Poll: Sci-Fi vs. Fantasy,who wins?

[ImperialSunlight]

The thing is that Science Fantasy is still fantasy more than sci-fi since it can't happen in real life.

So, science fiction has giant mechs... and science fantasy (which is fantasy) has giant magical mechs. Shaped like dragons.

Edit: Fantasy wins btw.

Science Fiction - (Noun)
- a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible (or at least non-supernatural) content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities.

Super Natural

1.(of a manifestation or event) Attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature

I'm pretty sure that means that we are still allowed to classify Jedi, Protoss, and the Zerg as "Sci-Fi". Actually, even dragons and the like could be considered science fiction if placed in the proper context.

Well, jedi are essentially magicians so they would be fantasy based unless you're talking about just lightsabers rather than the force, in that case, I wouldn't argue with you, although lightsabers are somewhat implausible by science as we know it. The force can't be seen as a paranormal ability since it's not really a psychic ability but rather an omniscient deity-like all encompassing entity... I'm pretty sure that's beyond scientific understanding.

The protoss and Zerg, while I admittedly don't know much about Starcraft, are aliens and don't have truly unrealistic abilities as far as I know so, yes, they would be considered sci-fi. Dragons aren't really the most impressive of fantasy entities, or at least the basic ones aren't. A sci-fi dragon would have to base its abilities off of what's scientifically plausable. Therefore, the most that it could be believed to develop would be fire breath and that would be extraordinary. A fantasy dragon could have 20 heads, each using a different form of breath, each more deadly than the last. And be magical. And immortal. And a god. That is why fantasy would defeat Sci-fi in a battle. Sci-fi has to be plausible. Fantasy doesn't.

 

[DustyDrB]

Sci-Fi tends to be more creative. It still borrows heavily, but you don't hear things like "standard Sci-Fi races". That's my biggest peeve with Fantasy. Make something new, dammit. I enjoy meeting new races, learning their cultures, and just seeing or imagining how they look. While reading books, I almost always stop for a few minutes when a new race is described so that I can create a mental picture of them.

 

[OddModlin]

Fantasy.... not sure if anyone has read the later books from the Magician series by Raymond E Feist... but Pug takes down a dreadlord by THROWING A MOON at it... 'nuff said.

 

[Grayjack]

I say Sci-Fi. I doubt dragons can do much when a planet is being orbitally bombarded.

 

[Skoosh]

Well it depends on the media for me. I've enjoyed more scifi books, like Philip K. Dick and Asimov. Videogames though, I tend to like the fantasy setting more, like Dragon Age and Fable. Movies...hard to say, nudge to scifi.

All in all, I think I like the fantasy setting a tad more, so I voted for it. Sometimes real science gets in the way of me enjoying scifi. Tries too hard to sound possible, so I think about it and go "no that wouldn't work, silly" where as fantasy I just go "magic, sure. Can't argue with that." Fantasy doesn't bother trying to sound possible, that's why it's called fantasy. Science fiction can get into bad science too often though, and I hate bad science. Scifi has more potential for depth though, I think. It's harder to do it right, but can come up with some really deep stories, which is why it's so close.

[edit] Whoops, misread the topic, haha. Didn't realize it was an actual battle, not jsut a popularity contest. Hrmm. Well scifi tends to be on a completely different scope usually. Making stars go supernova kind of shit, fantasy doesn't usually go much past destroying a civilization or race. Fantasy heroes tend to have an absurd amount of luck though, fate and destiny and all. Scifi heroes tend to be more tragic, haha. Could see a fantasy guy jumping in a magic portal and blowing up the mothership by throwing a magic sword into the engine core or something, and all the future scifi guys groaning at how implausible it is.

Take out BS luck/destiny stuff and scifi would decimate the fantasy people. Hell, regular old modern technology would have a good chance against it. Super powerful wizard is throwing fireballs, high-powered rifle snipes him before he gets close. Treants and trolls against an Abrams? Good luck, haha. Nuclear strike Mount Olympus, see how immortal they really are.

 

[Yopaz]

I would have to go with fantasy on this. Most of what you get it science fiction is raping science with numerous abominations when it comes to breaking the laws of physics while pretending they do not. Fantasy is more of a "Screw the laws of nature! I got magic!"

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Fantasy wins everytime because it can ignore logic. Science is crippled by having to make sense.

Proof: Shoot your little brother with a finger gun and see how many different ways he can argue for him having killed you instead.

 

[Sean951]

Sci-Fi. They would show up, and before the puny fantasy armies even new they were at war, they could destroy the planet Death Star style. Sure, they may have some immortal beings, but they are suddenly immortal while floating in space and freezing solid rather quickly, and right after firing, the Sci-Fi fleet jumps with the Improbability Drive, and no one knows where they are going.

 

[Dethenger]

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic...

Ha, but no, let's not bullshit ourselves. Fantasy wins. Sci-fi, while fictitious, is still engrained in science, and therefore has limits. Magic is not thus inhibited.

 

[Sean951]

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic...

Ha, but no, let's not bullshit ourselves. Fantasy wins. Sci-fi, while fictitious, is still engrained in science, and therefore has limits. Magic is not thus inhibited.

Magic isn't limited... and yet fantasy is full of wizards who can't do what you ask because "even magic can't do that."

I think Supernatural best exemplifies my view of technology vs magic. The Dresden Files also manage to do this. Sure, magic is damn powerful, but it can't stop a bullet fired from a mile away unless they already knew it was coming. But if they knew it was coming, why even show up there?

 

[Nautical Honors Society]

You can have elements of sci-fi in a fantasy and still have it be fantasy, but you can't have elements of fantasy in sci-fi and still have it be sci-fi. So fantasy wins, although I love both.

 

[mikespoff]

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke.

As a side note, Star Wars is fantasy in a space setting, not sci-fi.

 

[Sean951]

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke.

As a side note, Star Wars is fantasy in a space setting, not sci-fi.

I disagree. If it was a fantasy setting, they would not have tried to explain the Force in Episode 1. We may all wish that it had never happened, but it did and is official canon.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

Sci fi. If there are enemy gods the sic fi forces might lose a lot of planets but eventually the sic fi guys would eventually build a countermeasure to destroy or lock them away.

I would like to read a book with both. Prehaps a nice fusion with cyborg orcs and machines that only wizards can power, acting as a battery.

 

[Chase Yojimbo]

In my opinion, both win. Since I write Hardcore Sci-Fi Fantasy, I find that it is possibly
the best combination (If done correctly) of Hybrid Genre's.

 

[Nouw]

Warhammer 40,000. Where are your gods now? We've taken their skulls for the skull throne, or maybe genetically mutated it. Maybe turned it into a robot!

Seriously though, the only things that separate the two genres are their explanations for everything. Magic, Science. Therefore, Warhammer 40,000 beats both My inner-fanboy is pleased with this thread!

Snip

I love your post man. I really do. If there was a thread for hilarious/best posts, I would put that in.

 

[angry_flashlight]

My vote's sci-fi. Way more potential for large scale destruction. Fantasy Gods tend to wipe civilizations out, sci-fi tends to wipe whole planets/star systems out. Also, the gods might get kinda weak if no one worships them if you Alpha-strike the whole planet with the Death Star. Just pop out of Hyperspace, acquire targeting data, and BOOM!, no more planet. Rinse Repeat until finished.

Didn't the original Starship Troopers books have a bunch of guys with jetpacks with nuclear missile launchers? I don't see how a bunch of guys with swords could really stand up to that. Try casting magic while being incinerated by dozens of nukes, it's not going to happen. Huge armies? Not a problem. Gigantic monsters? Eat a nuke. Oh, you survived? Have another 6.


No matter who wins the overall war, The Gods of Chaos win.

 

[Sir Shockwave]

Fool! There's no limit to the power of SCIENCE!

[HEADING=1]Ahaahahhaahahahahahahahhahahaha![/HEADING]

This. Oh so much this.

You win the thread good sir ;3

Anyways, I think this entire topic can be summed up with one picture:

Fantasy has Giants, Sci Fi has Mechs. Fantasy has Dragons, Sci Fi has Spaceships. Fantasy has Magic, we have Forbidden/Dangerous/Unstable/Plebotinum based Technology. The odds are fairly even.

 

[Adrian Neyland]

The can both co exist and even come together in their own sub genres. SCI/FI FANTASY.

 

[deus-ex-machina]

I figure Sci-Fi will trounce this, but I'm personally a much bigger fan of fantasy. In some ways, I like Sci-Fi because everything that is imagined is usually based on some form of existing science be it hypotheses or advancement of current technology and things that appeared improbable 100 years ago now exist. In the future, it could come true and that freakin' rocks.

But I like the idea of magic, spirits, demons etc. I love movies/books that combine sci-fi and fantasy, but I doubt I'll ever be able to summon a sword and magically blast slow walking people out of my way.