#astropunk

Time for a little ramble about the types of stories which usually have "punk" as a suffix. I had a conversation with some people about this and wanted to discuss what we ended up talking about. First off, to explain this title, we explored a difference between core and punk as suffixes. Our general conclusion was that you could have two stories with the same near future tech orientated aesthetic and not have both be Cyberpunk. For instance, Batman Beyond could be described as Cybercore because while it does discuss corporate corruption and the detriments of capitalism it isn't the central focus of this show. Meanwhile, for Blade Runner the human relationship to AI and the role of technology in their dystopia is foundational to its premise. There's a tackling of politics within the premise, which is crucial in determining whether a story is core or punk.

Now, different forms of Punk media will tackle different issues. Cyberpunk such as "Cyberpunk", Blade Runners, or The Matrix tackles humanity's relationship to technology, AI, autonomy, our bodies, and corporate greed in some respect. Solarpunk obviously discusses our relationship to the environment, duties of stewardship, communal responsibility, spiritual wellness, and responsible agriculture. Steampunk can often engage with ideas of colonialism, imperialism, early stages capitalism, class or other social hierarchy, repression, as well as the dangers of autocratic political structures. Other themes and ideas can be explored within them, it's perfectly possible to have a Cyberpunk lean into Solarpunk if it discusses how technology and corporate greed has impacted the environment. However, a story with all the aesthetics of Steampunk which focuses entirely on an issue of environmentalism could be argued to be a Steamcore story with a environmentalist narrative. The Mortal Engines is an example of a Steamcore world with a story built around a Solarpunk issue of scarcity and climate change.

Why does it matter what themes are discussed alongside which aesthetic? Well simply put it's because those aesthetics belong to those political issues. Most people who look at Steamcore would tell you it's got a late Georgian to Edwardian aesthetic (exaggerated definitely, yet recognisable). The issues of colonialism, social division by class, autocratic politics, imperialism, are all heavily associated with that era. It was in this period that the British Empire was at it's most active, so to borrow those aesthetics and discuss another topic pulls the punk out of it. The aesthetics themselves are inherently tied to the politics they are borrowed from, so you can certainly have a Cybercore story about repression and class but you aren't engaging with the politics of that aesthetic. Arcane is a great example of Steampunk as it engages with all the politics of its aesthetic very well. Similar to how "Cyberpunk" engages with the themes and ideas behind its aesthetics to be Cyberpunk.

Not all stories will discuss these politics in the same way. Whereas Steam/Cyberpunk fiction will often present a world negatively impacted by the politics of these aesthetics, Solarpunk tends to take a different route. As it stands, a world shaped by the issues Solarpunk discusses would not be very habitable for humans. A great number of Solarpunk stories instead describe worlds, cities, communities which are more utopian than dystopian. However, these narratives will always typically contrast a comparatively Utopian present to the Dystopian past in which there were significant environmental issues. Solarpunk engages with the politics of its aesthetic as a hopeful alternative to the climate crisis of modern times. The worlds presented are not without strife or complaint, but typically there is an emphasis on restoration than degradation.

Of course punk stories are as varied as the way punks can dress. But if you want some quick examples to dive into different genres of Punk then let me recommend:

Cyberpunk: Blade Runner, Tron, Carol and Tuesday (I'm of the opinion it's Cyberpunk, it's also a little Astropunk).

Steampunk: Arcane, and "The Northern Lights" by Philip Pullman.

Solarpunk: "The Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers" by Sarena Ulibarri, and "Foxhunt" by Rem Wigmore.

Astropunk: Haven't talked about this one but Gundam is very much Astropunk, as is Star Trek but it tackles the issues similarly to Solarpunk by means of contrast.