San A, TX Is Star Wars Science Fiction?

I'm not an expert in judging whether a series is more Science Fiction than Fantasy, but I know that Star Wars did have some science laced into it's theme. For instance, the tie fighters used ion engines, or ionized gas for propulsion in space. Not too long ago, NASA launched a probe that is propelled by ionized xenon gas. DAWN, launched in 2007 uses three ion engines to propel itself to the dwarf planet Ceres and later the asteroid Vesta. The ion engine allows for accelaration from 0 to 60 mph in four day. DAWN is not the first probe to utilize ion engines and NASA has made significant progress with ion engines. There has even been testing of laser based ion engines. Lasers and hover craft have provided the United States airforce with some interesting uses on fighter jets. And there's more science used throughout the story lines.

 

Good points about the ion engines etc.

For me, STAR WARS has always been more about the space opera, myths and archetypes, and not so much about the strict science and believability of the dialogue, nor adhering to any single "timeline" of the fictitious universe.

Seems like the EU, especially the novels, is where you encounter more of the "hard science" and static events of the GFFA. Also, check out the Visual Dictionaries and Cross-Sections books.