Interstellar War

An interstellar war is a war between combatants from different planetary systems. It is a popular plot device in science fiction, especially in the space opera sub-genre. An intergalactic war refers to war between combatants from different galaxies; Interplanetary war refers to war between combatants from different planets of the same solar system.

Interplanetary war in fiction can reveal contemporary mores. In general, older fiction relates to the colonial systems of politics and economics of the late 19th and early 20th centuries; mid-20th century depictions are often heavily influenced by the Cold War and are barely concealed allegories of the conflict between the "free world" and the Communist states, with humans (personified by 1950s-style American archetypes) as the "good guys" and aliens as the "bad guys". Modern fiction often uses the conflict to explore known failings in the human (especially Western) perspective.