‘Star Trek’ Vs ‘Star Wars’: Developing Franchises For Television Or Film
by Frank Martin
It’s hard to imagine two more popular sci-fi franchises than Star Wars and Star Trek. Because they are so large and have withstood the test of time, comparisons between the two are unavoidable. It can take the form of debate between similar mediums such as films, television, books, comics, and more. In addition, the stories themselves can be compared. But when looking at the concepts as a whole and what each of them is trying to accomplish, a trend starts to emerge that the type of franchise Star Trek represents is best suited for television rather than film while Star Wars is the other way around.
At its core, Star Trek is a series that asks the questions why and what if. Because it began in television, a lot of its stories are premise-based. The program needs to churn out many plots and long form character arcs over the course of seasons. The intellectual exercise rooted in its science fiction is much better suited for an installment-based medium like television. This is in contrast to Star Wars, which obviously began as a film first. Because of its connection to the medium — and its callbacks to cinema as diverse as samurai films and Saturday morning serials — is better suited to big set pieces and action fantasy that were made for the big screen.
That’s not to say that Star Wars doesn’t have great television or Star Trek doesn’t have great movies. Quite the opposite. Both have several examples excelling in the opposing medium. It just means that because of the origins of each franchise, their stories, their premises, and their overall inclinations lean towards the style and execution of one medium over another. To put it another way, the DNA of a specific medium is baked right into the franchise itself. And the versatility of each franchise shows in its ability to thrive in multiple environments. So Star Trek can still do big screen action the same way that Star Wars can present sci-fi drama suited for the small screen.
Star Wars is now streaming on Disney+ while Star Trek is now streaming on Paramount+.
