Relativity? Time dilation? Quantum physics? BORING. When I read a star-spanning sci-fi epic, I don’t care about the physical motion of celestial bodies, I care about being moved by them. Space operas, aka “soft” sci-fi are science fiction stories about our universe without being bogged down by the pesky laws of physics. How do those sandworms in Dune not collapse under their own weight? How do Gideon and Harrow travel to distant planets without experiencing time dilation in Gideon the Ninth? Doesn’t matter, these authors weren’t sweating the science when writing the 10 best sci-fi space operas, and neither should you.
