I dunno I think even in Hollywood 'space opera' does indeed refer to the classic definition where stories classified as such are action-adventures that just happen to be set in space but could have had a fantasy or exotic setting. That in fact seems to be all Hollywood does produce in the Science Fiction setting (not that I blame them, it sells well though recently the Superhero gig has taken off as the genre-apple of the big studio's eye). Anything that strives to be a little bit more, actually be SF not Sci-Fi, usually comes from independent studios - but then that seems to be the case for almost every genre, not just science fiction. As always, Sturgeon's Law applies.

Also I find that some people, and I am categorically not saying that you are one of them, feel that anything other than 2 or even 1-dimensional characters in science fiction blowing things up makes something a 'soap opera'. A soap opera uses contrived situations to heighten drama that the story hasn't really earned (i.e. melodrama). Twists, romance, flawed characters, intrigue, etc... are all viable and potentially powerful story tools in any genre, but it depends on how you use them (and how often - i.e. the focus of the story) that makes something drama and SF or melodrama and soap. Sorry for being pedantic as this paragraph's exposition was probably unnecessary.

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So I'm not big on traditional stat-point RPGs and one of the reasons for this is that combat and many other things rely on rolled stats or otherwise character attribute points instead of purely relying on the skills of the gamer to determine how good you are at something. Having better equipment is one thing, but I suppose I hanker more for an action-adventure where maybe you can get better equipment (and maybe AI characters can to gain experience to mimic a human learning) as a way to increase your prowess in ship-to-ship or ground combat, but otherwise there are no player stats determining your skill at doing something. The same for other possible skills as well: mining, trading, etc ... i.e. maybe you can hire better AIs or buy better equipment to help you, but other than that, the play is dependent solely on you and your abilities. Attributes are good for dealing with AIs which have to have stats or attributes (or assign them to the human a la reputation) to try to mimic human interaction, but I feel otherwise I would like to play a game where the player's core skill set is fundamentally what the player themselves can do given the universe, the UI, and the story rather than a function of stat points assigned to or earned by the player.

The indie game still in development infinity-universe is sort of like this, but it is an MMO and I also don't generally go into those - you have to play them too often to make the experience (and the money if it is pay-per-month) worth it. For a single-player game, I understand that the X-series is sort of like this (I have X3: Reunion, but haven't started it yet).

P.S. I am not bashing traditional stat-point RPGs. I understand why people like them and definitely see the value in the game mechanics they bring - especially in a fantasy setting. I've even played a few and liked them. However, in general the stat-point mechanic is not for me and this was for my ideal science fiction RPG/adventure. Other facets like an interesting story with great characters should be a given. :)

The ability to land on a planet and head out with my crew if the planet is hospitable for human exploration. Failing that, I want the ability to send out a probe/unmanned vehicle/whatever the hell you call it and actually navigate it to anything that I find interesting.

I want an open-ended story line or something along Morrowind but BIGGER. If that means random generation of planets and other space things, fine. Not everything in space is going to be interesting or full of life.

I do NOT want romances, gay, straight or trisexual, just for the sake of romances. If I want to read a Space Harlequin novel I will fucking read one. Please leave the romances right out. If they have to be forced on you a la Dragon Age I want them dead and gone. I hate the fact that I have to think this when pondering the possible purchase:

"Is this game going to be good?"
"Oh god, it's got bloody romances! WHY?!?!"

No game purchased.

Believable characters without some sort of Thing or Gimmick to them. If a character is gay, fine, no problem, but please don't beat me over the head with that character's sexual orientation. Aren't there ways to write a decent gay character without being overbearing about it? The same goes for characters who had traumatizing events in their lives, are aliens with an identity complex, etc etc.

No Elves in Space.

Turn-based combat. If I want FPS combat, guess what? I'll go play an FPS. Give me back my turn-based combat. And no sneaking in that Real Time With Pause BS in there, either.

No anime unless it's a JRPG from somewhere in Japan.

Nine Princes of Amber by R. Zelazny - now this book begs for a good game!

Oh, you know, the usual hardcore RPG fanboy options. Over nine thousand skills. A trillion factions. A jillion crafting recipes. A bajillion square miles of explorable terrain. And this time it's in space!

OK, some serious ideas.

No mining. It was tedious in Star Control 2 and it was tedious in Mass Effect 1 and 2.

An actual space fantasy. How feasible would an official Spelljammer game be?

Echoing crazy_dave, a pure action-adventure (as in, the kind where you increase your max health solely by picking up heart containers) in space would be neat. Something like Legend of Zelda but less linear and with more than one planet.

Re. Space Opera discussion: The <i>Lensman</i> series would make an interesting setting. It started the space opera subgenre, but it had some pretty hard science compared to later sci-fi stories in spite of the use of slide rulers for deep space navigation.

Also, Lensman had a pretty cool portrayal of psychic powers. As far as I could tell,
** SPOILER **

the heroes defeating the evil aliens in the end by basically mind-crushing them from orbit.

** END SPOILER **

Does this mean white people aren't allowed to draw anime? :P
Granted, a Japanese artist would probably have a better handle on what makes anime anime... An exploration of sexual relations between humans and non-human, non-humanoid sapient creatures. An exploration of the nature of such relationships, the motivations and characteristics of those involved in these relationships, the effects on society, and society's reaction.

And vat-grown catgirls.

Given the speed a space-faring Earth ship should be able to travel, it seems reasonable we could get to farther inhabited worlds quicker.

Assuming other civilizations come across the same discoveries & advances we do, they might experience an overpopulation problem too. But I agree, not every planet should have a New York.

The paradox is, the more advanced a population, the smaller, or even sometimes negative population growth happens. We're experiencing a slight population decrease each year right now, as are just about every other first world country; the only thing keeping it from being more noticeable is immigration.

I want a future RPG set in a time of about Star Trek, in the 23-24th century. On Mars, unterraformed. Toss in a bit of Mechwarrior, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, Discworld, an anti-Jedi order who rely on technology instead of mystical powers (Jedi Iron Man, pretty much). Have all that as background and make a damn good story inside it all.

I think of population in global terms, so I see reaching 7 billion people recently as population growth. I hadn't given any thought at all to first world populations, so you've given me food for thought.

Freelancer style controls for spacecraft. Seriously I dont know why you need some overly complicated controls when something simple works just fine

I'm on an avatar kick, so here's a gift from me to you. I made it myself!

I'd like for the game (a 4x TBS RPG hybrid with some RTS elements) to have playable maps within a greater "world" map (like Master of Magic and Age of Wonders). So we've got action on the greater space map. And separate action on individual planetary and/or system maps. Few ships can travel the universe map. The rest have to hitch a ride. Most ship classes cannot enter a gravity well. Others can, but can't travel far from one. Some ships out perform others when navigating near gravity wells. Some have no business entering solar systems at all. etc

Maybe take this so far as to have a greater universe map from which you enter galaxy maps, then solar system maps, down to planet and possibly station and ship maps. With actions occurring at every map. So we have unit diversity spanning from space Marines to planet sized battlewagons. Weapons ranging from pistols to planet pounders. With action occurring in deep space between fleets, to system siege and defense, down to the planetary assault itself, all the way to down to ship breeching and commando raids on planetary infrastructure. Is that too ambitious?

Let's see...

(*). Solid story is a must. No corny dialogs, though.

(*). Make it really an RPG, not a mere action adventure.

(*). Playable NPCs are welcomed, though I won't complain if it is a single-character RPG.

(*). Serious tone is nice, but few humors here and there would not hurt.

(*). New universe if possible, meaning no license over already famous settings. But I won't complain if it is another Star Wars RPG... even if it is a soap opera, not a sci-fi.

(*). Subtitles, subtitles, subtitles. Do not insult people (gamers) with hearing impairment, please.

(*) A fixed, over-the-shoulder, third-person view camera.

(*) Screen relative WASD keyboard controls. No stupid actor/character relative controls, please.

(*). A convenient save game system: save anytime, anywhere. Do not be lazy, developers!

The last four points actually are those I want (best) in any RPG, not necessarily a sci-fi RPG.

Thanks lol, its... odd :P SO I SHALL USE IT.

So that's true for Europe, but the last I checked the US was still experiencing population growth even ignoring immigration. However, I don't remember what the latest 2010 numbers were.

^^This. If your love of SF is stuck in a Star Trek/Wars, Mass Effect rut, you need to read these now.