Sci-fi has grown past the idea that every alien is a little gray man in a UFO on his way to take over the world. The word alien just implies difference, and the wide array of possible concepts has grown beyond any attempt to categorize. Yet, genres still emerge within and alongside the sci-fi medium.
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Interspecies romance is rarely an issue of note in the average sci-fi narrative. Generally, at least in the big franchises, any sapient being can love any other without taboo. This almost always takes the form of humans and humanoids, but the options are limitless. Differences in biology are rarely, if ever, a concern, but there are issues. Sometimes cultures clash, leaving the romantic relationship in danger. Sometimes the unique capabilities or distinct disadvantages of a partner make the romance more difficult or threaten the participants’ physical safety. Sometimes the fact that one or both of the participants are non-humans is utterly incidental, and the same script could be played out by two regular Earthlings. The rules are almost nonexistent, but there are some trends in the trope.
The Omnisexual
Serialized science fiction, especially in the medium of TV, very frequently features a character who will flirt with anything. This character is almost always male, almost always a dashing hero type, and almost always portrayed as suave and cool for this trait. This archetype allows sci-fi to play as escapist fantasy. Fans of Star Trek love that Captain Kirk sleeps around with whichever green lady he encounters. Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who will have fun romantic banter with just about anything, and he’s confirmed to have enjoyed dalliances with machines and humanoid aliens across the furthest stars.
These characters’ romantic entanglements are usually played for laughs, while their settling down is usually meant to be emotionally satisfying. The unpleasant angle of a character who tries to sleep with half the characters he meets rarely comes up. Omnisexuality is a trait that almost always comes up somewhere in serialized sci-fi. When Donald Glover took over the role of Lando Calrissian, a public conversation surrounding the character’s sexuality emerged. When asked about Lando’s newfound purported pansexuality, Glover pondered whether it was even possible to be anything else in space, inadvertently summing up the Omnisexual trope in a single sentence.
The Odd Couple
In longer-term sci-fi interspecies relationships, there’s very often a simple dichotomy. One partner is a fantastical alien with a long history of incredible adventures, the other is a normal boring human with a moderately interesting job. This comes in many forms. Sometimes the primary difference is battle experience. One partner is an unstoppable warrior while the other is specialized in some other skill set that makes them a liability in combat. Other times it’s an issue of travel. One side of the relationship may have seen things the other couldn’t imagine. These elements of inherent conflict in the partners’ life experiences spice up a new relationship and give each member something unique in the other.
Sometimes the difference is a bit more substantial in terms of its effect on the relationship. Thor, Prince of Asgard, falls in love with Jane Foster, a regular human. In his heart of hearts, he knows that he will outlive her regardless of circumstances. In Thor 2: The Dark World, Loki needles his brother about the inherent expiration date that his love will have to contend with. If one side of the relationship is guaranteed to live a hundred times longer than the other, or if their capabilities make them gods in comparison, the relationship is less viable. Does Spock view his human friends, who he dwarfs in intelligence and will outlive by a century, as equals or as something closer to pets? What about his human lovers? Doesn’t that change the character of a romantic relationship?
We’re Not So Different
In the overwhelming majority of cases, fictional interspecies romances are largely identical to those that occur within the same species. As long as both parties are sapient, they’re good to go. The problems that get in the way are the same problems that would prevent two humans from living happily ever after. The differences exist primarily to create a star-crossed lovers scenario, to add additional aesthetic pleasure, or to throw a sci-fi filter over otherwise normal material.
The cases in which species is actually a material barrier to romance are almost always allegorical. Very few sci-fi creators want to get into the actual biological incompatibilities that might make sleeping with an alien a challenge. On the other hand, a ton of sci-fi creators want to use alien physiology as a metaphor for queerness, race, gender, or any number of other issues. Interspecies romance might be a fun comic element of a story, but it can also be a visceral and direct on-screen exploration of a very difficult subject.
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