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Subject: 
Star Wars is both sci-fi and fantasy (was: Re: Science fiction)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.fun, lugnet.starwars
Date: 
Tue, 2 Nov 1999 21:51:51 GMT
Viewed: 
52 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.fun, Sproaticus <jsproat@io.com> writes:
[...]
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.
[...]
It's damn good fantasy, and fun to watch.  But it's almost certainly not
science fiction.

Arghh, pet peeve alert!  Star Wars is BOTH fantasy AND sci-fi.

Depending on how you look at it, perhaps it's more fantasy than sci-fi --
and a "fantasy film" is indeed what Lucas himself called Star Wars -- but to
imply that it's not sci-fi is super wrong.  (Not that you did, exactly.)

Jeremy, any particular reason you used fuzzy phrases like "more inclined"
and "almost certainly not"?  Right -- because it's not 100% one or the
other.  :-)

IMHO, parts of Star Wars that set foot in the "fantasy" category include
things like:

   - The Force and Jedi fading/ghosting
   - Yoda (ears) & Dagobah (setting)
   - Giant beasts that eat people or other giant beasts
   - Exotic creatures in Jabba's palace and Mos Eisley cantina
   - Luke's journey to many faraway lands
   - Gungan "sacred place" out in the woods
   - Underwater Gungan city
   - Theed palace (Naboo)

IMHO, parts of Star Wars that set foot in the "sci-fi" category include
things like:

   - Hyperspace/hyperdrive
   - Self-aware droids/robots
   - Roboticized prosthetic hands/limbs
   - Repulsorlift vehicles
   - Shield generators
   - Lightsaber technology
   - Holographic games
   - Carbon freeze/thaw
   - Blowing up an entire planet with a mega-laser
   - Military space station the size of a moon
   - Floating city in the clouds (Bespin)
   - Planetary-scale city (Coruscant)

Take away all the sci-fi elements and you have mostly a fantasy film.  Take
away all the fantasy elements and you have mostly a sci-fi/action film.

The IMDB (www.imdb.com) does even better -- it classifies Star Wars in four
genres:

   1. Sci-Fi
   2. Fantasy
   3. Action
   4. Adventure

Wouldn't you agree that's much more accurate than arguing over whether or
not SW is fantasy or sci-fi?  :-)

(Pet peeve mode off.  :)

--Todd



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Star Wars is both sci-fi and fantasy (was: Re: Science fiction)
 
(...) Hold that thought, I'll get back to that... (...) Well, my main reason is that it is really hard to define what science fiction *IS*; it's easier to say what it *ISN'T*. I had to be less than absolute because Star Wars shows features of both (...) (25 years ago, 2-Nov-99, to lugnet.off-topic.fun, lugnet.starwars)

Message is in Reply To:
  Science fiction (Was: News on the 2000 space line!)
 
(...) Then off to .off-topic.fun with ya! :-, (...) 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 (...) (25 years ago, 1-Nov-99, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)

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