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Old 04-12-2012, 11:58 AM   #45
bill_mchale
Wizard
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan View Post
Bill, I just consider it nitpicking. Saying something has a scientific source (hyperdrive) doesn't necessarily mean it does, and to me, that makes it just as mystical. Conversely, saying something has a mystical origin could only mean the person is not aware of the scientific principal behind it (or is purposely obfuscating the issue).

The point is, we're talking about sci-fi, and the one thing about sci-fi is that it doesn't have to be scientifically accurate to be sci-fi... in fact, the barn door swings wide.

Anyway, that's just me.
Well, I am going to respectively disagree . Its more than nitpicking in the sense that it is about the world view that goes toward building the story. Space Opera, like all science fiction is, in some degree built around a scientific world view; that the powers, challenges, and resolutions that are presented in the story are somehow explainable by the rational mind. A space fantasy like Star Wars approaches things differently. The Force might be explained in what it is, but not how it operates. Users of the Force can foretell the future, heal wounds, show other amazing powers (even up to bringing about a virgin birth!) but these powers are generally presented as being beyond rational understanding. Indeed Obi-Wan, Yoda and even Vader talk about the force in religious terms, not scientific terms.

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Bill
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