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Compare And Contrast Star Wars Vs Star Trek

Decent Essays

Sam Walrath
EN103 C
Compare/Contrast Essay
October 6, 2016

Among the many great debates that have passed down through the centuries, there is one that has yet to be given a clear answer or voice; yes, my fellow nerds, I am talking about the great battle of the fandoms. While there are those who think Captain Picard would be no match for Darth Vader, it is finally time to shed some light on the situation; it is time for Star Wars versus Star Trek. I enjoy both universes equally, but I believe that in a fight Star Trek would win against Star Wars. First, we will delve into the social atmosphere of both universes; since I am a trekkie from years of absorbing my mother’s obsession, I’ll list off their advantages and disadvantages first. In …show more content…

It has been shown and explained that the sensor technology in the Star Trek universe can observe specific organisms, and their cellular chemistry, on a planet from orbit. Their sensors, installed on just about every ship with warp capabilities in the Star Trek universe, can even read DNA from orbit or track particles of interstellar hydrogen trillions of kilometers away; by contrast, one of the most advanced ships in the Empire’s fleet, the Star Destroyer, can’t even discern two droids in a pod with no shields. One could essentially hide from an Empire vessel just by landing on it. Ships like the Star Destroyer are also at a crippling disadvantage range-wise. Even most smaller vessels from Star Trek can successfully track or lock onto targets hundreds of thousands of kilometers away within the depths of space, whereas almost all combat happens at visual range between ships in Star Wars, and with an alarming miss rate. Speaking of combat capabilities, the Photon torpedoes of Star Trek travel at warp speed; they are unavoidable by vessels such as the Star Destroyer or even the Millennium Falcon, as their reaction time is only as good as the pilots within. It would be entirely feasible for a Star Trek ship to blow up the shields of Star Destroyers from farther ranges than the Star Wars vessel could even detect. Star Destroyers, in contrast, use turbolaser technology. Their lasers are not merely …show more content…

Empire-era ships are capable of traveling hundreds of thousands, or even millions of times the speed of light; compared to Federation-era ships, which max out at Warp 9.985, the Empire clearly has the Federation beat. However, not many people think to question the maneuverability of either universe’s ships. While most ships in Star Wars are faster at interstellar travel, hyperdrive propulsion occurs by diverting vessels into the sub-dimension of Hyperspace. While it may be faster than flying at normal speeds through space, Hyperspace is essentially a spacial slide. The Empire’s ships cannot maneuver while using hyperdrive; to make course corrections, they first would have to exit hyperspace, recalculate their course trajectory, and then re-engage hyperdrive. Therefore, the Empire would be unable to engage in combat maneuvers at velocities faster than light, and would be sitting ducks while adjusting their course. Federation vessels on the other hand, are capable of maneuvers at warp speed. Just as important, if not moreso, their weaponry is capable of being deployed and traveling at warp speed as

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