What Is Science Fiction? The Elements That Define Sci-Fi

From fire to the internet, science and technology have shaped and changed the world. But we can imagine so much more. Time travel! Teleportation! Interstellar spaceships! These are the realm of science fiction.

In this article, we’ll discuss what elements contribute to a story being categorized as sci-fi and provide examples on page and on screen, including “hard sci-fi” classics as well as some books and movies that you may not have realized fall into the genre.

What is science fiction?

Science fiction, popularly shortened as sci-fi, is a genre of fiction that creatively depicts real or imaginary science and technology as part of its plot, setting, or theme.

The fiction part of science fiction means, of course, that it’s a fictional story—not a real-life account.

The word science refers to the fact that the story in some way involves science or technology that—no matter how advanced—is depicted as being based on real scientific principles, as opposed to involving magic or the supernatural. 

Science fiction isn’t always ultra futuristic. Sometimes, it depicts technology just beyond or slightly different than our own.

The genre encompasses a huge range of stories with many different themes and topics. Regardless of the specific technologies or scientific advances being depicted, sci-fi often speculates about their effects on or consequences for the reality of the world being described. In other words, sci-fi stories often ponder how science and technology can go wrong for individual people or society .

These high stakes mean that science fiction stories are often thrilling or even terrifying—sci-fi horror is a genre unto itself. Still, science fiction is not always scary, and most sci-fi stories also include elements from other genres, such as mystery, romance, comedy, and fantasy.

Science Fiction vs. Fantasy

The genres of science fiction and fantasy are often considered to be part of an even larger genre known as speculative fiction, defined as “a broad literary genre encompassing any fiction with supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements.” Speculative fiction speculates about fictional worlds and characters completely different from our own or with elements outside of our reality. In other words, it’s fiction based on asking “What if?”: What if we developed a technology that could allow us to travel to other galaxies? What if mythological figures were real?

The first example about intergalactic travel is an example of a sci-fi premise. The second example about mythological figures is an example of a fantasy premise.

The fantasy genre encompasses stories dealing with supernatural or unnatural events or characters, those that exist outside the realm of science and instead in the realm of magic and mythology.

Science fiction and fantasy are usually differentiated from each other based on plausibility and how they explain the workings of the universe they depict. In general, the wonders of a science fiction story are depicted as the result of plausible scientific advances. In contrast, the elements of fantasy often rely on supernatural or mystical explanations.

For example, both a science fiction and a fantasy story may have a character who is able to shoot lighting from their hands. If a character is able to do this because they have a genetic mutation or machinery in their hand, this would be classified as science fiction. If, on the other hand, the character is able to do this because of magic or because they are a god , this would be classified as a work of fantasy.

But stories aren’t always so easily distinguished. Remember, these genres are artificial ways of classifying stories. Many stories blur the lines between the two genres, or have elements of both, or transcend the idea of genre altogether.