Editing Science fiction fandom (section)

==Offshoots and subcommunities==
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| date = December 2021
}}[[File:Star Wars Celebration IV - The 501st legion guards the Obi-Wan bust I won as sculptor Lawrence Noble returns it to the booth (4878296123).jpg|thumb|The [[501st legion]] guards an [[Obi-Wan Kenobi|Obi-Wan]] bust at [[Star Wars Celebration#Celebration IV|''Star Wars'' Celebration IV]].]]
As a community devoted to discussion and exploration of new ideas, fandom has become an incubator for many groups that started out as special interests within fandom, some of which have partially separated into independent intentional communities not directly associated with science fiction. Among these groups are [[comic book]] fandom, [[media fandom]], the [[Society for Creative Anachronism]], [[gamer|gaming]], and [[furry fandom]],<ref name="furry">{{cite book|last=Patten|first=Fred|year=2006|title=Furry! The World's Best Anthropomorphic Fiction|publisher=ibooks}}</ref> sometimes referred to collectively as "fringe fandoms" with the implication that the original fandom centered on science-fiction texts (magazines and later books and fanzines) is the "true" or "core" fandom. Fandom also welcomes and shares interest with other groups including [[LGBT]] communities, [[libertarians]], [[neo-paganism|neo-pagans]], and space activist groups like the [[L5 Society]], among many others. Some groups exist almost entirely within fandom but are distinct and cohesive subcultures in their own rights, such as [[filkers]], [[costuming|costumers]], and convention runners (sometimes called "[[SMOF]]s").

Fandom encompasses subsets of fans that are principally interested in a single writer or subgenre, such as [[Tolkien fandom]], and [[:Category:Star Trek fandom|''Star Trek'' fandom]] ("[[Trekkie]]s"). Even short-lived television series may have dedicated followings, such as the fans of [[Joss Whedon]]'s ''[[Firefly (TV series)|Firefly]]'' television series and movie ''[[Serenity (2005 film)|Serenity]]'', known as [[Browncoat]]s.

Participation in science fiction fandom often overlaps with other similar interests, such as fantasy [[role-playing games]], comic books and [[anime]], and in the broadest sense fans of these activities are felt to be part of the greater community of SF fandom.

There are active SF fandoms around the world. Fandom in non-Anglophone countries is based partially on local literature and media, with cons and other elements resembling those of English-speaking fandom, but with distinguishing local features. For example, [[Finland]]'s national gathering [[Finncon]] is funded by the government, while all conventions and fan activities in [[Japan]] are heavily influenced by anime and [[manga]].