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Hey there, Starfriends:
Amanda Hamon, John Compton, and I are going to go on the Starfinder Wednesday livestream today and talk about some of the amazing science fiction/science fantasy that drew us to this hobby and which continues to inspire us while working on this game. There's already a couple of pages of inspirational material in the back of the Core Rulebook, and more in the Beginner Box, but that really only scratches the surface. (And some of us are new to the Star Chamber and didn't get to put our faves on those lists!)
I bet all of YOU have your favorite movies, video games, television shows, novels, and more which have inspired you over the years. We want to know about it! So please share your own personal inspirations here. If you think we might not have heard of the material you're talking about, link to it! And please: tell us WHY this material inspires you and HOW you like to use it in your SF gaming! A long list of books and movies is a good start, but we want details!
Amanda, John, and I will be back after the stream to pick up the thread and add more inspirations of our own that we didn't have time to discuss.
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Louis McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga.
Steven Donaldson's Gap series.
Louis McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga.
Steven Donaldson's Gap series.
To expand on this, Vorkosigan has loooots of envoy/operative inspiration and some ideas for space mercenary/special ops plots as well as some espionage stuff.
The Gap is horrific alien bioscience, space pirates (the very bad kind), cyborgs, space police, and space operatic plots (in both sense of the word).
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Almost all things space have influenced what I do but these are the few things that really stand out for me in no particular order.
Farscape
Firefly
Starblazers/ Space Battleship Yamato
Riverworld and World Of Tiers series by Phillip Jose Farmer
And as for the setting of my campaign and many campaign campaign concepts.
Mass Effect Series
Destiny 1 & 2
Developer
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My favorite science fiction franchise after several years is still Legend of the Galactic Heroes. There's lots of neat elements you can cherry-pick from it, especially the tone. But it's not the best format for a campaign, given the "epic scale" of the series' conflicts. It's doable, just not perfect.
My first introduction to the genres were Outlaw Star and Trigun, both of which are still near and dear to my heart. Outlaw Star is especially great for that "adventuring party in space" feel, and is super fun if you enjoy Firefly.
Psycho-Pass is also my go-to for urban intrigue sci-fi. I love a good detective story.
I've had a friend in a SFS group who also loved Gintama and it's technically scifi, but it's the definition of "not for everybody", since it's a goofy slapstick comedy.
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Thanks to everyone who watched the show and who have already come on here to tell us about your favorite books/comics/games/films/shows/etc
I had forgotten about Stephen Donaldson's "Gap" series until Xenocrat mentioned it; what I love about this series is that it's secretly based on Wagner's "Ring of the Niebelungen" series, so one of the characters is a riff on Odin and another is a riff on Brunhild, and so on. This is a great example of the way creators take inspiration from something and use it to tell a new story that's saying something about the themes of the original story. Anyhow, if y'all have not read it, you're in for a treat.
Riverworld is a fantastic series and I absolutely love it, though I think it's a good example of SF which is hard to use in official Starfinder products. There is no Earth in Starfinder, and Riverworld stars every human being who has ever lived, from the Red Baron's younger brother to King John Lackland, Mark Twain, or Cyrano de Bergerac. (It was also adapted into a wonderful GURPS sourcebook back in the day.) Chris Carey, former senior editor here at Paizo, is probably the world's foremost PJF expert, and has written several books endorsed by the Farmer estate. So we're big fans of Farmer in these parts.
Corsair, I am sure there will be some streams where we talk about SOM soon. You'll get Joe and John up there, the experts, to give you some hard facts!
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I'd say a lot of the shows and movies that inspire me are ones that you commonly find for science fantasy (especially since many of them are in that list of recommended reading/viewing at the back of the book!), but there ARE a few things a little more outside the box.
First is a game I found inspirational before I even started playing it last week: Warframe! It's got some very intriguing world-building, has loads of cool-looking sci-fi weaponry to play around with (some of which I've attempted to replicate IN Starfinder), and for an MMO its story has some surprisingly dark and emotional turns that really get you invested in the characters and their struggles. I've only been actually playing it for about a week personally, but I'm already hooked. It gives a vibe very much like Starfinder itself, that the galaxy's burning, it needs heroes like you to fight for justice and peace, and look absolutely awesome while doing it!
On the opposite side of the emotional spectrum is a band, Gloryhammer! It has an explicit science-fantasy storyline (their first album being straight-up medieval fantasy, a la Pathfinder), featuring dwarves with laser crystal battleaxes, jetpacks made of cosmic steel, and an interplanetary empire where all the locations are named after towns in Scotland. They absolutely REVEL in the ridiculousness of the concept and you can't help but break into a cheesy grin yourself while rocking out to it. And it feels at times almost like a game of Starfinder itself come to life!
Oh, yes, definitely Outlaw Star. They have so many similar tropes to Starfinder. There is even magic guns that use spell ammo that's basically acts like a spell gem, only you don't need to know how to cast the spell. Some of the more powerful spell ammo though can deal harm to the caster.
I recommend Fifth Element, Ice Pirates, Titan A.E., Treasure Planet, Arena (1989), Soldier (1998), Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (movie and series), Galaxy Express 999 (or pretty much any space opera by Leiji Matsumoto), Cowboy Bebop & Space Dandy, Voltron: Legendary Defender (that's the Netflix version), Samurai Jack, FarScape, etc. Like I could probably pull out a bunch of different movies and shows if I sit here long enough.
Oh, and these are just the sci-fi stuff.
The Phantasy Star series is an important science fantasy game that I incorporate into most ttrpg's that I run. It's the idea that this evil comes back every millennium and humanity hasn't learned or changed. There's bits of lost technology and it blends Magic seamlessly. In one of them they thought they were in a medieval kingdom, but it was the biome off a Generation ship.
Heavy Metal is a really good gonzo science fantasy. I also like the art of metal bands. The night begins to shine is a really good episode of a really bad cartoon, teen titans go. If you like vaporwave and outrun style art, and cybernetic unicorns check it out
Kung Fury is worth watching. The Viking era has laser Raptors and Valkyrie with Maschine guns. Also time traveling hitler. It's a short film, check it out
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Riverworld is a fantastic series and I absolutely love it, though I think it's a good example of SF which is hard to use in official Starfinder products.
To me all the Starfinder Society scenarios taking place on Salvation's End have some inspiration from Riverworld.
Salvation's End a moon-sized spacecraft filled with innumerable sealed simulation chambers that are run by an unknown intelligence.
I very well may use Riverworld for the PCs / NPcs afterlife. Not 100% sure.
Oh, Iain M. Banks Culture novels, of course.
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There's a podcast called 'Spacepod' which is done by a Professor of Planetary Studies at Olin College. She interviews fascinating people who make their careers studying space. I'm trying to build in real-world crazy into my space-world crazy.
Asteroids, in real life, are WEIRD. Way weirder than anything you might expect.
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I was so inspired by a course on The Great Courses about exoplanets. Every sf game has to get around to providing rules for generating star systems and planets; Traveler was famous for this, but GURPS has elaborate rules that try to simulate astrophysics. The problem is: our understanding of planetary systems has totally changed in the last twenty years! We used to think our system was normal. But, in fact, the most common kind of planet we have discovered around other stars is a kind of planet that does not exist at all in our solar system!
This is the beauty of the Deck of Many Worlds project which Joe has spearheaded for so long and which is now about to be in your hot little hands. Because it doesn't really touch on "realistic astrophysics" at all; it's about story hooks, cool environments, and creating conflicts. Which means that—unlike all those other random planet generation tables found in other RPGs—it won't become outdated in the next 5 years.
So, yeah! I totally second Yakman's appreciation for good documentaries and infotainment shows.
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I was so inspired by a course on The Great Courses about exoplanets. Every sf game has to get around to providing rules for generating star systems and planets; Traveler was famous for this, but GURPS has elaborate rules that try to simulate astrophysics. The problem is: our understanding of planetary systems has totally changed in the last twenty years! We used to think our system was normal. But, in fact, the most common kind of planet we have discovered around other stars is a kind of planet that does not exist at all in our solar system!
This is the beauty of the Deck of Many Worlds project which Joe has spearheaded for so long and which is now about to be in your hot little hands. Because it doesn't really touch on "realistic astrophysics" at all; it's about story hooks, cool environments, and creating conflicts. Which means that—unlike all those other random planet generation tables found in other RPGs—it won't become outdated in the next 5 years.
So, yeah! I totally second Yakman's appreciation for good documentaries and infotainment shows.
In my long germinating homebrew campaign, i'm including these things called 'cthonic' planets, which are gas giants whose gas has burnt away or escaped.
How cool is that?
Or the real world example that one of the most habitable places in the solar system is the frozen methane moon of Titan?
There's so many weird and wild things in the real galaxy ...
I read David Brin's Uplift Cycle as a teenager and it's forever colored my concept of what "weird" can be when it comes to things like alien species and the various ways that galactic civilizations can be structured.
As mentioned in the stream, Mass Effect and Halo have both had a huge effect on me and how I view space opera and the kinds of stories that can be told through gameplay.
Currently I'm reading (and watching) The Expanse which without going into spoilers, deals with how introducing a species to technology far beyond their understanding can have massive implications.
Farscape and Mass Effect are probably my groups biggest influences.
Personally, I draw from a huge amount of material to one degree or another. Some just help me generate ideas and some I'll steal entire plots and/or even characters to mash something new together. Here's a sample of what I mean:
Television Series:
Star Trek (Enterprise, Classic, Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager)
Star Wars (Clone Wars)
Babylon 5 and Crusade
Firefly (and Serenity movie)
Andromeda
Farscape (and Peacekeeper Wars movie)
Battlestar Galactica (original and reboot)
Stargate (SG-1 and Atlantis)
The Expanse
Dark Matter
Space: Above and Beyond
Doctor Who series
Lost in Space (original and Netflix reboot)
Space: 1999
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Flash Gordon (yes, the old black and white shows)
Movies:
Star Trek movies
Star Wars movies
Babylon 5 movies
Stargate movie
Alien series (including Prometheus)
Predator series
I-Robot
Dune (several versions)
Interstellar
The Martian (good survival ideas)
The Matrix series (love those mechs)
Blade Runner
Robocop (original and reboot)
Total Recall (original and reboot)
Starship Troopers
Riddick movies (Pitch Black and so forth)
Pacific Rim and Pacific Rim Uprising
Galaxy Quest
Avatar
Ender's Game
Edge of Tomorrow
Jurassic Park series (ideas for genetics in campaigns)
Planet of the Apes series
Terminator series
Evolution
Lost in Space (movie here)
The Island
Flash Gordon (cheesy, but has some interesting ideas)
Gremlins 1 and 2 (great inspiration for Space Goblins)
Books:
David Brin's Uplift Cycle
Frank Herbert's Dune series (movies can only hold so much; books are better for detail)
Isaac Asimov (any - Empire series, Robot series, and Foundation series are all very good especially for character development)
George Orwell's 1984
H.G. Well's War of the Worlds
Aldous Huxley's Brave New World
Video Games:
Mass Effect series (I, II, III, and Andromeda)
X4 Foundation
Ark Survival (pairs well with Jurassic Park themes)
Bioshock series (a bit retro, but different)
Cyberpunk 2077 (should prove inspirational when launched)
Deus Ex series
Elite Dangerous
Total Annihilation (robots vs clones)
Fallout 4 (postapocalyptic ideas with a retro twist)
No Man's Sky (exploration)
Stellaris and Planetfall (4x strategy to add political dimensions to campaign plans)
Star Citizen (awesome ship companies, starships, and vehicles for inspiration)
Cowboy Bebop is basically how I want any crew to look. And working job to job in the solar system is just a fun way to run a more episodic campaign.
Outlaw Star and Trigun were also mentioned above. It is hard to not pull the western themes into Starfinder for me. I think it is why I like Akiton as a focal point for adventures.
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Well, this is my first time here sharing my opinion in a thread theme that i like it. Sry for my english because i am practising still. So lets begin. I like Starfinder in first time because its different to the tipical heroic fantasy. My passion since i was a child were sci ci inspired by films and video games. I would say that I like action in sci fi games in part from that inspiration from child. So between most notable inspiration are Colony Wars: Red Sun a videogame from PS1 or PSX where you are a pilot contracted to help others civilitation but the most importance of the game its defeat a corrupted giant space ship called Red Sun. Another good inspiration for me was Dino crisis, ok it isn´t sci fi, but like Metal Gear, could be a operativa (starfinder) getting infiltration in bases with Puzzle mini games. When i grew up i tend to more sci fi games but with more action like Starcraft or Dune. All this about videogames. About films i should say that Dune, alien, predator, madmax, Titan R.E. (i like it so much, its a old 3d animation film), ghost of mars by John carpenter were very important to my taste nowdays. I am sure that i forget a lot more.
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I think an underappreciated (or at least, undermentioned) source of inspiration would be music, either independent or as soundtracks from movies or video games.
The entire discography of Ozric Tentacles
Judas Priest (for me it's been mostly Nostradamus, Firepower and Painkiller, with a mix of songs from other albums)
Gloryhammer (Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards and Tales from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex are amazing albums)
Muse (Knights of Cydonia and Supermassive Blackhole are pretty great songs)
For video games, I happen to have a lot of overlap between what's already mentioned in the core rulebook (Doom, Destiny, Borderlands, Halo, Starcraft, Stellaris, X-COM), with some extra bits of my own - mostly indie games, though.
Awesomenauts (miss playing that game)
Cortex Command
FTL: Faster than Light
Deep Rock Galactic (you could drop in the game's whole premise directly into Starfinder with basically no changes)
Heat Signature
Might & Magic (I believe this was even called out as an inspiration for Numeria in Pathfinder)
The Last Federation
Natural Selection 2
PlanetSide 2
Risk of Rain
Starbound
Warframe
And there's also some cartoon shows and animated movies, too:
Ben 10 (the original, Alien Force and Ultimate Alien primarily)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Samurai Jack
Teen Titans
Generator Rex
Duck Dodgers
Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars
Treasure Planet
The Mandalorian (well okay this one is not animated but)
And I'm not sure if Super Turbo Atomic Ninja Rabbit counts but...
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To me, what really helps is taking some classic fantasy adventure concept and putting a sci-fi spin on it, or conversely, taking a standard sci-fi adventure concept and sprucing it up with some distinctly fantasy elements.
(Though your preference for the proportions of the two may vary, as I happen to really love and lean into Starfinder's particular science fantasy mix, but I understand some people prefer to downplay some of those in their own games.)
For instance, I considered running a "fighting back a diabolic invasion, XCOM-style" campaign in D&D, before realizing how much-better suited Starfinder would be for it, especially once infused with the trappings and ideas that Starfinder has to offer that would be really janky to do in a normal high fantasy world.
Sure, fighting some bearded devils as part of a crusade is fun, but you know what's even more fun? Fighting bearded devils with laser rifles, as part of a space crusade!
But really, it's often that I just find myself watching some thing, or playing some game, or even listening to some music, and trying to imagine what running something like that would be like within Starfinder, substituting specific worldbuilding elements for the closest SF equivalents (making them up or adjusting where necessary, or taking advantage of adjacent lore bits in Starfinder if they're compelling enough, which to me they often are)
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Outlaw Star, is the closest thing to Starfinder next to Guardians of the Galaxy.
Gene is an Operative.
Jim is a Mechanic.
Aisha is an Envoy, multi classed with a Operative.
"Twilight" Suzuka is a an Operative, Multi classed with Soldier archetype QI ADEPT.
Super late to the party on this thread but when it comes to Starfinder, my inspiration is a long, long list:
Movies
Crossworlds
I Robot
The Crow
Dark City
Jaws
Jaws 2
Forever Young
Split Second
Zeram
Alien
Aliens
Alien 3
Alien Resurrection
Alien vs Predator
Predator
Predator 2
Predators
Prometheus
Alien Covenant
Ice Pirates
THX-1138
Short Circuit
Short Circuit 2
Man's Best Friend
Lawnmower Man
Tron
Tron Legacy
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Honey, I Blew Up the Kid
Harry and the Hendersons
Step-Monster
Weird Science
Space Hunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone
Krull
The Black Hole
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Explorers
Sahara
Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy 2
Captain Marvel
Batman
Batman Returns
Batman Forever
Batman and Robin
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight Rises
Superman
Superman II
Superman III
Superman IV
Superman Returns
Man of Steel
Batman V Superman
Dawn of the Dead
Day of the Dead
Spiderman
Spiderman 2
Lockout
Dredd
Judge Dredd
Cowboys and Aliens
Elysium
Battle: Los Angeles
Edge of Tomorrow
Back to the Future
Back to the Future II
Back to the Future III
Mad Max
The Road Warrior
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
Mad Max: Fury Road
Total Recall
Total Recall
Robocop
Robocop 2
Robocop 3
The Terminator
Terminator 2
Terminator Rise of the Machines
John Carter
Skyscraper
Event Horizon
Demolition Man
Skyscraper
Fortress
Cabin in the Woods
The Abyss
War of the Worlds
War of the Worlds
It the Terror from Beyond Space
Planet of the Vampires
Forbidden Planet
World War Z
Arena
Robot Jox
The Last Starfighter
John Wick
John Wick 2
John Wick Parabellum
Atomic Blonde
Haywire
Mile 13
Hellboy
Hellboy 2
Rampage
Godzilla
Cloverfield
Cloverfield Lane
Congo
Snake Eyes
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park 2
Jurassic Park 3
Jurassic World
Ready Player One
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
Iron Man 3
Captain America
Thor
Thor the Dark World
The Incredible Hulk
Dr. Strange
The Amazing Spiderman
Spiderman Homecoming
Spiderman Far From Home
The Black Panther
The Avengers
The Avengers 2
Captain America Civil War
Captain America 2 The Winter Soldier
Ant Man
Ant Man and the Wasp
Wonder Woman
True Lies
Dreamscape
Looper
Pulse
Ghost in the Machine
Virus
Beyond the Black Rainbow
The Puppetmasters
Invasion of the Bodysnatchers
The Thing
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Invaders from Mars
Life Force
The People Under the Stairs
They Live
Prince of Darkness
The Hidden
Buckaroo Banzai
Night of the Creeps
Starman
Slither
I Come in Peace
Mars Attacks
Super 8
District 9
Goonies
Johnny Mnemonic
The 13th Floor
Nightbreed
The Lord of Illusion
Nightflyers
The Labyrinth
A Stir of Echoes
Session 9
Project Shadowchaser
Project Shadowchaser 2
Project Metalbeast
Waxworks
Cyborg
Cyborg 2
Nemesis
Nemesis 2
Nemesis 3
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
Return of the Killer Tomatoes
Scanners
Scanners 2
Alligator
Videodrome
Existenz
Repo Men
Lost Highway
Dune
The Cell
Anaconda
Blue Monkey
The Fly
The Fly 2
Dead Heat
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
Hollow Man
This Island Earth
The Island
Moon
Freejack
Communion
Fire in the Sky
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
House
House 2
Cube
Cube 2
Splice
Akira
Starship Troopers
TV
Farscape
Space Above and Beyond
Earth 2
The Legend of Brisco County Jr.
Supernatural
Dark Skies
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future
The Librarians
Warehouse 13
Eureka
Alphas
VR 5
Freakylinks
Mann and Machine
Mr. Robot
Wonder Woman
Batman the Animated Series
Superman the Animated Series
Green Lantern the Animated Series
Justice League
Justice League Unlimited
Arrow
The Flash
Supergirl
Lois and Clark the New Adventures of Superman
Red Dwarf
Nightmares and Dreamscapes
Cowboy Bebop
Strange Luck
Harsh Realm
Millenium
The Odyssey
Jake 2.0
The Blacklist
Blindspot
Scorpion
Haven
Stranger Things
Locke and Key
Nightflyers
The A-Team
Franchises
Men in Black
Star Trek
Star Wars
James Bond
Fast and the Furious
The X-Files
Ghost in the Shell
Alien Nation
GI Joe
Transformers
Blade Runner
The Highlander
The Matrix
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Dark Crystal
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Comics
Codeflesh
Dark Horse's Superhero line
Saga
DC
Marvel
The 6th Gun
Locke and Key
Video Games
Halo
Halo 2
Halo 3
Destiny
Destiny 2
Sea of Thieves
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 3
Chronotrigger
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy 2
Final Fantasy 3
Startropics
A Boy and His Blob
Mega Man
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 3
Bionic Commando
The Legend of Zelda
Super Mario Brothers
Super Mario Brothers 2
Super Mario Brothers 3
Novelists
Erin Morgenstern
Raymond Chandler
William Gibson
Philip K. Dick
David Wong
Stephen King
Ross MacDonald
George RR Martin
Richard Matheson
Neil Gaiman
Clive Barker
Rex Stout
William Shakespeare
Issac Asimov
Arthur C. Clarke
James A Corey
Richard Morgan
Robert Heinlein
Kurt Vonnegut
Addendum:
Movies
Tomorrowland
Deathmachine
Hardware
Batteries Not Included
Blue Thunder
The Island of Doctor Moreau
The Relic
TV
Dark Angel
Defiance
Terra Nova
Second Chance
Now and Again
The Mentalist
The Sentinel
The Rockford Files
The Mentalist
First Wave
Simon and Simon
Magnum PI
Airwolf
Superforce
Viper
Knight Rider
Person of Interest
Firefly
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Mystery Train
Regular Show
Exo Squad
Dino Riders
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Novelists
Jules Verne
HG Wells
Rick and Morty
Damn it! Forgot Rick and Morty
Damn it! Forgot Rick and Mortybut critically, you remembered EXO SQUAD.
which was the best. THE BEST.
There were a bunch of others I forgot as well.
Among many of the ones mentioned above, I'd like to add Peter Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy.
Also very surprised nobody has mentioned Warhammer 40k yet. Yeah, it's totally over-the-top, but it's Science Fantasy, just like Starfinder, with elves, orcs, undead and so on.
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Among many of the ones mentioned above, I'd like to add Peter Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy.
Also very surprised nobody has mentioned Warhammer 40k yet. Yeah, it's totally over-the-top, but it's Science Fantasy, just like Starfinder, with elves, orcs, undead and so on.
When working on Starfinder, I considered our three main Giants we were standing on the shoulders of to be Shadowrun, 40k, and Dragonstar (the RPG).
That doesn't mean I think they were the most influential, but they definitely preceded us into a similar space.
I have been influenced by the same things as what has been mentioned above by many posters already, but I have a few I would like to especially emphasize as holding more influence with me and some others that I see have been missed. In no particular order, all of the stuff listed below has held a strong appeal to me, plus most anything on any medium related to Babylon 5 (& Crusade for the Techno-mage, Galen), Buck Rogers, Dune, Farscape, Firefly, Flash Gordon, Star Trek, Star Wars, or Stargate.
RPGs & Video Games
Phantasy Star
Doom
Final Fantasy
CthulhuTech
Tenra Bansho Zero
Numenera
Fragged Empire
Infinity
Faith
Coriolis
Fading Suns
Rifts
Dragonstar
Manga/Anime (Movies, Series, & OVA
Cowboy Bebop
Outlaw Star
Guyver
Ghost in the Shell
The Irresponsible Captain Tyler
Tenchi Muyo!
War on Geminar
A Certain Magical Index
Accel World
Genesis Survivor Gaiarth
The Irregular at Magic High School
Akira
Bubblegum Crisis
Robotech
Captain Harlock
Blue Seed
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Heroman
Log Horizon
Parasyte
Photon
World Trigger
Comics
Alien Legion
Empress
Strike Force Morituri
Fear Agent
Valérian and Laureline
Books
Phule's Company (a space opera setting with lots of funny business in a military unit full of misfits)
Dresden Files series
Artemis Fowl series
TechnoMage trilogy for Babylon 5
Daughter of the Empire by Janny Wurts & Raymond Feist (fantasy/not-scifi, but lots of discovery and political intrigues with alien species and foreign cultures from another world told from the perspective of an Asian woman viewed as weak by the men of her society)
& anything scifi by Edgar Rice Burroughs or Jules Verne in any form (20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea, Warlord of Mars, etc.)
TV/Streaming Shows
Dark Matter
Altered Carbon
Person of Interest
Chuck
Fringe
Doctor Who
Tron (animated series)
Thundarr the Barbarian
Batman Beyond
Samurai Jack
Lost in Space
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (originally a book series I have not yet read)
Movies
Alien
Avatar
Big Trouble in Little China
Fifth Element
Upgrade
Blade Runner
Iron Giant
Tron
The Matrix
Men In Black
Guardians of the Galaxy
Thor Ragnarok
I know not everything here is strictly sci fi, but some of the themes in them I find close to what I like to explore in my Starfinder games.
Surprised no one has added Monstress for comics. Beaufitul sci-fantasy look to it.
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For music, Coheed and Cambria.
Their records tell a story about a galactic war between necromantic mages, angels, and genetically engineered robots with cosmic powers. There are prophecies, spaceships, viruses, prison planets, and huge space battles. A main character gets possessed by a ghost and crashes his spaceship. An angel cuts off her wings to join the hero in his quest. Characters are betrayed and thrown in the radiation mine.
There's intrigue, action, romance, and cyborgs. It's everything I want my Starfinder games to be.
Here are some of my recommendations that I didn't notice in this disucssion (apologies for repeats).
Books:
- Anything by Poul Anderson, especially Dominic Flandry for spies in space / holding off the Long Night and the Polesotechnic League (David Falkayn, Nicholas Van Rijn) for traders on space.
- John Grimes series by A. Bertram Chandler
- Rendevous With Rama by Arthur C Clarke, and any of his short stories
- GammaLAW series by Brian Daley
- Dorsai series by Gordon Dickson
- Heritage series by Ian Douglas - French Foreign Legion in space
- Hammer's Slammers series by David Drake
- Most of Alan Dean Foster's science fiction. Nor Crystal Tears is a very good first contact story
- Voyage fo the Starwolf by David Gerrold
- To the Stars series by Harry Harrison for rebellion against the system
- Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison for roguish / spy characters
- Retief series by Keith Laumer for diplomatic adnventures
- Priscilla Hutchins series by Jack McDevitt for archological adventures
- A Mote of God's Eye by Karry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Good space opera
- Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. After a comet hits Earth
- Anthony Villiers series by Alexei Panshin
- Anything by H Beam Piper. Star Viking is good for marauding / vengenace tale
- Heritage universe stories by Charles Sheffield for ancient alien artifacts
- Hyperion series by Dan Simmons. The Canterbury Tales told as a science fiction story, with interesting interplentary traveller (space ships and gates of a sort) and an interesting "offshoot" of humanity
- Anything by Allen Steele. Near future set in the solar suystem and mostly pretty close to Earth, plus the Coyote series which covers a planet outside of the Solar System.
- Moreau series by S Andrew Swann. Moreaus (human with animal DNA) and Franks (Frankensteins).
- Dumarest series by E. C. Tubb. Each story takes place on a different planet, and the main character is trying to find his way back to Earth, which is a myth to most people
- Dread Empire's Fall series by Walter Jon Williams. Good space opera, set in a universe where the last of an omnipotent alien race has died and now the subject races are on their own and chaos ensues.
- Quadrail series by Timothy Zahn. The main charatcer is a troubleshooter and there is something like a series of wormholes / gates for interplanetary travel the Quadrail fo the series name).
I liked The Gods Themselves by Issac Asimov. There's no interstellar travel in the book, but it deals with hard science problems.
What about Starship Troopers by Robert Hienlien? Obvious part inspiration for the Swarm.