I have a magic crystal, it contains many secrets. At my and only my touch, it will reveal its bounty.
This crystal fits in my pocket but also contains the world. Upon uttering the correct incantation, my crystal will allow me to speak to those far across the realm.
But I must be cautious, pondering my crystal for too long can be addictive and one must exercise restraint, lest nothing else is done beyond contemplation of the depths of the world.
SciFi is just a matter of perspective; to a medieval king my cellphone is a magic crystal. The ability to travel significantly faster than a horse; would have seemed like magic; imagine the talk of great power; if rather than the weeks of travel between London and Edinburgh in the 1700’s you had a personal air craft able to do it in a few hours.
But you’ve identified the differentiating factor. In Fantasy, the hand-waving is mystical. In Sci-Fi, the hand-waving is technical. If ya mix the two, you get Shadowrun, or Star Wars before the midichlorians.
I have a magic crystal, it contains many secrets. At my and only my touch, it will reveal its bounty.
This crystal fits in my pocket but also contains the world. Upon uttering the correct incantation, my crystal will allow me to speak to those far across the realm.
But I must be cautious, pondering my crystal for too long can be addictive and one must exercise restraint, lest nothing else is done beyond contemplation of the depths of the world.
SciFi is just a matter of perspective; to a medieval king my cellphone is a magic crystal. The ability to travel significantly faster than a horse; would have seemed like magic; imagine the talk of great power; if rather than the weeks of travel between London and Edinburgh in the 1700’s you had a personal air craft able to do it in a few hours.
But you’ve identified the differentiating factor. In Fantasy, the hand-waving is mystical. In Sci-Fi, the hand-waving is technical. If ya mix the two, you get Shadowrun, or Star Wars before the midichlorians.