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.

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.

Pirate Kitty:
Star Wars is just knights and religion with a new paint job. /yawn

I'll stick to Star-Trek.

Star Trek is C-Span with punching

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

It's Apples and Oranges. One is no better than the other.

RandV80:
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 1973

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
Star Wars is based off Myth and Fantasy that is almost Magic

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.

Owyn_Merrilin:
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.

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!!!"

--------
Though while I like both, if I had to choose between Star Wars or Star Trek, I would choose Star Trek, if fits more with what I hope for with future technology.

But not limiting my choices. Doctor Who beats everything ever.

Scotty.:
Star Trek 1-3, Star Wars 4-6.

Amirite?

Beam me up, so I can give you a high five.

Though I of course loved the Picard movies as well.

Baldr:

RandV80:
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 1973

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
Star Wars is based off Myth and Fantasy that is almost Magic

So the question here is Science vs Magic.

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?
But the greater gap I think would just further my point. The original Star Trek broke new ground in science fiction and was great for geeks of the time creating a huge amount of nostalgia. Star Wars on the other hand came out a bit later but had much more mass appeal and was also kid friendly. Anyone born during or after would more than likely have experienced Star Wars first, and with the increase of sci-fi shows have a much lesser chance to become a Trekky convert.

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!

Scotty.:
Star Trek 1-3, Star Wars 4-6.

Amirite?

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.

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.

Tiswas:
Both are pretty meh imo. What does it say if you don't really care for either and prefer Doctor Who so much more?

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.

Runsta:
Neither. Both are inferior to Babylon 5. Yes, I went there.

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.

Im a Star wars fan...i liked how you summed us up.....:D we Wars fans souond pretty cool indeed.
But i like Star Trek a bit too....i say a little bit simply because i didnt have access to alof ot the Trek episodes. I do remember watching the series on TV but i was way too young and i barely remember anything....shit i just know proffesor Xavier from ST -_- i was just a kiddo.
But Star Wars was a huge thing ni my country and i grew up under its influence so i am a Wars fan. Now i could say even if i sit down n watch all Trek series n movie n comics n bla bla that id still like Star Wars...but that would be true only because im already a huge wars fan and it will be impossible to make the transition.
But they both did their jobs at shaping nerd pop culture so im happy the 2 franchises are still strong :)