Claim: Star Wars is not a science-fiction franchise.
Evidence: Star Wars -LRB- later retitled Star Wars : Episode IV -- A New Hope -RRB- is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas.
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare , melodramatic adventure , interplanetary battles , as well as chivalric romance , and often risk-taking.