The Real 'Space Force' Is Different From the One on Netflix, but It Does Exist

It might seem next to impossible for a workplace comedy to take place in space and compare in any form to The Office. But when Greg Daniels, who developed the U.S. version of The Office, was tasked with working on the Netflix comedy Space Force, it was a challenge he accepted. Of course, it helped that Steve Carell had agreed to be at the show’s helm along the way and the rest of the cast is full of comedic stars from inside and outside of Greg’s orbit, no pun intended.

The show is about a new branch of the government dedicated to getting a team of people on the moon and because it takes place in the present day in a world not unlike our own, viewers might wonder if the Space Force is real in real life. It almost sounds like a made up name for the branch, as depicted in the series trailer, but the show was inspired by a plight of the real-life president.

In 2019, the U.S. Space Force was created as another branch of the government dedicated to space exploration. In order to be part of the real-life Space Force, you must first be a member of one of the branches of the military and get approval to volunteer for the Space Force. It’s a bit different from the one on the Netflix show, wherein it appears that the crew is intent on choosing non-military personnel to take part in the program.

"You have to get approval of your service and the approval of the Space Force, but those options are open to you," Chief of Space Operations General Jay Raymond said during an April 2020 virtual town hall meeting. "What we can’t do is break the Army, or break the Navy, or break the Marines while we stand up the Space Force, but if you’re interested, we’d love to have you."

Even if the fictional Space Force in the show is different from the real thing, it was still inspired by it. Greg Daniels told Collider that in drumming up ideas for the show, he had watched the televised announcement about the real Space Force and thought about the pressure the general would be under in real life. The goal was to retell the story, but with a character viewers could relate to.

Greg also told Collider that there are plans for future seasons. He expects the characters to help drive the comedy forward. So even if you will have to wait for an unspecified amount of time after watching all of Season 1 of Space Force in one sitting, there is a chance Season 2 will be here eventually.

"It is a character comedy, and so we are trying to make it work for the long term," he told the outlet.

Netflix hasn't yet announced an official renewal, but if fans flock to their streaming devices of choice and respond well to the first season, it could be renewed sooner rather than later.

Space Force premieres on Netflix on May 29.