Space Opera

At the time I saw 'Star Trek' I wouldn't have called it space opera, but now that I know the criteria, it fits it perfectly. Overdramatic, light-speed space travel; large, universal empires and multiple races or aliens and foreign planets and galaxies. All the drama of space opera can be paralleled by common stories or situations we face everyday, only in a fantasy setting. For example the movie we watched in class, 'Forbidden Planet', a story where your own mind can be your undoing, is just a personification of reality, where we are our own undoing most of the time. The space-opera movie 'Serenity' stars a group of rowdy outlaws each with their own speciality, who try and uncover a government cover-up, a classic story that could be told during any time period, western, crime noir 30's, modern, or futuristic. The novel this week, 'The Stars My Destination' is space retelling of 'The Count of Monty Cristo' all about the simple yet complex human need for revenge and justice. Even though it may seem to others your actions are insane, evil and cruel, you alone know the 'truth' of your suffering and demand that an equal amount of suffering be returned.

Anit-heroes are interesting in that way, and make them appealing and popular. They do what we more then often only dream and fantasize about: revenge! One of my favorite tragic characters is Eric, from 'Phantom of the Opera'- an anti-hero who just wants his loved returned that he's given to the girl her entire life. Human desire for 'fairness' leads us in many directions, and in 'The Stars My Destination' it drives him toward revenge, but this leads to good things for the main character, Foyle. Before he was just 'existing' , now because of his desire for revenge, he forces himself to become more then just that. Again, something we only ever hope for, but never implement in reality. In that way Folye is likable, at least for me, because he is relatable. He was a complete failure before, no education, no skills; now he pushes himself harder then ever! He found his purpose, it may or may not be for the right intentions, but at least he's moving forward now. Which is more then most people in today's society can say.