what separates Sci Fi from Fantasy?

[JediFonger]

this is an interesting topic that i read about in a Tolkien forum but is interested in the members of this board's opinion since this has more to do with 'general literature'. i've tried searching but didn't really find a similar thread.

the question is what separates SF and fantasy? are they both the same? are they different? it it just the technology? it's a fascinating topic.

[Jester]

I've always seperated sci fi by sci fi being futuristic for instance you wouldn't classify star trek as fantasy. Likewise sci fi would include star wars, space odyssey (i think i haven't read that one) a lot of Andre Norton is sci fi, can't think of any more off the top of my head with sci fi, but then fantasy is more like knights, dragons, historical medieval ages renovated to be more compelling and more moving... and also another way would be whether outer space is involved, but thats jsut how i go

[Taliesin]

The thing is... sometimes it is very difficult to tell the difference.
Yes, it is clear that Star Trek is Sci-Fi and LoTR is fantasy, but what about Le Guin's Ekumen worlds? (yes, I know that it is more Sci-Fi than fantasy, but it is just the first thing I remembered)
Plus there are a lot of interesting sub-genres of fantasy and sci-fi besides just space opera and sword and sorcery. There's a sub-genre called science fantasy, which is a mix of the two things. (for example: The Sword of SHannara by T. Brooks.)
Wikipedia says: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy)
Wikipedia says: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction)

Oh yes, and sci-fi mustn't have outer space, take the sub-genre of cyberpunk or steampunk for example.
And fantasy isn't always medieval. Take Gaiman's "American Gods"for example.

[GatsbyTheGreat]

Science fiction has to have a scientific backing. Fantasy, on the other hand, plays with a set of less rigid rules. Dragons can appear out of nowhere and the only explanation needed is magic (if it sounds like I'm insulting fantasy, I don't mean to. It's great stuff). I guess, in a nutshell, science fiction is whatever you can imagine within the realms of feasibility and fantasy is whatever you can imagine. At least, that has always been my interpretation of the case.

[Deep Space Bass]

I like Ray Bradbury's definition. "Science Fiction is that which can conceivably happen. Fantasy is that which never can and never will happen."

[Jester]

Sorry, never heard of any of those that you mentioned... im more of a fantasy reader anyway... but yeah i like Gatsby's definition, that seems to be what mostly seems to come about but i guess there may not be strict guidelines.

[crisaor]

Science fiction has to have a scientific backing. Fantasy, on the other hand, plays with a set of less rigid rules. Dragons can appear out of nowhere and the only explanation needed is magic (if it sounds like I'm insulting fantasy, I don't mean to. It's great stuff).
Just because magic is unreal it doesn't mean that it has to be irrational.

[Admin]

I think its important not to categorize based on time period. Swords != fantasy. Spaceships != science fiction.

For instance A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court might be science fiction (maybe). StarWars on the other hand I feel is pure fantasy.

Sure, they fly around in spaceships in StarWars but they also use religious mentalist powers. Which is more central to the story? StarWars has more in common with a greek myth than it does with StarTrek.

One way I like to categorize it is that science fiction tends to take place on Earth, or in Earth's future. Its our current civilization in the story, its just many years in the future. In contrast fantasy takes place on different entirely made up worlds. Of course this isn't an exclusive definition, plenty of fantasy stories take place in Earth's past, and a few, like the Death Gate Cycle, take place in Earth's future.

[JediFonger]

if you listen to lucas's commentary on the ep4-6 DVD he says that Star Wars is more fantasy and his THX 1138 is more sci-fi.

[simon]

technology vs mystical powers

[Stanislaw]

I think that sci fi and fantasy constantly cross over like an intertwined thread. there is uasually a bit of both in the movies. For example, Ice Pirates, or FF or batle star galactica.

Some movies claim to be specifically fantasy, conan series, others claim to be specifically sci fi, space oddessy, but they both posses a little of both.