Star Trek Versus Star Wars

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STAR TREK VS. STAR WARS Star Trek and Star Wars are always compared because they share half a title but they're actually very different. Star Wars was inspired by the Flash Gordon adventure serials of the 1940 and presents an elemental struggle between good and evil. Star Trek was conceived in the style of the TV western Wagon Train and the adventure stories of Horatio Hornblower but adopted a more adult tone, providing an idealistic, utopian prospect of future human society. While Star Wars creator George Lucas was inspired by works such as Beowulf and King Arthur, and the origins of myth and world religions, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was inspired by stories like Gulliver's Travels that implied a morality tale. The two franchises nonetheless have a "symbiotic relationship", states William Shatner, who credits Star Wars for the beginning of the Star Trek films. Furthermore, the documentary Trek Nation features interviews where both George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry praise one another's respective franchises, with the former stating that Star Trek was an influence while writing the original screenplay for Star Wars. Also, William Shatner was a presenter at George Lucas' AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony. In 2011, Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher and Shatner posted a series of humorous online videos criticizing each other's franchises. Consequently, Richard Ho, writing for The Harvard Crimson, states that the heroes of Star Wars such as Han Solo and Luke Skywalker have a swashbuckling style while the protagonists of Star Trek such as Captain Picard and Mr. Spock resolve their challenges with science and intellect. David Brin contrasted the moral and political messages of the two works in "Star Wars" despots vs. "Star Trek" populists, characterizing the philosophy of Star Wars as elitist and authoritarian, as compared with the more progressive and
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