As I was watching on television a few days ago one of the first three Star Wars films to be made (they’re now numbered 4, 5, and 6) I kind of became aware of just how much the film*—although ostensibly taking place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away—was using so many Earthbound tropes such as a government destructive of human rights, bad people, good people, weapons that are designed to kill, erotically dressed members of the “good” people, monsters that devour anyone and anything, going to war to dominate other worlds, and so on. Even the terrain was Earth-related: deserts, mountains, forests, snow and ice, large cities, adobe. These are all things we are familiar with here on Earth. There was almost nothing that could be said to belong on a strange planet. Virtually everything was “Earth” related and developed. It was as though that while the intent of the movie may have been otherworldly, the story line and plot situations were strictly from Earthbound fiction.
Even Star Trek uses Earth-based tropes. Beings from other worlds work well with The Federation. The Klingons do have some behavioral modes slightly different from Earth, but not much.
I suppose the main reason for this derivative familiarity is to allow the viewer to relate to the story. It’s logical to us for a kidnapped person to be rescued. But on a strange and different planet, with indigenous creatures, would that always be true? I have to admit that my books (sci-fi all) have used the same technique of Earth-based tropes, and for basically the same reason. But if we journeyed to a strange planet in a galaxy far, far away (or even in our own galaxy), would we necessarily encounter that situation?
It is routinely said that human nature doesn’t change; that people are basically the same everywhere. (You can see that reading Shakespeare.) But does that apply to other planets? If a strange creature of an alien race on another planet destroys another of the same race, does that constitute murder? (I wanted to say “homicide,” but homicide is the killing of another human.) Would that being be “tried” in their equivalent of a courtroom? Would they be punished in any way? Would they even have courtrooms? Perhaps the “killing” of another of that species is perfectly acceptable.
I’m thinking of writing a short story set on another planet where Earth-bound tropes don’t apply. To get off Earth altogether. To leave Earth well behind and not carry the baggage of Earth tropes along. The story line might be totally illogical since the concept of logic on a world vastly different from Earth might be light years different from our definition of “logic” or “logical.” To us, punishment for the crime of murder is appropriate. Is that true on another planet light years away?
*Yes, it almost certainly was recorded on film rather than being recorded on tape or digitally.