Does SFF stand for science fiction fantasy or speculative fiction fantasy? Isn’t the latter a little too ambiguous because speculative fiction basically covers all of them?
In the past, it was actually intentional to use ambiguous abbreviations like SF, SF/F, and SFF just to avoid having to decide whether something is speculative fiction, science fantasy, science fiction fantasy, or whatever. Rumors had it that some card-carrying members of the science fiction fan club were pretty snobby that they avoided using the term “Sci-Fi” because others might see it as an endorsement for a TV channel. To make things worse, back then the channel was mainly associated with a lot of mediocre films. Long story short, they preferred SF as the abbreviation for Science Fiction.
Now back to SFF; regardless of what it actually stands for, just think of it as the broadest possible category for speculative fiction. It’s an umbrella term for fiction that includes all speculative elements of science, magic, witchcraft, sorcery, supernatural ghosts, hypothetical future inventions, alien technologies, gods, mythical creatures, and whatever unknowable stuff that comes across the author’s mind. SFF is the genre of fiction where a combination of Godzilla vs. Kong, Star Wars, Interstellar, The Terminator, Batman, Alien vs. Predator, Thor, and Dr. Who seems possible. It’s the term you can use each time you don’t want to get into a heated argument about whether Star Trek is really science fiction or actually fantasy.
SFF As A Subgenre of Science Fiction
It’s even easier to think of SFF as part of the science fiction genre. According to the Magical Institute of Speculative Fantasy based on the Fictional Space Station, there used to be a dozen or so levels of science fiction. Over the centuries, however, one of them disappeared after going through a black hole in warp speed; another crash-landed somewhere around Bikini Atoll and is now kept in a bunker in Area 51; one is believed to have merged with The Force in the Outer Rim; Sauron melted at least two of them to make a ring; Hulk smashed another into oblivion and a few others teleported to the Phantom Zone. None of those may be discussed, unless in Vulcan language. The remaining three levels include:
Hard Science Fiction: fiction, but based on real-world science. The stories, the technologies, the space battles, and the society at large are depicted in such a way that the narrative adheres to what is theoretically possible. The Andromeda Strain (1969) by Micheal Crichton, Neuromancer (1984) by William Gibson, and The Martian (2011) by Andy Weir are examples of hard sci-fi.
Soft Science Fiction: While there are some hypothetical technologies discussed, soft sci-fi mainly focuses more on societal and psychological issues rather than scientific accuracy. Even when it touches on scientific subjects, it doesn’t explain their plausibility. The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood and 1984 (1984) by George Orwell are great examples of soft sci-fi.
Science Fantasy: it’s just like any other sci-fi, but all the technologies, environments, settings, and scientific advancements depicted in the story are not at all grounded in the laws of physics and biology. Popular examples include A Wrinkle in Time (1962) by Madeleine L’Engle, Lord of Light (1967) by Roger Zelazny, and The Time Machine (1895) by H. G. Wells. Anything that includes faster-than-light space travel is categorized under science fantasy as well.
Some people say that science fantasy is a subset of soft science fiction, and they may have a point. At the very least, soft sci-fi still tries to make you believe the plausibility of teleportation and that spaceship battles look just like jet fighters dogfight in World War II.
Science Fiction Fantasy
In the strictest sense of the term, science fiction deals primarily with how actual (hard) and imagined (soft) sciences affect individuals and society. Even if the science as depicted in the story is real, or at least plausible based on our current understanding of the laws of physics, just about everything else is fictional – it’s not a real-life account. And in contrast to what you’ve seen many times in movies, sci-fi doesn’t always happen in the distant future. Sometimes, the story is set only decades ahead of the present time, featuring technologies that are just slightly different from what we have today, like advanced AI, autonomous cars, and laser weapons (yes, they’re real).
Fantasy uses elements that exist only outside the realm of science as parts of the narrative. Certain fantasy stories disguise those elements in a way that they appear like genuine science, such as intergalactic travels, interdimensional portals, people with super strengths, and so on. Most fantasy stories, however, deliberately highlight the fantastical sides with the presence of mythical creatures, wizards, supernatural animals, cars transforming into giant robots, etc.
With that in mind, you might think that science fiction and fantasy are incompatible with each other, but you’d be wrong. Many stories can be easily categorized as a mixture of the two genres. A lot of superheroes in comic books are science fiction fantasy, especially when the main characters have their superpowers from advanced technologies, such as Iron Man and Batman. Both characters probably come from the realm of sci-fi, but their enemies are often villains with magical powers (Mandarin and Poison Ivy, anyone?) or pure fantastical figures.
We think the biggest differentiating factor between science fiction and fantasy is the degree of scientific plausibility of the elements used in the story. Science fiction ventures into a world where plausible scientific advances affect humanity, whereas fantasy relies on mythical or supernatural accounts to explain its stories (if explained at all). But then again, it’s not impossible for the two genres to collide (or should I say “combine” instead?)
Which superheroes are not inherently fantastical? What is your favorite science fiction fantasy TV series? We’d love to hear from you.
Other Things You Might Want to Know
Some movies that blend science fiction and fantasy:
Dune film series
Star Wars film series
Avatar film series
Thor: Ragnarok
Hellboy
The Fountain
Serenity
Are extraterrestrial creatures categorized as sci-fi or fantasy?
A lot of movies depict aliens and many extraterrestrial creatures as actual possibilities. But that’s where real-life plausibility ends. The Milky Way galaxy alone has billions of planets, and there are up to two trillion galaxies in the observable universe. So, aliens are indeed within the degree of possibility.
What is “Dark Fantasy?”
Dark fantasy, sometimes referred to as fantasy horror, is a subgenre of fantasy that uses frightening or disturbing elements as parts of the stories. It’s not meant to evoke fear with jump scares, murder, ghost apparitions, or witchcraft, but it weaves fantastically bleak settings or twisted reality into the narrative to create an unsettling atmosphere.
