TF Views

Sparky, you need to stop cribbing. It even cites Rod Serling and the Cloaking Device vs. Ring of Power example! What a co-inky-dink! =p

*Ctrl + F*

*"Citation needed"*

*5 matches*

...I mean, come on, did you write that article or what? Is there any precedent for this concept outside of Wikipedia? Please name me *one* widely recognised author or critic who has used the term "science fantasy" with a straight face.

Just for clarity, I try not use generic distinctions when I can help it, because they're becoming more and more irrelevant as the mass media embraces convergence of technology and aesthetics. How many genre-bending metaphysical thrillers are we gonna watch on our satellite-hookup Google-sponsored Blackberries this year? LOTS. I don't believe there's a *need* for clunky, contrived terms like "science fantasy", especially if believers are going to use it to describe everything from Akira Toriyama to Edgar Rice Burroughs. What's the point?

Calling it now: He-Man is Science Fantasy.

Hahaha. Best example yet.

I love how *no one* ever mentioned or discussed the fact that He-Man's source of power is magical, yet he trucks around in an all-terrain vehicle with an A.I. viewscreen. You just know the Sorceress did NOT approve of the Wind Raider. *frown*

I always relished the dichotomy of Skeletor (wizard) and Hordak (scientist) as a little kid. I was smrt. Moar crossovers pls!

...But really, does it further anyone's enjoyment, engagement or understanding of He-Man to refer to it as "science fantasy"? =/ Like I said, when genres get that anal, it's time to just refer to fiction as "fiction", and use a little imagination and flexible thinking. Genres only get you so far down the road, and it's a looong road.

Shit. I meant to mention He-Man a few pages back but totally forgot. I mean, you gotta love a world where a freeze ray and an ice spell achieve the same effect. I think one could also argue the Buffy the Vampire Slayer show is an example of this too.

One could argue that an ABSURD amount of young adult and children's fiction from the past two decades are examples of this. That's my point. =3

'cos, srsly, once buffy, dragon ball, he-man and a princess of mars can be referred to as the same genre...? there's no point talking about genre. =/

Yes! Dragon Ball as well, there's so much shit from each in there--the whole ki energy blasts thing, random magical flight, special attacks powered by SHEER WILLPOWER, and also, magical capsule motorcycles.

If I write a fantasy story where the hero uses winged boots and a flaming sword to kill the bad guy then how is that any different if the hero uses a lightsaber and rocket boots. It's the same story, just different settings.

The point is that the McGuffins have the same effect, regardless of setting. In one story, the hero distracts the bad guy with a flaming sword, then runs up and clubs the bad guy with a pair of dragon skin boots. In the other, the hero uses a light-saber or laser-sword to distract the bad guy before clubbing him with a pair of jet boots.

Either way, the bad guy gets hit with McGuffin footwear.

If you change it to an episode of Deep Space Nine, it's not the same thing anymore at all. How would they defeat the Dominion if DS9 was LotR? Throwing a cloaking device into a volcano isn't going to stop them like the One Ring does to Sauron's army.

It woudl if the writers needed it to.

If they were so interchangeable, why would they be distinguished as two separate genre's in the first place?

Because the fandoms of both are obsessive and need things to be "just so", just like they need to toe stitchingo of their socks to be "just so" or their soup spoons to be "just so".

How many genre-bending metaphysical thrillers are we gonna watch on our satellite-hookup Google-sponsored Blackberries this year?

None, I down-graded my T-Mobile smartphone last week.

I love how *no one* ever mentioned or discussed the fact that He-Man's source of power is magical, yet he trucks around in an all-terrain vehicle with an A.I. viewscreen. You just know the Sorceress did NOT approve of the Wind Raider. *frown*

Fuck He-Man. Fuck him and the cat he rode in on. Fuck them all and their over-priced and damned near impossible to find action figures.

Fuck Matty Collector. In the ass. With an M-80.


That said, yeah. "Master of the Universe" is a good example of the two being blended, with or without the ridiculous term "science fantasy" being used. It never really bothered me as a kid. This might be because my first exposure to the genre was "Star Wars". But, I assumed that the tanks and hoverbikes ran on some kind of fuel source like a real tank or uh...hoverbike would, while some of the characters relied on magic. (Even in straight up sword and sorcery, not every character is a magic user. And, in sci-fi, not every character is an engineer.)

In a more advanced level, War Hammer does this. Their "40,000" setting is largely sci-fi, but has explicit fantasy elements. And, to further complicate things, there are examples in context of characters being superstitious about things that a clearly bunkum. (There are actually few enough examples of in-context proof that the Emperor actually exists. And, even then, many of the details are left up in the air.)


Dom
-but seriously, fuck Mattel with their own over-priced toys.

Sparky Prime wrote:If you change it to an episode of Deep Space Nine, it's not the same thing anymore at all. How would they defeat the Dominion if DS9 was LotR? Throwing a cloaking device into a volcano isn't going to stop them like the One Ring does to Sauron's army. Things cannot work like that in a universe based on real world laws of nature.

Yeah, cause Sauron's army being defeated by taking out one mcguffin is nothing like when Anakin stopped an army of droids by blowing up one ship. Or the time that the Gem H'Dar stopped attacking and ran like bitches because the founder they were working for died.

If they were so interchangeable, why would they be distinguished as two separate genre's in the first place?

Actually if you go into any video store in America, they're not. Fantasy films are in the Sci-Fi section.

Not for long, as video stores seem to be dying out. And, I think we can all be thankful for that. (Seriously, they spent the better part of two decades refusing to *sell* product, and were taken by suprise when people found work-arounds for that model.)


Dom
-would like to go all "1701" on the entire MotU line.

Dominic wrote:Because the fandoms of both are obsessive and need things to be "just so", just like they need to toe stitchingo of their socks to be "just so" or their soup spoons to be "just so".

Actually, my girlfriend has some weird toe condition that makes her big toe on her left foot swell up and shit, so she actually does need the stitchings of her socks to be "just so" or she'll be in unbearable pain until she takes them off. (She hasn't had this looked into because her job doesn't give her benefits.)

Fuck He-Man. Fuck him and the cat he rode in on. Fuck them all and their over-priced and damned near impossible to find action figures.

Fuck Matty Collector. In the ass. With an M-80.

Thank you.

That said, yeah. "Master of the Universe" is a good example of the two being blended, with or without the ridiculous term "science fantasy" being used. It never really bothered me as a kid. This might be because my first exposure to the genre was "Star Wars". But, I assumed that the tanks and hoverbikes ran on some kind of fuel source like a real tank or uh...hoverbike would, while some of the characters relied on magic. (Even in straight up sword and sorcery, not every character is a magic user. And, in sci-fi, not every character is an engineer.)

This is true. For example, there's people who call out Astrotrain's "Jettison some weight!" line in TFTM, but who's to say Astrotrain actually knows fuck-all about how space travel works?