How to I make my Sci-Fi setting different than Star Wars? The plot is even similar (big war)

Monks with bolters?

Make it GotG and Samurai Jack style, where the universe is very very big with lots and lots of groups of people with only maybe 1 or 2 massive force.

You can just invent new factions and races and whatever off the cuff.

Nope. Now they're space knights. Armor and everything.

Maybe instead of basing them off Eastern Monks, base them more off Christian monks? Or somewhere in between, like pic-related but with psychic powers.
Also you could make the bad guys gnostics or something, idk.
This would make it much more morally ambiguous, but that might not be a bad thing if you're trying to get away from Star Wars

Jedi are based off european monks as much as eastern monks. The 'eastern and also western' thing is probably the biggest thematic element to the setting.

>sci-fi setting
>big war
Maybe there's Only War?

I thinking more along the lines of their philosophy. As in, make them actual preachers of a Western style religion.
Hell, if OPs setting has Earth-originating humans as a major force, make them actual Christian preacher-warriors

>The Sith are now literally satanists
>They commit actual blood sacrifice to achieve their overwhelming magical powers
>I can Deus Vult against hordes of magical space satanists in the future

So, literally ?

Yes, but probably better writers.

Is this whole god damn thread bait?

Do Firefly instead.

Replace Sith with alien bio splicing and jedi with cybernetics.

Okay, how about this:
Everyone has a bit of psychic potential, but most people can't naturally do anything with it.
Psychics are those who can use their psionic potential usefully. Doing too much in too short a time frame can fry their brains.
not!Jedi are a set of religious orders that believes that psionics are a gift from God.
Their doctrines vary, some are cloistered monks, some are space crusaders. Some orders are larger and more centralised than others, but there are literally hundreds of them, spread across known space. Most are mendicants and rely on their powers to protect them.
The majority also believe that it is their duty to help humanity/sapient life, as God has empowered them to be protectors.

Those Psychics who are not part of the orders, but don't use overtly evil powers (mind-control and the like) are generally left alone.

Not!Sith are secret societies of psychics who use the untapped potential of non-psychics to fuel their powers, shifting the brain-frying from the Not!Sith to the sacrifices.

Ya think?

Fuck off, frogposter.

1. Replace the aliens with genetically engineered human off-shoots. This explains why they all have human like psychology and a humanoid form.

2. Alternatively make the aliens completely alien, with bizarre bodies, strange cultures, and unfathomable minds.

3. Combination of the above.

4. Make the Jedi/Sith analogues secret societies waging a shadow war most of the galaxy has no idea is even going on. Think Delta Green vs the Cult of Cthulhu in space.

Also, unless you have droids and space fighters, it's not Star Wars, so don't add those. No lightsabers either.

I truly believe all frogposters should be banned.

Not that user, but that isn't a frog. It's an alien.

Think of Star Wars. Now, imagine that, but make it NOT Star Wars.

Seriously though, it's not a crime to crib notes from things you like. Just change some things up and make them your own.

...

Make the evil space monks communists who have the support of many Alien systems who think the prosperous human and precursor races have been oppressing them.
Turn it into cold war /pol/ in space rather than American revolution in space

Bonus points if the dark space monks are non-binary persyns of colour

>Make the bad guys communist
>trying to make setting LESS generic
Come on now dude.

So the CIS?

Yes, the Cis alliance v the leftists

Less StarWars.
Everything is something user, nothing is unique.

I want to hear more, if only to laugh

>The only Sci-fi media I have ever consumed as been the Star Wars movies and maybe some of the games.

The thread.

Star Trek and Mass Effect, amigo, if you slightly want to broaden your horizons.

>Star Wars
>Sci-fi

I think you went wrong early on. The line between Sci-fi and Fantasy is thin, but Star Wars is Fantasy set in space, down to sorcerers, magic sword fights, prophecies, and a farm-boy going on the hero's journey.

Take the advice of other anons and broaden your horizons.

If you want to go really crazy go Star Control.

Go read a book. When I want to be inspired, I'm personally fond of the Dune and Foundation series. Others are good too, of course. You'll see something in those settings and think "that's some good shit, I should have it in my setting" and boom, no longer star wars.

I expect OP had sat down, built his setting, read it through at the final draft and realised he'd just written Star Wars by mistake. It happens.