I once read an interesting definition for science fiction someone proposed: if the story revolves around "what if?", it's science fiction. Usually, the "what if?" needs to revolve around something "sciency" in relation to us as humans.
By this definition, 2001 is science fiction because the plot is basically "what if there were aliens that came before us?"
Star Wars by this definition would not be science fiction because the plot is not speculative; it's more of a fantasy adventure that's set in space.
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