How does Orions Arm differ from other forms of “Space Opera”?
There are several ways in which Orions Arm differs from traditional space opera. The first is consistency. Very often the need to meet deadlines or create dramatic tension is detrimental to consistency. Because Orions Arm is also a hard science fiction scenario, we have a built-in defender of consistency. If scientific theory says it takes light 10 days to travel a specific distance in space, then it will take light 10 days to travel that distance. We take great pride in running the numbers to ensure a strict level of internal consistency. The second major factor is that human beings are no longer the dominant intelligence in the galaxy, and the role of alien empires is replaced by empires of various human descended races and species, whether biological, cyborg, robot, or ai.
