Prodigy’s Dee Bradley Baker On The Distinction Between Star Trek And Star Wars [Exclusive]

“Well, that’s an interesting question. Is there a different tone or a different source of gravity for the enthusiasm of these two different mythologies?” Baker said, “To me, they’re very related, because ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Star Wars’ are both space-oriented fantasies that are angled to an ultimately hopeful horizon. So there is that.”

Though “Star Trek” is a decade older with its original ’60s TV series, it didn’t reach the big screen until 1979. The overwhelming success and popularity of the original “Star Wars” in 1977 paved the way for “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” to be made. Thanks to the ongoing release of the “Trek” movies and Lucas’s “Star Wars” trilogy, they existed simultaneously in the public consciousness as dueling visions of space fiction.

But “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” could not be more philosophically different. “For me, ‘Star Wars’ is, ultimately, about resisting tyranny. And ‘Star Trek’ is about democracy trying to work.” Baker explained, “And so it’s like these two political polarities. I think they draw a different character of fan and I don’t know how to describe that yet.”

Though they both start with the word “Star,” the second half of these titles sum up their fundamental differences well. “Star Wars” is a story of everlasting generational violence, while “Star Trek” is inherently concerned with discovery and empathy through diplomacy. It’s certainly possible to enjoy both, but there’s an inherent conflict at play, leading to two distinct fan bases.