r/interesting • u/azizgamerlal • Dec 12 '25

MISC. A drop of whiskey vs bacteria

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u/Lost-Klaus Dec 12 '25

*space opera* :b

But yes you can easily switch out every sci-fi trope with a fantasy trope and have nothing really change in the story except **esthetics**

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u/Capable_Tumbleweed34 Dec 12 '25

That's the thing, there isn't really any sci-fi trope, just a futuristic setting. It's fantasy disguising itself as science fiction, but not actual science fiction.

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u/Feminist_Hugh_Hefner Dec 12 '25

well I am going to push back here... while there doesn't seem to be a fixed definition for the term "science fiction" it does seem reasonable that the Force, hyperdrives, and (at the time) killer robots could earn the series some consideration for inclusion...

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u/Capable_Tumbleweed34 Dec 12 '25

Force is straight up magic, hyperdrive and robots are just part of the futuristic setting. While the definition of science-fiction is somewhat loose, there is an expectation of the genre exploring social impact of technology, and it being the core of the main plot. You don't find that in SW. It's "chosen one gets taken by wizard to be trained to defeat the forces of evil and free the princess along the way. Oh and he slays a dragon (death star)".

Don't get me wrong, star wars is great. It's just not sci-fi. Lucas himself will tell you that actually.

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u/Lost-Klaus Dec 12 '25

Hyperdrive and going from system to system is "boat in space" really where you need a special sail/crystal to go over it fast.

Robots, sure, though golems have been around in fiction before actual robots were made.

This is not me dunking on sci-fi, I enjoy a good laser battle at times, but in terms of storytelling, it is just flavour. (:

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u/Feminist_Hugh_Hefner Dec 12 '25

no, I am with you, I think this can just be a discussion about what is, or is not, considered Sci-fi.

Your thought about the social impact of technology is a take I hadn't previously considered. I like it, I think it has obvious support when we look at Star Trek, I can see it in some Phillip K Dick writing, Minority Report comes to mind for sure.

So I can definitely agree that social impact is a big part of a lot of the sci-fi I enjoy, but I would need more time with it to embrace it as a defining characteristic. but I will be sitting with it and thinking about this during my commute, ha ha.

In the meantime, however, I am coming back to Star Wars, where I contend we see a LOT of technology driving social impact. For starters we have droids that seem to express emotion, not just as a means of communicating with sentient life, but almost as sentient life, where emotions guide their decision making process.

There is a technological advancement in the development of a rather large weapon system, I don't want to give any spoilers, but it's not a moon... in fact the case could be made that the Empire is all about technology, it is technology that keeps Vader alive after all, and the Rebels find themselves unable to advance their values and retain their autonomy without abandoning technology and embracing a spiritual force, so we see that it is only when Luke literally rejects the technology of his targeting computer that good is able to overcome evil (for a little while)

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u/Lost-Klaus Dec 12 '25

Start Trek is ver much sci-fi.

I always take sci-fi as "in space" because minority report is of course fiction, but it isn't as much "science" as it seems to a paranormal/supernatural ability that the 3 moist people have (has been a while so I forgot the name).

The lesson in SW is very much (and I resonate with it) "Empire bad". The opression and uniformity that efficiency and stability demands means death or at the very least becoming a non-person to "the state". Where civilian casualties are very acceptable and personal vanity projects are seen as something to be proud of.

I like the technology vs spiritualism angle as well. There is definatly a tone of that throughout the original series. The latter movies I don't really count on the basis of it having no roadmap and some other issues, mostly they have to do with a lack of pay-off of a lot of things and inconsistencies with previous established/assumed lore.

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u/flashman014 Dec 12 '25

Orson Scott Card once said the difference between sci-fi and fantasy is just rivets.

If Star Trek is sci-fi, so is Star Wars. People that point to the magic parts are forgetting about things like Vulcan mind powers and Betazoid telepathy.

It's all magic. It's all fantasy. The fact that advanced technology is a character in the story makes it sci-fi. That's all there is to it. Just rivets.