what themes do you work into your story?

of all genres, SF/F seems to be one that's got a very high potential to slip in some grander themes than most. so you sit down and consciously come up with a theme to guide the story? (maybe 'guide' isn't the best word...?) for instance, using a fantasy backdrop to illustrate how industry and/or science is/has destroyed a more philosophic or 'natural' way of living. or do you, for example, strongly equate a lot of nazi symbolism into your villians from planet x? the question also can be answered if you want to talk about metaphors, symbolism, etc..

i do the same thing, though usually without much camouflage. i'll have a character do or say something usually and not explain it to much detail, letting the chips fall where they may with the reader. i don't necessarily need for my reader to agree with the character as long as it's plausible. in 'preyers', for example, eventually the armies of God become mingled with those of other faiths. i don't explain it because no matter how much description and attention and arguments i expound on, you either buy it or you don't. there are some conflicts which i rouse around and leave it at that.

those with political agendas after the war tend to be officers in the first place. some are better than others. JFK was a real honest to gawd hero in WWII (PT-109), while others flat-out lied about their war experience such as joseph mccarthy. patton even tried his hand at politics, i believe, and even non-war heroes such as eliot ness became (bad) politicians (though it could be argued neither had these ambitions beforehand, i suppose). the thing is it's a proven boon to have gotten high marks while in the military (or police) when going for votes. just recently, john kerry was tauted as a vietnam war hero (with much controversy involved) while clinton's draft-dodging was downplayed by the very same political group as 'military service should not be considered when voting for a president.'

basically it boils down to if heroes are made or are born for the most part. those with the notion to be a 'hero' for personal gain aren't heroes in my book. while it seems FA fancies the born part of heroism, i like my heroes typically to be everyday guys. potter works for the simple fact that it's fantasy-fulfillment, that every reader could possibly hold powers they don't know they have. for adult fare, particularly in SF i think, most of us guys growing older can associate better with the idea that we can be heroes, too, given the right situation. i think it's a lot harder to like mr. perfect with his little problems than it is for someone like myself who's given the chance to prove their worth, at least for me. that's why stories with people who have abilities that i could never possess aren't as interesting to me. (this isn't to say your story, FA, is bad or anything, just saying that i as a reader prefer stories with a different take. can't please everyone, eh? lol.)

my themes tend to grow from the plot and characters and to a certian extent the setting. every now and then i'll make some connection there and run with the idea, though i've found that when i do that it usually dillutes the story. i think once you have a 'theme' you start getting away from being entertaining by a few degrees and enter the realm of 'having something to say.' i also sometimes try to kill themes quick by wrapping the idea up inside a paragraph in no uncertain terms just so i'm not stuck for the rest of the story trying to 'say' something. it also gives me the freedom to later on reinforce it or ignore it instead of dragging it out.