Science Fiction in my definition is best considered as a sub-type of "Speculative Fiction" (which field also includes Fantasy and Horror).
NOTE WELL: much of what I say here about Science Fiction applies to all forms of Speculative Fiction, and many times I would rather not segregate any of the sub-fields. So many people don't / can't understand that, though, and therefore I will try my hand at some logical separations.
Within Science Fiction, or more generally SF&F ("... and Fantasy"), it is possible to find every other form of recognizable literary or entertainment endeavor. Every individual develops their own personal expectations, however (my father once called the original Star Wars movie "the best bang-bang shoot-'em-up Western I've seen in a long time").
In my own view, science fiction separates itself from fantasy by remaining true to the current expectations of eventually-provable hard science with only a few "extensions". By this definition, Star Wars is better described as "science fantasy": extra-atmospheric craft behaving as if in atmosphere,
"the Force" & Jedi / Sith-lords, plus F-T-L travel.
In my opinion, it is better at this time to label most SF including psionics and other "mental powers" such as telepathy as Science Fantasy. Likewise with many of the "parallel dimension" & time travel tales. (Rationale: yes, there may be truth behind the various claims that people make, but hard evidence is all too often still lacking.)
Without regard to label, I still like SF&F, watch SF&F, and read SF&F. Especially read!
An important concept, that "read": science fiction first began to be identified as a separate genre of fiction when it appeared in magazines during the 1920s. It is the legacy of those magazines that specialized in science fiction that led directly to the B-movies of the '50s, the radio dramatic series, and eventually to television series as well. (MANY of the radio scripts first appeared as magazine stories; the classic SF movie The Thing was originally a magazine story under the title "Who Goes There?". There are many, many other examples...)
Personally, I don't just read SF&F. I read history, non-fiction, technical manuals, and just about anything else that rumbles along. I also write: primarily SF&F or poetry with a fantastic element, plus non-fiction. My (paying market) fiction credits to date have been game-related or collaborations, but I'm still collecting rejection slips regularly.
In the following lists, the entries are in no particular order at the present time. (I'll expand & revise them into a ranking system later...)
The casual observer may note in this listing of media-sourced science fiction offerings that there are both serious and not-serious items. Science fiction as presented by the visual media is often at its best and brightest when tongues are inserted firmly in cheek: consider the reasons behind the relative success of the relatively light-hearted Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in comparison to the more seriously-toned Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
"Here endeth the lesson."
Related Notes:
I've no doubt missed several authors or works on this first pass. Expect updates to this page from time to time.
Particularly after I decide how to handle Star Trek and the "evil empire" mentality of the lawyers at Paramount.
Comments, complaints, and brickbats should be directed to the fool who built this page.
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