In anticipation for Starfinder’s imminent release I’ve been thinking back over all of the great, and not so great, TV and movies that has shaped my view of what I want in a SciFi world and some different themes we can use Starfinder to explore.

Star Wars

What list of influential SciFi doesn’t include Star Wars, well there are probably some, but not this one! Say what you want about the newer movies, the prequels or the originals Star Wars demonstrates so many classic RPG aspects it’s hard not to consider it for inspiration. The epic quest, the mentor, the galaxy spanning evil, the space wizard, which of these would show up in your game? Maybe look to the TV show rebels for more inspiration on the “normal” people of your universe react to the ongoing conflict.

Battlestar Galactica

Ok, so it’s lacking in space wizards, gravity infused powers or flame throwing rats, but that is just details. The remade BSG series shows what can happen to groups of people forced to live with apocalyptic changes to their environment and livelihoods, it gives great ideas on how these communities grow and deal with an ever present external threat, while dealing with internal crisis as well. Also it has one of my favorite RPG related quotes….”Sometimes you have to roll the hard 6″

Futurama

Really, Futurama you say? Oh yes, who hasn’t had a lighthearted, chaotic silly, or drunken RPG to pass the time, or to introduce new comers who aren’t ready for a story line about galactic evil. Futurama has such a great crew and their interactions and reactions to meeting aliens and powerful beings mirrors similar reactions to pathfinders, meeting a dragon for the first time and trying to roll a diplomacy check to seduce. I think there are great idea’s to be taken from Futurama for running mission based more lighthearted games.

Also the professor is totally an Technomancer!

Guardians of the Galaxy

GoTG just fits so perfectly into starfinder, awesome technology no one explains, super powerful beings bordering on magic, funny quips and a great soundtrack, I for one plan on playing a Soldier who carries around a boombox so he can play his favorite tunes during battle. I see the GoTG crew as what I picture Starfinder Society groups to be, they all have their own motivations, but given a task they grow as a team and start to work together.

The Last Starfighter

A classic, The Last Starfighter tells the story of a man who is recruited by an organization from beyond the stars and beyond his own dreams really. One of the great things about this movie is that you can draw inspiration for a character from a low tech world who somehow got pulled into the wider galaxy at large.

Outlaw Star

Outlaw Star is one of my favorite anime, but also has a great mix of space combat, cool weapons and even a samurai! I really like the chase aspect of Outlaw Star, as the show goes on there is a sense of urgency as the crew starts to realize that they are going to be plagued by their enemies until they finish their mission.

Cowboy Bebop

Do you like corgis and space noir? If so Cowboy Bebop is for you, they are a crew who are just trying to make it day to day. There are tension in the crews, tensions with peoples pasts and plenty of moral grey areas.

Fifth Element

The Fifth element is your mutlipass to explore a futuristic city and and humanities interactions with alien races. Really to me it’s just a strong action flick with great characters and can give some examples of how to build a party, after all they ended up with a preist, a soldier, a close combat expert and a bard.

The Expanse

While there is no magic in the expanse, it has a tremendous amount of brain fuel for creating conflicts in your universe between different worlds, colonies and factions. If you are interested in something a bit more hard SciFi try reading the books as well, they will give you a lot of inspiration for horrible things that can happen during your spaceflight.

Farscape

Farscape to me feels like a more serious predecessor to GoTG (the movie), you have a cool ship, diverse crew and abilities that seem like magic (I’m looking at you Zahn). Farscape covers so many topics, from translator microbes to living technology, there are numerous ideas you can borrow and adapt to your own game.

Blade Runner

Want to see what a futuristic city looks like on the bad end of the spectrum Blade Runner is a go to for me. Technology is good, but things seem bad, dirty, and oppressive to some. It’s not world I would want to live it, but I sure as hell would want to play in it. Imagine being a blade runner chasing down your query, or being hunted because someone made you and your programming is telling you to escape and not let them take you. So many opportunities. Also the music can make great background sound for a game.

Well that’s it for now, back to waiting for me. Let me know if you agree, disagree or what you are watching to pump yourself up to play Starfinder.