Psience-fiction'¦'¦'¦WTF?

[Nomadic]

This is just not something I am going to agree on in terms of canon vs non-canon (I don't acknowledge the prequels as canon but I do strongly consider many of the books as canon). I do agree that Lucas isn't very consistent and in my opinion he has ruined his setting.

Back on the topic though when I hear that something is psionic but not magic my mind translates it to "something is magic of the mental schools and not of the other ones". I cringe when I see something called psionics as a separate thing from magic (I also cringe when it is used in sci-fi; but again I like hard sci-fi).

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

In the films, the only thing that realy breaks this mold is Force Lightning.

Actually that's in line with psychic powers such as the ability to start fires at a distance, essentially energy creation/control.

[XXsiriusXX]

This is something that's always bothered me, as well. I've never really "accepted" most reasoning for why one kind of supernatural flimflam is acceptable and another isn't, because I don't usually see a fundamental difference between them.

One thing to keep in mind is that the definition of what is and is not science fiction has changed a lot over the years, and has become much more relaxed. Much early sci-fi (like the now-rare subgenre, "hard" sci-fi) concerned itself with projecting realistic technological advances into the future, extrapolating future possible scientific revelations while still obeying physical laws. For example, the fiction of Sir Arthur C. Clarke was so grounded in sound scientific principles that he predicted advances including geosynchronously-orbiting satellites and electromagnetic pulse weaponry.

Of course, much of what we get nowadays is "soft" sci-fi, which is no longer grounded in any kind of respectable science, and which is essentially fantasy literature which happens to take place in the future and/or in outer space. In that kind of context, it's much easier to reconcile psychic power, since it's just magic with a different coat of paint on it. (Similarly, a lot of silly soft sci-fi technology is also magic with a different coat of paint on it.)

Well I think it might have something to do with the fact that there has been real scientific research into psi abilities.

Many other people have commented on this, but I feel that I should just clarify my post.

Yes and that is why I used the term "research".  The point of the post was the fact that there has been research into psi abilities and that could be the reason why they are classified under sci-fi. At no point in the post was there corroboration that these powers do or do not exist.