Coke versus Pepsi, Ali versus Holyfield, cats versus dogs, yin versus yang, the Red Sox versus the Yankees, vampires vs werewolves (or should that be ‘swearwolves?), Mac or PC, the Beatles versus The Rolling Stones. Just a few examples of some of the most fierce rivalries of our time but none of the aforementioned rumbles come close to the eternal battle that began a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away – Star Wars vs Star Trek. Both franchises have had their fair share of high, and low points over the years, and the fanbase for each are as passionate as a Wookie who’s about to lose a game of Dejarik.
The lasting legacy of both franchises continues to go full steam ahead, albeit mainly on the small-ish screen with various spin-offs and longer form series dominating the studios’ streaming services. While the Star Wars classic trilogy still stands as the ultimate go-to for fans of that galaxy far far away, shows such as The Mandalorian, and to a slightly lesser degree, Andor, have embraced the more fun throwaway aspects, and the more serious side, of the franchise. Star Trek, on the other hand, enjoyed massive success with motion pictures such as 1982’s The Wrath of Khan and shows such as Picard and Strange New Worlds continue to enrapture Trekkies on those not-so-small-anymore TV screens.
However, which of these gargantuan franchises is as sharp as Spock’s intellect and which one should be sacrificed to the pit of Sarlacc to be slowly digested over the next thousand years? There’s only one way to find out, sci-fi fans – FACE-OFF!
This episode of Face Off is written and edited by Adam Walton and narrated by Shawn Knippleberg.