I’m not talking about epic battles, but rather which a person identifies with more. Myself, I grew up in the Star Wars era. I had action figures. I dreamed of fashioning my own light saber. I was both scared and fascinated by Darth Vader. (Actually, he scared me even more in Return of the Jedi with his helmet off, eiw) I played with Star Wars figures for years.
Then, I met Star Trek. I shunned The Next Generation at first, because I had some silly notion it was ruining Star Trek. Then, I actually watched a few episodes, and I was hooked. There was no one on Earth I wanted to be more than Wesley Crusher on board the Enterprise. And Star Trek had science. Yes, fantasy science. Yes, at times silly science. But where Star Wars was just futuristic action, Star Trek was science fiction. Star Trek was (and is) friggen awesome.
So I’m a Trekkie. I love all the series. I love all the movies. Yes, some more than others — but I don’t hate any of them. How about you? Phasers or sabers?
#1 by carlie on January 7, 2009 - 10:42 am
Quote
Well my husband bought me a really expensive and fancy lightsaber (it’s blue which I believe means I’m an inexperienced Jedi) so for his sake I’m going to say: Saber.
#2 by Eric on January 7, 2009 - 10:45 am
Quote
I enjoy ‘em both. But if I have to pick one? Wars. Because Samurai are awesome, Westerns are awesome, WWII bombers are awesome, spaceships are awesome, aliens are awesome, Arthurian fantasy is awesome–it only naturally follows that a Samurai Arthurian Western with WWII bombers piloted by aliens in space is… what is that? (Counts.) Awesome to the sixth power? Which leaves Trek at a mere awesome to the three or four, less if you let Enterprise bring the awesome count down.
#3 by Mark on January 7, 2009 - 10:46 am
Quote
Are you including or excluding those fairly recent abominations that George Lucas claimed were the prequels to the original Star Wars movies? If you’re including them, I have to pick Trek just on principle. If you exclude them then hand me that blaster pistol; “‘Cause no mystical energy field controls *my* destiny”. *grin*
#4 by bpx on January 7, 2009 - 10:46 am
Quote
I love them both, and its a right pain in the rear end as I can see the dilemma. On one hand i appreciate the utter genius from Gene Roddenberry that gave us things that we can not only enjoy but almost aspire to in some cases. I mean, by their own admission, it was Star Trek TNG that gave Apple the inspiration to create Quicktime after watching Data playing multiple classical track in sequence and queuing them up. The Star Trek stories, no matter what incarnation we refer to has so many elements within it that almost anyone can identify with, and that give us all something to really get hooked with.
On the other hand, Star Wars has Yoda, and if you question Yoda then you must die.
beep
#5 by Shawn Powers on January 7, 2009 - 10:48 am
Quote
Test comment, Carlie got horrible error messages when posting…
#6 by Adrian on January 7, 2009 - 10:49 am
Quote
I also grew up in the Star Wars era and I was still pretty young when TNG came out. While I associate more with Star Wars, I have to agree with you on the Star Trek thing (liked all the movies, fascinated by it, wanted to be Wesley).
#7 by Janiece on January 7, 2009 - 10:54 am
Quote
Trek, baby.
#8 by DanteZCO-Man on January 7, 2009 - 10:57 am
Quote
Why choose? I have two hands! Phasers in one, lightsaber in the other. And just because I’m too awesome, a double-edged light saber.
#9 by Vaughn on January 7, 2009 - 11:04 am
Quote
Phasers all they way.
#10 by bpx on January 7, 2009 - 11:06 am
Quote
Tell you what, ill swing towards Star Trek if someone installs a holodeck in my flat
#11 by Jeff Hentosz on January 7, 2009 - 11:49 am
Quote
Space: 1999, bee-otch! Eagles away!
Just kidding. Star Wars, for me. No, Star Trek. No. Wait.
Star Wars. For sure. Did they make more after the ’77 one? I’ll have to check those out.
#12 by mattw on January 7, 2009 - 11:58 am
Quote
Give me the saber any day, as long as we’re not talking about those three bowel movements that Lucas put on film and called prequels.
#13 by Konstantin on January 7, 2009 - 12:04 pm
Quote
Why can’t it be both. However, I go for TNG and DS9. I haven’t seen enough of the original Trek to be a fan.
Star Wars has such an expanded universe, that it hurts now.
I say a tricoder in one arm a phaser in the second and grab a saber in your teeth. Arg!
#14 by Jason Wertenberger on January 7, 2009 - 12:25 pm
Quote
I know it hurts my geek cred, but I’m not that into either of them. If I had to pick one, it would easily be Star Trek. For awhile I really go into The Next Generation.
To me, Star Wars is more fantasy and less sci-fi. I’ve never been much of a fantasy fan.
#15 by William P. on January 7, 2009 - 12:51 pm
Quote
Star Trek TOS, of course! Where else could you learn that all alien civilizations comprise a bunch of old men in robes and one “hot chick” wearing a backless gown and an anti-gravity bra.
No, really! Check out
http://allyourtrekarebelongto.us/toswomen.htm
Every week my wife and I watch a rerun of TOS on a local station and watch for (1) the guy you have never seen before and speculate on how long he will survive, and (2) how long before the “hot chick” shows up and will Kirk kiss her or not.
#16 by Nathan on January 7, 2009 - 1:04 pm
Quote
Trek!
#17 by Ryder Step on January 7, 2009 - 1:47 pm
Quote
Aren’t they the same thing?
#18 by kimby on January 7, 2009 - 1:48 pm
Quote
I like them both, but seeing as i own manuals and stuff relating to Trek, I guess i would pick Trek. But I do love watching Star Wars..but only the first one. (or are we calling it the 4th one now….Damn you Lucas!)
#19 by Eric on January 7, 2009 - 1:55 pm
Quote
Aren’t they the same thing?
Spock with a lightsaber? I’d pay to see that.
#20 by Carol Elaine on January 7, 2009 - 2:14 pm
Quote
Trek me, baby. Not even a contest.
#21 by Anne C. on January 7, 2009 - 4:27 pm
Quote
Star Wars, for the exact reasons Eric mentions. I love the blend of genres.
Trek I like, but don’t love. I do respect how strongly Trek influenced popular culture. Science is cool but I’m not exactly positive Trek’s a great example of real science in fiction (thinking of Voyager’s techno-babble). I think it’s more effectively examining the human condition than it is teaching science.
#22 by Vince on January 7, 2009 - 7:19 pm
Quote
Beam me up Scotty, there’s no intelligent life down here (well, except for you shiny people – you know who you are.)
Not all Trek is good Trek, but Star Trek has inspired so many people to make so much of what they first saw on the series become real. Sliding doors, for example. They were done on TOS with a person on each door behind the screens. And communicators? That’s what my cell phone is.
I like Stars Wars. Especially the original. I saw it in the theater many many many times. Han Solo rocks. Obi-Wan? May the Force be with him.
But Star Trek still makes me want to travel to the stars, makes me hope that somewhere out there, there is intelligent life.
But the Borg I can do without, thank you.
#23 by Dy on January 7, 2009 - 11:20 pm
Quote
Phasers, for sure. Though I’m reserving judgment on the new JJ Abrams flick… Sylar as Spock is just weirding me out.
#24 by Katherine on January 12, 2009 - 9:28 pm
Quote
I am a bit late to this one, but I still need to make my feelings known.
For me it is Star Wars, and stubbornly so. I can appreciate Star Trek, but it will never give me the thrill that the scrolling opening text and theme music of Star Wars does.
#25 by Patrick on January 30, 2009 - 8:13 pm
Quote
I hated the original Star Trek when I was little. Star Wars came out when I was 7, and I liked it. Then I saw Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and suddenly I was this huge ‘Trek’ fan.
I now love the original series and Next Generation. I despised ‘DS9′ and despite my best efforts, I just could never get into ‘Voyager.’ (There was an episode where a crew member managed to actually hit the supposedly impossible Warp 10 and he was suddenly transformed into a giant iguana…that was the end of the line for me with that show.)
The newer ‘Wars’ movies did absolutely nothing for me. I actually fell asleep in the theater during the first of the new trilogy. If there was going to be another trilogy, I wanted to know what became of the people I already knew.
My favorite of all of the movies was, by far, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.