‘Star Wars’ Vs. ‘Star Trek’: Symbolism And Relatability
by Frank Martin
As the two dominant franchises in the science fiction landscape, it’s hard not to draw comparisons between Star Wars and Star Trek. Other than having the word “star” in their name, the similarities are pretty scarce. Star Trek takes place in our own galaxy in a future timeline while Star Wars supposedly takes place in a completely separate galaxy in the distant past. Thematically, stories in the two franchises do share some things in common. Although they encompass a lot of subjects, war and its effect on everyday life comes up quite often in a multitude of ways. But since Star Wars has primarily displayed its stories in film while Star Trek does so in television, analysis of their thematic storytelling shows that Star Trek tries to communicate through relatability while Star Wars does so through symbolism.
These two executions of theme can be traced back to the overall premises behind each franchise. Star Wars is about a ruthless politician (Ian McDiarmid) who manipulated an entire galaxy into an empire that does his very bidding. The story revolves around trying to resist that Empire and fight back against authoritarianism. In its multitude of shows, Star Trek has touched upon similar notes, but the programs reflect a more day-to-day approach in regards to life. This includes relations of different species and cultures who clash in various ways.
Since Star Wars operates in a galaxy not our own, everything is rooted in fantasy. But through the struggle of these fantastical characters, the audience can see symbolism that mirrors the imperialism and authoritarianism in the real world. This is in contrast to Star Trek using our own future as a setting. A great example of this can be seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The show takes place on a space station, which mirrors life in a big city. The commander of the space station, Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), struggles to raise his young son in this world of aliens and wormholes. Even though it is harder science fiction, there’s a relatability to the struggles of parenting that shines through. So it’s interesting to see how Star Trek grounds its personal storytelling while Star Wars take a much more big-picture approach to its message.
Star Wars is now streaming on Disney+. Star Trek is now streaming on Paramount+.