To me genres are in most cases flexible and fluid. Especially when it comes to sub-genres the lines are blurred. I mean compare fantasy, dark fantasy and fantasy horror, when do you categorize your fantasy as dark fantasy and when as fantasy horror? what's the real difference? or take erotica for example, if a novel has lots of sex in it can it be considered erotica based on just that? or should there me some other more specific requirement to take into account as well? I specifically always had a problem with the line young adult and adult fiction. I mean you can't just characterize a book as YA just because the main character or one of the main characters is a teen, can you? What is the exact criteria for a book to be considered a YA or and adult novel. this isn't always clear, the line here is very vague. Genres are just labels used to categorize and classify works of literature so the readers have an easier time finding what they like and what is closer to their taste. I italicized 'readers' because that's the keyword here, genres are important for the readers but for the writers, they shouldn't be a top priority. You shouldn't bother with what genre your book is or should be when you start writing one. You just write what comes to you, you work your hardest to bring your imaginations onto the paper in the form of words, now in what category will those imaginations of yours fit or whether or not they even fit in one singular category? that shouldn't be your concern, not until when your done with your story and thinking of finding a publisher or an agent should you worry about the genre of your work of literature
Science Fiction. To me Star Wars is closer to sci-fi than to fantasy (even though it's a Science Fantasy series) because without the Jedi/Sith there is no real fantasy aspects to it.
Without the Jedi/Sith there's no Starwars at all. ie they are the dominant factor. ie it is fantasy dominant. The "tech" or "science" could be removed and it could still be Starwars - see most of the scenes on the Moon of Endor for reference. Without the Jedi it'd be utter creeyap.
Without the Jedi/Sith there is still the republic, still Mandalorians and clones, you still have the taung, along with a LOT of other sci-fi stuff.
Except stories are about characters, aren't they? Not conglomerates. Remove the characters from a story and there ain't no story, sorry bud.
Weeks ago, I posted a thread that sort of criticized the concept of genre. Since then, I think I've decided I like genre. Not sure how that shift happened. Maybe I accepted, for myself, that putting stuff in boxes can be helpful. The lines can get blurry but overall I tend to like sci-fi because there are certain philosophical concepts almost guaranteed inclusion whereas romance doesn't. Sci-fi may include some passionate romance, but romance probably doesn't have space ships or aliens. So I guess I've decided that genre is important beyond marketing.
The Jedi universe has many stories. The Jedi/Sith are only one faction. Along with a ton of others. Either way it still stands that without them it would be complete Sci-Fi, so I would put it in Sci-Fi.
They are but trying to stuff them in small jars when a genre could fit in a large room that's bigger on the inside is not what we should be doing.
And, even the space elements are handled as fantasy. Some people feel that if you take a fantasy story and just move it into space it suddenly become SF, but of course that's not the case.
Either you mean the "Starwars universe", or you just contradicted yourself completely. Coz like "Jedi universe" - "Jedi" = "Universe", a nondescript, generic place. Just sayin'. Interesting slip but, innit? IMO, without the Jedi it's no longer Starwars.
Yes, the whole, "planet destroying laser beam thing", is fantastical, as was the way the beam was constructed from the circumference of a circle before being fired from the apex of that circle. Clear anti graivty capability on all the craft but never used as a weapon. Still love the premise and marvel at my attitude towards original Princess Leia as an adult vs the child that first saw her. Especially on Hutt's desert barge.
Plus spaceships maneuvering as though in atmosphere, because the choreography was taken from old dogfight scenes. Pure fantasy, but fun to watch.
I find quite a few people both writing articles and otherwise that try and say that genres are an exact thing (in essence forcing them into jars) and I think it's more important for the genres to be open for exploration by authors (which is why I prefer the main genres).
I was mostly sitting on the sidelines for this thread but I shall say without a doubt Star Wars is more fantasy then it is sc-fi well at least hard sci-fi but that space opera stuff like Warhammer 40k and Star Wars are just as fantastical as any fantasy book. Only difference its more space and technology. But I don't mind that they are in the sci fi section just because its not hard sci fi. When people think scifi they are thinking space and aliens and all that stuff, so if we were organizing a book store. I'd try and do it like this. We'd have fantasy (high, heroic, urban and all that in one section) But maybe in the sci fi section we'd have like one half of the wall or section as hard science fiction and then another section more fantastical stuff like Star Wars books or whatever. Though I could see that being confusing to set up and navigate but maybe something like that.
Though normally science fiction and fantasy are in the same section at the stores. At least in the bookstores here in Pittsburgh but I'm pretty sure I've seen them in different sections in other places.
I'm not. I'm purely thinking, sci-fi = "possible, one day". Fantasy = impossible, ever. The force / midichlorians = fantasy.
I was speaking of the general public. Like if asked some random people on the street on what Star Wars was as in genre I'm pretty sure most would say 'Science Fiction' even it is fantasy which I agree it is but at the end of the day it got marketed down as science fiction. So now most of the time when there is a space story about spaceships and all that most of the time its gets called science fiction no matter how impossible Should it be that way? Probably not as to my understanding science fiction is based around what might be possible one day like you said but at this point unless we have shift of some sort of massive shift in how we think about the genre, all that fantastical space fiction is gonna get put in the science fiction section. I could be wrong of course on how I'm seeing things and you're free to correct me but this was just my own little personal analysis. based on what I've seen on how things are classified or a lot of people see things.
@Kingtype I'm people too :-( But yes I understand. Most people. Including me up until a few weeks ago, when I learnt something new And to say it was liberating is an understatement. The complete opposite of "narrow" or "small jar thinking". It set me and my creativity free, completely and utterly.
Which was what, my I ask? I definitely see her differently than I did as a kid, but I'm curious if your shift was the same as mine. Now I am curious and am going to poll my family and friends to see what they think. I don't intend to use it to prove either point, surveying the people around you isn't a reliable research method. I'm just interested. I've always thought of it as a space fantasy, but not sci-fi, but I'm intrigued now to see how popular that opinion is.
