I just became aware of a new fiction genre: hopepunk.

Hopepunk in speculative fiction explores resistance, rebellion, and resilience as counters to apathy and cynicism.

…[stories] reveal hope in the face of challenges and act as a counter to pessimism

Although they may include horrible events, injustice, and inequality, hopepunk stories have characters who choose to act, rejecting pessimism and passivity. Positive human traits and community contribute to solutions.

Hopepunk characters persevere, believing in the possibility of something better in the face of difficult realities.

I’ve previously noted my interest in stories of hope, but this is the first I’ve heard of an entire genre. The phrase “weaponized optimism” seems to describe it well. I’m going to list some examples I’ve enjoyed.

I’ve recently loved the Wayfairers series, The Lady Astronaut series, and the Murderbot series, all of which have been called examples of hopepunk. The Expanse (both TV and book) is often listed as an example, and James Holden certainly is a man who lives in absurd irrational hope that people can be better than they are. And every so often, he’s right.

Looking through the rest of my bookshelf, I don’t see much, so clearly I need more! Asimov comes close, in that it’s all about building a better future, but it’s not really about human action. Individual agency basically doesn’t exist in his work. Iain M. Banks and the Culture series is utopian, but there are also no serious problems for most people in that setting.

The television ur-example is almost certainly Star Trek. Someone (I can’t find who) said that while Star Wars is about good vs. evil, Star Trek is about base vs. better. It’s about people becoming better than we are. Kirk back in the late 60s said:

We’re human beings with the blood of a million savage years on our hands, but we can stop it! We can admit that we’re killers, but we’re not going to kill today. That’s all it takes… knowing that we’re not going to kill today. Captain Picard is probably the ultimate example of a hopeful orientation within the franchise.

Despite the above about Star Wars, Return of the Jedi succeeds when it stops being about good vs. evil. Luke is a hero not because he destroys the forces of evil, but because he refuses to give up hope for his father’s redemption.

Other shows from the last few decades include The West Wing, Parks and Recreation, Ted Lasso, and The Good Place. All are about people refusing to give up hope that things can be better, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.

I suspect Iroh from Avatar: The Last Airbender is a good example. He knows the Fire Nation’s rampage has to be stopped, but he achieves it by helping Zuko find himself and become a better person.

Here’s one you might not expect: Terminator 2. Sarah Connor has the opportunity to save all humanity by killing one innocent man, and refuses to do it. She chooses to not become a killing machine, and radically hopes that there must be a better way.

Because if a machine, a Terminator, can learn the value of human life, maybe we can too. The Sarah Connor Chronicles expanded on this brilliantly, and I still mourn its abrupt cancellation.

One obscure show I’ve loved is Due South, a Canadian police drama from the 90s. The main character is a walking stereotype, a Mountie from the Yukon. One day he does too good a job, embarrasses the Canadian government, and as punishment he’s assigned to stand outside the consulate in Chicago eight hours a day. He spends his off-hours helping a local detective, but also helping basically anyone he comes across. He moved into the worst imaginable Chicago apartment, immediately started addressing all his neighbors by name (having memorized them from their mailboxes), and was just unrelentingly optimistic and positive.

Of course, at the core of all this for me is the Resurrection. Christian theology is centered on our hope that death has been defeated, and that we can be made better than we are. In the end, all things will not be destroyed. All things will be made new.

So what else is out there? Give me more stories of hope.