Military science fiction

Military science fiction is a special kind of science fiction story that mixes ideas about the future with stories about wars and soldiers. In these stories, people often use amazing technology like spaceships and new kinds of weapons to fight battles. The main characters are usually members of a military group, and they often face big conflicts, sometimes even on other planets or in outer space.

These stories often copy real battles and wars from our world, but they put them in new and exciting places. Planets or galaxies take the place of countries, and big ships become space battleships. Soldiers might become space marines, and old-style guns and cannons are replaced by laser beams. Authors change real events to imagine what might happen in the future, making the stories even more thrilling. Military science fiction can be found in many places, such as books, comics, movies, television shows, and video games.

Characteristics

Main articles: Space warfare in science fiction, Interstellar war, and Galactic empire

Military science fiction stories often show important values like bravery, duty, honor, and teamwork. The action usually happens from the point of view of a soldier in a world with advanced technology, often during a battle. These stories may use futuristic weapons and spaceships, or sometimes use tools that feel familiar, while other parts of society look very different.

Some stories focus on new inventions, like a special weapon or spaceship, that change the course of a battle. Many tales draw from real history to show how new ideas can turn the tide of war. Writers sometimes create big galaxies ruled by powerful empires, with different ways these empires behave. Some stories look at how travel faster than light makes huge space wars possible, and how long journeys affect the people involved.

Definitions by contrast

Military science fiction is often similar to a subgenre called space opera. Both focus on big space battles with futuristic weapons during space wars. Stories like The Sten Chronicles by Allan Cole and Chris Bunch, Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card, and Honorverse by David Weber can belong to either military science fiction or space opera.

One big difference is that space operas focus more on exciting adventures and drama, while military science fiction focuses more on war and how weapons work. In space operas, the main characters are often not soldiers but regular people or paramilitary heroes. Both types of stories can be about wars between humans and other beings from space. Military science fiction doesn’t always have to be set in space like space operas do.

Sometimes, military science fiction borrows ideas from old Western stories. These can include heroes like lone cowboys but set in space. For example, the TV show Firefly used ideas from classic Westerns, showing towns and even horses in space. Some stories show former soldiers using their skills to solve tough problems in everyday life, like in Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan.

History

19th century and up to early 20th century

Stories about future wars began appearing in the 1800s. One early example is "The Battle of Dorking" by George Chesney from 1871. This story imagines an invasion of Britain by a German-speaking country, where a new, powerful weapon destroys the Royal Navy.

More stories like this followed. H.G. Wells wrote "The Land Ironclads," describing giant, armored vehicles called "land ironclads." These vehicles were very long, carried soldiers, and had weapons like semi-automatic rifles.

Post-WWII era

As science fiction grew, military science fiction became its own special type of story. Books like Uller Uprising (1952) by H. Beam Piper and Starship Troopers (1959) by Robert A. Heinlein helped make this type of story popular, especially with young readers.

The Vietnam War influenced many science fiction writers. Some veterans of the war began writing science fiction, like Joe Haldeman and David Drake. Their stories, such as The Forever War and Hammer's Slammers, added to the genre's popularity. Short stories about war were also collected in books like Combat SF, edited by Gordon R. Dickson.

Harry Turtledove introduced a new idea in his Worldwar series. In these stories, WWII is changed because aliens invade Earth in 1942. Humans must work together against this new enemy. Turtledove shows the tactics and strategies used in this changed war, including views from both human soldiers and the alien warriors.

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction mentions three notable women writers in this genre: Lois McMaster Bujold, Elizabeth Moon, and Karen Traviss.

Political themes

Some writers use stories to share messages about politics. For example, David Drake often shows the tough realities of war in his books, like the Hammer's Slammers. He writes to help people understand what war is truly like, especially those who might one day decide whether to start a war.

Another writer, David Weber, believes military science fiction should show real-life military experiences in imaginative settings. He wants stories to focus on real people and other beings involved in battles, rather than simple solutions to problems.

Practical applications by military

In the early 1980s, two science fiction writers, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, shared ideas with President Ronald Reagan that helped shape his plan for a Strategic Defense Initiative. This plan involved using satellites to protect against nuclear missiles. Their ideas influenced important decisions about space and defense.

After the events of 9/11, some science fiction authors worked with the Department of Homeland Security to help develop strategies against terrorist threats. More recently, the French military has asked science fiction writers to imagine future warfare situations that are difficult to study, like advanced weapons or changed humans, to help prepare for unexpected challenges. The German military studies existing science fiction stories to think about possible future conflicts.