Future warfare in interplanetary settings is a staple of science fiction.

However, in the Cobra novels Zahn explores a relatively new twist on such scenarios. In these, and in The Blackcollar (1983) and its sequel Blackcollar: The Backlash Mission (1986) — novels about a band of chemically-enhanced warriors — he made the technologically improved soldier a new feature of the genre. Previous supersoldier figures had been, like Superman, closer to fantasy figures, with little explanation offered for their powers. Zahn's novels not only give details of their built-in weapons, but make them believable in human terms as well.

One notable precursor — although in a contemporary setting — was the television show The Six Million Dollar Man, which aired on ABC from 1973 through 1978. Its hero, astronaut Steve Austin, injured in a jet crash, was given nuclear-powered artificial parts and thus superhuman skills, which he used against various threats...