I do not think the term “science fiction” applies to Star Wars in any way shape or form. It is fantasy, and here’s why.
First, a dictionary definition on Science Fiction: fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets.
Key word is future. Science Fiction, whether hard or soft, relies on science to imagine a future- which could be from tomorrow all the way to millenniums ahead. 2001 is hard science fiction. Star Trek is soft science fiction.
But Star Wars does not imagine a future, in fact, it doesn’t even take into account science. Not even our history is remembered.
Instead we are taken to a world entirely separate from our own, with entirely different scientific laws. The Star Wars galaxy is like Middle Earth. Star Trek might create vast portions of the galaxy, but it’s still got the Sol System.
On Google, Jurassic Park files first under “fantasy”. Star Wars files first under “sci-fi”. Somewhere pop culture began associating anything in outer space as science fiction, and now Star Wars must be sci-fi because it is in outer space. But it’s not. On the other hand, Jurassic Park is pure science fiction. They spend an exntended time explaining how they brought the Dinos back and let us watch the ramifications. Like most sci-if, jurrassic park raises questions on human progress. Star Wars does not deal with science. Light speed is a thing, because it is needed for the plot. Dropbox is not, as its existence would create a giant plot hole.
I guess what I’m trying to say is the difference between science fiction and fantasy is that in science fiction, the story tells us something meaningful about scientific advancements (whether political, economical, or cultural). But in fantasy, science serves the story.
Back in the 70’s, stories set in outer space were always about the future. Star Wars was the first to change that. It took the classic “fantasy world” popularized by JRR Tolkien and created a “fantasy galaxy”. But space travel was so rarely thought of and out there, people assumed incorrectly. As space exploration becomes increasingly closer, I imagine people will finally see Star Wars not as sci-fi, but as fantasy that just happens to take place in outer space.