r/comics • u/TommySiegel • 20d ago

OC Star Wars vs Star Trek: a helpful guide [OC]

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Star Trek 2009? Fun! The Force Awakens? Fun! And yet…

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u/BasementDesk 20d ago

Not to mention that “the future is incredible” feels kind of limited to the TNG mindset. I love TNG. It’s so very cozy.

But I certainly wouldn’t use DS9 as evidence of the future being so spectacular.

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u/gollyRoger 20d ago

Ds9 still works, it's just the story of what happens when a utopia has to meet challenges they're not built to counter. It's very deliberately the story of what happens at the edges of a utopian society. Probably the closest we'll ever get to an adaptation of the culture

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u/BasementDesk 20d ago edited 19d ago

Oh, for sure. DS9 is my favorite, and for a reason. As much as I love TNG, DS9 goes deep.

And at the risk of pulling out Sisko’s “It’s easy to be an saint in paradise” speech, I think that’s what you’re describing here.

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u/Toomanyeastereggs 20d ago

After the first season I was barracking for the Cardassians as the Bajorans were insufferable religious nutcases.

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u/Feather_Sigil 20d ago

The Federation is still a utopia in DS9, but we get to see what happens when utopia is challenged by overwhelming aggression and subversion. In the end, utopia prevails

It's in the time of PIC that the Federation stops being a utopia

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u/Asleep-Challenge9706 20d ago

DS9 has great episodes on why earth is great under the federation - it's great but it's not perfect, and it's not invulnerable to bad actors in its midst.
It just so happens that DS9 focuses on an area of space and a period of great conflict.

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u/PrimeDirectiveLover 20d ago

The entire point of DS9 is to show its important to keep your ideals when things around you are terrible.

"It's easy to be a saint in paradise"

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u/meowymcmeowmeow 20d ago

I just watched tng in my 30's for the first time. Which series would you reccomend next if I can ask and feel free not to answer.

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u/BasementDesk 19d ago

Deep Space Nine will always be my answer.

A few caveats, without spoilers:

I love love love TNG. I grew up watching it. For a long time it was my favorite.

When TNG was on the air, I'd try to check out DS9, but I always thought it was too dark (both in tone and in visuals), and it didn't fit my TNG vibes that I loved to much.

In my 30s I started watching DS9. I could definitely appreciate it more at that point. It's nuanced. Morally gray, as opposed to Picard's moral certitude.

Over time I came to recognize that DS9 was the better show. But TNG was still my favorite.

These days, after having watched both series again, multiple times, I'd say that DS9 is not only the best show but it's also definitely my favorite now. I'll always have love for TNG, but DS9 just hits so much harder, and in such wonderful ways.

If you're up for it, you could also check out Voyager. Voyager is much lighter, and also stranger. It feels like if TNG had a weird little step-brother who keeps on doing weird things. But he's still part of the family, so we love him.

Good luck on whichever Star Trek path you persue!

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u/meowymcmeowmeow 17d ago

Voyager sounds entertaining. I actually didn't wait for an answer and just went ahead and guessed deep space nine, but thank you for the well thought out answer! I might go back and forth depending on my mood.

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u/AshleyAspenLeaf 19d ago

DS9 is really just "Here's what's happening in the poorest of the poorest space station".

No matter how nice a utopia is, there will always be a roughest area, because areas are made up of people, and people elect people, and those people... you get it, I don't need to finish this.

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u/MorganWick 19d ago

It's also a bit of a TOS mindset too, because Roddenberry's whole thing was how enlightened everyone would be in the future. Naturally, once he died writers started picking apart the setting and writing about the dark secrets lying underneath the surface.