Re: “Top 10 Space Opera Books and Series”

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.