icemann on 3/9/2018 at 02:49
JOHNNY 5 IS ALIVE!!!!!
Sulphur on 3/9/2018 at 04:45
Quote Posted by Starker
As far as I'm concerned, if it has robots in it, it's sci-fi. Well, unless it's one of those industrial robots that assembles cars or something.
In any case, it's not easy to draw a distinction between sci-fi and science fantasy. Even something like Star Trek has some supernatural and implausible elements in it. Not to mention that when you look at genres as labels, rather than exclusionary boxes, the fantasy elements don't stop Star Wars from being sci-fi.
I'm not going to get too hung up on it, but I think you can see that Star Wars doesn't quite fit in the same frame of reference as 2001: A Space Odyssey, even if it was influenced by it. 'Robots' doesn't really define anything because it's how they're used that matters - as in Asimov's stories, for instance. You could even argue the golems in Pratchett's Feet of Clay make Discworld partly sci-fi even though it's clearly a fantasy setting.
Starker on 3/9/2018 at 04:54
For me, it matters whether it's primarily a sci-fi setting or primarily a fantasy setting. Feet of Clay takes place in another, entirely fantastical world, Star Wars takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Whether something has either wizards or robots in it is just an indication what type of setting we're dealing with.
Sulphur on 3/9/2018 at 04:59
Yup, so the point of distinction is really context: you can have technology, but if it's mostly window dressing, it neatly slides off into the 'not sci-fi' side of things. Sci-fi tends to deal with the impact technology or the things technology enables have on people, and how they deal with it; while Star Trek clearly focuses on that, Star Wars wouldn't change much if a lightsaber was just a really sharp sword.
Having said that, there's edge cases all around, but I'd rather gauge it from what the show or movies do as a whole instead of focusing on a single point of contention.
Starker on 3/9/2018 at 05:02
But it's not mostly window dressing -- everything in Star Wars revolves around technology. The starships are not just a thin disguise for dragons, for example.
icemann on 3/9/2018 at 05:04
Or for a better analogy - Alien is to sci-fi what Guardians of the Galaxy is to Fantasy (despite being space-based).
Sulphur on 3/9/2018 at 05:05
I guess read the line I added to the post? They're ships. You need a method of getting around; in the context of the movies, they don't affect or address anything grand outside of logistical issues.
Starker on 3/9/2018 at 05:07
That's just being reductive though -- like blasters are just guns, holograms are just methods of communication etc. The same could be applied to fantasy -- fireballs are just offensive weapons, teleport spells are just means of transportation, etc.
Sulphur on 3/9/2018 at 05:08
Eh, I'd nit-pick this to death if it weren't stupid. Read my post again maybe.
Starker on 3/9/2018 at 05:17
The advanced technology is an integral part of the Star Wars world. The setting would not function without it. If you replaced lightsabers with swords, the Jedi would just look stupid going against blasters.
Otherwise you could argue that any story about a hero rescuing a damsel in distress is really a fantasy story, because castles and dragons and evil wizards are just window dressing.
