Sci Fi Tropes to Ward Off With a Blaster

Since Rachel already helpfully started me on this series with her post on world building tropes, I must continue it! Y'all know how I love to talk about tropes and the like. Today's post is on sci-fi, admittedly a newer genre so there are fewer tropes, but there were some I wanted to talk about anyway.

So, onward!

1. Questionable science
       Ever watch Because Science's video on space battles? Or. . . any of his videos? Not only does he break down the actual science of what would and wouldn't really happen in popular stories, the way he does it gives you good ideas for how to write your own story! Now, I'm not saying I want realistic science in everything. I love my wormholes and lightspeed travel and the fact that Peter Quill totally didn't die within seconds of taking his mask off in space! I'm just saying it would be cool to see some more realistic elements involved in sci-fi novels because the ideas that come along with them are AWESOME. Seriously, go watch Because Science. Like, immediately.

2. Obnoxiously smart aliens
       Not that I don't love Spock, because believe me, I love Spock. <3 It's just that, um, all the aliens ever written are smarter than us. Why must they be smarter than us? Let's get to the alien planet and find out that they've just invented their own motorized vehicles. Or they still think their own planet is flat. Or maybe they all have the IQ of a potted plant. I don't know. But why do they have to be smarter than us?

3. Why everyone speakin' English?
       Chances are, they wouldn't already speak English. And the chances of ALL the planets in the universe learning one little language is pretty unlikely. They can't all speak English, and you can't just have a program that can figure out a brand-new language from just a small sampling or even a conversation. It needs way more data than that.

4. Every planet having an oxygen atmosphere
       Hate to break it to you, but scientists have found very few planets besides ours that have atmospheres humans can live in. So the planet you're writing about is pretty unlikely to have one, if you get what I'm saying. So get thee to your worldbuilding! What do your aliens breathe? Maybe they can breathe a variety of gasses comfortably. Or maybe they don't breathe. Think about that. There are planets where it rains molten glass, so you can get more creative with your atmosphere than just oxygen!

5. Alien cultures looking suspiciously like ours
       I mean, it would be really fun if the aliens had copied China's culture because they had seen Mulan on the air, and that would actually give the aliens a valid excuse for having a Chinese-like culture on their planet. But chances are the aliens won't have developed that kind of culture, on their own, from the other side of the universe. You're welcome to be inspired by a certain culture, but don't be super obvious about it.

6. The aliens either meaning well or wanting to destroy the planet
       The world doesn't always work in extremes. Morality is not just black and white, but also grey. What if the aliens came to Earth to sell us phony facial cream and then got the heck out of there, perhaps only getting involved in the plot out of coincidence? What if they came to Earth because they heard about these amazing things called 'milk shakes'? Or the well-used-but-not-yet-expired classic of the aliens just crashing here? I mean, why do all of them want to destroy the Earth? What is the deal here??

7. Humans capturing/imprisoning/experimenting on the aliens
       Let me tell you the worst idea I can think of. Finding a brand new, never before seen species that you don't know the power or temper of, then kidnap and abuse one or more of them beyond all reason. This, my friends, is not a good use of judgment. They might be able to vaporize our planet in an instant for such an offense! We don't know! The proper thing to do here would be to take them in, treat them like the intelligent beings they are, then set up a U.N. meeting immediately to give them rights. Because here's the thing, my peeps: not only is this trope a bad idea, it's actually harmful. I'm not gonna go too far into the topic, but the subtext of suggesting that some people have rights and some people shouldn't have rights is not a good idea, especially in kid lit.

8. Memory wiping
       Another concept in sci-fi that is a terrible idea, and for similar reasons to #7. Mind wiping in the first place is a very dangerous thing. Because not only do we not know how to have much control over this and will therefore cause the subject to lose more than just the memories you wanted to wipe, they can sustain brain damage. This is a terrible thing to be teaching anyone, let alone the minds of our young'uns. Messing around with the human brain is nothing to take lightly, and showing it to be simple and easy is most certainly not what we want to be communicating.

9. The aliens being unaware of/ignorant of Earth
       If they're all that advanced, how come they've never heard of this planet that's rapidly sending out more and more satellites, space shuttles, and what have you. Earth is getting noisy, Prime Minister. There's no way these super-advanced aliens don't know you exist. And then there's the thing about the aliens having hysterical misconceptions about what humans are like. You've never met anyone who had a crazy misunderstood view on say, Spain, have you? We're neighbors in the universe, and if they want to avoid offending us, they won't have a crazy misunderstood view of us. Food for thought.


Bonus: Just another idea I thought of while I was writing this: How do we know none of our creatures are aliens that ended up here by accident? It would be hilarious to get to another planet and just see a corgi run by. lol


What is your least favorite sci-fi trope? What is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

My Twitter
My Instagram