In short: no.
While most stories and their ideas will have common elements with other things, the context of these elements can differ so drastically as to make them completely unrelated. Unless more than 40% of the elements overlap with one perticular work, I wouldn't worry about it and just have fun with it. 
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
I think you should work on making your characters unique. People will doubtless recognize the recycled theme, plot, message, but what makes a story unique nowadays is the characters.
As a budding author myself, I have to say this...
Of course there's still original ideas. That's like saying there's nothing more that can be invented. Ideas keep on flowing and comings.
Sure, there's a bigger sea of ideas now, so some things will eventually overlap, but no matter how large the sea gets, imagination is endless.
But that's all beside the point. The main point? Who CARES if it's been done before?
Let me point you to two particular book series: Redwall and Inheritance. Both of them are overused, unoriginal drivel that shamelessly flaunts its sources and has very little that can be pointed out as "unique". However, the Inheritance trilogy is [censored], while the Redwall series is godly.
Why? Because it all depends on the WRITING.
Originality is not what makes writing. You can have the most draw-you-in, never-before-seen setting, plot, characters, and it all goes down the tube if you can't write worth a damn. On the other hand, you can have Generic McEveryguy and his cardboard-cutout love interest Princess Boobies on the run from the vicious emperor Czar Evil von NastyGuy and have it enthrall your reader, hanging onto your pages because it's good writing.
Originality is important. But it's only one side of the die. People overrate its importance into an end-all-be-all concept that will kill if the die rolls on the wrong side.
Sure, work on making it different. But don't get worked up if you find out "Hey, this is kinda like such and such". If the rush to try and do something that hasn't been done eclipses your ideas that can be turned into good writing, then something is very, very wrong.
It is so true that it would seem that nothing is new, but think about this. Humankind has been around a long time and humnakind's history is filled with writers of every quality. Themes are probably not new but ideas themselves can be quite new and refreshing... it doesn't matter if the story basically has elements of other stories that have been done before- what matters is HOW GOOD CAN YOU WRITE YOUR VERSION of the story.. if someone could out write Shakespeare, then guess what, they'd get all the accolades they'd deserve even if their story was nothing more than a reinterpretation of "Romeo and Juliet"... so dont worry about new ideas, old ideas or what have you. Write your story and have fun doing it.. that IS what truly matters most.
The saying "There's nothing new under the Sun" dates back to something like 950 B.C.- it's an oooooooold saw.
That being said- if you're in the mood for some creativity, tvtropes.org is an interesting browse, and will either supercharge your creative juices, or potentially stifle them altogether >.<
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
It seems your stressing out about theme and not plot. If your story has the same theme as Fail Safe or any number of Star Trek episodes, I doubt it would bear much similarity after an infusion of caped and cowled crusaders. It still sounds like it would be an original story.
Hell, I want to read the super hero version of Fail Safe myself. That would rock.
How about a villain and a hero? What I mean is, both having been friend in their lives, they always fight but both can never manage a killing blow. HOWEVER, the villain tries to redeem himself and become good, while at the same time, the hero is brainwashed *Permanantly* in to becoming bad.
I don't remember a story going like that! 
[ QUOTE ]
How about a villain and a hero? What I mean is, both having been friend in their lives, they always fight but both can never manage a killing blow. HOWEVER, the villain tries to redeem himself and become good, while at the same time, the hero is brainwashed *Permanantly* in to becoming bad.
I don't remember a story going like that!
[/ QUOTE ]
*Closes book*
And so the story of the story of the evil villain turning good forever and the good hero turning evil forever has now drawn to a close. And because it has taken me over 2 lines to tell you all of that, this book probably weighs a ton.
*BOOK SMASH ATTACK*
Hehe, if you like read Tales of the Council located in My Bio, its a work in progress which deals with what you are talking about to some degree. Here is the full link for those who are intrested.
Tales of the Council
Let me know what you think.
Valor
Quote:
|
by Star Ranger 4 WIN LOSE OR DRAW, WE WILL FIGHT. WE ARE HEROES This is what we DO! |
Decide that this will be another day in which you Walk The Talk.
MA #14724 Operation: Discredit @American Valor
Sentinel Of Liberty SG
[ QUOTE ]
*BOOK SMASH ATTACK*
[/ QUOTE ]
Oh? Which character do you have to unlock to use that? 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
*BOOK SMASH ATTACK*
[/ QUOTE ]
Oh? Which character do you have to unlock to use that?
[/ QUOTE ]
I hear you can only get it with one of the new VEATs.
Bookworm Spider Longfang?
VEAT for I13: Librarians.
The REAL reason they want quiet.
Term's right. You can take an old cliched idea and make it into something awesome if the writing is good enough. Not to mention that sometimes that familiarity with a trope can make the material more easily accessible. On the other hand trying to be original for originality's sake can severely backfire if you push the envelope so far that nobody gets it.
Well, thanks for all the feedback. Maybe I'll do something with the idea anyway, just to get practice writing if nothing else, and see if I CAN put an original twist on an old theme.
So, something in my subconscious was percolating yesterday and it spat out this story idea. It seemed really wonderful and epic, like you could build a whole story arc around it concerning what it means to have to commit an evil act in order to prevent a greater evil. Where's the line between heroism, what does that choice do to a person, etc... Great stuff, really. I was so taken with the idea that I bounced it off of Hero 1 and he replied with a courteous PM about it.
It wouldn't go away, though, and so I'm thinking "Maybe I'll write short story about it. This has so much potential!" and I'm driving home from work and as I'm considering different ways to approach this idea, this little voice in the back of my brain says "An Eye For An Eye".
"Oooo,that's good!", says I. Then I paused. And I thought "Waitaminute....." Then I realized. "@#$#! I'm composing a Paragon City version of Failsafe!"
For those who haven't read Failsafe (and shame on you, go read it!) it's a Cold War novel from 1962 that deals with the consequences when an American bomber with a nuclear payload is accidentally activated to attack Moscow, and Soviets and Americans alike prove unable to stop the plane. The ending is horrible, not because a nuclear war is triggered but because of the action ultimately taken to avert a nuclear war. Having grown up a Cold War Kid, as Billy Joel put it in his song _Viktor_, that novel has always held a particular resonance for me.
So, I'm speaking to my inner voice now, telling it "Okay, well, maybe it's just that doing a good act turns out to be the trigger for an immense evil, and so that good act has to be avoided despite the pain it cause a Hero to behave against his nature. Some kind of Oroborous story."
"Oh!", the Inner Voice says. "You mean like in The City On The Edge Of Forever?"
Now, if you need THAT reference explained then you don't have enough Geek Cred to be in this forum in the first place. At any rate, I threw up my figurative hands at that point and dumped the whole idea into the "reconsider" file.
It's still bugging me enough that I may go ahead and employ my paltry writing skills on a story just to get rid of it.
In the meantime, I have to ask - Are there really no new ideas? Is the old saw about there being seven plot ideas and otherwise nothing new under the sun except how many variations writers manage to make of them really true? I'm not any kind of "real" writer. How disappointing must it be for someone who considers themselves to be an "author" to be working on this great idea and suddenly realize "Oh no...."