List of science fiction themes explained

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
  • 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

Notes and References

1. Encyclopedia: Parasitism and Symbiosis . The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction . 10 January 2016.
2. News: Guarino . Ben . Disgusting 'Alien' movie monster not as horrible as real things in nature . . 19 May 2017.
3. Book: Glassy, Mark C. . The Biology of Science Fiction Cinema . 2005 . McFarland . 978-1-4766-0822-8 . 186 ff.
4. Book: Moisseeff . Marika . Aliens as an Invasive Reproductive Power in Science Fiction . HAL Archives-Ouvertes . 23 January 2014. 239–257 .
5. Web site: Williams . Robyn . Field . Scott . Behaviour, Evolutionary Games and .... Aliens . . 30 November 2017 . 27 September 1997.