Think along the lines of classics... like:
Fireball- Mythical Fire Gods Odin and Wotan throwing fireballs in space...
Pinbot- Fantasy Giant Space Robot that juggles planets in space
The Machine- BOP once again, Fantasy Giant Space Robot that becomes human in space...
Space shuttle- in space
Blast off- to space
Meteor- from space
Apollo 13- disaster in space
Star Wars- in space
Star Trek- space, the final frontier...
Space space space space space...

There are 222 entries (literally) in the IPDB marked as space themed. Maybe space needs a rest? Or does space just sell pinball? Or could it be we were in the middle of the space race when a fair number of these titles came out?

Ideas for pinball that are WAY OUT there...

Phobia! A machine based on things people are afraid of... like Luposlipaphobia... the fear of being chased by wolves around a newly waxed kitchen floor while wearing socks... my apologies to Gary Larson.

And that American Horror story honey comb phobia... Trypophobia. That one, at the the right time and the right texture and the right color, I have a little of that.... it repulses more than it makes me fear it, though. So could you imagine a mode where you have to look at a mini screen like di or gb and shoot at pictures of the things you fear? Fear of flying video mode... Use that BG display and really go to town. Not to mention fear of heights (shoot the ramp), and show progressivly higher pictures on bg...

I did say way out there....

Thinking about that idea... Phobia... hmm... Face your Fears... get bigger points. Choosing a fear and facing it... some fears (rational) could be worth more than phobias (irrational) or vice versa... let the player choose his fear and rate his/her fear of it (1 to 5 scale?) and then attempt to overcome it... how hard the combos are to complete based on their choice, 1 is easy,but not owrth much points, 5 being a bitch to complete but worth the $$$... spider toy, snake toy,
Fear of the dark... all lights go out... just the display is lit up... this stuff writes itself....

Phobia! Scared Stiff II? Or American Horror Story I?

Long time no see EalaDubhSidhe from the VP days... same Bublehead as before.

As a person used to NOT playing with double flippers, nasty trapping and cupping habits bite me endlessly for my first few games... then you start really reaching for that 1970’s muscle memory, and if it wasn’t wiped out by now by all the mind altering substances, or with the help of some, who knows?, you finally settle down and play like a man with one hand tied behind his back and your scores start climbing back up to decent. You definitely are forced by the double right flippers to rely on your weaker left hand (for the majority, sorry south paws) and this is exactly why a designer might choose this arrangement. Push you out of your right handed comfort zone. Do it to both sides? Um, ouch, I can feel the blade on my neck before I plunge the ball. And speaking on Paragon, does anyone else remember just how long a ball it takes to complete Paragon with weak flippers? I hate thumper bumpers in outlanes. I’ll just say it. Yes, they have been the reason for some really interesting saves and much chiding has been thrown down while a ball is trapped precariously thump thump thumping just a couple of degrees off pure sudden death, and yeah, I’ve been on the receiving side of it once too often. But I was also shoveling quarters into this machine back then too. Many an operator I am sure has some fond memories of opening the coin box on a Paragon.