The TVTropes Trope Finder is where you can come to ask questions like "Do we have this one?" and "What's the trope about...?" Trying to rediscover a long lost show or other medium but need a little help? Head to Media Finder and try your luck there. Want to propose a new trope? You should be over at You Know, That Thing Where.
In my experience, this is so synonymous with Space Opera that I'd have to wonder how often you have one without the other. It probably isn't a 100% exact intersect, but you'd end up listing a lot of the same works on both pages.
This is definitely a thing at least, maybe it could be spun as some sort of intergalactic hang-out spot where people from across space come to chill and mingle.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
Bar Full of Aliens would be a subtrope...
Bar Full of Aliens for the intergalactic hangout.
Xenofiction for works that focus heavily on non-human characters. A major aspect involves exploration of interactions between alien species using tropes like Humans Through Alien Eyes, or speculating how Bizarre Alien Psychology and Bizarre Alien Biology might influence relations between Starfish Aliens with vastly different needs and desires.
Standard Sci Fi Setting for the classic "crowded galaxy" genre where this sort of mingling is mandated by the Rule of Cool.
Sci-Fi Kitchen Sink when much of the point of the work is to include as many nifty species and cultures as possible
Ah, I didn't know about Bar Full of Aliens.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
@KD I absolutely understand where you are coming from and I would have agreed before I started looking into this. Space Opera does usually have aliens, but they are just as likely to fall into the other categories I mentioned - the alien invaders or the completely seperate empires - as they are to be the casual interminglers of Star Wars. I would also say that the Ascent is not Space Opera but it is definitely this trope. I think Space Opera is a lot larger than this specific "Casual Alien mixing pot" I am trying to put a name to.
@Warjay and @Florestan I have heard this described as a "cantina vibe" and I would say most setting that have a "bar full of aliens" also has this trope. But I would say a lot of "this trope" media might not ever feature a bar. Idk.
@Scorpion 451 I don't think any of those are exactly "this trope" but I will be reading ALL of the examples on those pages to try to find more media to enjoy hahaha. I think it would be reasonable to say tvtropes has "this trope" covered between all of these examples but I also think a seperate trope page could be justified.
I was looking to find this trope too and I don't think we exactly have it I might take it to TLP actually.
It's now been launched as Melting Pot Sci-Fi Setting
Im trying to find a trope that captures a certain specific slice of extraterrestrial scifi. The type of scifi where alien intermixing is so common that the clerk at the convenience store is as likely to be a Xu'ruto with 3 heads as they are to be a human
Examples of what is this trope Star Wars Star Trek The Ascent Mass Effect Futurama High on Life
Examples that are not this trope: Stellaris/Twilight Imperium - these setting have many alien races but they for the most part keep to themselves and their own worlds
Space Invaders/Destroy All Humans/Mars Attacks: The most common type of alien media I see, these aliens are normally just atogonists
Ive been able to use the trope pages of the media I listed to find more examples but I haven't found a single specific trope that links them
Tropes like many many races, galactic civilization, and even space opera are similar but they arent specific to the type of casual alien intermingling Im talking about.
Im really passionate about this genre (I even tried to start a blog about it at one point) and tvtropes has been the only really helpful site in finding more. If this trope doesnt exist I really think it should.