List of science fiction themes
The following is a list of articles about recurring themes in science fiction.
Overarching themes
- First contact with aliens
- Artificial intelligence
- *Machine rule/Cybernetic revolt/AI takeover
- Extraterrestrials in fiction
- End of humanity: Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
- The future
- *Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction: Apocalypses or worldwide disasters and new societies that develop after the event
- History
- *Alternate history
- *Scientific prediction of the future
- Human fears: List of science fiction horror films
- Language
- *Alien languages
- *The Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis
- *Universal translators
- Military/conflicts
- *Interstellar war
- *Weapons in science fiction
- Parallel worlds or multiverse
- Philosophies and philosophical ideas
- Sex and sexuality
- *LGBT themes
- *Gender
- *Reproduction and pregnancy
- Simulated reality and consciousness
- Social science fiction
- Technological singularity
- Themes of fantasy fiction
Beings and entities
- Artificial intelligences
- *Androids and Gynoid
- *Artificial life
- *Biological robot
- *Cyborgs
- *Robots and humanoid robots
- *Replicants
- *Simulated consciousness
- Stock characters:
- *The Absent-minded professor
- *The Golem
- *The Mad Scientist
- *Redshirt
- *Space Pirate
- *Super Soldier
- Clones
- Dinosaurs
- Extraterrestrial life
- *Hypothetical types of biochemistry
- *Alien invasion
- *Astrobiology
- *God-like aliens
- **Principles of non-interference
- **Message from space
- Living planets
- Hive minds
- Infomorphs—memories, characters, and consciences of persons being uploaded to a computer or storage media
- Mutants
- Shapeshifters
- Superhumans
- Superorganisms
- Symbionts
- UFOs
- Uplifting—using technology to "raise" non-human animals to human evolutionary levels
- *Ancient astronauts
- *Progressorship
Body and mind alterations
- Biohacking/Amateur biotechnicians
- Artificial organs
- Additional or improved senses
- *X-ray vision
- Cloning
- Exocortex
- Genetic engineering
- *Super race
- Intelligence amplification
- Invisibility
- Life extension, Biological immortality, Universal immortalism and immortality
- *Cryonics
- *Digital immortality
- *Mind uploading
- *Organ transplantation
- *Organlegging
- Prosthetics
- Memory
- *Memory erasure/editing
- *Memory sharing
- **Group mind
- *Mind control
- *Mind swap
- *Mind uploading
- *Neural implants to directly interface with machinery
- Psi powers and psychic phenomena
- *Clairvoyance
- *Precognition
- *Pyrokinesis
- *Retrocognition
- *Telepathy
- *Telekinesis
- Parasitism
- Psychedelia
- Resizing
- Shapeshifting
- Superhuman strength
- Teleportation
- Transhumanism and Posthumanism
Habitats
- Artificial worlds
- Alien Zoo—a zoo where humans are kept as exhibits
- Arcologies—enormous habitats of extremely high human population density
- Cyberspace—the new, virtual territory of societal interaction
- Domed city
- Floating city
- Future of the Earth
- *Climate change—science fiction dealing with effects of anthropogenic climate change and global warming at the end of the Holocene era
- Megacity
- Pastoral science fiction—science fiction set in rural, bucolic, or agrarian worlds, either on Earth or on Earth-like planets, in which advanced technologies are downplayed.
- Seasteading and ocean colonization
- *Pirate utopia
- Reality Television
- Space colonization
- *Colonization of the Moon
- *Ecumenopolis
- *Pantropy
- *Other planets
- **Desert planet
- ***Mars
- *Terraformed planets
- Space stations and habitats
- Underground city
Political themes
- Adhocracy
- Anarcho-capitalism
- Capitalism
- *Evil corporation
- *Megacorporation
- *Neo-feudalism
- Cognitive liberty
- Dystopias and utopias
- *Environmental pollution
- *Overpopulation
- *Technological utopianism
- *Totalitarianism
- Galactic empires
- Government by algorithm
- Legal personality
- Libertarianism
- Mass surveillance
- Mind reading and mind control
- National security state
- Post-scarcity economy
- Socialism
- *Nanosocialism
- Technoethics
- *Bioethics
- Technophobia
- Techno-progressivism
- Terrorism
- *Bio-terrorism
- *Eco-terrorism
- Totalitarianism vs. Libertarianism
Technologies
- Artificial gravity
- Artificial intelligence
- Asteroid mining
- Astronomical engineering
- Brain–computer interface
- Cloaking device
- Emerging technologies
- Robots
- Self-replicating machines
- Simulated reality
- Star lifting and stellar engineering
- Stasis device
- Mecha
- Megascale engineering and planetary engineering
- *Megastructures
- *Dyson sphere
- Molecular manufacturing and Nanotechnology
- *Molecular assembler
- Alien technology
- Virtual reality, mixed reality, augmented reality
- *Infosphere
- *Metaverse
- Weapons in science fiction
Travel
- Accidental travel
- Colonization of other planets, moons, asteroids, etc.
- *Embryo space colonization
- *Generation ship
- *Interstellar ark
- *Uploaded astronaut
- *Terraforming
- Space exploration
- *Interstellar travel/Starships
- **Faster-than-light travel and communications
- ***Hyperspace
- ***Slipstream
- ***Warp drives
- ***Wormholes
- ***Ansibles
- **Close to light speed
- ***Bussard ramjets
- ***Ursula K. Le Guin's NAFAL ships, and the Twin paradox
- **Much slower than light
- ***Generation ship
- ***Sleeper ship
- *Space stations
- Teleportation
- *Teletransporter
- Time travel
- *Alternate history: time travel can be used as a plot device to explore parallel universes. While alternate history has its own category, it often occurs in time travel stories as well.
- *Alternate future
- *Time loop
- Travel to the Earth's center
- *Hollow Earth