A DIFFERENCE OF PERSPECTIVE IN STAR TREK AND STAR WARS
In the ever expanding universe of popular Science Fiction, there are perhaps no two franchises which loom larger in our collective consciousness than Star Trek and Star Wars. These epic sagas are in many ways the twin pillars of the Sci-Fi community, two immense phenomenons which have been forever ingrained not only in our pop culture, but in the larger society as well. Phrases such as “Live Long and Prosper” and “May the Force be with You” have become so ubiquitous in our cultural lexicon that you’d probably have to traverse the globe before coming upon someone unfamiliar with them.
Despite the ongoing debate among hardcore fans as to which of the two is superior, it’s clear that the universe is vast enough for both to peacefully coexist. Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that these sagas, regardless of a few very superficial similarities, tell two distinct stories and present very different outlooks on their respective worlds and, by extension, our world. One of the major contributors to their respective outlooks may very well be the decades from which they sprang. Although only separated by a decade, each entity was undeniably shaped by the prevailing cultural, political and social atmosphere at the time of their genesis. Here i will look at these two Sci-Fi juggernauts through the lens of their unique time periods as one way to explain their contrasting but not entirely different outlooks on humanity and the larger world.
During its fifty year lifespan, Star Trek has been a constant presence in our lives in the form of numerous tv spin-offs, films, cartoons, comic books and novelizations. The voyage started all the way back in 1966 with the debut of the original series starring William Shatner, George Takei and the late Leonard Nimoy, as well as the rest of the now legendary and diverse cast. The show’s creator, Gene Roddenberry, had a bold vision of a future where humanity utilized its best qualities to explore the final frontier and make contact with new races and civilizations in order to share knowledge and work together peacefully for the betterment of all peoples as the United Federation of Planets, a democratic society united by the principles of universal equality, liberty and rights and the peaceful cooperation of peoples and planets. The Federation’s Starfleet was brought in as a peacekeeping and humanitarian armada for exploratory, scientific and diplomatic purposes.
The Federation’s goal of promoting unity and equality throughout the universe was most apparent in the USS Enterprise’s crew, a group of diverse individuals from different backgrounds all working together for a common goal. Star Trek was one of the first shows to feature a racially diverse main cast of characters, each of whom greatly contributed to the Enterprises’ mission. From George Takei’s Helmsman Hikaru Sulu to Nichelle Nichols’ Communications Officer Nyota Uhura, Star Trek prominently featured actors of color in major roles whose expertise and skills made them equally valued members of the crew. Even more impressive was how these crucial characters simultaneously stood out uniquely among their cohorts yet naturally fit right into the inclusive worldview which the show promoted.
Set against the backdrop of 1966, the crucial tipping point between the sunnier optimism of the early sixties and the increasingly bitter and fractured mindset of the decade’s second half, Star Trek presented an exciting and beautiful vision of the bright potential of human achievement when we managed to listen to our better angels, put aside our differences and endeavored to work together for common goals. Despite the seismic cultural and political shifts which were gathering strength and would soon tumultuously rock American society later on in the decade, many of your average Americans still held a fundamental trust and optimism in our institutions and our national character. Kennedy’s death may have been the first big blow to our collective hope, but it’s not as if it all evaporated the minute those shots rang out in Dealey Plaza and that wave of confidence and determined willpower which he helped foster was alive and well in Star Trek. Even as the nation was rocked by increasingly savage anti-war protests in the streets and sinking ever deeper into the muddy quagmire of Vietnam, Star Trek showed us time and time again through entertaining and socially conscious stories, what we might be capable of achieving if we put aside fear and hatred of the unknown, of the “other”, and worked together to secure a brighter future for all mankind.
Fast forward ten years after the debut of Star Trek and we find that the fervent passion and progress which fueled much of the early sixties has long ago festered into the rampant cynicism and bitter disillusionment of the mid-seventies. We’re a nation haunted by the grim specter of Vietnam and the myriad assassinations of inspiring political and social figures as well as the rank corruption of the Watergate scandal. Our most basic national institutions are increasingly viewed as either hopelessly incompetent or stymied by corruption. This sense of distrust and disillusionment with the establishment and those who we previously trusted to look out for us was reflected in pop culture, especially in many films of the time. Disaster/apocalyptic films and gritty crime dramas proliferated; rugged anti-heroes, dirty cops and psychotically unhinged mavericks popped up one after another, a grim reflection of our growing national discontent and anger.
In the midst of this, Star Wars: A New Hope was released in 1977. In the age of the anti-hero and gritty realism, Star Wars was a sweeping and epic blast from the very distant past (literally) which gave us the ultimate heroes journey of mythic proportions, only in space. Star Trek presented a vision of a bright, Utopian future born out of the determined optimism of the sixties, Star Wars presented a vision of a grim and grimy past in a far away galaxy crumbling under the sinister shadow of an evil totalitarian Empire. Whereas Star Trek is a straight Science Fiction depiction of a future where science and reason intersect with the best qualities of humanity for the betterment of all people. Star Wars, on the other hand, is a sweeping space opera using classic mythological archetypes locked in an eternal struggle between good and evil, the light and the dark and the inherent balance between them.
Even the titles of these two epic sagas say a lot about their respective worldviews. Star Trek indicates a long journey, a voyage of discovery and exploration among the stars. Yes, along the way there will be some danger, as is expected on a voyage into the unknown, but ultimately this is an adventure for curious explorers eager to meet new civilizations and learn from them. Star Wars is even more transparent as a title; this is an epic war among the stars, an ongoing battle between two opposing but ultimately interdependent forces. The mission of the Enterprise is clearly defined and optimistic: “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.” If there’s any mission for the main characters of Star Wars it’s a dire struggle against the overwhelming forces of darkness and evil which are suffocating their galaxy.
The depiction of authority in both of these space sagas may be another result of the decades in which they were born. In Star Trek, the overarching authority, represented by the Federation, are generally the good guys. Their mission, as enforced by members of Starfleet, is to uphold the principles of universal liberty, equality and Justice. They are one of the dominant powers in the Universe and yet their intentions are, for the most part, noble. This may be a reflection of the more inherent trust we once held for our government to truly be of the people, by the people and for the people. These were the institutions we trusted to take care of us and for the most part, it was generally agreed that the system worked, and more importantly, worked for us.
By contrast, in Star Wars, the people are crushed under the authoritarian might of the Galactic Empire ruled by the ruthless and sadistic Emperor Palpatine and his loyal apprentice, the dreadful Darth Vader. In stark contrast to the Federation, a coalition of willing planets working together for the benefit of all people, the Galactic Empire keeps its system of planets together through fear, intimidation and brute force, usually at the hands of Vader or the Imperial Army (the Death Star also helps). Additionally, while the Federation champions unity among people of all different races (alien and human), the Galactic Empire is unabashed in its persecution and hatred of non-humans. One way to see this is as a reflection of the rampant cynicism and distrust of the government in the mid-seventies. After the bloody mess of Vietnam and the government’s increasingly violent tactics dealing with anti-war protests, culminating in the National Guard gunning down four students at Kent State, faith in our government was justifiably shaken to its core. Among a good faction of the population, the government was increasingly viewed as an enemy of the people.
Unlike the crew of the Enterprise, who are representatives of the Federation, the heroes of Star Wars are, as the Empire calls them, “rebel scum,” a rag tag band of revolutionaries trying to topple the Empire and restore freedom, justice and hope to their oppressed galaxy. In stark contrast to the sleek and shiny futuristic aesthetic of the Star Trek world, the look of the Star Wars world, outside of the austere and highly militaristic look of the Empire, is largely decrepit and broken down. On Luke’s home world, for instance, machines and vehicles such as the landspeeder look rusty and corroded, droids (besides C-3PO and R2D2) often look like they were bolted together with parts from scrapyards. Even the Millennium Falcon, the legendary ship that made the Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs (which is impossible given that a parsec is a unit of distance, not time), looks like it’s seen better days and frequently needs a good smack to get up and running.
In the sixties we were shooting for the moon and we wanted to look the part. Our cars and clothes reflected our cosmic ambitions. Fashionable women strutted around in silver skirts and shiny metallic colored Go-Go boots which could almost pass for space footwear. America in the early years of the sixties was looking towards the future, still riding high atop the wave of post-war economic prosperity and optimism. Jump ahead to the mid-seventies and America is in the throes of a recession, dealing with rising inflation and unemployment as well as spikes in energy prices and a crumbling infrastructure. In major cities, urban decay is rampant, buildings and storefronts lay abandoned, tagged by graffiti artists. This general atmosphere of squalid decay and neglect is reflected in the dingy and corroded look of the Star Wars galaxy, especially on outer rim planets which have been all but neglected by the Empire, planets such as Tatooine. Whereas on the central planets, where everything is militarized and state of the art in order to serve the Empire, many other planets lack even the most basic amenities, forcing people to salvage and re-purpose or sell old scrap parts in order to carve out a living.
Obviously, this analysis of Star Trek and Star Wars takes a rather general viewpoint of the decades in which each of these Sci-Fi sagas were born. Any time period, when held under a microscope, contains its fair share of optimism and disillusionment, of human failings and successes and likewise, both franchises grapple with both the light and dark sides of the human condition. Despite its more cynical appearance, at its core Star Wars is a saga about the inexhaustible spark of human hope and its ability to shine a light even in the darkest of circumstances. Both Star Trek and Star Wars seek to show us what we might be able to accomplish, even against seemingly unfathomable odds and our own dark vices, when we stop thinking of ourselves merely as individuals separated by irrelevant differences and instead bring together all our best qualities in order to create a better world for tomorrow.