Like the title! For someone getting into board games, what would you recommend? Bonus points if it is or can be played cooperatively, with 2 players, and double bonus points if it has a sci-fi theme (like, grand sci-fi), though the previous points are more important.
What do you like to play? Arcs and Earthborne Rangers both look cool to me, but wanted to ask here too! Anyone have experience with those two?
Astro Knights hits a lot of what you want, and is a very solid game. It's not grand sci-fi, but it is sci-fi. It's a cooperative deckbuilding game about working together to defeat some giant enemy.
I think that both Astro Knights and Astro Knights: Eternity are good, but since you say you're just getting into board games, go for the original, it's definitely more accessible.
I also suggest Spirit Island, but it can definitely be hard to pick up. Quite complex, but definitely worth playing. If you want to, shoot me a DM and I can try and teach you it sometime?