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* HasTwoMommies: [[HeterosexualLifePartners Augustus Henree and Dr Hector Conway]] become David's [[ParentalSubstitute adoptive parents]] after his biological parents die in a SpacePirates attack. He calls each of them [[HonoraryUncle Uncle]].
-->''David Starr ''was'' [Conway's] son; his and Augustus Henree's. ... They were both mother and father to him...''
-->''David Starr ''was'' [Conway's] son; his and Augustus Henree's. ... They were both mother and father to him...''
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** Dr Hector Conway, Augustus Henree, and Lawrence Starr were a three-man team working for the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Council of Science]]. All three fell in love with the same woman, but Hector and Augustus gracefully accepted it when she married Lawrence. The [[HasTwoMommies two men]] decided to [[ParentalSubstitute adopt their son]] after the couple died.
to:
** Dr Hector Conway, Augustus Henree, and Lawrence Starr were a three-man team working for the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Council of Science]]. All three fell in love with the same woman, but Hector and Augustus gracefully accepted it when she married Lawrence. The [[HasTwoMommies two men]] men decided to [[ParentalSubstitute adopt their son]] after the couple died.
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* HonoraryUncle: Councilmen Conway, Henree, and Lawrence were all good friends. The three men were so close that as a child, David sometimes got confused and called his father Uncle Lawrence, too. After Lawrence Starr and his wife [[DeathByOriginStory died when David was four]], the other [[HasTwoMommies two men adopted David]] and [[ParentalSubstitute raised him]] to be as awesome as his father would have been.
to:
* HonoraryUncle: Councilmen Conway, Henree, and Lawrence were all good friends. The three men were so close that as a child, David sometimes got confused and called his father Uncle Lawrence, too. After Lawrence Starr and his wife [[DeathByOriginStory died when David was four]], the other [[HasTwoMommies [[PlatonicCoParenting two men adopted David]] and [[ParentalSubstitute raised him]] to be as awesome as his father would have been.
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* PlatonicCoParenting: [[HeterosexualLifePartners Augustus Henree and Dr Hector Conway]] become David's [[ParentalSubstitute adoptive parents]] after his biological parents die in a SpacePirates attack. He calls each of them [[HonoraryUncle Uncle]].
-->''David Starr ''was'' [Conway's] son; his and Augustus Henree's. ... They were both mother and father to him...''
-->''David Starr ''was'' [Conway's] son; his and Augustus Henree's. ... They were both mother and father to him...''
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None
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This is a ScienceFiction series, aimed at a [[ChildrensLiterature juvenile]] and [[YoungAdultLiterature young adult]] audience. When it was first published in UsefulNotes/TheFifties, the author was credited as Creator/PaulFrench. It was actually a [[PenName pseudonym]] for Creator/IsaacAsimov because he wrote these books with an eye towards getting a Hollywood contract for a TV series. He had seen how Hollywood tended to butcher the works of other [[ScienceFiction SF]] writers, and wanted to be able to disassociate himself from any resulting series, if he had to. After the TV idea fell through, he started adding elements to the later books that clearly labelled him as the author (such as [[ThreeLawsCompliant three-laws robots]] with positronic brains). In UsefulNotes/TheSeventies, Creator/FawcettCrest requested the publishing rights to the series, so Dr Asimov made minor edits, added forewords, and republished everything under his own name.
to:
This is a ScienceFiction series, aimed at a [[ChildrensLiterature juvenile]] and [[YoungAdultLiterature young adult]] audience. When it was first published in UsefulNotes/TheFifties, the author was credited as Creator/PaulFrench. It was actually a [[PenName pseudonym]] for Creator/IsaacAsimov because he wrote these books with an eye towards getting a Hollywood contract for a TV series. He had seen how Hollywood tended to butcher the works of other [[ScienceFiction SF]] writers, and wanted to be able to disassociate himself from any resulting series, if he had to. After the TV idea fell through, he started adding elements to the later books that [[CreatorThumbprint clearly labelled him as the author author]] (such as [[ThreeLawsCompliant three-laws robots]] with positronic brains). In UsefulNotes/TheSeventies, Creator/FawcettCrest requested the publishing rights to the series, so Dr Asimov made minor edits, added forewords, and republished everything under his own name.
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* EverybodySmokes: Lucky and Bigman, the heroes of this 1950s [[ChildrensLiterature children's series]], always decline when other people offer a cigarette. Smoking, however, is still more prevalent in this setting [[SocietyMarchesOn than it is today]].
to:
* EverybodySmokes: Lucky and Bigman, the heroes of this 1950s [[ChildrensLiterature children's series]], always decline when other people offer a cigarette. Smoking, however, is still more prevalent in this setting [[SocietyMarchesOn [[FutureSocietyPresentValues than it is today]].
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* SocietyMarchesOn: Despite being set far enough in the future to have CasualInterplanetaryTravel, women are barely featured in the series (four of the books have no women at all) and certainly none are in positions of power.
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* {{Foil}}: Bigman's [[TheNapoleon Napoleon complex]] causes him to be eager to prove himself the match of any man. This boisterousness serves as comedic contrast to the much more level-headed Lucky Starr. Also Foil in height; bigman is barely more than five feet and Lucky is over six feet tall.
to:
* {{Foil}}: Bigman's [[TheNapoleon Napoleon complex]] causes him to be eager to prove himself the match of any man. This boisterousness serves as comedic contrast to the much more level-headed Lucky Starr. Also Foil in height; bigman Bigman is barely more than five feet and Lucky is over six feet tall.
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** David "Lucky" Starr and his {{sidekick}} John Bigman Jones have been living together since the end of the first novel. As the series goes on, their friendship and dedication is constantly reaffirmed. Lucky even claims his [[FakeDefection apparent betrayal of the Council]] was made easier when Bigman's life was on the line.
to:
** David "Lucky" Starr and his {{sidekick}} John Bigman Jones have been living together since the end of the first novel. As the series goes on, their friendship and dedication is constantly reaffirmed. Lucky even claims his [[FakeDefection [[FakeDefector apparent betrayal of the Council]] was made easier when Bigman's life was on the line.
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* SocietyMarchesOn: Women are barely featured in the series (four of the books have no women ''at all'') and certainly none in positions of power.
to:
* SocietyMarchesOn: Women Despite being set far enough in the future to have CasualInterplanetaryTravel, women are barely featured in the series (four of the books have no women ''at all'') at all) and certainly none are in positions of power.
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* BoxSet: Creator/{{Signet}} published a box containing all six volumes of the series in UsefulNotes/TheSeventies with their New American Library imprint.
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* BoxSet: BoxedSet: Creator/{{Signet}} published a box containing all six volumes of the series in UsefulNotes/TheSeventies with their New American Library imprint.
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** "The astronomical adventures of Space Ranger Starr, agent of the Council of Science" -- cover of the BoxSet by Creator/{{Signet}}.
to:
** "The astronomical adventures of Space Ranger Starr, agent of the Council of Science" -- cover of the BoxSet BoxedSet by Creator/{{Signet}}.
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Moving from Literature.Lucky Starr and adding tropes
Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/luckystarr.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Bigman to the left and Lucky to the right]]
This is a ScienceFiction series, aimed at a [[ChildrensLiterature juvenile]] and [[YoungAdultLiterature young adult]] audience. When it was first published in UsefulNotes/TheFifties, the author was credited as Creator/PaulFrench. It was actually a [[PenName pseudonym]] for Creator/IsaacAsimov because he wrote these books with an eye towards getting a Hollywood contract for a TV series. He had seen how Hollywood tended to butcher the works of other [[ScienceFiction SF]] writers, and wanted to be able to disassociate himself from any resulting series, if he had to. After the TV idea fell through, he started adding elements to the later books that clearly labelled him as the author (such as [[ThreeLawsCompliant three-laws robots]] with positronic brains). In UsefulNotes/TheSeventies, Creator/FawcettCrest requested the publishing rights to the series, so Dr Asimov made minor edits, added forewords, and republished everything under his own name.
The [[ProtagonistTitle Starr of the series]] is David "Lucky" Starr, councilman of Earth's Council of Science. Each {{Novel}} is a new adventure against crime and corruption in different regions of the Solar System. He is accompanied by his loyal {{sidekick}}, John Bigman Jones, whose short height and shorter temper [[{{Foil}} contrast against]] the tall, cool-headed hero.
!!''The Complete Adventures of Lucky Starr'' consists of six volumes:
[[index]]
* ''Literature/DavidStarrSpaceRanger''
* ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndThePiratesOfTheAsteroids''
* ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheOceansOfVenus''
* ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheBigSunOfMercury''
* ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheMoonsOfJupiter''
* ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn''
[[/index]]
In his adventures, Lucky meets [[SpaceWestern frontier colonists]] on several worlds, faces off against unusual alien organisms and hostile space environments as well as ordinary human sabotage. Throughout the series, the [[BigBad predominate threat]] comes from Earth's rivals in the system of Sirius, {{Transhuman}} descendants of Earth who show signs of wanting to take over the Solar System. The stories usually have an element of mystery as well as adventure, with Lucky having to find a criminal hidden in plain sight, and, in true Asimov fashion, the solution can hang on the tiniest point.
The ''Lucky Starr'' series was written explicitly with the purpose of teaching young people facts about the solar system, which means that it suffers from [[ScienceMarchesOn changes in scientific knowledge]] perhaps more than the rest of Asimov's work--the title ''Lucky Starr and the [[VenusIsWet Oceans of Venus]]'' should be a clue as to how inaccurate it sometimes gets. Nevertheless, the books are still very enjoyable as science-fiction adventures, and reprints since 1978 have included a preface discussing said changes as needed.
Not to be confused with the 1929 film ''Film/LuckyStar'', the 2003 manga ''Manga/LuckyStar'', or a 1983 song by {{Music/Madonna}}.
----
!!These ''Starrs'' provide examples of:
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: This series takes place in a future with CasualInterplanetaryTravel, pervasive [[DeflectorShields force-field]] and ArtificialGravity technology, a ColonizedSolarSystem, and a self-sustaining {{Transhuman}} society living out in the Sirius system.
* AffectionateGestureToTheHead: After ''Mercury'', Lucky and Bigman [[HeterosexualLifePartners are comfortable enough together]] that Lucky will tousle his {{sidekick}}'s hair to show affection. In ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn'', the affection is mixed with frustration, and Lucky goes as far as to "[seize] Bigman's hair affectionately and [tug] his head back and forth".
* AnimatedTattoo: Members of the Council of Science, such as David Starr, are given a hidden tattoo. When they need to show it, an oval spot darkens to black. Within it, little yellow grains of light dance and flicker in the familiar patterns of the Big Dipper and of Orion.
* ArtificialGravity:
** "Pseudo-grav" is the term used in this series for anti-gravity machines. They're a pervasive technology that can be set to various levels, most commonly between Earth normal and Mars normal. The difference in gravity between the natural landscape and the artificial gravity within the pseudo-grav is emphasized in each book.
** During ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheMoonsOfJupiter'', Sol scientists are working on a new project, called Agrav. Ships with Agrav will supposedly be able to ignore the effect gravity has on space-time.
* AtomPunk: This setting presents hyperatomic motors to power spaceships, and micropiles to power small (but powerful) machines, such as their [[LaserBlade force-field knives]] and submarines.
* BigBad: The Sirian government is the biggest threat faced by Lucky, and fought only indirectly until the final {{novel}}. The second book reveals that the events of the first book may have been encouraged by the Sirians because they are still attempting to use the [[SpacePirates asteroid pirates]] to encourage war within the Sol system. Sirian robots appear in the fourth and fifth books, while ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn'' is the last book, so Lucky is finally able to confront them directly.
* BilledAboveTheTitle:
** The 1985 Creator/{{Doubleday}} {{Omnibus}}es, ''The Adventures of Lucky Starr'' and ''The Further Adventures of Lucky Starr'', has a yellow (or brown) bar at the top of the cover where Dr Asimov's name ([[SameFaceDifferentName writing as]] included) is written above the title.
** The 2001 Science Fiction Book Club [[{{Omnibus}} volume containing all six books]] includes Dr Asimov's name (including [[SameFaceDifferentName writing as]] credits) as large as the three lines of the title.
* BoxSet: Creator/{{Signet}} published a box containing all six volumes of the series in UsefulNotes/TheSeventies with their New American Library imprint.
* CasualInterplanetaryTravel: Travel from one end of the asteroid field to the other is a matter of days for most ships, and Earth has been colonizing {{UsefulNotes/Venus}} and {{UsefulNotes/Mars}}. Even [[UsefulNotes/LocalStars Sirius]] is only a matter of a few weeks away. Other star systems are implied to be colonized, but only Sol and Sirius factor in the majority of the series.
* CharacterNameAndTheNounPhrase: After the [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness first book]], the titles in this series are in the form of "Lucky Starr and [[TheXOfY the [Noun] of [Solar System locale]]]''.
* DaChief: Dr Hector Conway is head of the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Council of Science]], which David "Lucky" Starr belongs to. He's also a [[ParentalSubstitute adoptive father]] for Lucky, after his biological parents died from a SpacePirates attack.
* ChromosomeCasting: An example of an exclusively male cast. There is an [[AvertedTrope aversion]] in ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheOceansOfVenus''; a housewife with speaking lines who is on-screen for less than a chapter. Otherwise, the protagonists, antagonists, and suspects are always male characters.
* ColonizedSolarSystem: There are {{Domed Hometown}}s across the solar system, from as far sunward as {{UsefulNotes/Mercury}}, to the asteroid belt and UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfJupiter. During the final volume, ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn'', the moons of {{UsefulNotes/Saturn}} start getting colonized.
* DeathByOriginStory: Every volume reminds us that David's mother and father died in a SpacePirates attack on their way to {{UsefulNotes/Venus}}. David survived due to being ejected in an EscapePod. His father, Lawrence Starr, and both of his [[ParentalSubstitute adoptive parents]], Augustus Henree and Dr Hector Conway, are members of the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Council of Science]]. David (or "Lucky" as of the second volume) was raised to be [[TheAce the best possible member of the agency]].
* DeflectorShields: Force field technology is shaped in many different ways, creating [[MundaneUtility mundane products]] such as climbing pitons and self-cleaning tables, to {{Laser Blade}}s and spaceship shields. They are noted to be dangerous, because the fields generated are designed to be powerful, which can make even tables lethal if you use them the right/wrong way. The shields for spaceships glow when they're reflecting high-energy collisions, like asteroids or lasers.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** In the first book, Starr encounters an ancient race of Martians who give him a personal force field and dub him "[[SpaceCadet Space Ranger]]". It was obviously intended as a hero origin story, but the later books became more detective-focused with a [[SpaceColdWar Cold War-tone]]. The mask was used exactly once more, in the second book, and for radiation shielding rather than disguise.
** Based on the later volumes, you'd expect the first volume to mention {{UsefulNotes/Mars}} in the title, but it simply nicknames the protagonist "Space Ranger" (which isn't used again).
* EnergyWeapon: The series starts out with blasters, but Bigman's preferred weapon later in the series is called a needle-gun. It seems to be a matter of shape/scale. Blasters and Disintegrators can dissemble an entire person or two in one shot, while the needle-gun affects a much smaller target and is notoriously difficult to aim.
* EverybodySmokes: Lucky and Bigman, the heroes of this 1950s [[ChildrensLiterature children's series]], always decline when other people offer a cigarette. Smoking, however, is still more prevalent in this setting [[SocietyMarchesOn than it is today]].
* FloatingHeadSyndrome: The 2001 {{Omnibus}} edition has the bust of Bigman and Lucky "floating" in front of a nebula-like cloud of space.
* {{Foil}}: Bigman's [[TheNapoleon Napoleon complex]] causes him to be eager to prove himself the match of any man. This boisterousness serves as comedic contrast to the much more level-headed Lucky Starr. Also Foil in height; bigman is barely more than five feet and Lucky is over six feet tall.
* TheFullNameAdventures:
** The series title is taken from the omnibus printed in 2001 by the Science Fiction Book Club, which includes all six volumes of Lucky's adventure.
** The two 1985 Creator/{{Doubleday}} books are {{Omnibus}}ses titled ''The Adventures of Lucky Starr'' and ''The Further Adventures of Lucky Starr''.
* GovernmentAgencyOfFiction: David "Lucky" Starr, his deceased father (Lawrence Starr), and both of his [[ParentalSubstitute adoptive parents]] ([[HeterosexualLifePartners Augustus Henree and Dr Hector Conway]]), are members of Earth's Council of Science. This gives them the privilege of going into most areas of the solar system and order people around. Lucky Starr operates as a mix between a secret agent and federal official, while Dr Hector Conway is DaChief.
* HasTwoMommies: [[HeterosexualLifePartners Augustus Henree and Dr Hector Conway]] become David's [[ParentalSubstitute adoptive parents]] after his biological parents die in a SpacePirates attack. He calls each of them [[HonoraryUncle Uncle]].
-->''David Starr ''was'' [Conway's] son; his and Augustus Henree's. ... They were both mother and father to him...''
* HeterosexualLifePartners:
** Dr Hector Conway, Augustus Henree, and Lawrence Starr were a three-man team working for the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Council of Science]]. All three fell in love with the same woman, but Hector and Augustus gracefully accepted it when she married Lawrence. The [[HasTwoMommies two men]] decided to [[ParentalSubstitute adopt their son]] after the couple died.
-->''Neither Henree nor [Conway] had ever married, and for neither were there any girls to compete with Barbara in memory.'' --narration, ''Literature/DavidStarrSpaceRanger''
** David "Lucky" Starr and his {{sidekick}} John Bigman Jones have been living together since the end of the first novel. As the series goes on, their friendship and dedication is constantly reaffirmed. Lucky even claims his [[FakeDefection apparent betrayal of the Council]] was made easier when Bigman's life was on the line.
* HonoraryUncle: Councilmen Conway, Henree, and Lawrence were all good friends. The three men were so close that as a child, David sometimes got confused and called his father Uncle Lawrence, too. After Lawrence Starr and his wife [[DeathByOriginStory died when David was four]], the other [[HasTwoMommies two men adopted David]] and [[ParentalSubstitute raised him]] to be as awesome as his father would have been.
* InterserviceRivalry: The Council of Science occasionally finds opposition from members of the other government branches. None of the other branches have a specific rivalry with the Council, but the military sometimes resents the fact that Councilmen can order them around.
* {{Omnibus}}:
** The series title is taken from the omnibus printed in 2001 by the Science Fiction Book Club, which includes all six volumes.
** ''An Isaac Asimov Double: Space Ranger and the Pirates of the Asteroids'' is a 1972 Creator/NewEnglishLibrary book containing ''Literature/DavidStarrSpaceRanger'' and ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndThePiratesOfTheAsteroids''. (Republished in 1993 by Creator/BantamSpectra.)
** ''A Second Isaac Asimov Double: The Big Sun of Mercury and The Oceans of Venus'' is a 1972 Creator/NewEnglishLibrary book containing ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheOceansOfVenus'' and ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheBigSunOfMercury''. (Republished in 1993 by Creator/BantamSpectra.)
** ''The Third Isaac Asimov Double: The Rings of Saturn, The Moons of Jupiter'' is a 1973 Creator/NewEnglishLibrary book containing ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheMoonsOfJupiter'' and ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn''. (Republished in 1993 by Creator/BantamSpectra.)
** ''The Adventures of Lucky Starr'' and ''The Further Adventures of Lucky Starr'' are 1985 Creator/{{Doubleday}} books that merge the first three books and second three books into the two volumes.
* OrwellianRetcon: When Creator/IsaacAsimov republished this series in UsefulNotes/TheSeventies, he added a foreword to explain the [[ScienceMarchesOn scientific advances]] that disproved the science facts he had been presenting. No other major changes were introduced.
* ParentalSubstitute: Dr Conway and Henree had been [[HeterosexualLifePartners close friends with Lawrence Starr]] up until he and his wife died from a SpacePirates attack on their way to Venus. Because David Starr survived the attack, the two councilmen adopted David and raised him to be as awesome an agent as his father would have been.
* PunnyName: Lucky named his personal spaceship the "'Shooting Starr'', a phenomenon that many people think are lucky.
* SameFaceDifferentName: Creator/IsaacAsimov wrote ''Literature/TheCompleteAdventuresOfLuckyStarr'' in UsefulNotes/TheFifties under the pseudonym Creator/PaulFrench. He wrote six volumes of targeting a [[ChildrensLiterature juvenile audience]] and hoped to turn them into a television series. Dr Asimov adopted the pen name to make it easier to dissociate himself with the work if the tv series flopped. In UsefulNotes/TheSeventies, he republished them with the {{tagline}} "Creator/IsaacAsimov writing as Creator/PaulFrench".
* SocietyMarchesOn: Women are barely featured in the series (four of the books have no women ''at all'') and certainly none in positions of power.
* SpaceColdWar: Even when the primary conflict of the novel doesn't involve people from the Sirius system, there's usually a reference to their efforts to disrupt economic activities in the Solar System. Lucky and Bigman get even more embroiled against [[BigBad Sirian plots]] during the last half of the series. The last volume, ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn'', is comparable to the Cuban Missile Crisis (Sirius is installing a military base from which it can launch attacks at Earth within Earth's sphere of influence).
* SubspaceAnsible: The subether is a communication method/device that allows for radio transmissions at near-infinite speed. While it is used extensively through the series, its FTL transmission is only explicitly defined in ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn''.
* {{Tagline}}:
** "The astronomical adventures of Space Ranger Starr, agent of the Council of Science" -- cover of the BoxSet by Creator/{{Signet}}.
** Most of the covers after 1971 include [[SameFaceDifferentName writing as]] credits to explain why the books were being republished under Dr Asimov's name.
** "Two adventures from the master of science fiction" -- 1993 Creator/BantamSpectra {{Omnibus}} volume 1.
** "Two complete adventures from the master of science fiction" -- 1993 Creator/BantamSpectra {{Omnibus}} volume 3.
* ThreeLawsCompliant: Dr Asimov's three laws are cited when robots appear in ''Big Sun of Mercury'', ''Moons of Jupiter'', and ''Rings of Saturn''. Their presence serves a typical Asmovian effect upon the mystery, creating situations where the intent of the laws are subverted through environmental damage or robotic ignorance.
* WeWouldHaveToldYouBut: Lucky rarely tells everyone on his side what he's planning on doing. He does this to facilitate [[AbominationAccusationAttack false accusations]] and discovering things that his enemies don't want him to learn, but even his {{sidekick}} Bigman is left in the dark. In ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheBigSunOfMercury'', Lucky goes into the most detail, explaining to Bigman how he is often still working his way through the problem and Bigman would otherwise run off and make a mistake or [[HairTriggerTemper lose his temper]] and blab about their real plans.
* WhatWeNowKnowToBeTrue: Dr Asimov wrote forewords to his novels in UsefulNotes/TheSeventies, which [[{{Irony}} are now themselves somewhat out of date.]] But at least he recognized that ScienceMarchesOn and wanted to avoid having the readers of his novels get confused.
----
[[caption-width-right:350:Bigman to the left and Lucky to the right]]
This is a ScienceFiction series, aimed at a [[ChildrensLiterature juvenile]] and [[YoungAdultLiterature young adult]] audience. When it was first published in UsefulNotes/TheFifties, the author was credited as Creator/PaulFrench. It was actually a [[PenName pseudonym]] for Creator/IsaacAsimov because he wrote these books with an eye towards getting a Hollywood contract for a TV series. He had seen how Hollywood tended to butcher the works of other [[ScienceFiction SF]] writers, and wanted to be able to disassociate himself from any resulting series, if he had to. After the TV idea fell through, he started adding elements to the later books that clearly labelled him as the author (such as [[ThreeLawsCompliant three-laws robots]] with positronic brains). In UsefulNotes/TheSeventies, Creator/FawcettCrest requested the publishing rights to the series, so Dr Asimov made minor edits, added forewords, and republished everything under his own name.
The [[ProtagonistTitle Starr of the series]] is David "Lucky" Starr, councilman of Earth's Council of Science. Each {{Novel}} is a new adventure against crime and corruption in different regions of the Solar System. He is accompanied by his loyal {{sidekick}}, John Bigman Jones, whose short height and shorter temper [[{{Foil}} contrast against]] the tall, cool-headed hero.
!!''The Complete Adventures of Lucky Starr'' consists of six volumes:
[[index]]
* ''Literature/DavidStarrSpaceRanger''
* ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndThePiratesOfTheAsteroids''
* ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheOceansOfVenus''
* ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheBigSunOfMercury''
* ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheMoonsOfJupiter''
* ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn''
[[/index]]
In his adventures, Lucky meets [[SpaceWestern frontier colonists]] on several worlds, faces off against unusual alien organisms and hostile space environments as well as ordinary human sabotage. Throughout the series, the [[BigBad predominate threat]] comes from Earth's rivals in the system of Sirius, {{Transhuman}} descendants of Earth who show signs of wanting to take over the Solar System. The stories usually have an element of mystery as well as adventure, with Lucky having to find a criminal hidden in plain sight, and, in true Asimov fashion, the solution can hang on the tiniest point.
The ''Lucky Starr'' series was written explicitly with the purpose of teaching young people facts about the solar system, which means that it suffers from [[ScienceMarchesOn changes in scientific knowledge]] perhaps more than the rest of Asimov's work--the title ''Lucky Starr and the [[VenusIsWet Oceans of Venus]]'' should be a clue as to how inaccurate it sometimes gets. Nevertheless, the books are still very enjoyable as science-fiction adventures, and reprints since 1978 have included a preface discussing said changes as needed.
Not to be confused with the 1929 film ''Film/LuckyStar'', the 2003 manga ''Manga/LuckyStar'', or a 1983 song by {{Music/Madonna}}.
----
!!These ''Starrs'' provide examples of:
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: This series takes place in a future with CasualInterplanetaryTravel, pervasive [[DeflectorShields force-field]] and ArtificialGravity technology, a ColonizedSolarSystem, and a self-sustaining {{Transhuman}} society living out in the Sirius system.
* AffectionateGestureToTheHead: After ''Mercury'', Lucky and Bigman [[HeterosexualLifePartners are comfortable enough together]] that Lucky will tousle his {{sidekick}}'s hair to show affection. In ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn'', the affection is mixed with frustration, and Lucky goes as far as to "[seize] Bigman's hair affectionately and [tug] his head back and forth".
* AnimatedTattoo: Members of the Council of Science, such as David Starr, are given a hidden tattoo. When they need to show it, an oval spot darkens to black. Within it, little yellow grains of light dance and flicker in the familiar patterns of the Big Dipper and of Orion.
* ArtificialGravity:
** "Pseudo-grav" is the term used in this series for anti-gravity machines. They're a pervasive technology that can be set to various levels, most commonly between Earth normal and Mars normal. The difference in gravity between the natural landscape and the artificial gravity within the pseudo-grav is emphasized in each book.
** During ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheMoonsOfJupiter'', Sol scientists are working on a new project, called Agrav. Ships with Agrav will supposedly be able to ignore the effect gravity has on space-time.
* AtomPunk: This setting presents hyperatomic motors to power spaceships, and micropiles to power small (but powerful) machines, such as their [[LaserBlade force-field knives]] and submarines.
* BigBad: The Sirian government is the biggest threat faced by Lucky, and fought only indirectly until the final {{novel}}. The second book reveals that the events of the first book may have been encouraged by the Sirians because they are still attempting to use the [[SpacePirates asteroid pirates]] to encourage war within the Sol system. Sirian robots appear in the fourth and fifth books, while ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn'' is the last book, so Lucky is finally able to confront them directly.
* BilledAboveTheTitle:
** The 1985 Creator/{{Doubleday}} {{Omnibus}}es, ''The Adventures of Lucky Starr'' and ''The Further Adventures of Lucky Starr'', has a yellow (or brown) bar at the top of the cover where Dr Asimov's name ([[SameFaceDifferentName writing as]] included) is written above the title.
** The 2001 Science Fiction Book Club [[{{Omnibus}} volume containing all six books]] includes Dr Asimov's name (including [[SameFaceDifferentName writing as]] credits) as large as the three lines of the title.
* BoxSet: Creator/{{Signet}} published a box containing all six volumes of the series in UsefulNotes/TheSeventies with their New American Library imprint.
* CasualInterplanetaryTravel: Travel from one end of the asteroid field to the other is a matter of days for most ships, and Earth has been colonizing {{UsefulNotes/Venus}} and {{UsefulNotes/Mars}}. Even [[UsefulNotes/LocalStars Sirius]] is only a matter of a few weeks away. Other star systems are implied to be colonized, but only Sol and Sirius factor in the majority of the series.
* CharacterNameAndTheNounPhrase: After the [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness first book]], the titles in this series are in the form of "Lucky Starr and [[TheXOfY the [Noun] of [Solar System locale]]]''.
* DaChief: Dr Hector Conway is head of the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Council of Science]], which David "Lucky" Starr belongs to. He's also a [[ParentalSubstitute adoptive father]] for Lucky, after his biological parents died from a SpacePirates attack.
* ChromosomeCasting: An example of an exclusively male cast. There is an [[AvertedTrope aversion]] in ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheOceansOfVenus''; a housewife with speaking lines who is on-screen for less than a chapter. Otherwise, the protagonists, antagonists, and suspects are always male characters.
* ColonizedSolarSystem: There are {{Domed Hometown}}s across the solar system, from as far sunward as {{UsefulNotes/Mercury}}, to the asteroid belt and UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfJupiter. During the final volume, ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn'', the moons of {{UsefulNotes/Saturn}} start getting colonized.
* DeathByOriginStory: Every volume reminds us that David's mother and father died in a SpacePirates attack on their way to {{UsefulNotes/Venus}}. David survived due to being ejected in an EscapePod. His father, Lawrence Starr, and both of his [[ParentalSubstitute adoptive parents]], Augustus Henree and Dr Hector Conway, are members of the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Council of Science]]. David (or "Lucky" as of the second volume) was raised to be [[TheAce the best possible member of the agency]].
* DeflectorShields: Force field technology is shaped in many different ways, creating [[MundaneUtility mundane products]] such as climbing pitons and self-cleaning tables, to {{Laser Blade}}s and spaceship shields. They are noted to be dangerous, because the fields generated are designed to be powerful, which can make even tables lethal if you use them the right/wrong way. The shields for spaceships glow when they're reflecting high-energy collisions, like asteroids or lasers.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** In the first book, Starr encounters an ancient race of Martians who give him a personal force field and dub him "[[SpaceCadet Space Ranger]]". It was obviously intended as a hero origin story, but the later books became more detective-focused with a [[SpaceColdWar Cold War-tone]]. The mask was used exactly once more, in the second book, and for radiation shielding rather than disguise.
** Based on the later volumes, you'd expect the first volume to mention {{UsefulNotes/Mars}} in the title, but it simply nicknames the protagonist "Space Ranger" (which isn't used again).
* EnergyWeapon: The series starts out with blasters, but Bigman's preferred weapon later in the series is called a needle-gun. It seems to be a matter of shape/scale. Blasters and Disintegrators can dissemble an entire person or two in one shot, while the needle-gun affects a much smaller target and is notoriously difficult to aim.
* EverybodySmokes: Lucky and Bigman, the heroes of this 1950s [[ChildrensLiterature children's series]], always decline when other people offer a cigarette. Smoking, however, is still more prevalent in this setting [[SocietyMarchesOn than it is today]].
* FloatingHeadSyndrome: The 2001 {{Omnibus}} edition has the bust of Bigman and Lucky "floating" in front of a nebula-like cloud of space.
* {{Foil}}: Bigman's [[TheNapoleon Napoleon complex]] causes him to be eager to prove himself the match of any man. This boisterousness serves as comedic contrast to the much more level-headed Lucky Starr. Also Foil in height; bigman is barely more than five feet and Lucky is over six feet tall.
* TheFullNameAdventures:
** The series title is taken from the omnibus printed in 2001 by the Science Fiction Book Club, which includes all six volumes of Lucky's adventure.
** The two 1985 Creator/{{Doubleday}} books are {{Omnibus}}ses titled ''The Adventures of Lucky Starr'' and ''The Further Adventures of Lucky Starr''.
* GovernmentAgencyOfFiction: David "Lucky" Starr, his deceased father (Lawrence Starr), and both of his [[ParentalSubstitute adoptive parents]] ([[HeterosexualLifePartners Augustus Henree and Dr Hector Conway]]), are members of Earth's Council of Science. This gives them the privilege of going into most areas of the solar system and order people around. Lucky Starr operates as a mix between a secret agent and federal official, while Dr Hector Conway is DaChief.
* HasTwoMommies: [[HeterosexualLifePartners Augustus Henree and Dr Hector Conway]] become David's [[ParentalSubstitute adoptive parents]] after his biological parents die in a SpacePirates attack. He calls each of them [[HonoraryUncle Uncle]].
-->''David Starr ''was'' [Conway's] son; his and Augustus Henree's. ... They were both mother and father to him...''
* HeterosexualLifePartners:
** Dr Hector Conway, Augustus Henree, and Lawrence Starr were a three-man team working for the [[GovernmentAgencyOfFiction Council of Science]]. All three fell in love with the same woman, but Hector and Augustus gracefully accepted it when she married Lawrence. The [[HasTwoMommies two men]] decided to [[ParentalSubstitute adopt their son]] after the couple died.
-->''Neither Henree nor [Conway] had ever married, and for neither were there any girls to compete with Barbara in memory.'' --narration, ''Literature/DavidStarrSpaceRanger''
** David "Lucky" Starr and his {{sidekick}} John Bigman Jones have been living together since the end of the first novel. As the series goes on, their friendship and dedication is constantly reaffirmed. Lucky even claims his [[FakeDefection apparent betrayal of the Council]] was made easier when Bigman's life was on the line.
* HonoraryUncle: Councilmen Conway, Henree, and Lawrence were all good friends. The three men were so close that as a child, David sometimes got confused and called his father Uncle Lawrence, too. After Lawrence Starr and his wife [[DeathByOriginStory died when David was four]], the other [[HasTwoMommies two men adopted David]] and [[ParentalSubstitute raised him]] to be as awesome as his father would have been.
* InterserviceRivalry: The Council of Science occasionally finds opposition from members of the other government branches. None of the other branches have a specific rivalry with the Council, but the military sometimes resents the fact that Councilmen can order them around.
* {{Omnibus}}:
** The series title is taken from the omnibus printed in 2001 by the Science Fiction Book Club, which includes all six volumes.
** ''An Isaac Asimov Double: Space Ranger and the Pirates of the Asteroids'' is a 1972 Creator/NewEnglishLibrary book containing ''Literature/DavidStarrSpaceRanger'' and ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndThePiratesOfTheAsteroids''. (Republished in 1993 by Creator/BantamSpectra.)
** ''A Second Isaac Asimov Double: The Big Sun of Mercury and The Oceans of Venus'' is a 1972 Creator/NewEnglishLibrary book containing ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheOceansOfVenus'' and ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheBigSunOfMercury''. (Republished in 1993 by Creator/BantamSpectra.)
** ''The Third Isaac Asimov Double: The Rings of Saturn, The Moons of Jupiter'' is a 1973 Creator/NewEnglishLibrary book containing ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheMoonsOfJupiter'' and ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn''. (Republished in 1993 by Creator/BantamSpectra.)
** ''The Adventures of Lucky Starr'' and ''The Further Adventures of Lucky Starr'' are 1985 Creator/{{Doubleday}} books that merge the first three books and second three books into the two volumes.
* OrwellianRetcon: When Creator/IsaacAsimov republished this series in UsefulNotes/TheSeventies, he added a foreword to explain the [[ScienceMarchesOn scientific advances]] that disproved the science facts he had been presenting. No other major changes were introduced.
* ParentalSubstitute: Dr Conway and Henree had been [[HeterosexualLifePartners close friends with Lawrence Starr]] up until he and his wife died from a SpacePirates attack on their way to Venus. Because David Starr survived the attack, the two councilmen adopted David and raised him to be as awesome an agent as his father would have been.
* PunnyName: Lucky named his personal spaceship the "'Shooting Starr'', a phenomenon that many people think are lucky.
* SameFaceDifferentName: Creator/IsaacAsimov wrote ''Literature/TheCompleteAdventuresOfLuckyStarr'' in UsefulNotes/TheFifties under the pseudonym Creator/PaulFrench. He wrote six volumes of targeting a [[ChildrensLiterature juvenile audience]] and hoped to turn them into a television series. Dr Asimov adopted the pen name to make it easier to dissociate himself with the work if the tv series flopped. In UsefulNotes/TheSeventies, he republished them with the {{tagline}} "Creator/IsaacAsimov writing as Creator/PaulFrench".
* SocietyMarchesOn: Women are barely featured in the series (four of the books have no women ''at all'') and certainly none in positions of power.
* SpaceColdWar: Even when the primary conflict of the novel doesn't involve people from the Sirius system, there's usually a reference to their efforts to disrupt economic activities in the Solar System. Lucky and Bigman get even more embroiled against [[BigBad Sirian plots]] during the last half of the series. The last volume, ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn'', is comparable to the Cuban Missile Crisis (Sirius is installing a military base from which it can launch attacks at Earth within Earth's sphere of influence).
* SubspaceAnsible: The subether is a communication method/device that allows for radio transmissions at near-infinite speed. While it is used extensively through the series, its FTL transmission is only explicitly defined in ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheRingsOfSaturn''.
* {{Tagline}}:
** "The astronomical adventures of Space Ranger Starr, agent of the Council of Science" -- cover of the BoxSet by Creator/{{Signet}}.
** Most of the covers after 1971 include [[SameFaceDifferentName writing as]] credits to explain why the books were being republished under Dr Asimov's name.
** "Two adventures from the master of science fiction" -- 1993 Creator/BantamSpectra {{Omnibus}} volume 1.
** "Two complete adventures from the master of science fiction" -- 1993 Creator/BantamSpectra {{Omnibus}} volume 3.
* ThreeLawsCompliant: Dr Asimov's three laws are cited when robots appear in ''Big Sun of Mercury'', ''Moons of Jupiter'', and ''Rings of Saturn''. Their presence serves a typical Asmovian effect upon the mystery, creating situations where the intent of the laws are subverted through environmental damage or robotic ignorance.
* WeWouldHaveToldYouBut: Lucky rarely tells everyone on his side what he's planning on doing. He does this to facilitate [[AbominationAccusationAttack false accusations]] and discovering things that his enemies don't want him to learn, but even his {{sidekick}} Bigman is left in the dark. In ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheBigSunOfMercury'', Lucky goes into the most detail, explaining to Bigman how he is often still working his way through the problem and Bigman would otherwise run off and make a mistake or [[HairTriggerTemper lose his temper]] and blab about their real plans.
* WhatWeNowKnowToBeTrue: Dr Asimov wrote forewords to his novels in UsefulNotes/TheSeventies, which [[{{Irony}} are now themselves somewhat out of date.]] But at least he recognized that ScienceMarchesOn and wanted to avoid having the readers of his novels get confused.
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