The Great Battle Beyond the Stars—Wars vs. Trek

Star Wars vs. Star Trek. That’s it. As simple as that.

Actually, there’s a little more to it than a basic clash of the cinematic titans. 2009 is the year when JJ Abrams brought the seminal Gene Roddenberry ‘enterprise’ back from the commercial dead. It is also the 10th anniversary of jaded George Lucas’ purposeless prequel, The Phantom Menace. In light of such interstellar happenstance, PopMatters would like to settle the debate once and for all—Star Wars. Vs. Star Trek.

The rules are simple—take a side and defend it. Take a position within the vast universes contained in both Star Wars and Star Trek and argue it out. Think Wars reinvented sci-fi for a non-geek mentality? Write it up! Do you believe Trek takes the notion of serious science fiction to heights of unheard-of social commentary? Give us your take. Think one is more entertaining than the next? Let’s hear it. Want to argue merits over merchandising? Go for it. We welcome all ideas, no matter how esoteric or earnest.

Indeed, the entire approach to this massive special feature will be a definitive look at both series, how they affected both popular culture and people, and your own personal perspective on how the Wars/Trek way of imaginative fiction changed your life. We want it all—the scholarly and the silly, the well-researched and the reactionary. If it can be linked to the weird, wonderful worlds of Kirk, Spock, Picard, Janeway, Skywalker, Solo, Kenobi, or Vader, we want it. From reviews to reminiscences, this is your ultimate chance at letting your Starfleet/Jedi allegiance be known.

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/94256-the-great-battle-beyond-the-stars-wars-vs.-trek/