CHOOSE A SIDE!- Star Trek vs Star Wars

[Wee67]

Well, not really. You can like both, BUT... which franchise do you like better in totality?

I just saw the final Star Wars film and was thinking about all the properties over the years- the movies, the cartoon, the Disney+ series. The totality.

I realize Star Trek has much more content, but that may also be a reason you like it less. You may adore TOS but been turned off the franchise by your distaste for all the spin-off series or you may hate all the films except Khan.

Then again, you may love A New Hope and Empire but may have little interest in the Clone Wars or The Mandalorian. You love the first three movies, but not the entire franchise.

I am NOT trying to re-start arguments over the prequels or Kirk vs Picard. I definitely think you can like both, but I'm curious if you like one more.

[Mikey]

If you would have asked me this in the late 80's I would have said Star Trek without a doubt...

Today though, Trek passed me by …

I have no interest in Next Gen movies, Voyager, Enterprise and the new series (I don't even know the name)

The Kelvin Treks are mehs … No love, no hate

I'm also not interested in new Star Wars but I wouldn't be opposed to watching them if they ever come on TV … No spinoffs though

[PNGwynne]

I'm a Trekkie, first and last.

Star Wars (1977) is one of my favorite science fantasy films, though.

[MRP]

I loved Trek first (discovering it in syndication and the animated series circa '73 or '74, plus having the Megos), I loved Star Wars more (once I saw it in '77 I became Star wars obsessed and had more Star Wars stuff than I ever did Trek). Over the years I followed both, but my passion for both waxed and waned over time. I lost interest in Trek about the time of DS9 and never watched Voyager. Saw a few episodes of Enterprise because my roommate at the time and later the woman who would become my wife both watched it, but I never really got into it. Due to abject poverty in our family and other circumstances circa '83, I never saw Jedi in the theatres, and by the time I did see it on cable I was vaguely disappointed, and my passion had waned. The Dark Horse Dark Empire mini and Zahn's Thrawn trilogy reawakened my love of Star Wars and I was again a big Star wars fan up until I saw Phantom Menace, and then the passion waned again. I had vaguely followed Trek over the years, seeing some of the theatrical releases, loving Khan and Search for Spock, being disappointed by the others, but it wasn't until the 50th anniversary hoopla in 2016 that my interest in Trek was reignited, and when I was recovering from surgery for 3 months in early 2017 I re-watched all the original Trek series on Netflix and part of TNG that got me back into it all the more again.

Overall, I've seen a lot but not all of the Trek material, but I have seen everything Star Wars (except Resistance the new cartoon). I've read about an equal number of novels from both properties, but more Star Wars comics than Trek.

So, I am a fan of both, but Star Wars has had a bigger impact and primacy of my interest between the two for a bigger chunk of my life despite discovering Trek earlier, so I will give the edge to Star Wars for me.

-M

[sprytel]

Star Trek... based solely off the TV episodes and films from TOS and TNG. I love Star Wars dearly. But I prefer Roddenberry's optimistic view of what our future could be -- how people can solve their problems through being smart and creative and virtuous, rather than through war and space magic.

[Palifan]

Although I enjoy watching Star Trek in it's various forms i really was a Star wars fan first and certain l;y have way more Star Wars collectables than Star Trek. Star Wars was the big one when it was released and my Action man toys moved over for the 3.75 SW figures as soon as they became available (which was in April 78 which was lucky for me as it was also my Birthday in that month). I loved all things SW growing up (well until those Ewoks showed up and I knew the writing was on the wall), and got back into it again just after the Special editions were released. I've always loved the design of the world and far they pushed special effects but these past few years have certainly taken the edge off of it with all that's been put out there. I still do enjoy watching the films and seeing what toys are being released but I have all the vintage goodness I need from the toy line and even though I did venture back into collecting some of the modern toys with the release of the new trilogy I pretty much stopped collecting it over a year ago and have now concentrated on more monster related items and other vintage toy lines.

Star Wars will always have a special place for me in my heart and Star Trek is defiantly a second place where other sic-fi products are concerned but I'm still glad that both of these franchises are out there.

Ian

[Hedji]

Star Wars

This will sound terrible, but when I was really young, Star Trek seemed "old" and a bit silly to me. We used to mock the soprano vocalist in the theme music. And the concepts, ideas, and pacing were, frankly, way above my head. I was ignorant, in the truest definition of the word. I wasn't stupid, but I didn't understand it.

Star Wars was immediately accessible. And it imprinted itself on me.

I had to grow into Star Trek as a teenager, and I love that period of discovery.

I love them both now, of course. But Star Wars is my favorite if I have to choose a side with honesty.

This thread is fun, but what I really dislike is the notion out there that you can't like both. It gets perpetuated by movies like "Fanboys", and to this day I have Star Wars friends who shudder when I mention Star Trek. Seems to me they would appeal to the same audiences.

We should also remember that George Lucas was likely a big Trek fan. So much of the technology (light speed, cloaking devices, tractor beams, carbonite) MUST have been Star Trek inspired. I don't think we'd have Wars if not for Trek.

[palitoy]

Definitely Trek these days, although I do admit to thinking Trek looked severely dated when Star Wars came out and i promptly threw it under the bus. I'd say since my teenage years I've been more into TOS than SW. I don't have any love for extensions of that though, no TNG or DS9 for me, same goes with SW, original stuff is pretty much the only thing i like.

[CrimsonGhost]

If I have to take into consideration every iteration of ST and SW, I don’t think I like either of them. I definitely dislike more Star Wars movies than I like, and I dislike more versions of Star Trek than I like.

Sooooo.... I guess Star Wars?

[Bruce Banner]

Star Wars, since the summer of 1977.

[TrekStar]

Definitely Star Trek, first started watching reruns of TOS with Mom back in the day, then of course getting the Mego Trek figures for Christmas and birthdays.

Along came 1977 and went to see Star Wars at the movies, loved it and got some of the Kenner figures right after the movie came out.

I liked Empire Strikes Back better, and of course needed those Kenner figures. I was not a big Return of the Jedi fan, Boba Fett dying in a very lame way

and I did not want any of the Kenner Jedi figures, I got some of the Star Trek ones still available instead and still enjoyed my Mego Star trek figures and never stopped.

Ill always be a Trekkie true in true.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I like Star Wars, but wasn't a huge fan of it as a kid. I was about the only kid I knew who wasn't totally enamored with it. It was really odd.

But I got into Star Trek hard at about age 6, and I watched it with my Dad. There's more TO Star Trek. It's deeper and honestly smarter, even if it's probably less fun and exciting in a lot of ways.

But I'll always be more of a Trek guy.

Chris

[Wee67]

If I have to take into consideration every iteration of ST and SW, I don’t think I like either of them. I definitely dislike more Star Wars movies than I like, and I dislike more versions of Star Trek than I like.

Sooooo.... I guess Star Wars?

I've really enjoyed the responses so far but Crimson Ghost's candor made me chuckle.

For me, it's easily Star Trek. Like Sprytel, I've always the not-so-subtle hopeful messages of ST. I came to both franchises later in life (teens) and I had also developed an appreciation of kitsch. Once Kirk read the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, I was forever in love. I've always wondered why Star Wars just did not have a major impact on me. I even disliked the figures (lack of Mego-like articulation was too disappointing to me.) I think the prequels killed off any hope of Star Wars supremacy for and the recent films have just been OK for me. Rogue One and Solo were my favorite post ROTJ films.

[YoungOnce]

Great topic.

It’s hard to do an either or... so let me do a little self-analysis in real time here...

Favorite aspects in descending order...

1. Star Wars original trilogy
2. Star Trek- original series
3. Star Trek first four feature-lengths
4. Star Trek Next Generation
5. Star Trek Megos
6. Star Wars comics; Marvel run
7. Force Awakens, Rise of Skywalker
8.Mandalorian
9. Star Wars prequels trilogy
10. Star Trek Enterprise series (guilty pleasure of mine)

If I simply go by the top spot, it’s Star Wars... but after that Star Trek fills out the rest of the top five for me.

[thunderbolt]

I like Star Wars, but wasn't a huge fan of it as a kid. I was about the only kid I knew who wasn't totally enamored with it. It was really odd.

But I got into Star Trek hard at about age 6, and I watched it with my Dad. There's more TO Star Trek. It's deeper and honestly smarter, even if it's probably less fun and exciting in a lot of ways.

But I'll always be more of a Trek guy.

Chris

That is literally a cookie cutter of my experience with Trek with my pop too. So I have more love for it than SW. And c'mon who doesn't want to see Kirk drop kick a few Stormtroopers.