A fan of Star Wars should be seen the same as a fan of Star Trek. They are both science fiction (or SF), both have laser guns, both have aliens, and both have space ships. Sure they are different in stories and setting, but ask any fan of SF in general and they will claim them to be complete opposites of the other.
Why? Are not Spock's and Yoda's ears essentially the same apart from color?
Star Wars and Trek are when broken down a yin-yang of each other. The point, the feel, the mood, and everything else seem to resonate with some while spurning others because these dueling giants of Science Fiction are not just simply "Science Fiction." In fact, Trekies might say that Star Wars is not science fiction and SF fans would probably say Star Trek is not SF either.
In their own way all three are correct.
Sub-Genre Double Feature
They are examples of two SF sub-genres. Star Wars is the seminal mantle piece of the small SF sub-genre Space Opera while Trek is more of a unique take on Soft/Social SF. They do not compare in the same way that 2001 does not compare with Total Recall. Without taking 2001's artistic status into account these films are still vastly different because like the Star Wars/Trek they do not belong together in the same category of SF.
There are no set qualifications for making a story SF. Some say the conflict must be set in the future or it must have aliens, however, these answers are aggravatingly simplistic. As the SF genre progressed from the stories of H. G. Wells and later Arthur C. Clarke to the works of Philip K. Dick and then William Gibson a need arose for sub-genres to come into existence. Oddly enough there was not much reason for these distinctions pre-1979 Star Wars, but as the 80s progressed a new-wave called cyberpunk grew to have a stranglehold on SF. Since its birthing most modern SF follows in the tradition of cyberpunk, breaking away barely enough to form new sub-genres.
Today, if the old/new schools of SF could be broken down into countless sub-genres, all their names and titles completely alien to non-SF fans. However, all stimulate from the following:
Hard SF
This genre is a bit much for the average audience to wrap their heads around. Authors such as Arthur C. Clarke and Issac Asimov rely on their knowledge of science to tell their stories by integrating it deeply into their narrative's structure. It is not enough for their characters to experience a brand new planet, they must understand the intricacies of its environment coupled with any complexities of navigating it. Put most aptly by Lee Masterson (see link below), the story's plot cannot remain intact without its scientific properties. Otherwise, its not Hard SF.
Soft or Social Science Fiction
Like a picket-march, soft sci-fi stands almost as a retaliation against its hard elder brother. Science still plays a cervical role to the story, but loses its forerunner position. Instead the audience is introduced to characters in strange worlds. Profound knowledge of science is not needed to understand the story, it need not be mention except on author's whim.
The works of Ray Bradbury and Philip K. Dick are classic examples of soft sci-fi.
Space Opera
An iconic theme, words float away in space, track down to a tiny ships fleeing a larger one that stretches for seconds into the viewing screen. On the planet below a young boy will leave home to save the universe from dark menacing personas with his very archetypal friends. Star Wars is not the only space opera in existence, but it is a very definition of what it is even though it did not come first. the comic serial Flash Gordon and others would serve as sources of inspiration later for filmmaker Lucas.
Space opera is loosely used science to tell a SF story. In the universe, there is good and evil. In these stories black (Darth Vader) and white (Luke Skywalker) representatives of these values sometimes team up with grey (Han Solo) characters to determine the fate of the entire universe.
Cyberpunk
Essentially, cyberpunk is the B-movie sub-genre of science fiction. The world is set in a future that could be the tomorrow of modern society. In these dark and often rain-drenched tales a suspension of morality is at play. A lack of any distinguishable authority prowls the streets underhanded by neon nightmares that surpass them. There are police, but who are they working for and who are they protecting? Technology infused inhabitants refer to "mega corporations' who keep the balance from an eagle's eye point of view up in smog choked atmospheres.
The birth of cyberpunk took place in the early 1980s; its parents were two films and an author. Blade Runner and Mad Max, widely different in from and content each present a world where the society is near collapse and William Gibson's stories would influence most of the science fiction to come in the later years; a lot science fiction films today break down into a Blade Runner inspired or Mad Max inspired works. Gibson's influence culminates with the film, The Matrix, which took setting and concept largely from his novel Neuromancer.
Sources:
- NA, . " Sci-Fi Genres: Cyberpunk."www.lovetoknow.com. Love to Know, NA. Web. 7 Apr 2011.
- Masterson, Lee. "Science Fiction Sub-Genres." Fiction Factor. Fiction Factor, 2003. Web. 7 Apr 2011.
- Goldschlager, Amy. "Science Fiction & Fantasy: A Genre With Many Faces." sfsite. SF Site, 1997. Web. 7 Apr 2011.
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