Subject:
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Science fiction (Was: News on the 2000 space line!)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.fun
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Date:
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Mon, 1 Nov 1999 17:26:08 GMT
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Reply-To:
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jsproat@io/AvoidSpam/.com
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Viewed:
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387 times
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"Tobias Möller" wrote:
> Man, this has gone too far :-)
Then off to .off-topic.fun with ya! :-,
> Besides, since SW is taking place in another galaxy with lots of different
> races, it´s Sci-fi.
Alien races, starships, intelligent robots, exotic stellar backgrounds... Do
these factors categorize Star Wars as a science fiction story?
I'm more inclined to consider SW as fantasy. Many factors influence my
decision -- the epic storyline, the almighty hero factor, the singular and
most powerful villan, the ubiquitous action, the lack of attention to the laws
of physics, etc. Because it takes place in the future (or long distant past)
and in another part of the universe doesn't necessarily qualify it as sci-fi.
All the technology and exotic locales are simply story-telling tools. Call it
fantasy with hardware.
Sci-fi is perhaps best characterized by daily life enhanced by technology, set
in a an unorthodox setting, most often a believable future. _2001: A Space
Oddesey_ is good sci-fi, as were many "Twilight Zone" episodes. These stories
portrayed ordinary (realistic) people and organizations, placed into
extraordinary situations, with little but their own humanity to pull them
through. Many people find sci-fi to be boring, while fantasy is, well,
fantastic.
Fantasy doesn't necessarily obviate sci-fi. But it does tend to do away with
the "science" part of science fiction. Star Trek is almost pure fantasy, but
has made many very good dips into the sci-fi pool. (Think "Conscience of the
King", "Symbiosis", etc.) Babylon 5 was good hardcore sci-fi until the
Sheridan-cult-of-personality started running the show, after which the story
became a combination of sci-fi and fantasy.
But, with the possible exception of the Episode V storyline, Star Wars has
offered little evidence of being science fiction. Neither science nor
humanity was foremost in Lucas' mind when he told his story. All the
organizations in Star Wars are one-dimensional and flavorless. In a time
marked by extreme violence, entire wars are won by a select few individuals.
A handful of elite folks are destined for ultimate greatness, and no machines
of gods nor men can stop them. It reads more like a Greek tragedy than a
biography, only this story has a good ending.
It's damn good fantasy, and fun to watch. But it's almost certainly not
science fiction.
Just my .02 AF...
Cheers,
- jsproat
--
Jeremy H. Sproat <jsproat@io.com> ~~~ http://www.io.com/~jsproat/
It's not the same log. It's not the same log. It's not the same log.
It's not the same log. It's not the same log. It's not the same log.
It's the same log. It's the same log. It's the same log.
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