Star Wars or Star Trek?
Okay, folks. I know my post is early this week, but I owe you after last week's tardiness!
You’ve hung in there with me for fourteen weeks’ worth of posts, and I want you to know I appreciate you all so much. I’ve touched on some light-hearted topics and have also interjected some material that has made you think and get the feels―or so I hope. Now, the time has come for my most serious post to date. It’s the kind of thing that may spark some tension, perhaps even within your own household, yet I feel compelled to broach this most sensitive of subjects for the good of the many universes. I just have to know… Is the Force with you, or will you Live Long and Prosper?
Listen, I get it. We’re not all sci-fi geeks, yet you’d be hard-pressed to convince me that you haven’t been touched in some small way by these two franchises, so I hope you’ll do me the favor of reading on.
In honor of Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you), I thought it would be fun to have a friendly debate over which of these venerable space franchises speaks the loudest to you. And, yes, Trekkies, I realize you have your own day, but it’s not until September 8th, so maybe you can be content with the fact that I’m bringing your universe up so early in the year?
First up, Star Wars, which debuted in 1977. It’s a space opera, leaning more toward fantasy. We’re talking Jedi, the force, light sabers, Muppets, and the ages-old struggle of light versus dark. On one side is Yoda, Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Obi-Wan, R2-D2, C3PO, Rey, Poe, Finn and an infinite number of rebels fighting the good fight (we shall not mention Jar-Jar…ever). Commanding the other side are Darth Vader (aka Anakin), the emperor (aka Senator Palpatine), Darth Maul (kind of a split personality, IYKYK), Kylo Ren, Assajj Ventress, and a bunch of badass Moffs with British accents (well, other than Giancarlo Esposito, the ultimate badass Moff), and a host of storm troopers who failed marksmanship class. Then there are those in-between characters, such as Mace Windu, Jabba the Hut, Ahsoka Tano, Lando Calrissian, the Mandalorian, Grogu (yes, sigh, Baby Yoda), all those other Mandalorian dudes, and the inimitable blue-skinned/red-eyed Thrawn.
Even though Star Wars happened a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, the original Star Trek series predated all the above drama by over ten years and focused on branching out into the cosmos in the name of science and exploration. We started this ride by following James…T…Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Bones, Chekov, Sulu, and the forever-stressed-for-time Scotty through a series of discoveries and misadventures, where wearing a red shirt meant you were going to have a very bad―and very short―day from episode to episode. This was good old science fiction, with tricorders, phasers, teleporters, and those darn flip phones that somehow live on in our real world today. We encountered the gamut of human emotions (and a peculiar, raised-eyebrow lack thereof) from week to week. The crew consisted of a wonderful mix of ethnicities during a time of racial strife, which further endeared the show to its audience. And let’s not forget that Gene Roddenberry’s timeless classic would have been forever lost if not for one Lucille Ball (Kids, ask your folks who Lucy was).
And I’m only touching the tip of the kyber crystal here with these two franchises. One could go on and on about the Clone Wars, Deep Space 9, the Old Republic, Discovery, the Bad Batch, the Next Generation, Order 66, and more. So many characters and actors got into the mix through the decades and I’d need a captain’s log and a bunch of star dates to record them all. When you think about all the movies, books, television series, comic books, memorabilia, Lego sets, video games, etc… and how it has all seeped into our Earthly lexicon, it’s truly mind-blowing.
So, whether you’re standing on a sand dune on Tatooine―shielding your eyes from its twin suns―or trying to count all those troublesome Tribbles while replacing a defunct dilithium crystal, you have to admit that these two worlds have shaped our own existence in significant ways. They have provided us with countless hours of entertainment and given us pause to wonder. They have made icons of folks like Mark Hamill, William Shatner, Carrie Fisher, Patrick Stewart, Harrison Ford, Leonard Nimoy, James Earl Jones, George Takei, Pedro Pascal, and a bunch of others. Established actors also got into the game along the way, eager to join in on the endearing lore these two franchises have gifted to us. A plethora of industries sprouted up in support as well, leading to the creation of other sci-fi entertainment and enriching special effects in new, enduring ways.
Aside from the question I’ve posed in this post’s title, one has to wonder if life follows science fiction, or vice-versa. Look at all the gadgets and theories presented by these two universes that have been replicated and explored in real life. Regardless of which team you’re on, and even better if you have a foot in each one, isn’t it wonderful to have these old friends to count on? They have allowed us to dream, to wonder, and to make that cool hand signal as a peaceful greeting during family events. The Big Bang Theory would have been a much smaller explosion on the TV screen without Star Wars and Star Trek (Wheaton!!!). All the fan clubs and events that brought reclusive folks out of their homes to socialize among the safety of like-minded people would not exist. It became cool to be geeky and to flex our imaginative and creative muscles.
There are certainly a lot of serious things going on in the world, as there have always been, and I know that science fiction may not solve those issues, but I for one am thankful to have this wonderful means of escaping present-day reality, if only for a few hours at a time. The combination of myth, magic, and wonder has enriched my life and continues to do-so.
And since I’m sure you’re wondering, the Light Side of the Force is strong with me, but I can see the value in boldly going where no one has gone before.
Thanks for tuning in, and I would LOVE it if you could bring this conversation to my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571589012782), since I know there is a lot I haven’t touched upon, so please take a moment to visit and leave your thoughts. Until then, whatever you are, trust in the Force and be a good one.
-Dave
