No, I’m not talking about good versus evil. I’m talking about Star Trek versus Star Wars.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s only a minority of fanboys on both sides that propagate this stupid feud. I’m a fan of both franchises, and though I certainly prefer Trek to Wars, I can easily enjoy both works’ places in the realm of fiction. I think the bashing back and forth is pointless, and to be completely honest, I think it’s like comparing apples to oranges.

Star Trek is science fiction, while Star Wars is science fantasy. Those are actually very different genres; while in Trek, science and technology are the primary driving points of the series, in Wars, futuristic tech just happens to be there, and often has little to no importance in the overall story.

Let me break it down a bit further. Star Trek has always been a study of the human condition, and how we’ll evolve ourselves and our technology over the next few hundred years. The series has always had strong parallels to social issues of the day. On the other hand, Star Wars is a sword-and-sorcery epic, just set in space. (You’ve got lightsabers instead of swords, and The Force instead of sorcery.) Therefore, the focus is on action, adventure, and mysticism. More importantly, it takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away; while there’s clearly humans in the series, they’re not from Earth, nor do they have anything to do with our sociology.

As you can see, trying to extol one while shitting on the other doesn’t really work, as they’re more different than they are alike. In fact, that’s the precise reason why I think many people do enjoy both. Yet we’ve got still got douchebags on both sides of the aisle out to demonize each other.

Personally, I’ve noticed more of the hate comes from the Star Wars side of fandom. Star Wars fans tend to despise “Trekkies” far more than the reverse. Many times, their arguments boil down to a popularity contest, in which the Wars-heads (Warheads?) claim that Star Wars is much more popular, that the six films have made more money than all of the Star Trek films combined, and so on and so forth. On the other side of the coin, there’s over seven hundred television episodes of Star Trek, many of which have won Emmy Awards (and even the coveted Peabody Award). I think the demonization is because Star Wars has broader pop culture appeal; there’s plenty of people who hate science fiction that still love Star Wars, as the science is unimportant. (In fact, when George Lucas tried to add more scientific explanation to the Star Wars universe in the form of the midi-chlorians, fans actually got pissed off!) Star Trek is considered a “nerd” show, as it’s much more cerebral, relies heavily on advanced technology, and deals with issues more relevant to modern society. As a result, it’s a difficult show for non-scifi fans to get into.

Last but not least, there’s the age demographic. Star Wars is a franchise that crosses all age boundaries; there’s aspects of it designed for any age group. (Lucas himself has even stated that the six Star Wars films were designed for children.) Star Trek unfortunately cannot claim that. Sure, there was the animated series in the 1970s, but that was a flash in the pan; overall, it’s a series that skews older.

If all else fails, Trek fans have the Jar Jar argument, which sadly there is no defense against. It’s a black mark on anyone’s Star Wars fandom; let’s be honest with ourselves here. The arguments go back and forth, back and forth…with no end in sight, and the entire fight is stupid to begin with. I can enjoy both franchises, as well as criticize their many flaws. Why can’t you?

(For further reading on this subject, check out two of Wookieepedia‘s excellent articles: Star Trek vs. Star Wars, and Star Trek in general. Coming from a massive Star Wars site, it’s refreshingly balanced.)