Star Wars emphasizes the Fantasy and Mythology while Star Trek is more about Science (Fiction). Each has their good and bad, but I prefer Star Wars. There will be a large void without either of them.

Roast me over a slow Klingon fire if you will, gang, but I can't see any comparison over STAR TREK and STAR WARS. STAR WARS was a cartoon version of sf for people who didn't know and didn't care about sf. The original TREK had some of the finest sf writers on our little blue world (Sturgeon, Spinrad, Ellison, Bixby) smokin' with =real= people and =real= (at the time, and many still relevent) issues, a =great= ensemble cast... Sue me in care of the board.

I enjoy parts of both worlds, though much of both falls short of what I enjoy in visual sf. (For the best recent sf TV show that never was, check out Firefly. Or, conversely, the first four seasons of BABYLON 5, which kicks STAR TREK's you know what.) Here are my 2.5 cents.

STAR WARS is science fantasy, but taps into deep storytelling and mythic emotions, which created a resonance in both sf and non-sf fans when it first came out in 1977. Until 1999, fans only could point to three movies in the STAR WARS universe, and when the new trilogy came out, most people steeped in the nostalgia of their youth failed to connect with the new movies. Also, George Lucas seemed to care more about effects and the wow factor, rather than story-telling and dialog. Thus, the newer movies seem stilted. The *action* in REVENGE OF THE SITH, however, is superb.

STARK TREK gives us more episodes to choose from, and five major series plus ten movies. Cherry pick the best, and STAR TREK probably beats out STAR WARS. The original STAR TREK had some great writers, but this is TV land, and even Ellison and Sturgeon are powerless when the producers as usual demand more sex and action, so we tend to remember little of the great writing (except "City on the Edge of Forever," and "Trouble with Tribbles"), and instead the fact that Kirk always 1) got the girl and 2) relied on his fists rather than brains. NEXT GENERATION had some great moments, and the best villains in sf - the Borg! DEEP SPACE 9 proved an ok replacement, but in the end did not measure up to ST:NG. VOYAGER had Seven of Nine, and little else ;-) ENTERPRISE took Kirk's fists, but completely lacked direction and chemistry.

In the end, I would say that you can enjoy both, and they are not mutually exclusive.

Roast me over a slow Klingon fire if you will, gang, but I can't see any comparison over STAR TREK and STAR WARS. STAR WARS was a cartoon version of sf for people who didn't know and didn't care about sf. The original TREK had some of the finest sf writers on our little blue world (Sturgeon, Spinrad, Ellison, Bixby) smokin' with =real= people and =real= (at the time, and many still relevent) issues, a =great= ensemble cast... Sue me in care of the board.

Couldn't a said it better myself!!!

k the e

The original Trek had some great episodes, but it also had some downright terrible ones. "Spock's Brain," anyone?

Star Wars and Star Trek are both SF, they are just different kinds of SF. And Farscape is better than either of them. :p

Lisa

The original Trek had some great episodes, but it also had some downright terrible ones. "Spock's Brain," anyone?

Star Wars and Star Trek are both SF, they are just different kinds of SF. And Farscape is better than either of them. :p

Lisa

You hadda bring up SPOCK'S BRAIN, didn't you, Lisa? You just =hadda= bring that up! Well, that was the 3rd season when Roddenberry was gone and quality control was slipping. Still some fine episodes, though--THE ENTERPRISE INCIDENT stands out in my mind. (And thank you, Lisa, for not mentioning THE WAY TO EDEN. :eek: )

Star Wars emphasizes the Fantasy and Mythology while Star Trek is more about Science (Fiction). Each has their good and bad, but I prefer Star Wars. There will be a large void without either of them.

Jim, just caught your new avatar. Fabulous!! That's Kahlua, right?

Jim, just caught your new avatar. Fabulous!! That's Kahlua, right?

Yep, that's my baby. I just changed it. Got a new camera phone.

You hadda bring up SPOCK'S BRAIN, didn't you, Lisa? You just =hadda= bring that up! Well, that was the 3rd season when Roddenberry was gone and quality control was slipping. Still some fine episodes, though--THE ENTERPRISE INCIDENT stands out in my mind. (And thank you, Lisa, for not mentioning THE WAY TO EDEN. :eek: )

THE WAY TO EDEN! Oh, no! :eek: You reminded me of it! He-he-he.... :p

"The Enterprise incident" was my favorite episode.

I enjoy parts of both worlds, though much of both falls short of what I enjoy in visual sf. (For the best recent sf TV show that never was, check out Firefly. Or, conversely, the first four seasons of BABYLON 5, which kicks STAR TREK's you know what.) Here are my 2.5 cents.

STAR WARS is science fantasy, but taps into deep storytelling and mythic emotions, which created a resonance in both sf and non-sf fans when it first came out in 1977. Until 1999, fans only could point to three movies in the STAR WARS universe, and when the new trilogy came out, most people steeped in the nostalgia of their youth failed to connect with the new movies. Also, George Lucas seemed to care more about effects and the wow factor, rather than story-telling and dialog. Thus, the newer movies seem stilted. The *action* in REVENGE OF THE SITH, however, is superb.

STARK TREK gives us more episodes to choose from, and five major series plus ten movies. Cherry pick the best, and STAR TREK probably beats out STAR WARS. The original STAR TREK had some great writers, but this is TV land, and even Ellison and Sturgeon are powerless when the producers as usual demand more sex and action, so we tend to remember little of the great writing (except "City on the Edge of Forever," and "Trouble with Tribbles"), and instead the fact that Kirk always 1) got the girl and 2) relied on his fists rather than brains. NEXT GENERATION had some great moments, and the best villains in sf - the Borg! DEEP SPACE 9 proved an ok replacement, but in the end did not measure up to ST:NG. VOYAGER had Seven of Nine, and little else ;-) ENTERPRISE took Kirk's fists, but completely lacked direction and chemistry.

In the end, I would say that you can enjoy both, and they are not mutually exclusive.

Two points, Anders:
1) George Lucas can =not= write dialog.
2) Kirk didn't =always= rely on his physical prowess (think ARENA, for example.) And which episode was it?--THE GAMESTERS OF TRISKELION, mebbe?--where Sulu asks the noble captain, "How long are we going to put up with this?" And Kirk replies, "Until we can think our way out of it." And that line turned up in a Bob Dylan song! :p

Two points, Anders:
1) George Lucas can =not= write dialog.
2) Kirk didn't =always= rely on his physical prowess (think ARENA, for example.) And which episode was it?--THE GAMESTERS OF TRISKELION, mebbe?--where Sulu asks the noble captain, "How long are we going to put up with this?" And Kirk replies, "Until we can think our way out of it." And that line turned up in a Bob Dylan song! :p

Mike, could not agree with you more on the first point, which I alluded to in my comments. EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is the best movie for many reasons, dialog and direction included, and Lucas really left control of the movie in the hands of experts here.

You caught me waving around generalizations about Kirk. This is not to deny thinking played some role in STAR TREK, but in virtually every episode Kirk does bow down to the god of network programming aimed at attracting men 18-45. But fighting extends beyond the fists, and ARENA is one big fight, with the only twist coming at the end as Kirk shows his "humanity." GAMESTERS OF TRISKELION opens with fisticuffs, and continues as Kirk battles his Thrall and wins. The crew win their freedom also after Kirk battles three people at once, gladiator style.

Spock, the cerebral character, often is mocked for his logic, especially by that most human of characters, Dr. McCoy.

The part about STAR TREK is that in the original series and NEXT GENERATION, a lot of writing went into examining what it means to be human, especially among the stars and aliens. DATA's aspirations to become more human made him a favorite of mine.