Wookies vs. Trekkers

5.1

Recently I re-watched two of the most iconic movies in the Action/Adventure/Science Fiction/Fantasy genres:  “Star Wars: Episode IV, The New Hope”, and “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”.  Both of these movies are parts of franchises that have enormous groups of loyal followers.  The interesting part is that while these two movies are similar in many ways these groups of followers seldom overlap.  In fact, Star Wars vs. Star Trek, as to which you are a fan, has become a way in which people in the science fiction genre sometimes type themselves.

The beliefs are similar in both movies.  Good will triumph over evil and working together will bring victory.  In “Star Wars”, our heroes must rise from adversity, or from humble beginnings to find their greatness.  In “Star Trek”, the crew who has proven their worth is called on to save the day.  An added element to “Wars” is the magic and mystery of “The Force” which Luke must learn—again pitting good vs. evil, and the element of surprise in “Trek” is the “Singularity”, or how a machine reacts to its coming of consciousness.

Formulas in both movies follow some similar and some different paths.  The general fantasy structure is seen in both, with elements we must stretch our minds to accept, and characters that are foreign to our known world.  Action/Adventure and the fight to save the world and the damsel are parts of both films.  Certainly the space settings qualify both in the science fiction realm.  Both have a coming of age focus, though the two are very different in the subject of this.  I find that they differ and that “Wars” is more of a romantic saga, and “Trek” follows the formula of a buddy movie.

Even though they are both set in space and presumed in the future, “Wars” gritty, and dismal view makes me feel it relates closer to the past.  Tatooine, and its dusty farms, where young Luke dreams of something greater, is reminiscent of Dorothy’s Kansas in Wizard of Oz.  “Trek’s” slick and orderly earth, with a diverse set of human and alien working together, seems to be more desirable of the future.  With this in mind one can envision a change in the formula of Coming of Age over the years.  In the “Wars” past version, Luke lives a simple life but dreams of greatness until an event, the arrival of the droids and the murder of his aunt and uncle, propels him in to action.  A mentor, Kenobi, guides him toward a goal, and then leaves him to discover his courage and save the day.  The coming of age in “Trek’s” future version is about Spock’s acceptance of feelings, with Kirk to help him learn, and the machine V’Ger’s transformation from machine to sentient being and a search for purpose, and Decker’s sacrifice to become the guiding program.

I believe that formulas of the past stay true as the years pass.  Both of these movies draw heavily from the past and from formulas that drive characters that do not matter if they are driving a Roman chariot or an X-Wing fighter.  “Wars” borrows from the “King Arthur” mythology and from the medieval prince and princess formulas.  The rules of honor, family ties and rites, kingdoms and royalty are found here.  “Trek” is closer to the formula of the old westerns of the 50s and cop buddy movies.  Kirk and Spock and their crew are on an adventure in to the frontier friending and fighting those along the way while they protect the integrity of the Federation.

          Learning about the formulas that drive these films along with the other parts of the entire “Wars” and “Trek” franchises helps me to understand the division between the two sets of fans.  “Wars” fans do roleplay and reenact parts of the films, putting themselves in to the mythology and fantasy of the films.  They want to be those characters and fight those fights for  honor and to preserve the kingdoms.  “Trek” fans, on the other hand, do roleplay and create new characters, languages and elements of the ever-expanding frontier.  Anything is possible on the horizon or on the holodeck, but the bonds of the crew buddies remain strong.