http://cache.io9.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/io9.com.png http://io9.com/tag/fictional trends http://io9.com/tag/fictional trends

What do Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Star Wars, the anime Robotech, and the novels of Iain M. Banks all have in common? They're space operas, part of the scifi subgenre that goes back to the 1930s and includes practically any cool outer-space story with lots of awesome ships and intergalactic battles. Now critics (and a new anthology) say this creaky old genre is making a comeback. More »
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What is with abandoning humans on alien planets lately? Marvel Comics started the meme last year with their Planet Hulk series, which saw the Jade Giant exiled to another planet in response to one real-estate-ruinin' rampage too many, and DC Comics have just hit back with their new Salvation Run series, in which lots of super-villains are... well, exiled to another planet in response to more than one real-estate-ruinin' rampage too many. But trust comic writer and self-styled "old bastard" Warren Ellis to point out the origin of the new hit genre. More »
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Fart danger is everywhere recent science fiction. First there was Greg Bear's novel Vitals, in which an evil Soviet conspiracy leads to targeted biological mind-control attacks. How do you know somebody has been taken over by mind-controlling bacteria? They start farting. Doctor Who took this idea a step further. More »
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