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Ascience fiction Western is asubgenre orcross-genre that usestraditional Western plots and settings, while incorporatingscience fiction elements such as futuristic technology or aliens.[1][2]: 29 Thepost-apocalyptic Western andsteampunk Western fall within this subgenre.[1]: 2 [3]
Since the characteristic elements of science fiction can occur in any setting, science fiction lends itself to combination with other genres.[4] In 1953,J. B. Priestley described the "Western" as one of the three types of science fiction.[5]
Precursors of the science fiction Western are seen in 19th century inventor fiction such asThe Steam Man of the Prairies (1868).
The film serialThe Phantom Empire has been cited as possibly the earliest science fiction Western. Set on adude ranch and making use of props associated with conventional Westerns, it showcased futuristic technology not in existence during the period.[6] Since then, science fiction Westerns have appeared in film, television, novels, comic books, and other media.[6]
In 1953,J. B. Priestley described the "Western" as one of the three types ofscience fiction.[5] The separate genres of science fiction andWesterns use similar plot devices and character types, as well as common frontier settings and themes of survival, making the two genres well suited to be a blended subgenre. The shared setting of the frontier is a contrast with the typical Western showing the frontier as something that can be tamed, but something that can never be fully crossed in science fiction. Another shared theme is that force is often applied as a means of survival, leading to a type of hero that is often both savage and civilized at once. Also typical of both genres is the theme of an economic motive for exploration or expansion.[7]
When combined, the science fiction Western focuses on traditional Western plots and frontier settings combined with science fiction elements, such as futuristic technology or aliens.[2]: 29 [8]: 1 This definition can be contrasted with thespace Western, which, having its roots in science fiction, contains elements of the Western genre, but is generally in an outer space setting.[8]: 1 [9]
Related cross-over genres includeWestern steampunk, which typically include Western settings and futuristic science fiction elements combined withsteampunk aesthetics.[3] This may include cross-over with theWeird West genre.[1] The post-apocalyptic Western falls within this subgenre, usually incorporating the lawlessness of the frontier, gangs of outlaws, and the survival of an alienated hero.[1]: 2
The precursors of science fiction Western began as early as the late 1800s with what became known as inventor fiction, with examples such asThe Steam Man of the Prairies (1868).[8]: 6
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Earlyserial films suchThe Phantom Empire (1935) andGhost Patrol (1936) incorporated supernatural figures ofscience fiction fantasy into aWestern setting.[2]: 29 By the post-World War II era, Westerns began to fall out of favor in the youth market as space fever began to take hold.[10] The classic Western's approach to gender, race, sexuality, and indigenous groups contributed to its decline until the hybrid Western revived it.[2]: 28
During the 1960s, films such asValley of the Gwangi (1969), which displayed cowboys fighting dinosaurs, took hold. By the 1990s,The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. brought the science fiction Western into television mainstream.[2]: 28
The 2002 television seriesFirefly is considered to be distinctive. In one sense, it is considered a space Western with its outer space setting. However, its frontier realism qualifies it as a science fiction Western by others, including creatorJoss Whedon, since it combined the visual elements associated with Westerns. In either case, it ultimately pushed the boundaries of genres.[11] Whedon noted that the term made people "cringe".[12][13]
Although a box office flop, 2011'sCowboys and Aliens paid homage to the genre with its successful integration of Western and science-fiction themes.[2]: 31
Lone Star Planet by John J. McGuire (1958) andSix-Gun Planet byJohn Jakes (1970) are examples of science fiction that pays particular attention to Western themes and are by writers not typically associated with the Western genre. Each is an example that defines the contrast between science fiction and Western genres. The frontier in science fiction is continuously expanding, while the Western frontier is limited and can be (or is) tamed. BothLone Star Planet andSix-Gun Planet take place within a closed frontier, emphasizing the Western part of this hybrid genre.[7]
In a setting that shares the social characteristics ofAmerican Old West,Stephen King'sThe Dark Tower series blends themes from multiple genres including science fiction Western complete with gunslinger protagonistRoland Deschain inspired by theMan with No Name.[14]
The Buntline Special (2010) is the first book in a series byMike Resnick that can be classified asweird Western orsteampunk Western, a crossover genre of the science fiction Western.[15]
Another example of the genre isThe Ghosts of Watt O'Hugh by Steven S. Drachman (2011).Kirkus Reviews called it "adime novel for modern intellectuals" that had "the fleeting pace found in many of the historic Westernpulps authored in the 1800s".[16]
Cowboys & Aliens byScott Mitchell Rosenberg is a blend of science fiction and Western genres in which aliens crash their space ship in theOld West. Cowboys and Indians fight each other using the alien technology, but are eventually forced to work together to fight the aliens who have returned to retrieve their ship.[17]
East of West byJonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta is a serial comic series in the science fiction Western genre set in adystopian version of the United States in which Death, one of theapocalyptic characters of theFour Horsemen is the hero of the story.[18]
An example within the steampunk Western subgenre isIron West byDoug Tennapel,[19] a story set in the American Old West, but with robots.
Early serial films suchThe Phantom Empire (1935) andGhost Patrol (1936) incorporated supernatural figures ofscience fiction fantasy into aWestern setting.[2]: 29
In another example of crossover subgenres, fantasy science fiction WesternThe Valley of Gwangi (1969) which displayed cowboys fighting dinosaurs, a trend that took hold during the 1960s.
Time-traveling 20th century heroes had to adapt to theOld West inTimerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982) andBack to the Future Part III (1990)[2]: 30 [20]
Wild Wild West (1999) expanded on the television series of the 1960s in a steampunk version of the Old West.[21]
The Postman (1997) explored the post-apocalyptic Western style using the frontier setting and the "Man with No Name" archetype.[22][14]
The Wild Wild West is a television series that ran onCBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969.[23] Developed at a time when the television Western was losing ground to the spy genre, this show was conceived by its creator,Michael Garrison, as "James Bond on horseback."[24] Set during the administration of PresidentUlysses Grant (1869–1877), the series followedSecret Service agents James West (Robert Conrad) and Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) as they solved crimes, protected the President, and foiled the plans of megalomaniacal villains to take over part or all of the United States. The show featured a number of fantasy elements, such as the technologically advanced devices used by the agents and their adversaries.
Westworld (2016) is aHBO series based on a novel of the same name made in 1973 written byMichael Chrichton. Story consist of a corporation creating a Park in which they develop nearly perfectly human androids to populate the setting.
The Gunfighters (1966) is a four episodeDoctor Who serial set in and around the town ofTombstone, Arizona, in theWild West. In the serial, theFirst Doctor (William Hartnell) and his travellingcompanionsSteven Taylor (Peter Purves) andDodo Chaplet (Jackie Lane) get themselves involved with the events leading up to theGunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Outlaws (1986) brought the concept of time travel into sci-fi Western television.
The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (1993) brought the science fiction Western into television mainstream.[2]: 28
The Grimm Variations (2024), aNetflix anthology series retellings the fairy tales of theBrothers Grimm, uses a sci-fi Western setting for the episode "The Town Musicians of Bremen".
Therole playing gameDeadlands is an example of how the Western blurs genre boundaries. It uses thespaghetti Western as a game setting, and incorporates alternative history, horror, and the science fiction steampunk subgenre.[25]
The science fiction Western subgenre has been used in the video game industry as well, with titles such asTin Star (1994,Super NES),Wild Guns (Ditto) andWild Arms (1996,PlayStation).Darkwatch (2005,PlayStation,Xbox) is an example of the steampunk Western subgenre.
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