The genres of science fiction and fantasy are often considered part of an even larger genre known as speculative fiction, defined as «a broad literary genre that encompasses any fiction with supernatural, fantastic, or futuristic elements.» Speculative fiction speculates on fictional worlds and characters completely different from ours or with elements outside our reality. In other words, it`s fiction based on the question «What if…?»: What if we developed technology that could allow us to travel to other galaxies? What if mythological figures were real? Hard science fiction follows strictly scientific facts and principles. It focuses heavily on natural sciences such as physics, astronomy, chemistry, astrophysics, etc. Interestingly, hard science fiction is often written by real scientists and is known for making both accurate and inaccurate predictions of future events. For example, the most recent film Gravity, the story of a female astronaut whose spacecraft is damaged while repairing a satellite, was known for its scientific precision about what would actually happen in space. By the 21st century, science fiction had become much more than a literary genre. Its enthusiastic followers and practitioners formed a thriving global subculture. Fans enjoyed the seemingly endless variety of SF-related products and hobbies, including books, movies, TV shows, computer games, magazines, paintings, comics, and more and more collectible figurines, websites, DVDs, and toy guns. They often held well-attended and well-organized conventions where costumes were worn, crafts sold, and folk songs sung.
Science fiction and fantasy generally differ in their plausibility and the way they explain how the universe they represent works. In general, the wonders (or horrors) of a science fiction story are presented as the result of plausible scientific advances. In contrast, the elements of fantasy are often based on supernatural or mystical explanations (if explained). Science fiction comedies often satirize and criticize today`s society, sometimes ridiculing the conventions and clichés of more serious science fiction. [192] [193] Science fiction gained popularity in the 1950s because technological developments such as nuclear power and space exploration combined with the end of World War II sparked public imagination about ideas of space, dystopia, alternative futures, and militarization. So, while the scenarios and elements of science fiction stories are imaginary, they are generally possible — or at least plausible, according to science. But the size of science fiction also provides cover, allowing writers to subtly look at ideas that are even less acceptable to the masses than world war. Stargate SG-1 was created in 1997 and lasted 10 seasons (1997-2007). In addition to entertainment, it can also criticize today`s society, and is often said to evoke a «sense of wonder.» [4] Science fiction often turns actual scientific theories into full-blown stories about what is possible and/or imaginable. Many stories use hard facts and truths from science to: The term science fiction was popularized, if not invented, in the 1920s by one of the genre`s leading proponents, American publisher Hugo Gernsback, who gave his name to the Hugo Award for Science Fiction Novels.
Gernsback published Amazing Stories, the first in a series of magazines devoted exclusively to what he called «science fiction.» The genre encompasses a wide range of stories with many different themes and themes. Regardless of the specific technologies or scientific advances represented, science fiction often speculates on their impact or consequences on the reality of the world described. In other words, science fiction stories often think about how science and technology can go wrong for individuals or society (often as a metaphor for how they can or have gone wrong in our own reality).