The Star Trek vs. Star Wars debate has been raging for decades between big time and small time fans alike. While many enjoy both franchises for their own reasons, there are some science fiction fans who simply believe that only one is worth watching. Star Wars is a fantastical story about the struggles against a nearly all-powerful force of evil. It involves the coming of age of a young hero, who has become the galaxy’s last hope of defeating the empire and freeing everyone of its cruel influence. In fact, Star Wars is viewed as the quintessential example of a space opera. To Star Trek fans, thi𝐆s makes it not “true” science fiction, rather a fantasy that includes sci-fi elements that has a 𒊎standard “defeat the evil” plot.
Star Trek on the other hand is an ongoing odyssey about the epic adventures of a space exploration vessel and its crew. While there are certain reoccurring alien races and an overarching story that follows each season, the main premise of the show was more or less asking itself what sort of strange adventure could the plucky crew find itself in that week and then running with the answer. On top of this, humanity itself has found world peace, and has transcended the need for money. To Star Wars fans, the lack of any direct plot and the exploration of random p෴lanets th♚at are forgotten by the next episode and lack of regular antagonists is boring.
Both sides of the debate have perfectly valid points and fans who love both franchises just can’t understand why we all can’t just get along. Both sagas have colourful characters to fall in love with and both sides have interesting aliens to wonder at and cosplay as. Today we’ve collected comics that discuss both sides of the debate, and present them to you here to see if you can decide for yourself which side of the fence you sit on. Let’s dive right on in to 25 comics that prove that the Star Trek vs. Star Trek debate is still going strong.
25 🅰 Anakin Really Hates Sand
If there is one thing that Star Wars fans can agree on with their arch nemesis, it’s the fact that the prequels just sucked. While certainly upgraded in terms of visuals, costume design, and fight scenes, but the plot and dialogue are embarrassing. The Star Wars prequels all by themselves would make excellentও material for “Try Not To Cringe” challenge videos you can find on YouTube. You know the ones, compilations of accidents or just plain embarrassing videos of singing or dancing.
There is one little monologue that would top the charts of cringe-worthy however. Remember that the prequel trilogy is the story of a young Darth Vader and his rise to power. It also involves his inevitable fall to the dark side. Welℱl, considering that letting anger take you over is part of going dark, one of the things that made Darth Vader become so evil was apparently sand.
During a “cute” moment with his love-interest Padmé, Anakin, the future Vader, suddenly starts complaining about how much he hates sand. How irritating it is, and how it gets everywhere. This riveting moment has been parodied by fans and non fans alike, and it’s reappeared here in this comic. While lots of shows like to use the line “So what’s the deal with airplane food?” as a gag to indicate that the character is bad at stand up comedy, in this case, it looks like dear Anakin is about to bomb his show with his terrible mo𒀰nologue about sand.
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24 🍬 A Debate With Good Points
One of the main points of debate that come up between fans is the standard “Who is better?” question. Kirk or Han? Darth Vader or the Borg? The combinations for this question are endless, but one of them that frequently comes up is which main lady of each series is better. In the one corner, we have Princess Leia, the sister of the series protagonist Luke. Leia is an exceedingly brave and competent individual who has on more than one occasion saved the skins of her team mates. This includes the rather hilarious botched rescue mission carried out by Luke, Han, and Chewie. Leia is considered a hero to many female and male fans of Star Wars everywhere. Th🍨is is especially so🧜 ever since Leia became the general of the resistance.
In the other corner, we have Uhura. Uhura is the communications officer of the Enterprise, and has used her skills and her strong will to save the ship and its crew on many occasions, very much like Leia. The communications officer is also considered a hero to so many fans, but for different reasons. As Star Trek first became popular during a period wher𝐆e racial tensions were high and minorit🎃ies felt there was little hope to obtain great education and obtain jobs that required that education, Uhura was an anomaly then and a vision of the future.
Whoopi Goldberg even describes seeing Uhura on the show for the first time. In her excitement, she’d run into the kitchen where her mother was, exclaiming that there was a minority on television, and that they weren’t a maid. Goldberg has said that this moment was a defining moment in her life, and that it helped to fuel her own ambitions for her future. It just goeꦆs to show the power that the media can have on young minds, and how that power can be used in a positive way.
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23 A Match �ও�Made In Heaven
George Lucas has been a critically acclaimed and beloved director for decades. The only major mis-step that fans can agree on is his handling of the prequels. It’s hard to believe how anyone who has created so many masterpieces could have stumbled and fall🅰en so badly with his own franchise. You’d think that the knowledge of his own created universe would have helped him to make another trilogy that was only home runs with every new entry.
Unfortunately, George Lucas lost some cred with the invention of midichlorians, which single handedly destroyed all the awesome mystery that the Force had created for fans.
If whether or not you could move things with your mind was entirely determined by how many tiny bacterial organisms of a certain species lived in your body, then the idea that the Force was some grand energy that moved through all things was rendered moot. Science fiction mixed with a bit of fantasy is a recipe that you managed 🎐to discover, Lucas. Why on earth would you then take that away?!
If a mind like his could come up with the concept of midichlorians, then what other ways could his mind move? This artist wondered on how Lucas came up with the idea of Luke and Chewie becoming a team. It does take a few liberties with the material, as we all know that it’s Han and Chew🍨ie who are the best of buds, and it would make more sense to wonder how Lucas came up with that pair. But, the idea of Luke and Chewie coming from witnessing a f♛ight between a bear and a karate black belt is hilarious just the same.
22 Darth Porg 💫
Star Wars is responsible for many adorable creatures becoming fan favorites over the decades. First would be the Ewoks from Endor, the adorable primitive teddy bears that can still somehow go toe to toe with the highly advanced Empire and win. How this is possible is mostly portrayed in adorable antics and spear♏ throwing, which often result in ending many poor Storm Troopers. They certainly go to show that just because you’re cute and tiny, doesn’t mean that you’re weak by any means.
With the release of the The Last Jedi, a new contender for cutest Star Wars alien came to everyone’s attention. If anyone has ever seen a puffin, then they already have an idea of how small island animals can be extremely cute to watch. The Porg takes the tininess of puffins and combines it with the look of a puppy. Next thing you know, you can’t stop “aww”-ing at the sight of these tiny creatures.🌠 We also can’t help but laugh when Chewie is made to feel guilty by them🥃 when he tries to eat a few for his supper. It’s ok, Chewie, we know you’re not a monster. You’re just a monster to them, and that makes you even worse!
So if there’s one way for the New Order to get close to R𒊎ey, it’s sending in one of these cute guys. Who could say no to those huge liquid black eyes? No one, that’s who. The Rebels are in big trouble now.
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21 ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ But Of Cour😼se, Captain
Sir Patrick Stewart is a legendary actor. You have to be, if you want to be knighted by the Queen of England herself. It’s only recently that he’s embraced the more comical side of his acting chops by taking roles on Family Guy and American Dad. Before that, he was best known as the cinematic incarnation of Professor X in the X-Men movies. Even before that, he dove into the hearts of Star Trek fans everywhere as Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Ent🍎erprise. This wise and level headed British man wওas not as ready to flirt with the ladies as previous Captain Kirk was.
Instead, he was more diplomatic and less willing to do hand to hand combat with men in bad lizard costumes. He was a different direction that the series was taking and fans very quickly got on board🍸 this more philosophical man’s adventures. Part of his character was the fact that Picard was more of a gentleman than Kirk was, and by far more proper. Whether this is ♛because this character was raised in England, as opposed to the United States is a debate for another day.
Part of Picard’s mannerisms was his habit of responding to crewmembers giving suggestions and solutions. His regular reply, instead of “do it” or “go ahead” was to say “ma🍬ke it so.” This firm and very proper way of handling his crew struck a good chord for viewers everywhere. However, that doesn’t mean that𒁃 it was beyond parody. In this case, the artist decided to change “so” to “sew”. Now it looks like Picard is ordering his crew to make his sewing machine work again.
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20 Not Go🌱nna Cut It, Ben
Warning: huge spoiler ahead for the five people who haven’t seen The Force Awakens. Skip ahea⭕d now to avoid a heart wrenching revelation. Are you ready then? You’ve been warned: Kylo Ren is the son of Leia and Han Solo. It’s amazing how royalty could ever decide to get with a scruffy nerfherder, but there it is. Oh, and Kylo Ren ends Han Solo.
The whole world was shaken at this🦩 moment, as if millions ofღ fans cried out in horror and then went quiet from retreating to their beds and crying.
Kylo Ren’s betrayal of his father, while certainly shocking and sudden, was certainly foreseen by any fan who’s ever heard of the Dark Side and its endless cycle of betrayal.
Even so, it certainly hit fans where it hurt to see a science fiction hero that had inspired nerds everywhere to try and be a bad boy be taken ꦿout in such a fashion.
Both movies of the new soon-to-be trilogy have done a🐲 lot of hinting at the idea of a redemption arc for Kylo Ren. Some viewers agree that it would nicely bookend the series, considering that in the original trilogy Darth Vader comes back to the Light long enough to save Luke from the Emperor. This artist imagines Kylo Ren possibly beginning this arc with an apology letter to his mother. As cute as the card is, Ren, even being Leia’s son might not be enough to make her and millions of Solo fans forgive your treachery.
19 Not Until You’ve Finished Your Vege🔯tables, Young Man!
Calvin and Hobbes was a Sunday cartoon ﷺwritten and illustrated by Bill Waterson that ran from 1985 to 1995. It followed the adventures and hijinks of a delinquent six year old named Calvin and his (probably) imaginary friend and pet tiger Hobbes. Calvin would often get into trouble 𝕴with his parents and his teachers, as he would often talk back to them or pull mean pranks on them. He would, also, play tease his neighbor and sometimes friend Susie.
Along with the hilarious situations that Calvin would get himself into, he and his tiger often liked to take long walks in the woods and talk. These conversations were often deep and talked about life lessons, which of course was the artist expressing his own views and imparting his own lessons to his viewers. Not only was the writing very unique, 🦋but the art style as well. Watterson drew in the same sketchy style you see in this entry, and anyone who has read even a few of his comics can easily identify who Calvin is supposed to be.
This Star Wars style Calvin and Hobbes strip, by Brian Kesinger, is an adorable take on famous Star Wars characters in the style of the beloved comic strip. Clearly, Kylo Ren is supposed to be seen as Calvin,♏ a delinquent six year old who is always trying to act like an adult. Darth Vader could easily sub in for one of his parents. Considering that Ren is the grandson of D❀arth Vader and his goal is to continue his grandfather’s legacy, it’s only fitting that he would want to finish his grandfather’s cake too.
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18 Even The Professionals Agree On The Debate 💮 💧
Fans always love to dream about massive crossovers between their favourite universes and characters. All it tak𒀰es is a quick internet search to find fan fiction for just about every combination of characters imaginable. You can even find fan fiction about card games. Not just people playing them, but about t💫he actual cards from solitaire and backgammon interacting and actually having nuanced plot. It just goes to show that the internet is one crazy place.
Every once in a while, however, the crossover spirits show favour to fans everywhere. They let two science fiction worl💎ds collide in some crazy contrived plot filled with beautiful artwork and mind boggling twists and turns. This comic is one of those beautiful times that two opposing forces come together to create something, well, wild. Or at least, it almost did. In the mind of artist Ross Pearsall, an artist who loves to put his talents in thinking up the covers of the greatest crossovers﷽ known to man, is responsible for this lovely piece here.
Of course, at a glance any fan could have mistaken this cover for 🥂the real thing. Gee whiz, only a totally gullible fan could have possibly thought that they were about to discover the amazing plot of a life time. What are you looking at? I’m not crying, you’re crying!
17 There’s Just No Winning Th🦩is
Everyone knows the classic traveling kid line. During a long car ride with stressed out parents and an endless open road, the favourite quote that any comedy writer likes to use when they want to go on lunch is the oh so annoying “are we there yet?” question. Part of the hilarity is a♑lways that clearly, very clearly they are nowhere near their destination. Yet the child in question insists on pestering their elders about whether or not they a🤪re, in fact, there yet.
This line of course is meant to sympathize with frazzled parents everywhere who are usually at the end of their rope of patience.
Any proud parent of a child can c꧙ertainly recall a time when their kid has been especially irritating during🌄 a long car ride and refused to keep themselves entertained. It should be also noted that some kids do in fact ask whether or not the countryside is their final destination. This comic is one of the few instances where this joke can still be funny.
Star Trek tra🎀nsporters are a beloved artifact of the series, as they represent a wonderful era in which transportation will be instantaneous at the touch o🦋f a button. Apparently for this child however, this isn’t quite fast enough. Even on the seconds-long travel time that a transporter offers, he still insists of bringing along a Game Boy and asking his parents that dreaded question.
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16 𒀰 Rather One Side🔴d
Most science fiction fans can agree that Star Wars and Star Trek can both be enjoyed for their own reasons. Both franchises are wildly different in terms of plot and overall story after all. One of them is the epic struggle between good and evil, and the possible balance that could be achieved if both sides worked together. The other is a grand ongoing adventure of a science crew out to do some exploring and make new friends and allies wherever they can find them. With the odd occasional enemy cropping up on their radar. While both are very much science fiction, Star Wars tends to be considere🍌d more of a fantasy series. ౠIt’s for this reason that mega Trekkies refuse to acknowledge that it’s in the same vein as their own show.
In this case however, a Trekkie really can’t come to terms with the honest to goodness fact that someone can love both franchises. In order to resolve their differences, they demand a trial by combat, with each side picking a champion. Clearly, the Trekkie had some flawed logic and possibly the inability to think outside the box. While he chose a red shirt wielding a Klingon bat’leth, the Star Wars fan chose the smarter option and went with giant robot camel thatꦅ is the imperial walker. Sure, Trekkie, blame i🐓t on the red shirt.
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