Star Wars isn't science fiction?
Well, I understand that some interesting differences in opinion can arise in class discussions, but I had thought there were some universals in this world. That Star Wars is nearly the epitome of science fiction is one of those universals I had believed in. I had never thought about it any other way. What other genre could the whole spread of Star Wars fit into? Apparently the charge against it not being science fiction is that it doesn't explain its technological advances and also that what looks like advanced technology is simply a remodeling of our own stuff. These make it fantasy, say critics.
Now, I'll admit that if you take away the technology and set the story somewhere else, the existence of the Force makes it fantasy straight away. But it's a space movie. I suppose that saying I know science fiction when I see it isn't enough, so here's a definition of science fiction from dictionary.com that I like because it's straightforward and I wish I'd come up with this one in class: "literary fantasy involving the imagined impact of science on society"
I'll admit I don't like Heinlein's definition, as it excludes any scifi that goes a little further into the future than we can envision really. This dictionary.com definition allows for a wider range of options and inclusions and these imaginations are the point of scifi. Star Wars doesn't have time to explain its technology in depth because it's story based and, more importantly, a movie with limited time. However, I wish to introduce a new element: the books. The multitude of Star Wars books published are valid parts of the Star Wars universe and also take the time to often explain various technical aspects in the same way Star Trek books often do. Therefore, I don't like the argument that Star Wars is not science fiction because of its technical explanations or lack thereof. There may be better arguments, but I haven't heard them yet.
One other thing. The book Foundation by Asimov was recommended for this first class. So I read it. I liked it a lot, and incidentally it's clear that Frank Herbert did too, but that's for later. The definitions we arrived at in class for social science were almost exactly the themes and premises of Hari Seldon's psychohistory, predicting human behavior from known facts, in this case the future from the past. Seldon's methods of prediction and his inclusion of failsafe mathematics are the dreams of today's social scientists.
Now, I'll admit that if you take away the technology and set the story somewhere else, the existence of the Force makes it fantasy straight away. But it's a space movie. I suppose that saying I know science fiction when I see it isn't enough, so here's a definition of science fiction from dictionary.com that I like because it's straightforward and I wish I'd come up with this one in class: "literary fantasy involving the imagined impact of science on society"
I'll admit I don't like Heinlein's definition, as it excludes any scifi that goes a little further into the future than we can envision really. This dictionary.com definition allows for a wider range of options and inclusions and these imaginations are the point of scifi. Star Wars doesn't have time to explain its technology in depth because it's story based and, more importantly, a movie with limited time. However, I wish to introduce a new element: the books. The multitude of Star Wars books published are valid parts of the Star Wars universe and also take the time to often explain various technical aspects in the same way Star Trek books often do. Therefore, I don't like the argument that Star Wars is not science fiction because of its technical explanations or lack thereof. There may be better arguments, but I haven't heard them yet.
One other thing. The book Foundation by Asimov was recommended for this first class. So I read it. I liked it a lot, and incidentally it's clear that Frank Herbert did too, but that's for later. The definitions we arrived at in class for social science were almost exactly the themes and premises of Hari Seldon's psychohistory, predicting human behavior from known facts, in this case the future from the past. Seldon's methods of prediction and his inclusion of failsafe mathematics are the dreams of today's social scientists.
posted by Blogger at 9:51 PM
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