In retrospect, what I've discovered as the differences between Star Trek and Star Wars thematically.

Let me preface this with the face that I don't prefer one over the other. Both Trek and Wars fill a different need in Sci-Fi, and different roles thematically. Neither is inferior to the other, just different.

Except the Star Wars prequels. Fuck those. Those were just bad movies. So from this point on, when I talk about Star Wars I mean the good ones, the Original Trilogy.

Star Wars : Basically it is a classic Good versus Evil mixed with David and Goliath. There is good, and there is evil. There's really no middle ground. There are exceptions, but those fall under character growth and become part of the good guys. (Han and Lando mainly)

• A New Hope: The first movie sets the tone, gives us the sides. Establishes Space Magic, and one of the best bad guys ever, before he was ruined decades later.


• Empire Strikes Back: One of the first movies I'd ever seen where the good guys basically lost. Amazing movie, and truly sets the Empire up as a threat.


• Return of the Jedi: The resurgence of good, gathering all their forces in a win or die scenario. Redemption of evil into good. And a nice side theme of an alternate way of how a relationship with the Native Americans could have gone with the Rebel Alliance and the Ewoks.

Star Trek: Basically this series explores the "human" condition. Each film in this series can be broken down into an exploration of human emotion or human ideals. There is some good vs. evil, but it isn't as central as the human element. * The Motion Picture - Arguably the most Star Trek of them all. And boring. Jesus, it's boring. But it explores the questions of "Who are we?" "What is our purpose here?" "What is my destiny?". It also explores the paradigm of being careful what you wish for. Kirk wished for career advancement, and realizes that he misses the captain's chair. * Wrath of Khan - Vengence. Basically an allegory of Moby Dick, meshed with a submarine movie. But it also explores cheating death, facing odds that seem insurmountable, growing old, and sacrifice. And manly tears. Many, many manly tears. * Search for Spock - Friendship. Basically you take the Kirk from Motion Picture and see how he's grown as a person. Would that Kirk have sacrificed his career? Maybe. But this Kirk, aged and more experience absolutely was willing to sacrifice his career, his ship, and ultimately his son... for just the body of his friend. When he set out, he had no idea he could get Spock back. He just did it for his best friend. * Voyage Home - Basically stop fucking up the earth. Oh, and if you're good at something, people will work towards putting you where you best fit. * Final Frontier - Outside of Insurrection and Nemesis, the worst Star Trek film of all, but still better than those other two. Basically it's an exploration of God, and apparently William Shatner's ego (as much as I love the guy). * Undiscovered Country - An allegory for the end of the Cold War. Forgiving enemies, letting the better part of yourself lead the way (Kirk at the end, Gorkon). Retirement. Peace above all.