Space Noise: How Solar Opposites Uses Sound

Solar Opposites is a chaotic show. Using science fiction sounds in tandem with chaotic noise and dialogue, the show utilizes sound to help build its world. By weaving science fiction with sitcom structure, the show creates a unique sonic footprint.

Solar Opposites uses futuristic science fiction noises to emphasize the fact that it’s a science fiction show. While Solar Opposites is a science fiction show, it’s not realistic science fiction. The show is a science fiction sitcom, not a realistic or serious take on science fiction, so just as the shlorpian’s inventions are extreme and over the top, so are the noises that populate the soundscape of the show. The show is a sitcom with outlandish science fiction adventures, so the show uses many high-pitched futuristic noises, such as the beeping of buttons on machines, the burst of a ray gun being fired, or the occasional robotic voice. For instance, in season one episode two “The Unstable Grey Hole,” Terry and Korvo’s nanobots form a sentient colony being, where the nanobots act as one person. When this nanobot man forms, it initially produces a grainy robotic voice, before forming a professional human voice. While there is an abundance of science fiction noise in the show, the noise always has a cliche feel to it, so as to express to the audience that the show isn’t trying to be a more serious science fiction program in the realm of Westworld or Cowboy Bebop, but rather a fun, light-hearted science fiction sitcom with fun, light-hearted noises to match.

Another important aspect of the show to consider is its chaotic nature. In a typical episode, a problem is introduced, the shlorpians use alien technology to solve the problem, and that technology leads to chaos, whether they end up sending the town into chaos or destroying the town altogether. The noises of the show escalate throughout the typical episode to match the plot. At the beginning of a typical episode, the science fiction noises start slow, usually appearing whenever they introduce alien technology. By the time the episode is thrown into chaos, there are usually explosions going off, lasers being fired, townspeople screaming, or occasionally all of the above. In this way, the soundscape grows with the plot of an episode in noise and chaos. Solar Opposites’ sonic footprint is very much a combination of these aspects - it’s chaotic, cliche science fiction noise.

The most iconic music in Solar Opposites is the instrumental in the intro of every episode. Every episode begins with the head figure of the family, Korvo, quickly recounting how the family of shlorpians ended up crash landing on Earth. As Korvo performs his opening narration every episode, he talks over an instrumental composed of sci-fi-esque keyboard that eventually turns into a bouncy theme composed of strings and horns once Korvo begins talking about the family’s life on Earth, capturing both of the show’s aesthetics in a thirty-second introduction. 

Solar Opposites makes use of dialogue to show differences in characters as well as settings. The two adults in the family of shlorpians, Korvo and Terry, have dialogue that emphasizes the differences between their two characters as well as the plot overall. Korvo and Terry feel very differently about their situation on Earth. Korvo, the intelligent and serious one of the pair, believes the family’s first priority should be their mission to terraform Earth and make it a new planet for shlorpians. Terry on the other hand is not smart, but fun and easygoing. Terry thinks the family should make the most of their time on Earth since Terry enjoys Earth (particularly American) culture, especially pop culture. The differences between these two characters are most obvious in the way they speak. Korvo has a very scientific manner of speaking, using complete sentences and a larger vocabulary. Terry adopts a lot of Earth slang into his vocabulary and speaks in a much more casual manner. In season one episode five “The Lavatic Reactor,” Korvo and Terry have this interaction with the shlorpian children where Korvo says “school is important. It makes you smart, and being smart is more important than anything else ever,” to which Terry replies “counterpoint: Korvo’s stupid. School is important because it’s super fun, and the stakes are super low, and there’s tons of hot people there who want to party.” This interaction highlights not only the differences between Korvo and Terry’s mannerisms, but also their values and how their values drive the plot of the sitcom. Despite their differences, Terry and Korvo both tend to talk fast. Terry usually talks faster than Korvo, yet once the episode devolves into chaos,  Korvo’s anxieties make him start talking as fast as Terry, adding to the cacophony that usually engulfs the climax of an episode. There’s also the case of the wall, the world of shrunken down humans in the shlorpian children’s bedroom. Scenes in the wall have an almost completely separate dialect from the rest of the show. In the wall, people speak in a more serious way, reflecting the more serious world of the wall.

Solar Opposites is a chaotic show that utilizes science fiction sounds to emphasize its science fiction premise. The dialogue is one of the most important aspects of the show, showcasing the differences between characters and occasionally settings. In a typical episode, as the plot reaches its climax, so does the soundscape, including explosions, screams, and science fiction sounds to create a cacophony equal in chaos to the plot itself. Through the use of science fiction sounds, chaotic noise, and dialogue, Solar Opposites achieves a unique sonic footprint.

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(Credits: Scribe/Social Media Manger: Hunter Degioanni ; Writer: Brody Bush; Photo/Video Editor: Manuel Alvarez ; Producer: Charles Tucker)