If we want to indulge in the ultimate space western experience, then there is no better example than the Star Wars saga. Needless to say, it influenced many live-action and anime directors of the space western for decades to come.įamous Non-Anime in the Space Western Genre Before Kubrick's masterpiece, most space movies were either cheesy or unrealistic, and just not taken seriously. It's lauded for its impressive level of realism, particularly as it was released in 1968.
It is not categorized as a space western, but is one of the most important sci-fi movies ever made. Stanley Kubrick's monumental 2001: A Space Odyssey was responsible for popularizing space-themed films. Characters may travel on horseback but can also time-travel, teleport or use a spacecraft. A space western may consist of characters that carry six-shooter guns, laser guns, bazookas or even swords. There are no hard and fast rules in which a story, comic book, film or anime needs to comply with. Space westerns are essentially a sub-genre of science fiction which combine elements from classic westerns.Īnother interesting aspect of the genre is that there's a level of fluidity in what defines a space western. They enjoyed a rise in popularity during subsequent decades, as characters such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon struck a chord with readers. The first space westerns appeared in American pulp fiction magazines around the 1930's. The Swordfish II (left) and The Bebop (right) What are space westerns, and what's the deal with them?