science fiction

Travel

• Accidental travel
• Colonization of other planets, moons, asteroids, etc.
  • Embryo space colonization
  • Generation ship
  • Interstellar ark
  • Uploaded astronaut
  • Terraforming
• Space exploration
  • Interstellar travel/Starships
    • Faster-than-light travel and communications
      • Hyperspace
      • Slipstream
      • Warp drives
      • Wormholes
      • Ansibles
    • Close to light speed
      • Bussard ramjets
      • Ursula K. Le Guin's NAFAL ships, and the Twin paradox
    • Much slower than light
      • Generation ship
      • Sleeper ship
  • Space stations
• Teleportation
  • Teletransporter
• Time travel
  • Alternate history: 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.
  • Alternate future
  • Time loop
• Travel to the Earth's center
  • Hollow Earth

See also

• Biology in fiction
• Fantasy tropes
• Outline of science fiction
• Protoscience

References

1. "Parasitism and Symbiosis". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. 10 January 2016.
2. Guarino, Ben (19 May 2017). "Disgusting 'Alien' movie monster not as horrible as real things in nature". The Washington Post.
3. Glassy, Mark C. (2005). The Biology of Science Fiction Cinema. McFarland. pp. 186 ff. ISBN 978-1-4766-0822-8.
4. Moisseeff, Marika (23 January 2014). Aliens as an Invasive Reproductive Power in Science Fiction. pp. 239–257. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
5. Williams, Robyn; Field, Scott (27 September 1997). "Behaviour, Evolutionary Games and .... Aliens". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 November 2017.