His “Space Opera” is a parody of both opera and the science fiction subgenre of the same name. However, let's not forget the majestic "Aniara" - an opera based on Harry Martinson's epic poem about space exploration. It’s probably better than Kandel did not to play up the literal meaning of the idiom, not to make fun of the absurdities of opera and space opera. Read a brief summary of the contents of all five acts, with commentary.