Generic Participation: Generic participation is determining which artifacts participate in which genres.

Is Star Wars considered to be part of the fantasy genre?

Many Star Wars fans are split over which genre the space adventure series fits into – fantasy or science fiction (sci-fi). The fantasy genre is described as being set in a fictional world/universe, using magic or supernatural elements in the main plot, theme, or setting, contains magical or unique creatures, and is distinguished from other genres according to the plausibility of its events. Sci-fi, on the other hand, is characterized by: dealing with imaginative concepts such as technology, space travel, time travel and extraterrestrial life.

While at first glance, Star Wars appears to be strictly categorized as a sci-fi series – it includes space travel, advanced technology such as space crafts and death stars, and includes extraterrestrial life on pretty much all of the planets that are visited by the human characters. However, Star Wars also fits into the fantasy genre with its magical element of “the force” used by Jedi characters. “The force” is unexplained by any form of advanced technology and is described by Obi-Wan Kenobi as “the energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.” While the use of words like “energy field” lead the audience to believe that “the force” is based on science, not all of the characters in the films have access to the ability, giving a more magical element. Another element that could be argued to fit into the fantasy genre is the non-human creatures in Star Wars. It is all a matter of how you define extraterrestrial life and magical or unique creatures. As most of the planets in Star Wars are inhabited by humans and these creatures, can they really be considered extraterrestrial beings? On Luke Skywalker’s home planet of Tattooine, humans and Jawas (strange little creatures who collect scrap metal) live in harmony together. Similarly with the wookies, as one of the main characters, Chewbacca would not be categorized as an extraterrestrial being, as he is the companion of the characters.

Star Wars participates in the fantasy genre by its magic-like element of “the force” and the little creatures that cohabitate on planets with the humans. While the films are predominately viewed as strictly sci-fi, with a closer look they also fit into the fantasy genre as well. It’s overlap between both the sci-fi and fantasy genres make it possible to form an analysis for either one.

Word count: 418

“Star Wars: A New Hope movie poster” Amazon.com