This document compares the sci-fi franchises Star Wars and Star Trek, noting several similarities between them. Both are set in the distant future where intergalactic travel and interaction with other species are normal. They also share the theme of good versus evil as a central plot point, with the Jedi/Sith conflict in Star Wars and the Enterprise crew encountering villains in Star Trek. Additionally, the main characters of Luke Skywalker and Captain Kirk both come from humble beginnings before rising to prominence. Finally, massive devoted fan cultures have grown around both franchises over decades.

1. Star Wars & Star Trek - The Uncanny Similarities
Everyone has their personal preference to a certain genre of movies, and I, myself, am no
different. Ever since I watched my first Sci-Fi film, which coincidentally is a film which would be
mentioned in the following essay,there has been no end to my Sci-Fi induced fantasies. Before we dive
deeper into the realm of the Sci-Fi buffs, it would be important to provide some handles in regards to
what is considered a Sci-Fi movie to those who are less familiar with this whole genre. So Sci-Fi, or
science fiction in full, is a genre of fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances
as well as major social or environmental changes. Based on that understanding, I have chosen two Sci-Fi
film series, namely the Star Wars franchise and the Star Trek franchise, to show certain characteristics
shared between these films in terms of the setting, the theme as well as the culture induced.
First and foremost, the setting of both the films are similar in how there are portrayed to be set in
the distant future, filled with technologies many decades ahead of what we have at our disposal now. To
illustrate my point, in both the Star Wars and the Star Trek universes, inter-galactic travel, travelling at
light speed as well as interspecies interaction between humans and other lifeforms has become a norm and
is a recurring phenomenon. Many of these technologies, though possible theoretically, are still
unachievable with the current materials and technological know-how we have for us to work with. Hence,
it is still better left off to the imagination of the army of Sci-Fi enthusiast to dwell deeper on this matter.
On top of that, both these films had an underlying tone of good versus evil as their theme. In both
these film series, the overarching plot of good versus evil is what held the story together even as it
developed over the course of a few decades. For example, the Star Wars universe was fundamentally a
universe-sized battlefield, which played host to the never ending conflict between the Order of the Sith
Lords and the Jedi Order. Meanwhile, in the Star Trek universe, which was set in the Milky Way galaxy,
the main storyline fundamentally revolves around the crew of the Enterprise spaceship encountering
various villainous agents as they embark on a five year space voyage to discover the undiscovered.
Besides these, another aspect that both these film series shared similarities is the background of
the main character. In this instance, the example of Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars Franchise and
Captain Kirk from the Star Trek series is the point of reference. Both of this characters are depicted to
originate from humble roots before their talent and sheer determination helped pushed them up the ladder.
In the case of Luke Skywalker, he was brought up on the planet of Tatooine, a desert planet on the
outskirts of the galaxy, which served as the home for many mercenaries and travelling traders. Captain
Kirk, on the other hand, was brought up on a quiet farmland in Ohio on Earth. In contrast to the hustling
and bustling intergalactic community in which they were both placed in, these relatively quiet locations
did little to foreshadow the massive roles both Luke and Kirk would play later in their lives in ensuring
galactic peace.
Lastly, the final factor that these two film series have in common is the culture which grew out of
it. Both these film series has, over their course of existence spanning decades,amassed massive hordes of
devoted, lifelong fans. The dedication of the Star Trek fans have even earned them the nickname
“Trekkies” and although the Star Wars fans are not awarded such an honor, their dedication and devotion

2. to the franchise likewise, are unquestionable. Many of this fans have even taken their dedication to a new
level, even going to the extent of modelling their living space and lifestyle around the whole franchise. A
prominent example would be
In conclusion, I feel that these two Sci-Fi film series has showed uncanny similarities in terms of
their setting, theme, characters and culture induced. I found this rather surprising considering the fact that
Star Wars fans and Star Trek fans frequently clash with one another, standing on the premise of the
individuality of their prefered film series. Even so, in no way can we take away the fact that both these
film franchises were a massive success and would continue to be a success for many years to come even
as more and more assignments are lined up for production.