What's Sci Fi Got that Fantasy Don't Got?

[Desdichado]

Heh... yeah, there are few, myself included!

Indeed. Me too.

 

[Blue_Kryptonite]

This seems like a good time to bring out the fact that I learned to play D&D from a Priest and a Nun during freetime hours in a Catholic School as an activity approved by a Bishop. Tolerance of fantasy in general, even within the same faith, is often widely variant.

 

[MaxKaladin]

Actually, one big difference between fantasy and Sci Fi is that Sci Fi tends to ignore religion as much as possible. Fantasy tends to have some sort of fictional religion as a fairly integral part of the story and setting as well as addressing other topics (like magic) that are sensitive to people of religious faith. Sci fi, on the other hand, tends to avoid these issues as much as possible, though there are exceptions. Even when sci fi addresses these issues, it tends to be as ambiguous as possible. Many stories substitute philosophies for religions, as is the case with Star Wars. If actual religious faiths besides judeo-christian ones are used, writers tend to tiptoe around the subject of whether there is any truth to them at all. In effect, sci fi leaves a lot of room for people of faith to enjoy the stories through the filter of their own beliefs where fantasy, specifically D&D derived fantasy, doesn't.

 

[Captain Tagon]

People in sci-fi bathe.

 

[Prince Atom]

I actually thought Orson Scott Card had an excellent take on this misconception. He put forth the idea that there are three types of "evil" in literature...

1. Literature that depicts evil.
2. Literature that advocates evil.
3. Literature that is itself evil.

Great post, Sigil!

I wish more people could distinguish between real and imaginary. I think, then, that we'd have fewer people angry about things like D&D and Harry Potter, and fewer people also slavishly devoted to Star Trek, Star Wars, &c. and upset that such things can't come to pass.

I just don't see the difference between pretending to be an uber sword master or an archmage and pretending to be Superman or the One who will bring balance to the Force.

I'm disappointed -- I love D&D -- but he's not making me stop playing. And I'll have just as much fun playing sci fi or supers with him, I know. I'm just going to miss the possibilities.

There is a point in roleplaying that comes round every so often, when all kinds of possibilities and opportunities lie in front of you, ready for the picking; that's an exciting time, and I'm going to miss not having him or his wife involved in any of those with regards to D&D.

OTOH, maybe this is a perfect chance to meet new people

TWK

 

[Prince Atom]

People in sci-fi bathe.

No they don't.

I give you the stereotypical Trekkie. He doesn't bathe, and he's never kissed a girl.

TWK

 

[Captain Tagon]

No they don't.

I give you the stereotypical Trekkie. He doesn't bathe, and he's never kissed a girl.

TWK

I wasn't talking about fandom. Characters in Trek and Star Wars and most sci-fi fiction tend to be clean. Most characters in fantasy fiction have barely heard of bathing. That murders my suspension of disbelief.

 

[Prince Atom]

I wasn't talking about fandom. Characters in Trek and Star Wars and most sci-fi fiction tend to be clean. Most characters in fantasy fiction have barely heard of bathing. That murders my suspension of disbelief.

Whoops, sorry. My bad.

But it does stretch my own suspension when Luke et al come out of the trash compactor smelling like roses, or Spock swings this huge honkin' weapon at Kirk, who gets an itsy-bitsy, teeny-tiny, sexy scratch across his recently-shorn chest.

I actually thought that Peter Jackson's decision to keep his actors grimy was fairly effective and realistic.

Besides, I always kind of assumed that characters in fantasy novels kept themselves reasonably clean. At least they don't come down with festering wounds if the world they're in doesn't have disease-preventing magics.

TWK

 

[I'm A Banana]

What's Sci Fi Got that Fantasy Don't Got?

The Future.

 

[Captain Tagon]

Yeah, it's really a minor thing. But for some reason it really really bugs me. So much so that one of the things in the fantasy setting I'm working on is a sort of magical bath/shower left over from one of those ancient legendary socities that are always in fantasy settings.

I don't necessarily mind gritty injuries and stuff, or even getting dirty out in the wilderness and such. I just like for my characters to be able to get clean back in the cities, and have the reasonable expectation that people around them are clean and don't smell horrible.

Maybe it's just part of living in a hippy town and realizing how annoying it can get?