This week’s Great Links is all about the conflict of the franchises, with Star Trek taking on all comers. First we have another one of those 100 Best Sci-Fi lists (with some Trekness of course), then we have early voting on the best of 2009, another flare-up in the Star Wars v Star Trek war, and then some signs that the end of the war may be in sight.
Top 100 Sci-Fi contains 3% Trek
The website TotalSciFiOnline believe they have sussed out the 100 Greatest Sci-Fi Movies of all time. Topping the list is Blade Runner, which is a good choice, but as you scan down the top 10 you wonder, where are any Trek films? You actually have to scroll down past two Alien and two Star Wars films before you get to Wrath of Khan at number 19, nestled between the anime film Akira and Total Recall. Also on the list is Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country at 67th, and JJ Abrams new Star Trek squeaks in at 93rd. It is a shutout for the TNG movies.
Akira – all your base are belong to Khan
Star Trek on Digital Spy Awards – Pegg weighs in
If you prefer the popular vote method of determining the best, then you should head to the UK’s Digital Spy, who have nominated JJ Abrams Star Trek film as one of eight for film of the year (which seems a bit premature, but whatever). Click that link and vote for Trek. And the new Scotty himself weighed in, with Simon Pegg telling DS that he is "thrilled" Trek made their cut.
Trek v Wars
Speaking of weighing SciFi franchises, today WIRED’s Geek Dad Blog took on the king of all geek debates: Star Trek v Star Wars. After weighting the angles, Geek Dad Matt Blum comes to the (dare I say) logical conclusion:
I hate to have to make a call here, but it’s my job. I have to give the nod to Star Trek. For all its technobabble and implausible extrapolation from current reality, it’s just on the whole a better product. It’s far more egalitarian, and so easier to identify with. I get the feeling that, if I were transplanted to the Star Trek universe, I could make a go of it and be a productive member of society on some level; conversely, I get the feeling that, if I were transplanted to the Star Wars universe, I would be one of those guys who has two lines and then gets shot by stormtroopers, who as everyone knows can only aim well at unimportant folks. Plus, percentage-wise as well as (obviously) length-wise, Star Trek simply has a lot more good material.
Go to the Geek Dad blog to read the rest, and vote for Star Trek (with over 5000 votes, it is currently at 50/50.
Will the fight ever end? Think of the children
Picture of the week: SDCC Trek Couple
This week we have two Comic Con fans who have crossed over to the final frontier with some TOS love. But what makes this photo even more special is that it was featured on the Official Star Wars Blog as one of their Best of Comic Con. So you see, there can be detente after all.
These two are ready to beam up
Video of the week: Wind no Man Has Gone Before
And we leave you with musical moment that brings together all of the franchises, coming from the Swedish National Wind Band, playing selections from scores of a number of franchise, starting with the Star Trek theme and moving on to music from Superman, Star Wars and more.
The Swedes show us the way — we can all get along!
Trek Rules!!!!!!
First!
Nice article. I really enjoyed the music video thing at the end too!
Where’s the bit with Triumph at the Star Wars premier? Spock’s cameo is the funniest bit on the whole video.
part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugk37TvIR8E
part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCtz4trJr_g
Isthe guy in the TWOK-era uni blowing a kiss to the storm troopers? That’s bad-ass! Trek wins!
And… uh… Hellooooooo, ladies.
Thanks
I actually wrote and submitted the article while on the road between LA and Vegas, somewhere past Victorville. I should be in Vegas in 2.5 hours
Lightsabers? That ain’t logical!
Could there really be ANY comparison with Star Trek and Star Wars?
It’s only logical that Star Trek would win-out. It’s been around for much longer and really is a superior franchise in many respects…sorry Mr. Lucas, but I have to go with Star Trek.
#5 — Be careful typing while driving, Anthony!
Good article.
Glad to see “Planet of the Apes” (1968) made it into the top ten!
great that TWOK and TUC get in there. TWOK and TUC along with FC are my fav Star Trek movies. FC shpuld have been in there as well. Yes I do prefer First Contact over the new movie.
Shock
Wrath of Khan is my fav trek movie
Glad to see Blade Runner at the top, it is one of my 10 fav films but annoyed RoboCop was not in there
I’ll say it again: If they wanna be in Starfleet or the Imperial Army, they better start by actually being able to run 2 k’s
All your base are belong to us…the challenge has been brought.
Not sure I really like comparing Trek to Wars – they are each good in their own way, but I don’t think you can really make an apples to apples comparison. Star Trek has always been about OUR future – it’s about the hope and the belief that humanity can overcome its petty differences and journey together into the unknown. It’s always been a very introspective and philosophical franchise – at its core, Trek is not so much about the spectacle of the unknown, but rather learning more about ourselves.
Star Wars, on the other hand, glories in the spectacle of the unknown and the bizarre (SEE: Cantina Scene), and does so on a very grand scale. Star Wars is a much more primal franchise, one that dwells in the duality of good versus evil, and right versus wrong. Where Star Trek allows shades of gray, Star Wars has the dark side and the light side and a very clear line dividing the two (yes, I know, the novels blur the distinction somewhat, but I’m only talking about the films). Star Wars is space-based fantasy: it’s about sorcerers and wizards and unlikely heroes and all the other fantasy archetypes recast into a science fictional context.
To sum up, Star Wars wonders what was or what could have been; Star Trek wonders what could or will be.
12. grammaticus
Agreed. I’ve never understood why fans insist on comparing the two, or fighting over which is better. Both franchises appeal to very different aspects of our collective psyches. I enjoy both, and don’t really think that one is superior to the other (though if I had to choose, I would rather watch a Star Trek film over a Star Wars one, but that’s just personal preference).
Finally someone calls it right on the Trek vs. Wars battle. As for that top 100 list, seems pretty sad to me. Sorry, just having blade runner at the top threw me off, and just looking at the top 10, yeah, I think they made that list just to be different from the others and put in their favorites, not the best movies. Like in the Trek franchise of movies, my favorite is First Contact, but I still recognize that Wrath of Khan was a better movie.
“there can be detente [between ST and SW] after all.”
Of course, now that Trek has become Star Wars … Trek’s finally seen the errors of its ways.
Well, I am a TREK and WARS freak..geek..whatever…I usually would not compare the two major franchises…of note though..
it would appear that TREK is moving into the future and WARS is stagnant in the now…Though ROTS was a great movie…TPM and AOC were just awful….of course Nemesis sucked as well…and we all know how TREK 11 faired..awesome!!!!…
I agree with 12…what could be…I’m over the Clone Wars, cartoons, and mighty muggs!!. curse Jar Jar and pandering to children…I wondered for a long time how Anakin would be seduced into the Sith with such a juvenile storyline..thank goodness they grew up for ROTS….
I look the Expanded Universe for my Star Wars fix…Ulic Qel Droma and Exar Kun over Clone Wars anyday!!
Maybe George will seduce JJ into directing a sequel (s) of WARS!
a long time ago or the future…you make the call………
I like Star Wars, too.
And those two science/med girls on the picture.
Spectre_7…how true! Unless those guys are actually Imperial File Clerks.
IDK, those storm troopers do look pretty nasty… I hate to say it!
Set phasers to vaporize, QUICK! :-D
Star Wars is not Sci-Fi. Not at all. George Lucas himself confirmed that.
i’m not saying this to be mean….but those two people in the picture of the week…the ones in blue TOS uniforms….I think they might be guys doing a litte Trek cross-dressing thing. Nothing wrong with it…to each his own is what i say.
Maybe its the wigs/extensions that are throwing me off.
21 garen: Those aren’t male legs, are they?
Star Wars is mythology retold in space.
Star Trek is historical allegory, social commentary, ethical dilemas, and charicter stories set in space.
Both are fun, but despite the huge advantage John Williams gives Star Wars (“Cantina Band” vs. “Come to Quark’s, Quarks is fun”… which is more iconic?), I think Trek has a little more weight to it.
I love great links. With pancakes, maple syrup, scrambled eggs, and hash browns.
#21 garen
On further review, you may be on to something.
I like John Williams, but in my book, Jerry Goldsmith beats Williams by lengths.
Star Wars is two great films and four hideous ones. Period.
Oh, and the Ewok Xmas special which makes “Menace” look like ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” in terms of quality.
If Star Wars is Opera, Star Trek is more like a stage play.
Star Wars OT created a fantasy/future that people could instantly identify with. It had some grit and grime, it had Nazis, it had rebels vs. Empire, and they took some of the best guns ever made (Mauser Military pistol) and threw a few du-dads on them to make “blasters.”
I think it’s the simple storyline, set and costuome, spectacular and innovative special effects, Alec Guinesses’ rewrites of his own lines, and the momentum with which the film speeds along without taking itself too seriously, George Lucas’s composition of shots in ANH and the great direction in ESB that vaults 2/3rds of OT toward the top of any list.
I don’t think any of the Star Trek films were so well crafted (even the most recent one) to deserve to be in that league. I would put TWOK and Star Trek 2009 in the same bin as Fifth Element, Batman Begins, Transformers, Legend of Zorro, and the other 4 Star Wars film and I would say it comes out relatively high but not on the top of that list, though I would put TWOK in the 2nd spot.
Without having read the other posts here I have to say, as I’ve said to many. Comparing Star Trek to Star Wars is comparing apples to oranges. I don’t even consider Star Wars to be science fiction. Star Wars is a war movie. The fact that they are using advanced technology doesn’t make it science fiction. They talk about their space ships and weapons the same as is done in any war movie. The story does not evolve around the technology, it evolves around the Empire seeking domination and the Rebels, fighting for freedom with a couple love stories intertwined. It’s about life in a technologically advanced scenario. In fact the science they use doesn’t even seem to advance that much over a generation.
Star Trek on the other hand is very much science fiction. The technology is not only a part of the stories but they talk about how it affects their lifestyle. They compare previous technology and the lifestyle it provides to what it used to be. The Pros and the cons of how it affects how they live. Also some good lessons about what to avoid. It was always very insightful as well as inspired the technology we have today. They show technology should be used to serve vs. enslave us. How it could be used to provide a utopian lifestyle to pursue your passions without having to worry about making a living. Although the writing is sometimes inconsistent with references to monetary situations, in talking of “credits” for civilian transporter use and how much Starfeelt supposedly had invested in Spock. DS9 had an episode or two of Captain Sisco talking about earth history, getting to the utpoian society status. Dr Soong, Data’s creator referring to people in the past needing money. the development of the federation after Cochran developed the Warp drive attracting the Vulcans and renuiting the planet to eliminate greed, and them finding ways to find children’s talents and guiding themto their poteitial.
Well, if I had to choose which franchise would remain and the other vanish from memory forever, Trek would win, hands down. SW had some good movies ,except for one, but Trek is the more relatable universe, and more fun to me.
22 holger…hard to tell. it isnt clear cut one way or the other as far as i can tell.
don’t be fooled by panty hose
After seeing this KFC trek ad, I want these people doing their own NEW VOYAGES!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZBTDlvShYg
Amazing.
@ 21&22. Thank Goodness!!!
I was expecting some nerd to come along and start drooling over some odd looking chicks as usual.
#14: “…I think they made that list just to be different from the others and put in their favorites, not the best movies.”
For your next assignment, demonstrate objectively which movies are “the best.”
Yes! Blade Runner! My fav movie.
JJ’s Trek should have been MUCH higher.
For the Swedish National Band, they have some pretty significant intonation problems. Ashame, they play very well, with a little bit of ensemble work, they could fix the intonaton issues.
Don’t forget: “Star Trek” is owned by CBS while “Star Wars” is owned by Lucasfilm.
Holy crap! It’s like they got the actual actors from 1967 to film that KFC ad!
#37, Agreed. I don’t know how I missed that on TV … what was it for, TOS-R?
It’s like the explanation we always wanted for how the actors ended up like they did in the movies … Kirk and crew go back in time in Assignment Earth 2 and get hooked on KFC
By gosh, I love the sound of a wind band. It reminds me of John Phillip Sousa, Independence Day parades, high school football and Star Trek (the real one). Bully for these young Swedish musicians. May they live long and perform to appreciative audiences always!
Sincerely,
C.S. Lewis
And for the record: I think that Star Trek is _vastly superior_ Star Trek, most of the time, to Star Wars. Star Wars is just awful Star Trek. I also feel that Star Wars is _vastly superior_ Star Wars to Star Trek, most of the time. Star Trek is really lousy Star Wars.
And then there are those Jar-Jar Abrams type moments where I’m just so proud to be a Doctor Who fan.
Star Trek the’ real’ most successful sci-fi series. suck it
Haha thanks for listing the triumph insult dogs star wars opening-that was great! my vote-i think the two tos girls are real girls aint they? I dont see like man hands or adams apples on em–i think the wigs are what kinda make em look fake-
Star Trek is the hard sci-fi like baryons, chronitons, gravimetric distortions, temporal rifts, antimatter, blah blah blah.
Star Wars are fascinating aliens, monsters, lightsabers and my favorite Death Star! But not much science because I really love science.
My side is Star Trek ’cause I’m a die-hard fan of it. Still I like Star Wars. Maybe the arguments will change because of the new voyages of the USS Enterprise. One day, the Galaxy-class could be as large as a Stardestroyer!
Lightsabers could probably have no effect to the Borg shields because they can adapt to almost any energy weapons. See what the Trek science can do. Star Trek will last longer because they “boldly go where no man has gone before”.
My feelings are, as usual; I prefer Star trek for great justice…
Trek is much betterthan Wars
Star Trek is superior
30 garen: I think the faces of the two… err, lifeforms of not yet determined sex, are, let’s say: plain, but not masculine. Maybe that’s fooling you. But a certain indeterminacy remains, I admit it…
32: First of all, I’m a geek and not a nerd. Remember that!
Second, who’s drooling here? I only said I *like* the girls (now I would add: if they are girls). That’s because I like TOS miniskirts. Had I been drooling I had been posting ‘I find them hot’ which I didn’t post.
Thirdly, what’s with all that Nerds vs Cool Kids crap out of American highschools, anyway? Please drop it, at least as soon as you’re out of school!
Wool-gabardine clad dorks against plastic-clad dorks. Ah, the hilarious irony of it all! Both sides claim superiority, both sides are viewed as dorks by the rest of society.
I don’t say this out of cruelty, as I enjoy and love both universes and do costuming in both. It’s just so damn funny, watching the one-upmanship and oh-yeahs.
And yes. TOS miniskirts rule over Slave Leias.
@ #9. captain_neill:
“…annoyed RoboCop was not in there.”
Yes it was, it’s #24.
to compare…
i grew up a Wars fan. But back then it was only about 7 hours of fun. If only the original trilogy existed…then to me…Star Wars would be batting .1000. (yes, even with the ewoks in ROTJ) But Star Wars…as a brand…has become way too diluted with crap in recent years. I re-watched the prequel trilogy last week…and though it was a little better than i remember (because i’ve personally been hard on it over the years) it still was not great by any measure. The comes the Clone Wars movie and the clone wars TV show. I have not watched either of these. I dont want to experience more disappointment. I havent mentioned the old ewoks movies…or the holiday special. But the point is: Star Wars has more bad, silly, cringe-worthy stuff than good stuff.
While Star Trek certainly isnt batting .1000 either….i feel that the overall quality and watchability of Star Trek as an entire product has surpassed Star Wars on the whole.
To me…star wars is great adventure that fills me with warm feeling when i look BACK. Star Trek fills me with wonder as i look FOWARD.