So. Here goes.
Now, I've been casually into Trek since Jabba started watching the re-runs of it while I was in high school. I've always had a soft spot for Shatner and thought Spock was interesting, so...I kind of got into it. But, for a really, really long time, I kind of lost sight of it and got caught up in other fandomy stuff, especially when I got online and met a bunch of Star Wars fans who converted me for a good number of years. And Star Wars was new and exciting and I do like it, but, there's a lot bugging me about the universe that has been bugging me for over a year now, ever since Clone Wars first premiered last October and I could never really put my finger on it exactly until, with the help of re-watching the TOS that I liked through high school, I was able to articulate exactly what the problem I have with the Star Wars universe. This may get me flames, defriended, whatever. Go for it. It's worth it to share my thoughts and all...
The first person that I actually ran this by was probably anachronisma, via my Anakin roleplaying muse skywalking_. Anakin's had a lot of stuff happen in his RP life that made him realize...well the same things I've come to realize about the Jedi order, and the verse being pretty damn fucked up. The NEXT person that I ran it by was actually my MOM who isn't into either of the fandoms, though she's watched Jabba and I enjoying both media and enjoyed the Trek movie and likes to watch the behind the scenes and aniversary specials and admits to thinking the Star Wars costumes are cool and liked the Trek exhibition and liked Star Wars Weekends at Disney (which admittedly was AWESOME) but has little experience with either verse or franchise on her own. Anyway running it by her in the middle of Kmart this week, made me really realize I need to articulate the problem here. So...here goes.
The thing that bugs me about Star Wars has got to be the clones. You have these people, actual people, mind you, being manufactured and sent out to die without being given a choice. You have people who have been PROGRAMMED so strongly to do this that they never had a choice in the matter, and, in the case of Order 66, depending on how you read it, have little control over their own CHOICES AND ACTIONS because of this programing. You have people given little choice for how they do anything, and, pretty much nobody questions this. Lucas does raise the issue of slavery in the case of Anakin, I'll give you that much, but when it comes to the issue of the clones...it bothers me that nobody ever, EVER thinks to question this issue, aside the character Slick in one of the Clone Wars episodes last year. Nobody ELSE QUESTIONS THIS ISSUE, even ANAKIN who probably should be thinking about it (at least in the visual media that I've seen, I don't claim to know much about the EU beyond the YA series of books)in terms of his own life. Instead, everybody just pretty much accepts the idea that it's okay to create an entire race of people, tell them that they don't have as many rights as everybody else, and shunt them off to do your dirty work. It doesn't fly with me and until I started watching TOS, I couldn't put my finger on why this is.
Kirk wouldn't stand for this issue at all. Sure, there's the Prime Directive but given that he ignores it when he feels it's important anyway, and I'd be willing to bet that the Star Wars verse counts as having technology on par with Warp stuff anyway... Kirk would question it, Kirk would fight it and Kirk would do what was right. Even Picard, for all that I don't like him would have worked to change the issue and found a slightly more civilized way than Kirk to handle the problem, but but GOD, he would have found it too. The issue would have at least been raised in the context of the show or the media. Star Wars seems content to just leave things as they are and having seen a glimpse at a world and universe that wouldn't blindly accept that some things are wrong and should be dealt with, discussed and addressed...it makes me really sick to my stomach, literally.
Now, I admit that I find Star Wars to be more FUN, which I think is what it is meant to be, but Star Trek addresses the important things and issues and invites the deep discussion that Star Wars just cant. Offhand, I'm gonna say it's the difference between fantasy (Wars) and Sci Fi (Trek) and the ways that we address the various issues embedded in each. I don't know. This is still brewing in my head a bit but....yeah...
Don't get me wrong, I still love Wars. It just...it's not the same for me anymore now that I've seen the better way, and well, looked at the ways that we can really address issues using storytelling in Sci Fi.
...And of course the thing with Klingons. :)
The first person that I actually ran this by was probably anachronisma, via my Anakin roleplaying muse skywalking_. Anakin's had a lot of stuff happen in his RP life that made him realize...well the same things I've come to realize about the Jedi order, and the verse being pretty damn fucked up. The NEXT person that I ran it by was actually my MOM who isn't into either of the fandoms, though she's watched Jabba and I enjoying both media and enjoyed the Trek movie and likes to watch the behind the scenes and aniversary specials and admits to thinking the Star Wars costumes are cool and liked the Trek exhibition and liked Star Wars Weekends at Disney (which admittedly was AWESOME) but has little experience with either verse or franchise on her own. Anyway running it by her in the middle of Kmart this week, made me really realize I need to articulate the problem here. So...here goes.
The thing that bugs me about Star Wars has got to be the clones. You have these people, actual people, mind you, being manufactured and sent out to die without being given a choice. You have people who have been PROGRAMMED so strongly to do this that they never had a choice in the matter, and, in the case of Order 66, depending on how you read it, have little control over their own CHOICES AND ACTIONS because of this programing. You have people given little choice for how they do anything, and, pretty much nobody questions this. Lucas does raise the issue of slavery in the case of Anakin, I'll give you that much, but when it comes to the issue of the clones...it bothers me that nobody ever, EVER thinks to question this issue, aside the character Slick in one of the Clone Wars episodes last year. Nobody ELSE QUESTIONS THIS ISSUE, even ANAKIN who probably should be thinking about it (at least in the visual media that I've seen, I don't claim to know much about the EU beyond the YA series of books)in terms of his own life. Instead, everybody just pretty much accepts the idea that it's okay to create an entire race of people, tell them that they don't have as many rights as everybody else, and shunt them off to do your dirty work. It doesn't fly with me and until I started watching TOS, I couldn't put my finger on why this is.
Kirk wouldn't stand for this issue at all. Sure, there's the Prime Directive but given that he ignores it when he feels it's important anyway, and I'd be willing to bet that the Star Wars verse counts as having technology on par with Warp stuff anyway... Kirk would question it, Kirk would fight it and Kirk would do what was right. Even Picard, for all that I don't like him would have worked to change the issue and found a slightly more civilized way than Kirk to handle the problem, but but GOD, he would have found it too. The issue would have at least been raised in the context of the show or the media. Star Wars seems content to just leave things as they are and having seen a glimpse at a world and universe that wouldn't blindly accept that some things are wrong and should be dealt with, discussed and addressed...it makes me really sick to my stomach, literally.
Now, I admit that I find Star Wars to be more FUN, which I think is what it is meant to be, but Star Trek addresses the important things and issues and invites the deep discussion that Star Wars just cant. Offhand, I'm gonna say it's the difference between fantasy (Wars) and Sci Fi (Trek) and the ways that we address the various issues embedded in each. I don't know. This is still brewing in my head a bit but....yeah...
Don't get me wrong, I still love Wars. It just...it's not the same for me anymore now that I've seen the better way, and well, looked at the ways that we can really address issues using storytelling in Sci Fi.
...And of course the thing with Klingons. :)