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{{trope}}
[[File:tom-swift-moon.jpg|frame|link=http://lileks.com/institute/archives/23/4.html|''[[Tom Swift]] Jr. in The Race to the Moon''. That is one beautifully hideous spaceship.]]
{{quote|''The future was a chrome-trimmed triangular window in the front of dad's car, and it had its own knob to open it up. The future was a hamburger under a light fixture that looked like an atom. The future was going to be awesome.''|'''James Lileks''', ''The Bleat'', [http://www.lileks.com/bleats/archive/08/1008/103108.html October 31, 2008]}}
|'''James Lileks''', ''The Bleat'', [http://www.lileks.com/bleats/archive/08/1008/103108.html October 31, 2008]}}
 
''"Welcome to '''<small>THE WORLD OF TOMORROW!</small>'''"''
 
Raygun Gothic is a ubiquitous aesthetic of early- and mid-20th century [[Science Fiction]], roughly from ''[[Metropolis]]'' to ''[[Star Trek: theThe Original Series]].'' Raygun Gothic architecture is modeled after Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, and/or Populuxe (aka [[Googie]]). Everything is slick and streamlined, with geometric shapes and clean parallel lines constructed of shiny metal and glass, lit prominently by neon. Sweeping curves, parabolas, and acute angles are used to suggest movement -- movementmovement—movement into [[The Future]].
 
And of course, [[Applied Phlebotinum|futuristic fancy-pants technology]] [[Department of Redundancy Department|of the future]] is ubiquitous. [[Ray Gun|Ray Guns]]s, [[Rocket Boots|jet packs]], [[Flying Car|flying cars]], [[Video Phone|Video Phones]]s, [[Space Clothes]], atomic-powered everything, cigar-shaped [[Retro Rocket|Retro Rockets]]s and other [[Shiny-Looking Spaceships]], and "electronic brains" capable of calculating complex equations in ''mere minutes'', all decorated with [[Cow Tools|little blinking lights that don't really serve any purpose (but they sure look futuristic!)]].
 
This is the bright, optimistic vision of [[The Future]] that, until sometime in the mid-60's, the Western world believed was just around the corner. Our [[I Want My Jetpack|failure to make these dreams a reality]] means that works featuring Raygun Gothic are highly prone to [[Zeerust]]. [[Retrofuture|Retro-Futurism]] is a [[George Lucas Throwback]] to this vision. Stick "Atomic Power" logos on everything, and you've got '''Atom Punk'''.
 
The [[Mad Scientist Laboratory]] and [[Shiny-Looking Spaceships|Spaceship]] are among the most commonly used locations in a Raygun Gothic setting. The most commonly used monsters tend to be [[Nuclear Nasty|nuclear mutants]] and [[Alien Tropes|aliens in general]].
 
The only thing that could possibly look more futuristic is [[Crystal Spires and Togas]]. See also [[Zeerust]], [[Weird Science]], and [[Retro Rocket]]. Contrast with [[Diesel PunkDieselpunk]], [[Used Future]], and [[Everything Is an iPod In The Future|Everything Is An iPod In The Future]].
 
 
Not to be confused with ''[[Warhammer 4000040,000]]'', which is just Gothic with rayguns. And Googie is not to be confused with [[Google]].
 
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==▼
 
* ''[[Project B LueBlue Earth SOS]]''▼
▲== Anime and Manga ==
▲* ''[[Project B Lue Earth SOS]]''
* ''[[Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo]]'' definitely has a Raygun Gothic feel.
* ''[[Cyborg 009]]'' has shades of this, mainly in the Cyborgs' uniforms and their rayguns.
* ''[[Astro Boy]]'': Is the one of the first animesanime to use this aesthetic.
 
 
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* [[Zot (Comic Book)|Zot]], who lives in the far-flung future year of 1965. Note that ''Zot!'' began publication in ''[[Retraux|1984]]''.
* Several [[The DCU|DC Comics]] characters who live in between the present era and the [[Crystal Spires and Togas]] era of the [[Legion of Super-Heroes (Comic Bookcomics)|Legion of Super-Heroes]], including Tommy Tomorrow and the Planeteers, the Knights of the Galaxy, Ultra the Multi-Alien, Space Ranger, and Space Cabbie. [[Adam Strange]] does this in present time.
** Adam Strange appeared in some [[Starman (Comic Bookcomics)|Starman]] comics and fit in very well because the title already had a certain Raygun Gothic aesthetic.
* [[Warren Ellis]]'s ''[[Ignition City]]''.
* ''Dan Dare''.
* Weird Science by [[EC Comics]] had a lot of streamlined rocketships and cool futuristic tech, espacially Wally Wood's work.
* Flashbacks to Krypton in the ''[[Superman]]'' comics from the [[Golden Age]] through most of the [[Bronze Age]] maintained this look.
* The ''[[SilverFantastic AgeFour]]'' stories of [[FantasticSilver FourAge]] stories often have several [[Raygun Gothic]] elements.
* Let's not forget '[[http://www.airshipentertainment.com/buck.html Buck Godot -: Zap Gun Forfor Hire]]'', which has a lovely ''[[Zeerust]]'' feel to it, and was published "late in the 20th century". ▼
 
== [[Film]] ==▼
 
* [[Fritz Lang]]'s ''[[Metropolis (1927 film)|Metropolis]]'' may be the [[Ur Example]].▼
▲== Film ==
▲* [[Fritz Lang]]'s ''[[Metropolis]]'' may be the [[Ur Example]].
* Too many '50s sci-fi movies to list.
* ''[[Buck Rogers]]''
* ''[[The Fifth Element]]'' is a weird fusion of this trope and [[Cyberpunk]].
* Used in the ''[[Star Wars]]'' prequel trilogy: The Naboo space fleet and the architecture of Coruscant are modeled after this, while the Republic space fleet morphs over time into the blocky, [[Used Future]] Imperial fleet.
* The Necromonger fleet from ''The Chronicles of [[Riddick]]'' is a much darker interpretation of this aesthetic.
* ''[[Star Trek]]'' was always very much this way, although [[Star Trek (Filmfilm)|the new movie]] combines it with the aesthetics of an iPod. (That's not an insult; it still looks cool.)
* ''[[Robot Monster]]''.
* Anton Furst's designs for Gotham City for the 1989 ''[[Batman (Filmfilm)|Batman]]'' film have some elements of this.
* Like the source material, the ''[[Flash Gordon (Filmfilm)|Flash Gordon]]'' movie is full of this. Of note is that the [[Cool Airship]] ''Ajax'' is referred to by the delightfully old-timey title of "war rocket".
* ''[[Zathura]]'' takes place in more or less present day, but the magical board game of the same name is most definitely Raygun Gothic.
* ''[[Forbidden Planet]]''.
* ''[[Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow]]'' is a funny corner case. It's set in an alternate-universe version of the 1930's, so it's often cited as an example of [[Diesel PunkDieselpunk]], but the aesthetics and optimistic worldview are much closer to Raygun Gothic.
* The villains in ''[[J-Men Forever!]]'' are all about this, especially the Lightning Bug baby!
 
== [[Literature]] ==▼
 
▲== Literature ==
* The [[Trope Namer]], William Gibson's "The Gernsback Continuum", is about a freelance photographer hired to take pictures of buildings inspired by this aesthetic, who either slowly finds himself being sucked into an alternate timeline where it was all [[Canon]] or is [[Unreliable Narrator|hallucinating the whole thing.]]
* Gibson's story refers to [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Gernsback:Hugo Gernsback|Hugo Gernsback]], the "Father of Science Fiction," who founded the first science fiction magazine, created science fiction fandom (by encouraging readers who wrote to him to interact with each other directly), wrote very early examples of the genre, such as ''Ralph 124C 41+'', and ''coined the term "[[Trope Namer|science]] [[Science Fiction|fiction]]."''
* Gernsback's ''[[Amazing Stories (Magazinemagazine)|Amazing Stories]]'', [[John W. Campbell]]'s ''[[Astounding Science Fiction]]'', and other classic pulp [[Speculative Fiction]] magazines.
* The cover art of many of the ''[[Tom Swift]]'' novels.
* [[Lensman]].
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* E3 in Ian McDonald's ''Planesrunner'' is an Alternate History that combines aspects of this trope and [[Steampunk]]. Zeppelins are the main form of air transport but thri bags are woven of carbon nanifibers. The main motive power are coal powered (because there's no oil in this world) electric motors, which were invented before the steam engine. Their computers are pf the vacuum tube and punch card vareity. There's radio but not TV but they use monofilament wire.
 
== [[Live -Action TV]] ==▼
 
* Any [[Eager Young Space Cadet]] show aired in the 50's, from Tom Corbett to Captain Video.▼
▲== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* ''Star Trek'' [[Star Trek: theThe Original Series|The Original Series]], the last unselfconscious example. Subsequent visual media followed the leads of ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' and the [[Real Life]] [[NASA|space program]].▼
 
* ''[[Star Trek Voyager|Star Trek: Voyager's]]''{{'}}s [[Show Within a Show]] ''Captain Proton'' is a parody, modeled after ''[[Flash Gordon Serial (Film)|Flash Gordon]]''.▼
▲* Any [[Space Cadet]] show aired in the 50's, from Tom Corbett to Captain Video.
▲* ''Star Trek'' [[Star Trek the Original Series|The Original Series]], the last unselfconscious example. Subsequent visual media followed the leads of ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' and the [[Real Life]] [[NASA|space program]].
▲* ''[[Star Trek Voyager|Star Trek: Voyager's]]'' [[Show Within a Show]] ''Captain Proton'' is a parody, modeled after ''[[Flash Gordon Serial (Film)|Flash Gordon]]''.
* The alien message decoded in the final episode of ''[[Dark Skies]]'' had elements of this, presumably as a nostalgic in-joke, since the rest of the series's aesthetics and mythology were much more modern ''X-Files''-inspired sci-fi.
* On ''[[The Flash]]'', 1950s villain the Ghost adheres to this motif, and is rather dismayed to find that 1990 isn't like this when he awakens from [[Human Popsicle|cryogenic sleep]].
 
== [[Music]] ==▼
 
▲== Music ==
* [[Doctor Steel]] plays with this aesthetic in his music and interactive Fandom community.
* [[Stereolab (Music)|Stereolab]] played "Space Age Bachelor Pad Music".
* "IGY," the first track on [[Steely Dan|Donald Fagen's]] 1982 album ''The Nightfly'', is pretty much this trope in a nutshell. He describes a world where there's a [[Cool Train|train running undersea]] from New York to Paris every 90 minutes, everyone gets their own [[Space Clothes|Spandex jacket]], [[Weather Control Machine|weather is controlled]] and solar power is plentiful - and it's all run by computers [[The Computer Is Your Friend|programmed "with compassion and vision."]] The liner notes describe the album as "certain fantasies that might have been entertained by a young man growing up [...] during the late fifties and early sixties, i.e., one of my general height, weight and build."
** The title is a reference to the [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Geophysical_Year:International Geophysical Year|International Geophysical Year]], a scientific event in 1957-8 that was the USSR's excuse to launch Sputnik into space, thus kicking off the "rocket age" for real.
* [http://infocalypse.nfshost.com/ Infocalypse] has album named "Raygun Gothic" which uses [[Retraux]]-sampling and has thematically appropriate image on the cover.
 
 
== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==
* ''[[Flash Gordon (Comiccomic Stripstrip)|Flash Gordon]]'', of course.
** Which, in turn, was inspired by ''[[Buck Rogers]]''.
 
 
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* [[GURPS]]:
** ''[[GURPS]] Alternate Earths'' explored the alternate history of the timeline called "Gernsback", which was 1930's1930s science fiction stories come to life.
* ''[[GURPS]] Tales of the Solar Patrol'' is a more fleshed out version of the concept, set in a universe consciously modeled after Flash Gordon and 50's era Young Adult science fiction stories.
* One of the styles used by [[Mad Scientist|Mad Scientists]] in ''[[Genius: The Transgression (Tabletop Game)|Genius: The Transgression]]''.▼
* [[World of Darkness]]:
** Many, ''many'' [[Mage: The Ascension (Tabletop Game)|Sons of Ether]] made use of this aesthetic, their greatest triumph being their alternate dimensional laboratory city - and perfect example of this trope - the Gernsback Continuum. Occasionally an eccentric Technocrat, usually a Void Engineer, would do something similar, particularly if they'd been around for a while.
▲** One of the styles used by [[Mad Scientist|Mad Scientists]]s in ''[[Genius: The Transgression (Tabletop Game)|Genius: The Transgression]]''.
* ''Spaceship Zero'' featured a retro-Space Opera setting where, for instance, there was no miniaturization, and bigger computers were always better. Partially deconstructed as well, as there were definite indications that underneath all that chrome was a decent amount of grit, causing one reviewer to refer to it as "pulp--with bathrooms."
* ''Realms of Mars'' from Exile Game Studio promises to be this for sword and planet, much as [[Hollow Earth Expedition]] harkened back to adventure pulps.
* ''[[Star Frontiers]]''. Just look at those covers. And yes, the favored weapons are lasers, which usually are wired to belt or backpack accumulators, there are jetpacks, [[Gadget Watches|wristwatch/communicators]], and so on. Oh, and gyrojets.
* ''Astounding Interplanetary Adventures'' - "It's rayguns, aliens and swashbuckling amongst the stars!"
 
== [[Video Games]] ==
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* ''[[X-COM]]: Apocalypse.''
* The Covenant in ''[[Halo]]'' are modeled after a version of this, as everything they design has a very sleek design. As do most things on the titular halo rings, which are designed by the [[Precursors|Forerunner]]. Understandable, as the Covenant just copied everything they have from the Forerunner.
* Rapture in ''[[BioBioShock Shock(series)]]'' has strong elements of this in its design.
* The character designs for [[Disgaea]]'s EDF soldiers, particularly <s>[[Captain Ersatz|Flash]]</s> '''[[Captain Ersatz|Captain Gordon, Defender of Earth!]]'''.
* The Zombie missions in ''[[Call Of Duty 5]]'' qualify.
* In ''[[Star Control]] II'', the Syreen had this aesthetic -- theiraesthetic—their ships were old-fashioned rockets, and what you saw of the Syreen themselves and their ship controls would look right at home illustrating some 1920s sci-fi pulp about Amazon princesses in space or what-have-you. Appropriate, as the Syreen were a species of good old-fashioned [[Green-Skinned Space Babe|Blue Skinned Space Babes]] in a game otherwise populated by [[Starfish Aliens]] and [[Eldritch Abomination|Eldritch Abominations]]s; their pulpy style helped [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshade]] this fact.
* The Soldier of ''[[Team Fortress 2 (Video Game)|Team Fortress 2]]'' has several retro rayguns modeled after Weta's "Dr. Grordbort's" line.
** As have the Engineer and Pyro now, and the medic and scout are next in line.
* [[Space Channel 5]] uses more of a 60's and 70's take on this design.
 
== [[Web Comics]] ==
 
* In ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court (Webcomic)|Gunnerkrigg Court]]'', the plot inside the [[Hard Light|simulator]] features a spaceship, a [[Death Ray]], and [[Latex Space Suit|Latex Spacesuits]] straight out of 1950's pulp sci-fi.▼
== Webcomics ==
▲* In ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court (Webcomic)|Gunnerkrigg Court]]'', the plot inside the [[Hard Light|simulator]] features a spaceship, a [[Death Ray]], and [[Latex Space Suit|Latex Spacesuits]] straight out of 1950's pulp sci-fi.
** [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=167 See the poster] and following pages.
* One of the characters in Andrew Kepple's ''Goodbye Cruel World!'' accidentally turns the entire world into this by activating a non-[http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2000_problem:Year 2000 problem|Y2K]]-compliant VCR and triggering the bug.
* ''[[Zap (Webcomic)|Zap]]'' has a lot of aspects of this, especially in the spaceship design.
▲* Let's not forget [http://www.airshipentertainment.com/buck.html Buck Godot - Zap Gun For Hire], which has a lovely ''Zeerust'' feel to it, and was published "late in the 20th century".
* ''[[Dresden Codak]]'' is in love with this trope, married it, and now has a house in the suburbs with two kids and a dog with it.
 
== [[Web Original]] ==
 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120207212733/http://thrilling-tales.webomator.com/ Thrilling Tales of the Downright Unusual], a Raygun Gothic interactive web project.▼
== New Media and Web ==
* The hero of [[Sy FySyfy]]'s online [[Diesel PunkDieselpunk]] series ''[[The Mercury Men]]'', Jack [[Danger Deadpan|Yaeger]], is dressed as a typical Raygun Gothic pilot: Bomber jacket, flight cap and goggles, jodpurs and jackboots and carrying a raygun.▼
▲* [http://thrilling-tales.webomator.com/ Thrilling Tales of the Downright Unusual], a Raygun Gothic interactive web project.
▲* The hero of [[Sy Fy]]'s online [[Diesel Punk]] series ''[[The Mercury Men]]'', Jack [[Danger Deadpan|Yaeger]], is dressed as a typical Raygun Gothic pilot: Bomber jacket, flight cap and goggles, jodpurs and jackboots and carrying a raygun.
 
 
== [[Western Animation]] ==
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* Parodied in ''[[Futurama]]'', where a novelty bar is decorated in this style, and the patrons enjoy it in an ironic sort of way. "Everything's so retro!"
** Of course, a lot of the look of ''Futurama'' as a whole is partly inspired by Raygun Gothic itself, particulary some of the buildings, the technology and the lot of the Planet Express Ship.
** ''[[Futurama]]'' itself is an inversion of this trope, using the [[Raygun Gothic]] style as a backdrop for a [[Crap Saccharine World]] where what would normally be helpful technology is instead [[Everything Trying to Kill You|trying to kill you]].
* ''[[Dexters Laboratory|Dexter's Laboratory]]''.
* The art style of ''[[Kim Possible]]'' was [https://web.archive.org/web/20120406185126/http://www.animationartconservation.com/index.php?c=art&p=kim_possible designed] to be like this, and of course, they have all the [[Death Ray|Ray guns]], [[I Want My Jetpack|jet packs]], flying cars and the rest of the [[Applied Phlebotinum|fancy-pants technology]].
* The classic ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' short "[[Duck Dodgers in Thethe Twenty Fourth And A Half24½th Century]]"
* The TV show ''[[Jonny Quest]]'' features hints of this design style in the design of the vehicles and guns.
* And its sardonic successor ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'' continues the tradition of "super-science" and [[Zeerust|retro-looking technology.]]
* ''[[The Incredibles]]'' takes place in an alternate-universe version of [[The Seventies]], and features a strong mid-sixties take on how wonderful the future nearly was.
* ''[[Atomic Betty]]'''s art style is largely an homage to sci-fi Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the sixties. See [https://web.archive.org/web/20100513030743/http://kittycatdiamond.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/atomic_betty_1_800x600.jpg here] for an example.
* ''[[Pinocchio In Outer Space|Pinocchio in Outer Space]]''.
 
 
== [[Real Life]] ==
* The website [httphttps://wwwweb.archive.org/web/20060205154114/http://davidszondy.com/future/futurepast.htm Days of Future Past] collects a great deal of art predicting this kind of future -- goodfuture—good, bad, and ugly.
* Also the [http://www.paleofuture.com/ Paleo-Future] website.
* The Tomorrowland sections of Disney parks were redesigned in 1998 to look like this, Disney having (perhaps wisely) given up on trying to [[Zeerust|keep up with present-day visions of the future]].
* These space travel posters by [http://www.zazzle.com/stevethomas Steven Thomas].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120513122140/http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/ Atomic Rockets] is a website that starts with this trope, but uses it as a launchpad to explore very hard science-fiction ideas about space flight. It refers to "raygun gothic" as "rocketpunk", to follow "steampunk" and "dieselpunk".
* Much artwork associated with the various World's Fairs. For example, [http://lileks.com/30s/worldsfair/1933/33chicagobus/index.html this map cover] which manages to make [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?|a bus]] look absolutely glorious.
* [http://www.raygungothicrocket.com/blog/ Guess what's staying] at Pier 14 in [[San Francisco]] for 14 months starting in August 2010?
* [[Deader Than Disco|Revived from a Disco-like death]] in the modern age of industrial design: [https://web.archive.org/web/20140205065927/http://www.ohgizmo.com/2008/04/15/urwerk-ur-202-turbine-regulated-watch/ Urwerk Watches]. [[Rule of Cool|They were specifically made to look like they were going to be worn]] by Darth Vader over the sleeve of his suit. With one small twist, they were designed in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
 
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Speculative Fiction Tropes]]
[[Category:Spectacle]]
[[Category:RaygunRetro GothicTropes]]
[[Category:Punk Punk]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
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