Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Somewhat Heated...

Lately I have had a number of discussions with friends and acquaintances with regard to Star Wars vs Star Trek. Not really comparing movie for movie, but more along the lines of depth of character development, the 'otherworld' quality, the morals and reality of the situations, interpersonal relationships and actual technology (especially Star Trek).

Considering the wealth of Star Trek material produced, that is books, television, movies and games, the quantity far out weighs Star Wars material. So the argument is this: Which has more substance, more meat to it? I say Star Trek by far! Yes, there have been some Star Trek movies that are real stinkers, and some of the series haven't been stellar (take Enterprise for example). Having said that, I think one can better relate to the characters of Star Trek, become familiar with them, know what to expect from them. Kirk was an swashbuckling quasi-warrior with an instinct for trouble and a deep loyalty to his ship and crew. Jean Luc Picard is the quintessential captain; intelligent, thoughtful, ethical but at the same time willing to take risks and break rules. Picard is my all time favourite Star Trek captain.

Okay, before I get off track I will just say that even though we may identify with the Star Wars characters and story, I believe that the Star Trek premise is easier to identify with, something we believe may be possible...sometime...

What do you think?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Whoa! No contest! Star Trek all the way. I like Star Wars too. The Star Wars universe is really interesting, but like they say, Star Wars is a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Star Trek takes place in the Earth's future. It's a glimpse of what our world might be like. Star Wars is more of a fantasy. I also think that Star Trek has more depth simply because there are 5 tv series. After over 700 episodes, we know the Star Trek universe really well. And within each series, especially the extremely well-written DS9, we get to see the characters evolve over a period of time. You simply can't get that same depth in 6 movies.

Anonymous said...

Yes. Funny you should mention the sexist thing. Librarychik and I went to see Revenge of the Sith again, and I was also noticing that. First of all, there was only ONE female Jedi that I could see. I remember her from Clone Wars as well, but I don't ever remember seeing any other female Jedi. There were also NO female Jedi on the council. Also, in the previous two films Padmé has shown herself to be a strong woman. She was a leader, had her own strong opinions, and she was not afraid to act when she felt the situation called for it. But in this last one she spends all her time barefoot and pregnant in her penthouse apartment watching her beloved republic crumble around her. Gooood grief.