This is Light Sabers (Star Wars) vs Phasers (Star Trek)
To a normal human being, Star Wars and Star Trek are, and I quote, “The same thing”. Beyond the similar name, each has a lot of space ships, strange worlds, ray guns and Aliens who look like humans with prosthetics and make up. But us geeks aren’t normal human beings. We know just how different they are.
I have been a fan of both the series and I’m, in fact, writing this while watching (again !) Star Trek: The Next Generation S01E06 “Where No One Has Gone Before”. To those who might not remember, here is the story of the episode: Warp efficiency tests send the Enterprise traveling far beyond known space, where the crew’s imagination takes on real form. First appearance of Eric Menyuk as The Traveler. Being a fan of both, one would wonder why am I doing this? Well, this is what geeks do. So continuing the absolutely useless tradition, I’m going to decide which is better – Star Wars or Star Trek.
First of all Star Wars: It was inspired by Flash Gordon adventure series of 1940. It presents an elemental struggle between good and evil. All the characters are at the extremes of good and bad, but never in the middle. Even Darth Vader switches from good to evil, he is never in the middle- he is always at the extremes. Star Wars requires you to blindly follow what the story says. It says that the main characters are the most important in their world. When Luke returns from blowing up the Death star, every one is in the mood for partying, while Luke is upset that R2D2 was damaged. He couldn’t care less for his friends and other comrades that were blown to pieces in the explosion of the Death Star ! After Darth turns back to the side of the good, by killing the Emperor, the ghost of Anakin, Obi-wan and Yoda appear. So.. Anakin was atoned of all his sins just by saving his son? The many people he killed, the familes he destroyed, all are forgiven just by saving his son?
Star Trek, on the other hand, has a premise that earth is united 250 or so years form now. At least, Star Wars happens “In a galaxy far far away”, so what we know about earth doesn’t apply. Trek is Sci-fi while SW is Space Fantasy. But that doesn’t allow them to develop implausible technologies such as Warp drive and Transporters.
Star Wars would have been better if the prequel trilogy wasn’t made and probably Ewoks. But Star Trek could have been better without Star Trek V, Generation, Insurrection and Nemesis.
Star Trek’s creator Gene Rodenberry, said that he draws his inspiration for Trek from Gulliver’s Travels that implied a morality tale. While Star Wars draws inspiration from Beowulf and King Arthur, and the origins of myth and world religions apart from Flash Gordon. David Brin, characterized the philosophy of Star Wars as elitist and authoritarian, as compared with the more progressive and egalitarian spirit of Star Trek. Star Trek was an influence while writing the original screenplay for Star Wars. The two franchises nonetheless have a “symbiotic relationship”, states William Shatner, who credits Star Wars for the beginning of the Star Trek films as has Leonard Nimoy.
So ultimately, Star Trek, wins as it provided us with more entertainment value and is better in certain ways as Gene delivered us things that we may or may not see in the near future (Or far)!
Next week: War of the Captains!! Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) vs Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) vs Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) vs Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks)
Galactica 