Variable. Frontier Sci Fi can happen anywhere along the soft to hard sci fi spectrum.

High. Exploring the frontiers of space, or wherever, presents many ideas to explore. Ideas about freedom, about civilization, about morality, about imperialism. Ultimately, facing the unknown makes us examine ourselves individually and socially. There may not be a neat and tidy message at the end of the story, but Frontier Sci Fi does like to make readers reflect.

Moderate-High. There are some stock characters that make their appearance in this sub-genre—space explorers with a cowboy mentality, the hard working asteroid miner, etc. Good and engaging characters, but stock nonetheless.

There are also truly well developed characters in Frontier Sci Fi—when a character confronts the unknown and overcomes (or not) the difficulties of a new frontier, readers get to know the character.

Moderate. At its simplest, Frontier Sci Fi is a quest story. Lots of adventure and never knowing what's around the next bend makes for an exciting story, though generally linear plot.

Variable. Venturing into the unknown brings with it all kinds of obstacles and dangers—violence seems inevitable. But, some stories are more about language or finding inventive solutions to unexpected problems, or anything because anything can happen in the unexplored regions of space.