Science fiction, often abbreviated as sci-fi or SF, is a genre of speculative fiction that explores imaginative and futuristic concepts rooted in science and technology. It typically deals with themes such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, extraterrestrial life, and the societal or individual impacts of scientific advancements
. Key characteristics of science fiction include:
- Imagined elements that do not currently exist but are extrapolated from scientific knowledge or speculation
- Exploration of possible futures or alternative realities
- Use of scientific facts, theories, or speculative science as a foundation for storytelling
- Themes such as time travel, space travel, aliens, robots, superintelligent computers, and speculative technology
Science fiction can serve multiple purposes: it entertains, inspires wonder, critiques present-day society, and explores philosophical and political issues through futuristic or alternative scenarios
. The genre has a rich history, with roots traced back to antiquity but formally emerging in the 19th and 20th centuries with authors like Mary Shelley, Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells, who combined scientific ideas with imaginative storytelling
. In summary, science fiction is a narrative form that uses scientific concepts and imaginative speculation to explore the impact of science and technology on individuals, societies, and worlds-often set in the future or alternative realities
