Warp wrote:

>   It all comes down to one's *definition* of "sci-fi". Basically sci-fi
> has a wide scale of "hardness", and where people put the line between
> "real" sci-fi depends on personal opinion.

There are some who distinguish between sci-fi and science fiction.

Science fiction is reserved for those tales in which the author both 
believes that the science in the story is possible, and is also 
technically competent enough to know what is possible and what is not.

The term "sci-fi" refers to all works having the trappings of science 
fiction (the ships, robots, aliens, etc.), but which contradicts what we 
know about the laws of nature at some point.

The third category that winds up on the same cable channel and in the 
same rack at the bookstore is fantasy; that which is clearly impossible, 
according to our understanding of nature, happens in fantasy.  The main 
distinction between fantasy and sci-fi is that in sci-fi, the amazing 
powers are the result of forces that in the tale are understood on a 
scientific basis (i.e., they can show you the math), whereas in fantasy 
the powers are the result of forces that are, for the most part, 
mysterious and not terribly well-understood.

It is my observation that science fiction (or sci-fi) is best adapted 
for tales of a political nature, while fantasy is more adapted to tales 
about good and evil; which is why Star Wars is essentially a fantasy 
tale, and Trek is primarily a political one.

Regards,
John

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