Everyone knows them–the tropes that can be seen coming a mile away, the ones that make audiences roll their eyes and go, “Oh, of course, we’re doingthisnow!”, and the ones that have been seen so often in the same ways that they no longer carry any weight at all. Debate reigns as to which tropes are overdone, which need to be refreshed, and the ways they could be made better. Or should some disappear altogether?
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But tropes aren’t always quite so divisive! In fact, there are some good ones that fans might disagree on, but, at the end of the day, have to admit are pretty cool.
A Heroic Last Stand
From the battle ofHelm’s DeeptoAliens, this is a trope that fans can’t get enough of, and for good reason. Desperate last stands, whether they lead to a main character’s death or not, raise the stakes instantly and make the main characters part of a larger situation that has repercussions for the rest of the series.
Even if no one the audience is attached to dies, the last stand is a chance to show how powerful the enemy is and what the characters have to lose if they fail.
What’s better than a large lizard that breathes fire and can kill with the swipe of a claw? Nothing. What’s great about dragons is that there are so many ways a writer can take them. There’s the original classic seen inThe HobbitandGame of Thrones, or a creator can go somewhere different with it. Maybe the dragons are gentle and wise, like Falkor fromThe Neverending Story.
Dragons are a classic staple of fantasy, and far from limiting a show’s creativity, they can provide a breath of fresh air if done the right way.
Cosmic Deities
Lovecraft was the master of cosmic and eldritch beings, and science fiction has made good and prolific use of them since the 19th century. Since then, they’ve been seen in franchises likeStar Trek(in characters like The Crystalline Entity and numerous characters who like to play God) theMCU, and the Buffyverse, and they don’t show any sign of getting old.
Like dragons, cosmic deities and unknowable beings beyond humanity’s comprehension have infinite room for creativity. Whether they’re malicious, neutrally playing games with the main characters’ fates, or benevolent, it’s always fun to see how these beings are presented.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
Prophecies are one of the tried-and-true tropes that can easily leave a bad taste in a watcher’s mouth. Everything fromHarry Potterto the more recent Amazon Prime seriesThe Wheel of Timehas containedprophecies of varying importance. They’ve been used to dictate a Chosen One, to foretell the future, and, in some opinions, to rewrite previous world-building elements and character arcs.
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But sometimes prophecies can be used in a refreshing way, and that’s often what happens when it comes to self-fulfilling prophecies–those prophecies that come true only because the characters take steps to ensure theydon’tcome true. The actions taken by the characters to stop the prophecy are exactly what leads to their fulfillment, and there’s something addicting in seeing it happen as an audience member. There’s a deep sense of dramatic irony that makes the entire piece more compelling.
Reclusive Character
This trope isn’t only limited to fantasy or science fiction, but it definitely hits harder when it’s present in one of these genres. Especially when it’s combined with another trope (see Cosmic Deities or Lost Cities), a reclusive character coming out of the woodwork to offer their help or hindrance offers a lot of dramatic potential.
Characters likeObi-Wan Kenobiwork so well because at first they’re a mystery, but the more you learn about them, the more you learn about the story’s universe. They’re helpful for delivering information without falling into the trap of exposition, and they often have interesting backstories themselves.
European-inspired Settings
This one requires a bit of nuance and is a topic for a longer discussion; after all, Western settings (and England, specifically) have inspired classic fantasy worlds for decades, but at the exclusion of all the other interesting places there are to base a fantasy world on. The European-inspired fantasy setting might be popular and even nostalgic, but the appeal is starting to die out as audiences become more aware of the exclusion some groups of people have faced in fantasy, and of the lack of cultural diversity seen in popular fantasy settings.
Luckily, shows starring other cultures–The Untamedand the upcomingChildren of Blood and Bone, to name a couple–are starting to gain popularity.
Lost Cities
Ancient kingdoms and magical artifacts…in fantasy and sci-fi, these often have roots in one of the best tropes, that of a lost city. Usually, the lost city in question is the object of a quest, or it’s important in the heritage of one of the characters, or it’s simply a great piece of world-building that gives depth to the story’s universe. There’s so much that screenwriters and directors can do with lost cities to add tension, character development, and great visuals.
Writers can even get into horror elements with lost cities, if the city has been abandoned by all previous inhabitants and overtaken by ghosts or spirits.
Unassuming Characters Making Themselves Great
While character development and making audiences root for the protagonist is usually a basic function of good storytelling, there’s always something so satisfying about seeing a simple person go from being an unassuming protagonist thrust into a role to being a respected leader or warrior. It happens in both fictional stories andstories based on true events, so there’s proof of how enduring this character trope is.
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Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), and even Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), are all great examples of this type of character. Seeing a character start out timid and realize their true strength is inspiring and entertaining. There’s a reason it’s a classic trope!
First Contact
First contact is always a fun trope to play with! Like others on this list, it’s one that can be done in plenty of different ways. Culture shock can impact both parties, and maybe misunderstandings arise and the situation becomes hostile, or maybe each side is in awe and is open to what they can learn from each other.
Depending on the creators' world-building, first contact usually establishes an unprecedented event in the universe, and it might go on to change the world forever, so stakes are high. The audience wants it to go well, but it always helps if the creator does something a bit different and makes that first interaction something special.
Parallel Worlds
What’s more fun—or, in most cases when it comes to sci-fi, scary—than meeting your doppelgänger?
Parallel worlds allow the audience to expand their imagination and wonder what might have happened if the characters had all made different choices–and in turn, to imagine what a parallel world might end up looking like if enough different choices were made by enough people. There’s so much creativity to be had with this trope, and plenty of fantasy and sci-fi movies have made use of it–Star Trek,Doctor Who, and, more recently, the MCU.
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