Over the past few years, I’ve used Star Wars Day as a way to talk about two of my favourite things – Star Wars and cybersecurity. I wrote about scammers in 2020 and IoT in 2021, and I really thought I’d write about IoT again this year. After all, there’s no shortage of IoT blunders to talk about and tie into the Star Wars mythos. Instead, an article that I saw changed the direction of this post.

On May 25, 1977, Star Wars premiered. Imagine what it would have been like to be in a theatre on that night, experiencing the birth of what would become one of the biggest franchises in history. Think of the amazing moments you experienced the first time you watched the film, but no one had spoiled them or quoted them to death. I wish I could say that I was there, but sadly I wouldn’t be born for another 1,744 days.

I do, however, remember the first time I watched the films with my dad. There were so many magical moments in that film. One that stands out these days, however, is “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.” Seeing that scene play out begs the question is this science fiction or fantasy. That question is asked frequently and argued both ways on numerous websites across the Internet. Nobody asked, but my answer to the question, “Is Star Wars science fiction or fantasy?” is simply, “Yes.”

The fantasy in that scene is the use of the Force. While I’m sure that fit the criteria for Fantasy in the 70s and it definitely did when I first saw the film, I’m not sure that it would feel very fantasy-like today. Today, people routinely give their money and personal information to strangers. (Read more...)