Is Star Wars Science Fiction?

What is Star Wars? What specific genre does it really fall under? It is listed as both science fiction and fantasy, but which one is it really? It all depends on how you want to look at the series as a whole. Do you want to look at it as one, or individual movies? I consider a movie to be Science Fiction when there is a new scientific breakthrough in the story relative to the universe to which it is set. This breakthrough can be a technological advancement or otherwise, but it must be new in the setting and it must be central to the story in the terms of how the characters deal with it. Under this definition, the only one of the six films in the series that can be considered science fiction is the first one, these days known as Episode IV: A New Hope. The reason for this is the Death Star. The Central conflict in A New Hope is the creation of the giant space station with the capabilities to annihilate an entire planet. This is a new technology being introduced that forces the characters in the universe to deal with, an unprecedented weapon that could change the balance of power in the galaxy. At first glance, it would appear that we could list Episode II: Attack of the Clones as science fiction, but if we remember, cloning already existed in the universe, so it was no advancement, and I wouldn't consider the "cloners" being able to finally speed up aging as an advancement that would greatly contribute to the plot. Whether it is ten or twenty years to grow the clones, it has no effect on the story. That Being said, we must consider the Star Wars saga as a whole to be fantasy and not science fiction. Could it change? Sure, but that depends on the direction that Disney takes the series, but even from the first entry, it was dominantly fantasy, with the Death Star being the only element of science fiction in the movie. everything else, while new to us, was already established in the universe of which it was based. Science fiction is not about how new something is to us, but rather to the setting of the story. A movie about the invention of something as primitive as the bow and arrow or the discovery that the the Earth orbits the Sun is just as valid as science fiction as a story about the advancement of robotics. It is the discovery of the new and unknown, but from the point of view of the characters, not us. Now, I know some who will read this will be screaming and saying "what about Star Trek?" Well, unlike Star Wars, Star Trek has always been about new discoveries. The first one had the unknown alien entity, Wrath of Khan had the Genesis device, and so on. So, sorry Fan Boys, but the Trekkies win this one. I have always been a fan of both series, but of the two, Star Trek is the only one that is truly science fiction. You can debate the merits of the films all you want, but Star Wars cannot claim to be science fiction just fantasy. But it's still, FULLY AWESOME!!!!!!!!!