[sandworm101]

Science Fiction v. Space Opera (from Soap Opera)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_opera

Star Trek is science fiction. It is clean, high-minded and with a plot driven by futuristic technologies and what they might mean for us. Science fiction is at least somewhat predictive. Star Wars is space opera, a soap opera set in space. The plot is driven by family squabbles and surprise revelations (ie Luke's sister/father etc). The standards of morality are subverted by the reality of the family drama. If one removes the special effects and fight scenes, Star Wars is almost daytime TV. All it needs is a good coma fantasy.

Another clue from Lucas: "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away." That is code for "This isn't science fiction. It isn't about a possible future. It isn't about what our children's lives might be like. Magic is possible. Just enjoy the show."

[simonh]

For me Science Fiction is about exploring the consequences of technology on society, culture and the individual. It takes some scientific technological concepts and explores their implications.

Star Trek does this is spades. We see the dangers of automates war machines that lack a moral context for their operations, the consequences of ecological manipulation gone wrong, we are shown how absolute power corrupts absolutely, and the social and personal cost of subsuming violent passions within a rigorous rationality. That’s just the start, it’s hard to think of a single idea or trope of SF that Star Trek hasn’t explored many times over in its several generations-long run.

Meanwhile Star Wars is Kung fu wizards in an interplanetary Wild West. I don’t think there’s a single exploration of the impact of technology on society or the individual in the whole thing, although I know little of the extensive Clone Wars material. That’s not a criticism, They’re just different things.

[the_af]

To me Star Trek is another kind of space opera, a different flavor from Star Wars to be sure, but not "hard" scifi either.

This is of course subjective and it's not a binary thing, but a whole continuum from "hard" scifi to "soft" space opera and outright fantasy.

Also, to me this is orthogonal to quality. Space operas are cool.

[oh_sigh]

I have always wondered what Han was dreaming while frozen in carbonite for 6 months.

[LargoLasskhyfv]

Ahem. Sorry Trekkies, but NO! Star Trek is different how exactly? Domestic problems, old enemies longing for revenge, Tech the tech with the tech in order to tech the tech in the tech tech...

For me it's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindenstra%C3%9Fe in space, or 'Raumschiff Entenscheiss' (Spaceship Duck Shit because Enterprise rhymes with Entenscheiss)

Doesn't matter which tv-series or theatrical movie, always the same, quack quack, tech the tech the with the tech to tech the tech tech bla bla bla.

edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAUIHBAxbXY courtesy of https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinnlos_im_Weltraum

[sandworm101]

Ok, the very very simple version: Science fiction is set in the future. Star Trek is deliberately set in the future. Star Wars is deliberately set in the past ("A long time ago") and therefore is something other than science fiction.

[usrusr]

Then 20000 Leagues Under The Sea is not science fiction? (the setting was contemporary art the time of writing)

[sandworm101]

Future technology. When they set foot on the nautilus they set foot into a possible future. 20,000 poses the question of what might happen should that sort of technology be developed. It was very predictive of the power that such technology would place on a single man. Nemo is latin for "no man", telling us that no man should have such power.

[samatman]

I don't think you'll get very far classifying space opera as opposed to science fiction, rather than a variety of it.

It's a taxonomy which is cladistically nonsensical, which you can prove to yourself by browsing the Hugo and Nebula awards.

[LargoLasskhyfv]

What about time travel, or alternate history? Is that fantasy?

edit: If you count time travel as fantasy, please do so for any SF which features FTL :-)