History Series / SpaceForce2020

* KarmaHoudini: Kick being stripped of his command but recieving full pension and benefits despite nearly causing an international incident seems lsike this at first, but Kick's anger at being stripped of his command in disgrace subverts this trope. See LaserGuidedKarma below.

** On Mallory's recommendation, Naird does see one ''very'' breifly in season 2 after recieving his divorce paperwork. He walks out almost immediately.

* LaserGuidedKarma: Kick Grabaston's potentially war-causing orders in the final episode of season one results him being summarily... honorably discharged with full benefits... by the Secretery of Defense.

* LongingLook: [[spoiler: Chan]] gives a few to Ali during the launch and landing.

Space Force is a workplace comedy series from Greg Daniels (''Series/TheOfficeUS'') that centers on a group of people tasked with establishing the sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces, the United States Space Force. Mark Naird (Creator/SteveCarell) is the [[BunnyEarsLawyer eccentric general]] in charge of the effort and the series follows his collaboration to get "boots on the moon" per the orders of the [[Creator/DonaldTrump President]], frequently [[ScientistVsSoldier clashing]] with the scientific curiosity and pacifism of [[TheProfessor his head scientist]] Adrian Mallory (Creator/JohnMalkovich). Along for the ride are [[DeadpanSnarker snarky scientist]] Chan Kaifang (Creator/JimmyOYang), [[TheFriendNobodyLikes social media director]] Tony "Fuck Tony" Scarapiducci (Creator/BenSchwartz), [[ActionGirl pilot]] Angela Ali (Creator/TawnyNewsome) and [[BrattyTeenageDaughter Mark's daughter]], Erin (Creator/DianaSilvers).

* IndecisiveParody: The initial portrayal of Space Force, both in advertising and the first episode is as a joke and giant, useless taxpayer boondoggle, with its members save [[OnlySaneMan Dr. Mallory]] all in over their heads. However, the branch is frequently shown to succeed in its missions, despite receiving little respect, support, or recognition, and the overall goal of space exploration and scientific advancement is never mocked.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Mallory expresses sympathy for Naird's cancelled dentist appointment, and Naird replies "I'll floss later". The dentist appointment was code for the conjugal visit Naird was supposed to have with his wife.

** A dentist appointment for a conjugal visit, and "flossing" for ADateWithRosiePalms in one episode.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: One might assume by how absurd the concept of a Space Force is treated that it is an entirely fictitious concept made up for the show, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkTS0jvtPig President Trump really did establish an official United States Space Force in 2019.]]

* EndearinglyDorky: Chan and Ali, even moreso when they're put in a scene together. They dance to kpop, argue about holding hands and discuss [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist Fullmetal Alchemist]].

* {{Retool}}: The second season revamps the structure of the show, much of it justified by the fallout of the events of the first season finale and getting their budget slashed. In general, excess characters were quietly dropped and a bit more focus was placed on the interactions and friendships with the cast, such as Dr. Mallory being established as a mentor figure for Chan. Some ongoing story arcs set up in the first season were abruptly dropped, such as Mark and Maggie's attempts at an open relationship given their circumstances and Mark striking up a new romance, but he is suddenly given divorce papers at the beginning of season two.

* BloodKnight: [[AwesomeMcCoolname Kick Grabaston]] gives off these vibes.

* BaitAndSwitch: During Naird's trial, we see his defenders giving disastrous testimonies; Dr. Mallory calls the jury Neanderthals and then immediately tries to justify it, Brad starts telling the story of how he lost one of his testicles due to mishearing the Secretery of Defense and then lies about having locked Grabaston in the bathroom before being shown evidence to the contrary, Tony, in lieu of an actual testimony, pushes what is essentially Naird propaganda on the jury complete with picture of Naird's head photoshopped onto the bodies of shirtless muscular models, and Erin confesses to having dated a Russian spy and says her dad may have dreamed of killing Kick. Once Naird is cleared of all charges and gets to keep his job, he asks Mallory how he went unpunished despite the damning testimonies. Cue a montage of the previously un-shown glowing, sincere praise they gave of his actions and character in addition to the above shenanigans.

* ArtisticLicenseLaw: When Naird asks his Chinese counterpart about his children, he reminds him he only has one child with "you know our policy". In real life the One Child Policy was reverted to a two child policy in 2015.
** Given the Chinese general's age and more importantly his rank and Party membership, it is not particularly likely that he would have another kid. High level CCP cadres are expected to still adhere to single births even if the rest of the populace is allowed to have additional children, as they are expected to be the vanguard of the nation's family planning policies. Granted, it's unlikely that the showrunners understand Chinese politics to this level of detail.

** No Space Force aircraft would carry the callsign "Space Force One", as such a designation is reserved exclusively for any Space Force aircraft carrying the President, as is the case with aircraft of other service branches, such as "Air Force One" and "Marine One".
* ArtisticLicenseEngineering: Given the risk to the population should a rocket break up or go off course during launch, it is ''extremely'' unlikely that the middle of Colorado would be selected as the location for launching experimental spacecraft; there's a reason all US launchpads are near the ocean. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in episode one by Dr. Mallory mentioning the possibility of Epsilon 6 breaking up over Denver.

* BaitAndSwitch: During Naird's trial, we see his defenders giving disastrous testimonies; Dr. Mallory calls the jury Neanderthals and then immediately tries to justify it, Brad starts telling the story of how he lost one of his testicles due to mishearing the Secretery of Defense and then lies about having locked Grabaston in the bathroom before being shown evidence to the contrary, Tony, in lieu of an actual testimony, pushes what is essentially Naird propaganda on the jury complete with picture of Naird's head photoshopped onto the bodies of shirtless muscular models, and Erin confesses to having dated a Russian spy and says her dad may have dreamed of killing Kick. Once Naird is cleared of all charges and gets to keep his job, he asks Mallory how he went unpunished despite the damning testimonies. Cue a montage of said defenders giving him glowing praise to the jury.

* {{Blackface}}: When Fuck Tony asks the astronauts if they have any skeletons in their closet, one woman says that she dressed as "a photo negative" one year for Halloween. Fuck Tony replies, "So... blackface."

* BluffTheEavesdropper: In "The Hack", Space Force is hacked and their satellites are sent into a collision course over Russia. Naird suggests that the hackers might be Russian terrorists who are listening in on them via the computers, and stages a fake conversation about how they suspect the Chinese are the hackers and that the satellite has a secret nuclear cargo that could end all life on Russia if it were to crash, which successfully gets the hackers to stop.

* CallBack: Season 2 ends with all Space Force personell singing Kokomo by The Beach Boys, the song that played over the end credits on the pilot episode.

** Mark’s parents disappear from the show after about Episode 4. RealLifeWritesThePlot in this case however, due to Creator/FredWillard's passing.
*** Averted; Naird refers to his parents once over the course of season 2.

* {{Claustrophobia}}: Angela developed this as a result of being stuck inside a small capsule with all of the Chinese astronauts. When she and Dr. Chan take an elevator ride together, the hackers deactivate it, leaving the two of them trapped. Angela immeiately starts freaking out due to her claustrophobia.

** Naird's genuine dedication to the United States versus his reservations with the Space Force and the current administration as a whole.

* CourtMartialed: [[spoiler: What awaits Naird if he returns to Space Force after the first season finale.]]

* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnFemale: Overlaps with the double standard for statutory rape in which the victim is willing but on the wrong side of a power dynamic depriving them of their capacity to truly consent; in this case, see the PrisonRape example below. The show does treat this mostly seriously rather than PlayedForLaughs, but still without acknowledging the full legal or moral implications.

* EnhanceButton: Double subverted. General Naird shouts "Enhance!" when looking at a low-quality zoomed-in image of the Indian rocket. He's met with laughter from the science team and Dr. Mallory explains that it doesn't work that way and it's impossible to create information from nothing. Chan then offers to "increase the contrast" instead, which inexplicably bumps the image to perfect clarity.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: The first scene we see Naird in has him 1) accept a promotion to four-star general, during which he mentions having worked long and hard to get there and gotten shot down "both figuratively and literally" along the way; 2) gloat to his previous superior about taking his place, while berating him for being, among other things, a womaniser; 3) find out that he's ''not'' in fact taking the superior's place but will be [[ReassignedToAntarctica heading a new military branch that everyone treats as a joke.]] He's [[FourStarBadass tough]], [[DeTerminator stubborn]] and [[OfficerAndAGentleman old-fashionedly principled,]] but also unlucky and prone to jumping the gun. The episode ends with him successfully launching a satellite despite every scientist warning it could fail. When Mallory asks how he could have possibly be sure it was going to turn out okay, Naird shows great observational and personality assessment skills by pointing out one of the scientists brought an umbrella on a clear day; odds were good they were ''never'' going to find it safe enough to launch due to being overly cautious.
* EveryoneHasStandards: While the senior commanders of the armed forces all have GeneralRipper tendencies [[spoiler:they are all horrified at Grabaston's suggestion to launch a direct attack against the Chinese lunar base, fearing it could lead to a full-scale war, suggesting less dramatic pranks instead. Unfortunately, POTUS supports the direct attack]].

* AFatherToHisMen: Naird shows glimmers of this, particularly when he sends Ali a gift to apologise for snapping at her during work hours, and truly grows into his role over season one.

* {{Foil}}: Naird and Mallory. They are both men of principle who have a tendency to be stubborn and childish at times, but Naird is a stiff-necked soldier boy and Mallory a sensitive pacifist.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Everyone hates [[PrecisionFStrike Fuck Tony]] but they tolerate him for the most part - when Naird isn't throwing him into a cell to ensure he can't Tweet unfavourable things about the Space Force Launch.
** He's mellowed considerably in the 2nd season while retaining all of PR and social media savvy. Even the nickname Fuck Tony is completely gone.

** The President, usually referred to solely as POTUS (but implied to be UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump) is frequently implied to approve projects that make little sense.
*** Season 2's first episode mentions that there is a new administration, implying that UsefulNotes/JoeBiden is now president.

* GrandTheftPrototype: Performed by India against Space Force. [[spoiler:Or was it?]]

* HeWhoMustNotBeNamed: The President is never referred to by name, but is implied to be UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump.

* IndecisiveParody: The initial portrayal of Space Force, both in advertising and the first episode is as a giant, useless taxpayer boondoggle, with its members save [[OnlySaneMan Dr. Mallory]] all in over their heads. However, the group is frequently shown to succeed in its missions, and the actual mission of space exploration and scientific advancement is never mocked.

* InvisiblePresident: The United States President is never seen or named, but given that his top staff await his instructions via Twitter, the show is pretty clearly lampooning Trump.

* JustFollowingOrders: Naird considers it, but ultimately [[DefiedTrope defies]] carrying out an unprovoked attack on this logic. He points out it is not treason to disobey an unlawful order.

* LaserGuidedKarma: Kick Grabaston's potentially war-causing orders in the final episode of season one results him being essentially fired from the military by the Secretery of Defense.

* MildlyMilitary: Most of the senior staff of the base acts way too immature for experienced military officers. The science team is not much better.
* ModernMajorGeneral: Naird with Space Force in particular. He's an excellent pilot, but clearly out of his depth with the science required for the work at hand.

** Edison Jaymes, the blond wunderkind inventor whose products turn out to be bunk, has a private space exploration corporation, and created a fleet of futuristic-styled cars sporting the name "Edison," is a combination of Elizabeth Holmes and Elon Musk. Incidentally, "Edison" was the name of the blood testing devices Holmes' company, Theranos, tried to create.
** The characterization of the unnamed and InvisiblePresident takes a few shots at Trump, from his rather dubious decision-making process to sending official policy updates through Twitter.

** We never find out exactly how Mark's wife ended up in prison, just that it happened sometime after the move to Space Force. Parodied in an episode where Erin explains what happened, [[TheUnreveal but entirely off-screen.]]

** What exactly happened on the Moon between the Season 1 cliffhanger and the three month timeskip of Season 2. Ali is notably traumatized by the whole experience and thus does not want to talk about it at all.
* NotMeThisTime: When Space Force suspects a spy within its ranks after India allegedly steals the ''Pegasus'' design, Russian observer Yuri is quick to point out that if he were the spy, it wouldn’t be to benefit India.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: The normally genteel Dr. Mallory is so upset by the rude and professionally disastrous phone call he had with the head Chinese scientist that he sits alone in his office, drinking whiskey and ranting, "I will fuck you up!"

** In the pilot, Dr. Chan reveals his overly conservative attitude when he explains he's carrying an umbrella, despite it being a sunny day, leading Naird to deduce the rocket launch would likely be just fine despite the not-quite-perfect conditions.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Kick Grabaston's orders to attack the Chinese base ends up biting him HARD in the ass; the judge presiding over Naird's case declares his actions and orders having been made with complete disregard for human life and could have caused an international incident. His punishment has him completely stripped of his command.

** Justified for Naird, who doesn't dare seek professional help for his numerous issues, because if he seems the least bit psychologically unstable he can lose his security clearance.
** He does see one in season 2, only to bail out not even ten minutes in.

* TheTeetotaler: Downplayed due to the drink being incredibly strong Chinese liqour; after the dinner with the Chinese delegates goes south, Naird and his Chinese counterpart discuss how much of the Sea of Tranquility each country will get. Both eventually agree to split it 50/50 but by that point, Naird is so wasted he begins hitting on General Gao and his daughter has to get him out. Gao appears to be holding his booze well... before faceplanting into a chair.

* TookALevelInKindness: F. Tony in the second season. While in the first season he had to be locked up just to prevent him from tweeting unfavorable things about Space Force's upcoming rocket launch, in the second season he's a much better person: he acts as a genuine friend to Chan, insists Ali is a full-blown hero to anyone that'll listen (and a WhatYouAreInTheDark moment shows that he truly believes this about her rather than merely saying it for PR purposes) and turns down a corporate sponsorship because their ad video mocked Naird and the Space Force team (in contrast, Tony's own video was sincerely touching and respectful.)

It premiered on Netflix on May 29, 2020. In November 2020, it was renewed for a second season which premiered on February 18, 2022.

It premiered on Netflix on May 29, 2020. In November 2020, it was renewed for a second season.

* TookALevelInKindness: F. Tony in the second season. While in the first season he had to be locked up just to prevent him from tweeting unfavorable things about Space Force's upcoming rocket launch, in the second season he's a much better person: he acts as a genuine friend to Chan, insists Ali is a full-blown hero to anyone that'll listen (and a WhatYourAreInTheDark moment shows that he truly believes this about her rather than merely saying it for PR purposes) and turns down a corporate sponsorship because their ad video mocked Naird and the Space Force team (in contrast, Tony's own video was sincerely touching and respectful.)