How To Write A Space Opera

Learn how to write a space opera filled with epic adventures, unforgettable characters, and interstellar conflict that readers will love.

How To Write A Space Opera Readers Will Love

‘To boldly go where no man has travelled before’ – these words from the TV series Star Trek have become iconic. And they already tell you, in a nutshell, what a space opera is all about.

Space operas are a sub-genre of science fiction and science fantasy. Of course, these stories are all about space. But what about the opera part?

Don’t worry, it’s not about classical singing. The ‘opera’ part refers to the way stories are told: everything is larger than life, everything is on a grand scale, with lots of symbolism.

Let me give you some titles, so we have some examples to work with. I bet you’ll recognise quite a few!

A Short Syllabus of Space Operas

The most famous examples of space opera come from television and cinema, but you’ll recognise a few books as well. Here’s a short list:

Star Trek – TV series by Gene Roddenberry, movies & multiple spin-offs, 1966-present.
Battlestar Galactica – Originally a TV-series, by Greg Larson & Ronald D. Moore, 1978-2012.
Star Wars – Originally a movie trilogy, later expanded into a franchise, created by George Lucas, 1977-present.
Flash Gordon – Originally a Comic strip by Alex Raymond in 1934. Later expanded into a franchise with a TV series and a movie (still being produced).
Perry Rhodan – A serial novella by K.H. Scheer and Clark Darlton, from 1961 to the present. A German space opera written by an ever-changing team of authors.
Dune – A novel by Frank Herbert (1965) that has turned into a franchise, including several movies.
Galactic Empire – A series of three novels by Isaac Asimov written in 1945-1952.
Stargate – Originally a movie by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin (1984). Has been expanded into a franchise.
Doctor Who – A franchise created by Sydney Newman and others. It began as a TV series made from 1963 to 2025.

How many of these do you know already?

Each of these titles is unique, although they share a few characteristics. Let’s look at those to find out more about the genre.

The 8 Elements Of Space Operas

Let’s face it: any writer who creates a space opera needs to be a bit of a geek. You need to be a nerd. You need to love science and inventions and be brainy enough to understand it all so you can come up with your own version of science in your stories.

That’s what you need to bring to your desk. Now I can help you craft a gripping tale with the following eight points.

1. Setting

These stories are all set in space and usually in the future. This is important because the distance created between the reader’s time and the time of the story serves a specific purpose. We’ll get into more detail when we talk about the message (see 8).

Space operas require intense worldbuilding.

2. Literary Form

It doesn’t matter whether these stories were published as films, as comics, or novellas; the literary form they all share is that of an epic or a family saga.

This has implications for the plot and the characters. It means that the timespan covered in these stories is huge – usually several generations at least.

In Star Wars, if we stick to the original storyline, the story covers at least three generations. It starts with Anakin Skywalker as a small boy, and ends with his son, Luke Skywalker, teaching the very last of the Jedi.
In Stargate, the scope is even wider, as the original movie shows people in the present day travelling to space, where they meet Egyptian gods. This would cover a time span from 10,000 BC to the 2010’s!

In this sense, a space opera is not only a story but also a historical account. Writers must think in eras, not in years or months.

3. Cast Of Characters

Since space operas are family sagas, we have one family at its core: the patriarchal grandfather, who often is also the defender of the established moral code of the story, the sons and daughters that are trying to start a life of their own (with all the difficulties that ensue), and the grandchildren who rebel against the established order.

Space operas all centre around one family, with all the archetypal roles, including the black sheep of the family and the keeper of the moral code. Writers must devise meticulous biographies.

In Battlestar Galactica, the old order is personified by Commander Adama, whose name itself signifies ‘Earth’ in Hebrew, and who remembers life on the home planet. His son Apollo is his right hand, skilled in warfare but also as a conscientious leader. Apollo heads the troops in the search for a new home planet. He has a stepson, Boxey.

4. Moral Code

This is a theme to be found in all space operas. At its nucleus, it’s the eternal war of good versus evil. But usually, the moral code of these space worlds is more complicated, as the setting has its moral repercussions, too.

For example, in Dune, we learn about the people of the Fremen and their code of conduct. Since they live in a desert, their lives are guided by reverence for water. Their lives are a fight for survival, so their morals often seem harsh or cold-blooded at first. But they also have an incredible sense of community.

The eternal fight between good and evil is one of the big driving forces in space operas.

5. Spirituality

Spirituality, and how higher beings guide the characters in the stories, is also an important element of the worldbuilding authors must do.

In Stargate, we learn a lot about the ancient Egyptian Gods.
In Star Wars, the code of the ‘Force’ is a mix of Samurai warfare and the belief in an energy field that connects all living creatures, inspired by Eastern spirituality.
In Dune, we find Taoist principles mixed with Yoga spirituality. The order of the Bene Gesserit believes that the mind controls reality. So, their members learn how to control the body and the mind, both of themselves and of others, too.

Spirituality plays a great role. Authors must devise a system of ideas, either supporting the moral code or contradicting it.

6. Technology & Science

Spacecraft and space travel are at the heart of space operas. The mere possibility is a given.

Spaceships are used for transport, warfare, homes, and even locations to grow food when the home planets have become uninhabitable (as in Battlestar Galactica).
Robots and artificial intelligence have become characters with their own personality. Humans use them as tools (just look at C3PO in Star Wars, who is a genius at languages), but these robots also interact with people and can even feel fear or joy. The only thing they seem to struggle with is humour – just look at C3PO (Star Wars) or Data (from Star Trek).
Advanced weapons like blasters, lasers (to either stun or kill, as in Star Trek) are important. So are devices for time travel (the TARDIS in Doctor Who or the steel circles in Stargate).
Advanced science is also visible in the creation of food, the use of medicine, and all kinds of everyday devices (just remember the communicators in Star Trek!).

Technology and science are an integral part of any type of science fiction; therefore, they are the foundation of space opera worldbuilding.

7. Space Opera Physics

Don’t worry, you don’t need a diploma in science to write space opera. But to write it successfully, you need to have a scientifically-minded brain. The natural laws of science remain in place in space operas.

You need to know where science is today, and where it wants to go tomorrow. Then you can use this and push the limits even further to describe your own ideas. Space operas often include visionary ideas grounded in what people today think might just be possible.

8. The Message

Space operas can be devised for mere entertainment, but some also have an underlying message. This puts them in the ranks of Utopias (if it shows us a future paradise, the message is positive) or Dystopias (if it shows a future that is negative). The mere remoteness of the space opera in time and place makes it easier for the reader to listen to the writer’s criticism.

Space operas often pit good against evil; they can also show us both at the same time. In Star Wars, for example, the order of the Jedi is a Utopia, but the oppression by the Empire is a Dystopia.

Sometimes, the message is a hidden criticism of the present. For example, there’s an episode of Star Trek called ‘Let That Be Your Last Battlefield’ (1969) where we meet a race of aliens that are black on one side of the body and white on the other. Their civil unrest has lasted for 50,000 years. The episode is considered a criticism of the race riots in the USA at the time.

The remoteness of time and space makes it easier for the reader/viewer to accept social criticism.

The Last Word

I hope I have encouraged you to try writing a space opera of your own. It is an incredibly creative genre, and many readers really enjoy it. Remember to write in bold strokes, epic characters, and galactic settings. Have fun with science and take it boldly to where no man has gone before. Happy writing!

By Susanne Bennett. Susanne is a German-American writer who is a journalist by trade and a writer by heart. After years of working at German public radio and an online news portal, she has decided to accept challenges by Deadlines for Writers. Currently she is writing her first novel with them. She is known for overweight purses and carrying a novel everywhere. Follow her on Facebook.

How To Write A Space Opera