Sci-fi: Why Are There So Many Bounty Hunters In Outer Space?

gamerant.com:

Every genre of fiction has its stock heroes, villains, and side characters, that every fan knows to expect when they settle in for a new story. The chosen one of fantasy, the hard-boiled detective of noir, the unstoppable teenage god of anime, or indeed, the chaotic good bounty hunter of sci-fi.

So much of space-faring fiction comes from the simple art of taking real-world concepts and firing them into the depths of space. Modern everyday life, fun ideas from history, or even tropes from other genres of fiction make the transition to space pretty easily. The only limitation is imagination when it comes to the often beloved «thing but in space» model of science fiction.

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A bounty hunter is a unique professional who is hired by state or private interests to capture and haul in fugitives for cash. In the modern day, they go by «bail enforcement agents» or «fugitive recovery agents» because nothing can be fun anymore. Basically, when a person is incarcerated, they can pay bail to buy their freedom. If they can't afford it, a bail bondsman will act as a promise to the state that the cash will be paid, and the defendant will make their court date. If the accused jumps bail or skips town, the bondsman has the legal right to hire a bounty hunter to drag them in. It's worth noting that almost every country on Earth and even several US states outlaw this practice. Real-world bounty hunters are seen as either heroic vigilantes that stop crime or unregulated paid jackboots who exist to extract profit from the poor, depending on who is asked. The pop-cultural depiction of the profession, however, is drastically different.

When picturing a sci-fi bounty hunter, one's imagination naturally latches