Star Trek has been around for much longer than its interstellar counterpart, Star Wars, but both franchises have had an equal hand in molding the modern generation and their societal identity. With a forward-looking focus on themes such as gender, race, and politics, the franchise created by Gene Roddenberry has shaped cultural thought and in turn, has become deeply entrenched with the socio-cultural identity of our time.
However, despite Roddenberry’s efforts, Star Trek‘s influence did not spread much further than entertainment. His desire to critique and call out the government’s involvement in the Vietnam War and the subsequent political upheavals in the country could all be found within the overarching themes of Star Trek. And yet, the series merely remains a television program born out of the mid-20th century’s space race frenzy.
Star Trek becomes associated with the winter holidays
For the longest time, Star Trek and Star Wars pioneered the sci-fi movement in film and television by bringing Hollywood out of the Old West and into the era of space exploration and interstellar travel. The series actors, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, and others, became an integral part of the franchise’s storyline and, in turn, an eternal part of pop culture history.
However, despite Gene Roddenberry‘s efforts to turn Star Trek into a critique of the US government and American politics, the franchise merely survived through the rapidly changing times due to the audience’s newfound love for science fiction. In time, Trekkies began to associate the series with the winter holidays and Christmastime – a far cry from the original vision of Gene Roddenberry.
Rod Roddenberry, in an interview with Space.com, has now addressed this newfound identity of his father’s franchise among the fans, saying:
I love when I hear something new about Star Trek, and I can make up my own reasons right now based on that. There’s giving and family and closeness and, hopefully, a little bit more intellect around Christmas. Summer is more action and play, which is Star Wars. It’s a great thought. I haven’t spent much time with it, but I like it.
Like Marvel and DC, Star Trek and Star Wars have been interlocked in an eternal battle for superiority in the science fiction genre. But despite their tonal similarity and the same era of conception, both franchises remain uniquely exceptional in their own right, as is evident by the strong fanbase that each IP has to date, even after half a century.
Star Trek enjoys its new era of expansion & conquest
Unlike Star Wars, Star Trek has been enjoying a relatively successful period of expansion in film and television. With projects like Picard and Strange New Worlds, Roddenberry’s franchise is now a full-fledged cinematic universe with multiple profitable shows.
Meanwhile, Star Wars has been struggling to spread its wings beyond its own limitations as projects like The Acolyte and Solo: A Star Wars Story fail to deliver at the same level as the original works of George Lucas. For now, Star Trek has managed to dominate on that front by conquering as much of TV credibility as possible while its counterpart keeps struggling to maintain a foothold in the film and television industry.
On the other hand, there are a few projects such as The Mandalorian and Andor which have completely captivated the audience and returned Star Wars to its old glory. But Star Trek falls behind the Lucasfilm IP when compared to films as the Gene Roddenberry franchise has failed to successfully produce a film universe beyond the JJ Abrams experiment of 2009.
Meanwhile, Star Wars keeps churning out prequel and sequel trilogies alongside spin-off films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Despite both franchises having their own merits and demerits, each has its unique qualities and a devoted and unwavering fanbase.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
