Star Trek and Star Wars are two of the most prevalent space theme franchises that have inserted themselves into pop culture. Although both of them have their own reasons for being great, Star Trek shines over Star Wars in its strong theming, showing why it is one of the most iconic franchises of all time. 

Star Trek premiered in 1966, telling the story of the starship USS Enterprise and the crew’s journey to explore space and “boldly go where no man has gone before.” Although the show ended early due to poor ratings, later expansions on the franchise such as an animated series and storylines with new crews in different situations lead to Star Trek becoming an incredibly popular media franchise. Spanning over 13 series, 14 films and various other forms of media, including games and comics, it became a pop culture icon. 

The actual story of Star Trek takes place in an optimistic version of the future, with the coexistence of the human race and aliens, though some conflict takes place. The setting of Star Trek allows for the exploration of various themes that might not be touched upon in something more connected to the modern world. Throughout its history, the franchise has talked about topics that were often not mentioned in television, such as war and discrimination. 

Throughout the franchise, there are strong anti-war themes and shows of diversity. The Vulcans were previously war torn and full of rage, but eventually developed to become more controlled and peaceful, in contrast to their violent cousins, the Romulans, who remain violent. Vulcans are shown to take a place alongside humans, while the Romulans are often portrayed as antagonists, promoting Star Trek’s theme of general diplomacy over fighting. 

Additionally, Star Trek has had a large amount of diversity throughout its history. The original cast was a variety of races and based on race is nonexistent throughout the crew. This is not to say that prejudice does not exist; there is clear discrimination and stereotyping against different races of aliens, which is sometimes left unresolved. However, it is never about the race between people. In fact, Star Trek was among the first of shows to have an interracial kiss, developing the idea of a future of equality. 

Star Trek has incredibly strong social and political commentary throughout the franchise, and compared to Star Wars’ themes of good and evil, Star Trek has much deeper themes. Although Star Trek fails to meet the sheer numbers of revenue that Star Wars brings in, the value that it brought to the world and the impact that it had on people cannot be understated.