The Big Divisive Question: Star Wars Or Star Trek? Pages 1 2 3 NEXT | |
The Big Divisive Question: Star Wars Or Star Trek? Does your answer to this question say anything about you as a person? Today: examining the Star Wars fan. (Not personally, as a type. Come on.) | |
You pretty much summed me up in a nutshell, Elizabeth, and I do prefer Star Wars over Star Trek. It'll be interesting to see what you have to say tomorrow. Also: Yay! We can finally comment! I've been waiting forever to do that! | |
Star Wars is just knights and religion with a new paint job. /yawn I'll stick to Star-Trek. | |
I prefer Star Wars, though I'm not sure the description is apt. Star Trek is probably the better science fiction, but I always enjoyed Star Wars more. | |
Good morning everyone, my name is Stiffkittin and I am a Star Wars addict. Do we all know the 12 steps? Good, and now I will lead us in the rendition of the serenity prayer... | |
I think it has more to do with the person commenting and less on the choices. Its like the Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones. You can like one or the other but its impossible to like them both equally. I think Star Wars required a bit more fantasy/imagination to create the universe, while Star Trek was meant to show a possible future for the universe we inhabit (more the sci-fi route) personally i just prefer the characters and archetypes in Star Wars, it made the experience much more enjoyable because there were fringe characters that weren't always just good or just evil. | |
Star Wars > Star Trek That's the way it is, and the way it will always be. | |
I like them both, for different reasons. For me, asking which is better, Star Trek or Star Wars, is like asking which is better, The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia They're both excellent, genre defining masterworks, but they're only superficially similar. It's why I was disappointed with the new Star Trek movie, even though, as a Summer action flick, it was excellent; the thing just smelled of Star Wars, and that does not sit right in the Star Trek universe. For the record, I'm one of those Star Trek fans who absolutely loves The Motion Picture, and even likes Star Trek V as the only Star Trek film aside from TMP to really seek out new life and go where no man has gone before. It sucked as a movie, but it was good Star Trek, and I think it might have been really good all the way around if Paramount had just let Shatner make the movie he wanted to. My list of favorite Star Wars films is more conventional, with Empire easily topping the list. Expanded Universe novels from both series are favorites for Summer reading. | |
Star Trek is for children and people who hope that the better side of man will prevail while Star Wars say it won't we'll just do bad things on a grander scale and a few good people will either stop it or have justice done at the end of a pointy flashlight. Look at the key difference you see in Star Trek and Star Wars. The Star Trek universe analog to religion is the Prime Directive (at least to the Federation) which is a rigid code of conduct concerning less advanced species while in Star Wars the Republic and Empire share technology but more likely than not enslave them and have an actual religion called the Force. Besides that you run into the whole problem that greed fuels Star Wars universe be it for credits (that universes currency) or power and people do terrible thing for both while in Star Trek there is a currency used by some species but the Federation some how convinces people to work together for knowledge and self improvement. How I don't know. Star Trek is clean and orderly and feels to me artificial while Star Wars is dirty and chaotic which is how life really is. | |
Star Trek is C-Span with punching ![]() | |
Politics is a bad thing? I quiet enjoy thinking. | |
I wonder if age is a factor here? Star Trek debuted in 1973 as a TV series, while Star Wars debutted in the movie theatres in 1976. Both were pretty revolutionary at the time, and if you were an adult or at least a teanager back then you'd be able to judge them equally and have a good distinction. For anyone born during or after that time then wouldn't there be a strong bias towards Star Wars? That's the cooler and more kid friendly of the two, a timeless classic which we all would have watched and enjoyed before we were at an age to appreciate Star Trek. And by the time we were old enough to get into Star Trek it's no longer as revolutionary or new as it once was. Personally I loved Star Wars starting as a kid, and for Star Trek as a teen was a big fan of The Next Generation... but that was the only series I liked, they're all actually fairly different. So for someone my age (near 30) I don't think it's a fair question because I don't see the two as being on equal standing to be compared with each other, like an older geek would | |
Neither. Both are inferior to Babylon 5. Yes, I went there. | |
One thing to add: Star Wars vs Star Trek is very much: Individual vs Collective In Star Trek, most if not all of the problems are solved by the teamwork of the crew and by collaboration with various allies. There is comparatively little characterization of each individual, instead focusing on the dynamic between them. In Star Wars, it's the opposite. While there are relationships, the story focuses mainly on individuals and their own personal struggles and how they became intertwined within the story. I'd elaborate further, but I'm freaking tired, may edit this tomorrow. | |
It's Apples and Oranges. One is no better than the other. | |
Star Wars here. I say Elizabeth, I fall in love with you more and more each time you post something new. And looky there, you live in the same state I do. << | |
Star Trek 1-3, Star Wars 4-6. Amirite? | |
Wait what? Try 1966 for the original Star Trek series and 1976 for A New Hope. Basically it comes down to this: Star Trek is based futuristic technology based in Science So the question here is Science vs Magic. | |
Imma Star Wars man, myself. And what you've described about me is almost right. But as for sci-fi vs fantasy I don't lean towards either. And maybe drop the compassionate bit, most of my actions are with the greater consequences in mind, sure, but the bottom line for me is how well will I be off after the situation resolves. | |
I think the same way, why not both? For me it is more like most everything. But it also depends on what is in for me at the moment. Right now it is Doctor Who for me, well for four years since I discovered it, it has mostly been what I have been into watching. I couldn't believe I missed the longest running science fiction show in history. It was a few months after I found it that I learned that it had been around since 1963. Then I just exploded and did all I could to study the show and it's rich history, watching as many old episodes as I could, especially the first ever episode. I've bought most of the new seasons, and have 13 of the story arcs and 2 collections of the old series on DVD, though I hate saying old series because it is all connected. I also have three complete comic collections, one being my prized 23 issue set that Marvel did in the 80's. I also had a sonic screwdriver, but I will have to get a new one, I used the other one so much that it broke. But yeah, that is what I am into at the moment 75% of my interest power. But to show what else I liked in the sci-fi realm. I of course like Star Trek(everything: except the last movie, it is an abomination in my eyes) and Star Wars. Before Doctor Who, I was crazy on Stargate, I own the special edition of the movie the inspired the tv series, all of Stargate SG-1,and the first two seasons of Atlantis. I'm ashamed to admit that I still watch Stargate Universe. I was just curious when things were actually going to pick up and when a real plot would unfold, well it finally happened with the last episode. It is about time, it took them one and a half seasons to do it. All they have to do now is get off the Battlestar Galactica(Hate BG) styling(camera movements like a love sick dog deciding what person to go to) by switching back to a real filming method like from SG-1. Also the can drop the soap opera stories, love triangles and "oh I have to tell you it's your baby, oh the baby didn't make it, oh the baby is alive because the nice unseen aliens teleported it from my womb to a prefect planet". Once they drop that they will have a real show, proper Stargate series. Enough of the relationships and more pew pew space battle action. It is pretty bad when in one of the recent episodes where the Colonel had a dream about the ship getting blown to smithereens, I actually jumped for joy saying, "Yes! Yes! The show is over!!! The all died, ha ha ha!!!" -------- But not limiting my choices. Doctor Who beats everything ever. | |
Beam me up, so I can give you a high five. Though I of course loved the Picard movies as well. | |
Whoops that's a typo on Star Wars, 1976 was what I was thinking. For Star Trek I just did a quick imdb search, I guess I picked up on the first movie rather than the series? Basically all I'm saying is this argument has more meaning & impact to people aged 40+, and is apples & oranges for the most of the rest of us... or maybe I don't spend enough time with fellow geeks! | |
Both are pretty meh imo. What does it say if you don't really care for either and prefer Doctor Who so much more? | |
Not quite: For most fans, it's Star Trek: even films only, Star Wars: 4-6. However, the only bad Star Trek movie from the original cast was 5; TMP is in my top two Star Trek films, and 3 is pretty good in its own right. The Star Trek films from Generations on are a whole different can of worms, and just aren't as good as the original six. Edit: In Star Trek, 2-4 make up a self contained trilogy. Is it possible that those are the films you were referencing when you said 1-3? Because the first film was made well before the rest of the series, and it's almost completely disconnected from the rest of the films. | |
I personally prefer Star Wars over Star Trek because I was born with Star Wars. | |
I prefer star trek because of the fact that it is based in science to me star war is just a fantasy film with a bit of tech stuff mixed in while star trek explains what things do and how they came about(generally) but in the movies(the only star wars media I have seen) it is just "these are lightsabers screw how they work or how they were invented it was a space wizard alright." now maybe there are detailed explanations about how stuff works in the books and such. one of the other things I like about star trek is it based in reality there are place names and names of people who you know so in star trek it is "wow data you are almost like Da Vinci" "wow cp30 you are like zarnoo" one of those has meaning to everyone the other doesn't. | |
Me too, which is why watching the original Star Trek series was so mind numbing. | |
This is a gaming site so shouldn't video games enter into the equation at all? The actually choice is very hard for me as both win in different areas. I have watched more hours of Star Trek by far, seeing most if not all of the original Star trek series at least once, most if not all of the Next Gen at least once and All of DS9 (my favorite) at least once. I watched quite a few episodes of Voyager even though I didn't like the captain at all, but I have not watched the latest version Enterprise or whatever it's called. Thats many hundreds of hours of shows though. Meanwhile I have watched the original Star trek trilogy probably at least 10 times over the years and Episode 1-3 twice. The Star trek movies don't win for me vs the Star wars movies, but if you lump the Star trek TV shows in with the movies I think it comes out ahead. But then you have both video games and books. I've read some Star Trek books but honestly none of the authors really grabbed my attention. On the other hand Timothy Zahn did a GREAT job with his Star wars books and many other authors (some quite well known that I have read before) did as well. In the battle of the books Star Wars wins easily for me. And then the biggest landslide by far for me is video games. Honestly I have never played a Star Trek video game that made me happy. I've played a ton but even DS9 First person shooters etc fell very short and I have never found a Star trek video game that I spent more then 100 hours on or even close. There are so many GREAT Star Wars video games that it's pointless to even list them. Many of them are in the top 10 of my favorite games by genre (RPGs,Flight Sims, RTS,s etc). Since video games are very important to me and Star Wars has just about covered every type of video game I like (and well), it not only wins hands down but obliterates Star Trek in this category. So even though I often enjoy pure science fiction and I was not a big fan of Episode 1-3....I'm going to have to go with Star Wars over all. I am not sure if they really should be compared to each other but if I had to choose between the two and the one I didn't choose suddenly ceased to exist all together, I would choose Star Wars in a second. Star trek was good and I have spent many many hours watching it on TV.....but I have spent more hours playing Star wars games by far and I enjoyed them much more. | |
God I hate the original series. | |
It says that you are awesome, but mostly likely not open to certain story styles. I love all three and many, many, many, many, more shows, I could probably come up with at least 50+ shows that I love. It's most likely because I am a creative writer that loves most story genres and styles. | |
What does it say if you don't really care for either and prefer Mobile Suit Gundam? :P | |
My little brother (A manic Star Wars fan) once asked me 'The Big Question', it took me an entire day to come with an answer. I really enjoy both series, but each for different reasons, if you asked me to compare "Next Generation" with "A New Hope", I would say that I enjoyed the plot of NG more, but I liked the characters in NH better. Essentially, it all comes down to personnel preference, Mac or PC? Coke or Pepsi? Star Wars Or Star Trek? In the end, all that really matters is that you can sit down with a fan as dedicated to something as you are, and have a magnificent conversation about it, whether or not you take the opposite side. | |
Amen to that. Personally, I've never been able to get into Star Wars. They're entertaining to watch, but even when I was younger I didn't think they were particularly brilliant and the popularity they have and how much people defend them really baffles me at times. Anyway, Farscape beats everything. | |
Man, I love me some Farscape. As for the the original question, there was a time when it would have been relatively easy for me to say Star Wars. However as time has passed I have begun to like Star Trek more and more. Lucas' bull crap over the last little over a decade has not helped Star Wars' cause either. | |
Im a Star wars fan...i liked how you summed us up.....:D we Wars fans souond pretty cool indeed. | |
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