Sci-Fi & Fantasy Tropes You Hate But Everyone Else Loves

[PapaPalpatine]

What tropes do you detest but seem to be popular with everyone else?

[Deledrius]

What tropes do you detest but seem to be popular with everyone else?

"Screw you for liking things" is one I wish would disappear.

[clearspira]

What tropes do you detest but seem to be popular with everyone else?

"Screw you for liking things" is one I wish would disappear.

I don't get it.

[Deledrius]

I think the biggest general sci-fi one that comes to mind is "The Earth is in peril!", especially in the recent Star Trek films. There's a whole galaxy to care about, with many established worlds. The post-9/11 apocalypse situation is tiresome. Even more broadly, the "we must stop X or else the world (Earth or otherwise) is destroyed!" really should be used more sparingly than it is. It's the least interesting possible threat, but also the easiest because it's dead simple to write. You don't have to explain why it's bad. :p

[Darth Wedgius]

The victorious war against the alien invaders. It doesn't ruin a work for me, but I've seen the equivalent of the Spanish Armada defeating the U.S. navy too often. It can get some justification (the Goa'uld didn't develop their own technology and are limited in its application, the Martians have no concept of earth germs, and the people invading Pandora couldn't launch an all-out attack for political reasons) and that helps it go down. But when the plucky human underdogs win against an enemy that want to Kill All Humans but can't...

Of course, seeing the aliens defeat the pitiful earthlings isn't a lot of fun, either.

[hammerofglass]

The main characters have known each other for such a short amount of time it's amazing they can remember each other's names, but they've paired off into romantic couples anyway.

[clearspira]

Women wearing armour that leaves their tits and ass completely undefended. And to a lesser extent ''warrior women trained from birth'' who go into battle with long hair and make-up.

Also...

Women who are basically men, implying that a ''strong woman'' is in fact just a woman who has discarded every trace of femininity. For example, Sarah Connor in Terminator 2 was a tough woman. Grace in Dark Fate was a man.

Both tropes are sexist and both tropes seem immune to death.

[G-Man]

I think the biggest general sci-fi one that comes to mind is "The Earth is in peril!", especially in the recent Star Trek films. There's a whole galaxy to care about, with many established worlds. The post-9/11 apocalypse situation is tiresome. Even more broadly, the "we must stop X or else the world (Earth or otherwise) is destroyed!" really should be used more sparingly than it is. It's the least interesting possible threat, but also the easiest because it's dead simple to write. You don't have to explain why it's bad. :p

Your "more broadly" seems to be referring to what Chuck calls "eggshell cosmos." I agree.

More specifically, the more serious the threat, the bigger and more important the story ought to be. One-off and throwaway episodes are not the right place to put the entire universe in peril; it simply detracts from the more story-important, long-term threats. The Dominion War or the Borg invasion are pretty insignificant if ol' Lazarus from The Alternative Factor can destroy the entire universe trying to kill his "good" twin.

[Mecha82]

When Aliens invade Earth they always attack USA like rest of world doesn't exist. Also when they do attack entire world it's still always Americans that save the day.

[Deledrius]

When Aliens invade Earth they always attack USA like rest of world doesn't exist. Also when they do attack entire world it's still always Americans that save the day.

Unless it's Doctor Who. Then for some reason it's always London or Cardiff. :p