Tevun-Krus #47 - Galactic Empire

Galactic Empire or Space Opera? - An Article by @elveloy

I started this article (as I often do) with a quick search on Wattpad with #galacticempire, just to see what turned up; what the trends were for this surely epic sub-genre... and discovered exactly 39 stories, *most of which were Star Wars fanfiction. Not unreasonably I suppose, given that Star Wars actually has an organisation called "Galactic Empire" in it.

That set me thinking, however. Isn't Star Wars usually classed as a prime example of Space Opera? So what exactly is the definition of Galactic Empire and how does it differ from Space Opera?

I began with Ooorah's SF Sub-Genre Definitions:

"Galactic Empire – Science fiction taking place in a galactic wide setting with many different planets and solar systems politically and economically joined." Eg Asimov's Foundation novels.

"Space Opera – Space Opera is a sub-genre of science fiction that emphasises romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities.

Perhaps the most significant trait of space opera is that setting, characters, battles, powers, and themes tend to be very large scale." Eg Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica etc.

Pretty similar, huh?

My next step was to check what Wikipedia had to say about the two genres. I found, to my surprise, that Galactic Empire is not considered a sub-genre in its own right at all, but rather a trope of the Space Opera sub-genre. A trope is "Something recurring across a genre or type of art or literature, such as the 'mad scientist' of horror movies or the use of the phrase 'once upon a time' as an introduction to fairy tales; a motif." (definition from Wikipedia)

Galactic Empires are often a key feature of Space Operas, either as background or as a protagonist. Star Wars is a classic example where the "Galactic Empire" is both.

Then there's the Goa'uld Empire in Stargate, the Klingon Empire in Star Trek, the Hynerion Empire in Farscape... and so on.

In fact, it's rather hard to think of a Space Opera without a galactic empire featuring somewhere.

So what do you think? Galactic Empire – sub-genre or Space Opera trope?

In finishing, I couldn't resist including this wonderful entry from Douglas Adams' famous book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

"Far back in the mist of ancient time in the great and glorious days of the former Galactic Empire, life was wild, rich and on-the-whole tax free. Mighty star ships plied their way between exotic suns, seeking adventure and reward amongst the furthest reaches of galactic space. In those days, spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri."

—The Guide on the Galactic Empire

*with the notable exception of two short stories by me and @bloodsword for the SFSD 7 Smackdown final round.