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Star trek: every war in the franchise, chronology explained.

The Star Trek franchise has had its fair share of important wars across various series, and many of the conflicts have become legendary.

Star Trek has had many wars over the decades, ranging from smaller conflicts between species to galaxy-wide battles that have gone down as defining points in history. The Star Trek franchise began in 1966 with Star Trek: The Original Series , and to date has produced nine television shows and thirteen films. With the sheer amount of stories that have been told, it isn't surprising storylines about war have popped up so often.

Generally, Star Trek's goal has been to depict a utopian future. Creator Gene Roddenberry was interested in showing an optimistic vision of the future, with humans having overcome their differences as a species to become players on the galactic stage. Conflict, however, is what makes television and films inherently interesting, and not every alien species humans come into contact with in Star Trek  have been friendly

Related: Star Trek Has More Wars Than Star Wars: Here Are The Greatest

The franchise has its fair share of important wars, ones that have laid the groundwork for ongoing storylines and established their own mythos. The series contains ten such wars, plus four other conflicts that mark definitive points on the Star Trek timeline. Not all of these were depicted on-screen in their entirety, but all have been explored in some way by various Star Trek shows or movies.

The Eugenics Wars

One of Star Trek's earliest wars was the Eugenics Wars, which took place from 1992-1996 in canon. The Eugenics Wars were never shown directly on-screen but were referenced heavily in episodes of  TOS and Star Trek: Enterprise . They began when a group of scientists sought to use genetic engineering to improve humanity, creating a race of superhumans who had superior strength, stamina, and intellect. Unfortunately, these individuals also possessed enhanced cruelty and ambition, and took over large portions of the planet, ruling as tyrants and dictators. They were eventually defeated but many escaped on a sleeper ship and were found centuries later by Captain Kirk and the USS Enterprise. Star Trek's most famous superhuman was Khan, who first appeared in the TOS episode "Space Seed".

World War III

The Eugenics Wars also gave rise to World War III , which was explored mostly in TOS ,  Enterprise , and briefly in  Star Trek: Discovery . World War III started in 2026 from lingering issues surrounding genetic engineering and went on to reap an enormous loss of life until its end in 2053. Many factions during the war controlled their soldiers with narcotics, and eco-terrorism as well as nuclear weapons were used heavily, resulting in nuclear fallout that lasted until at least 2079. Luckily in 2063, humanity made first contact with the Vulcans as depicted in Star Trek: First Contact . The existence of extraterrestrial life united humanity in a way nothing else had, and within 50 years Earth had eliminated issues of poverty, disease, and hunger. Still, World War III had a profound effect on the planet and its consequences were felt well into the 22nd century.

The Temporal Wars

The Temporal Wars were a series of conflicts fought across both space and time, but humanity first became involved in 2151 when Captain Jonathan Archer and his crew were pulled into a portion of the conflict involving the Klingons and the Suliban. This was explored in the pilot episode of Enterprise  and the Temporal Wars went on to become a major plot point throughout the series. Much of the conflict was considered a cold war, which became a full-scale war in the Enterprise two-parter "Stormfront" when Earth's history was changed by the Na'kuhl. Archer and his crew were able to end the conflict with the help of Temporal Agent Daniels. The conflict was not explored again until season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery , where it came up in conjunction with Discovery's time jump to the 32nd century, the time period around when many of the Temporal Wars had originated.

Related: Star Trek Hints Temporal Wars Happened In The Background Of The Franchise

The Earth-Romulan War

The Earth-Romulan War was the last major conflict between Earth and an alien species before the United Federation of Planets was formed and was mostly shown or discussed on  Star Trek: TOS and Enterprise . The war lasted from 2156 to 2160, although tensions had been building during the early 2150s as Romulans sought to keep humanity from becoming a major galactic power. Open hostilities ended in 2160, when human, Vulcan, Andorian, and Tellarite forces allied to defeat the Romulans. The end of the war resulted in the creation of the Romulan Neutral Zone, and the four allied forces in the battle became the Federation's founding members. However, the war had lasting effects on Romulan and Federation relations, and hostilities between Starfleet and the Romulans have been depicted in nearly every Star Trek series.

The Federation-Klingon War

The Federation-Klingon War was the biggest of many conflicts between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, although hostilities had existed for a long time. The official war was not initiated until the Battle of the Binary Stars in 2256, which was depicted in Star Trek: Discovery.  While the war itself wasn't shown until Discovery , conflicts with the Klingons were explored in Enterprise and  TOS , including the Klingon invasion of Organia in TOS episode "Errand of Mercy". Official peace would not be achieved between the two powers until 2293, as shown in the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .

The Klingon Civil War

The Klingon Civil war was a short-lived conflict from 2367-2368, mostly explored in the Star Trek: The Next Generation  two-parter "Redemption". The war was fought over who had the right to be Chancellor of the Klingon High Council, with current Chancellor Gowron on one side and the supporters of the House of Duras on the other. Although the war was fought mostly amongst the Klingons, several other forces came into play, including the Romulans and the Federation. The character of Worf from TNG was heavily involved, at one point even resigning his Starfleet commission to join the fighting. Ultimately, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D helped to expose a plot between the Duras sisters and the Romulans, putting an end to hostilities and reaffirming Gowron as Chancellor.

The Occupation Of Bajor

The Occupation of Bajor by the Cardassian Union was first introduced as a plot point in Star Trek: TNG  but went on to set up several interconnected conflicts in Deep Space Nine and Voyager . It began officially in 2328, although the Cardassians had maintained a military presence on Bajor since 2319. During the Occupation, the Cardassians imposed their militaristic form of government on the Bajorans, strip-mined the planet for its resources, and forced the Bajoran people into slavery, committing genocide on a massive scale. Over the course of the Occupation, the Bajorans mounted a resistance movement that used guerilla warfare and terrorist tactics to attempt to drive the Cardassians out. Fighting between the Resistance and the Cardassians lasted until the Cardassians withdrew in 2396, due to pressure from Cardassian Central Command and the Federation.

Related: Star Trek: Where The Cardassians Are In Picard

The Federation-Cardassian War

At the same time the Cardassians were occupying Bajor, they were engaged in a series of battles with the Federation over disputed territories that later became known as the Federation-Cardassian War. The war started in the 2340s, and the conflicts were largely explored over the course of Star Trek: TNG . During the war, both Cardassian and Federation forces battled for control over locations along the Federation-Cardassian border, but by the mid-2360s, the fighting had come to a stalemate, which led to the peace treaty and armistice being drawn up in 2367. The armistice created further problems however when it established a demilitarized zone along the border. During the creation of the demilitarized zone, a number of planets with both Federation and Cardassian colonies on them fell into dispute, giving rise to the formation of the Maquis.

The Maquis Insurrection

The Maquis were first introduced in Star Trek: TNG but went on to play a major role in both  Deep Space Nine and  Voyager . As discussed, the establishment of a demilitarized zone between Federation and Cardassian space caused a number of Federation colonies to become stranded. The Federation attempted to help the colonists evacuate, but many refused to leave and instead asked for help from Starfleet in protecting themselves, help which Starfleet was unable to provide because of the treaty. Once it was clear to the colonists they were on their own, they formed a group called Maquis and began fighting back against both Cardassian and Starfleet forces. The Maquis grew into a full-blown resistance movement from 2370 to 2373, but once the Cardassians joined forces with the Dominion, they used their newfound military power to wipe out the Maquis, putting a bloody end to the rebellion. Starfleet considered any remaining Maquis terrorists, and those left alive were imprisoned by the Federation.

The Dominion War

The Dominion War was the central focus of much of Deep Space Nine  and was arguably the biggest war depicted during any Star Trek series. Although the official war only lasted two years beginning in 2373, the conflict had been building from 2370. The Dominion was a coalition of planets from the Gamma Quadrant, ruled over by the Founders, a race of shapeshifters who sought to expand their empire into the Alpha Quadrant. Using infiltration tactics, the Founders insinuated themselves into Alpha Quadrant politics in an attempt to destabilize established power structures. This lead to several conflicts between the Federation, the Klingons, and the Cardassians, before all three realized they were being manipulated. The Federation and the Klingons united themselves against the Founders, but Gul Dukat allied the Cardassians with the Dominion in exchange for power. When all-out war broke out between the Federation powers and the Dominion, it took several large-scale battles and a Cardassian rebellion before the Dominion was defeated and forced to retreat to the Gamma Quadrant.

Other Notable Star Trek Conflicts

While the ten wars already discussed make up the majority of important conflicts in the Star Trek franchise, there have been others that aren't necessarily all-out wars but deserve mention. The most important is the Battle of Wolf 359, which was the first battle fought between Starfleet and the Borg. Wolf 359 was depicted in the TNG two-parter episode "The Best of Both Worlds" and was arguably the opening salvo of the Federation's ongoing war with the Borg-  a war that the Star Trek franchise has yet to resolve. In addition to Wolf 359, a few other important battles should be mentioned. These include the battle with Control at the end of Discovery season 2, the Khitomer massacre, a Romulan-Klingon conflict from TNG , and the Attack on Mars in Star Trek: Picard season 1, a Romulan-orchestrated attack that resulted in the Federation's ban on synthetic life in 2385.

Related: All 5 Changes Star Trek: Picard Made To Romulans

Although Star Trek was first conceived of as a utopian ideal of the future, the franchise has seen more than its fair share of conflict. While many of the big wars in the franchise's history took place before humanity's first contact with the Vulcans and the formation of the Federation, just as many took place during a period of time when peace was supposed to be the order of the day. With new Star Trek content being produced for the franchise all the time, it is likely audiences will continue to see storylines about war going into the future.

More: Every First Contact In The Star Trek Movies

Star Trek vs. Star Wars

Star Trek , originally a TV series, is a space western science fiction that centers around a crew who serves in Starfleet , a space-based peacekeeping and humanitarian armada. Star Wars , originally a trilogy, is a space opera fantasy franchise set in the distant past of a fictional galaxy, revolving around princes, princesses, knighthood, and chivalry. Both these highly popular and successful franchises are now being revived with new movies directed by J.J. Abrams.

Until the recent movies, Star Trek has been more of a cult phenomena than Star Wars , and therefore did not have the same level of mainstream fandom and cultural influence. Star Wars is grander in scope and has a complex web of political agendas, alien species, personal feuds, and galaxy-wide domination. The Star Trek world is modern, sleek, and shiny, while some of Star Wars' settings are dirty and grimy.

Comparison chart

Originally a television series, Star Trek has generally used the same basic plot setup: an altruistic crew is placed in situations of moral dilemma, which are often allegorical nods to current social and political issues. Issues covered include imperialism, war and peace, racism, class warfare, feminism, and human rights. The core characters, Captain Kirk , Spock, Scotty, Uhura, and Pavel Chekov, comprise humans and humanoid alien species. Star Trek only gained mainstream fame after the release of its films in 2009 and 2013. The video below briefly touches on the history of Star Trek :

Star Wars uses archetypes of the fantasy genre, such as princesses, knighthood, and chivalry, and action unfolds in a contest between good and evil. The Star Wars universe is laden with political science elements and historical inspiration. The plot climax of the Rebel Alliance fights for freedom from the Galactic Empire was drawn from the fall of the Roman Republic and the formation of an empire. This 10 minute video gives a retrospective look into the original trilogy of Star Wars :

Science and Fantasy

Common belief is that Star Trek is science fiction, while Star Wars is science fantasy. The technology in Star Trek is supposed to be at least loosely grounded in science or potential future science , rather than supernatural forces or magic. The most visible technologies include personal communication and triangulation devices (inspirations for modern day smart phones), warp drive travel for space ships, and teleporting ( “Beam me up, Scotty” ). The chief technologist for Google Earth has said that the tricorder’s mapping capability was one inspiration for Google Earth.

Star Wars , on the other hand, is not focused on the real-world viability of its science, as it is more science fantasy than science fiction. One of the core elements of its stories is the existence of the “Force”, an omnipresent energy that surrounds all living things and that can be harnessed by those with special abilities. The Force allows for acts of telekinesis, mind control, clairvoyance, and precognition, and can also make a person more physically capable.

Production History

After two Star Trek pilots were made, the original series aired for three years in the late sixties. Despite a fervent fan base, ratings were disappointing, and the show was canceled. Except for an animated series in the mid 70s, no new Star Trek productions were released until the first feature film in 1980. This revived the franchise , and 11 more movies followed, along with overlapping television series running until 2005. The Star Trek reboot films in 2009 and 2013 directed by J.J. Abrams brought a new style to the franchise, and functioned as broad-appeal blockbusters, rather than just being events for long-standing fans of the show.

Unlike Star Trek , Star Wars began as a motion picture rather than a television series. Universal Studios first agreed to make George Lucas’s Star Wars in 1971, but it took several years and multiple script revisions for the project to begin. The original film was finally released in 1977 to worldwide fanfare and became a pop culture phenomenon. Two sequels were released at three year intervals. 16 years after the third film, the first film in a new prequel trilogy was released. A third trilogy has recently been announced: Star Wars Episode VII will be released in 2015, and is being directed by J.J. Abrams, the same director who was in charge of the Star Trek reboot.

Political and Social Elements

When Roddenberry conceived the original show, he did so with a highly progressive, liberal agenda in mind, reflecting the counter culture movement sweeping the nation in the 1960s, although he was not totally forthcoming with the television networks about this element of the show. Star Trek was Roddenberry’s vision of what society could become in the future if humanity learned from its past mistakes. It was one of the first shows to have a mixed race cast.

Star Wars is a classic epic of good versus evil. The Jedi use the Force for good, while the Sith use the Force for evil. Star Wars functions less as commentary on specific social issues, but operates on the grander operatic struggle of dark vs light, dictatorships versus democracies, etc. However, many have attempted to draw parallels between Star Wars and the reality of history and politics , as seen in this video :

Pop Culture and Legacy

Star Trek has a devoted cult following of hardcore fans known as “Trekkies”. There are various Trekkie conventions all over the world where fans dress up in costumes and may have a chance to meet cast members, or to discuss the issues of the show. Some Trekkies even learn the show’s constructed language , Klingon. There was a Star Trek -themed attraction in Las Vegas for 10 years. Two museum exhibits of props travel the world. A NASA space shuttle was named after the crew’s ship , the Enterprise.

The Star Wars movies have expanded into a massive web of spinoffs and products, including books, video games , made-for-TV movies, comic books, animated series, theme park attractions. Even several animal species have been named after Star Wars characters. References to Star Wars are common in movies and the media.

Famous Quotes

• "KHAAANNNN!" -Captain Kirk
• "It can be argued that a human is ultimately the sum of his experiences." --Benjamin Sisko
• "I would be delighted to offer any advice I can on understanding women. When I have some, I'll let you know." -Captain Picard
• "Excuse me… Excuse me. I’d just like to ask a question… What does God need with a starship?" -Captain Kirk
• "What we leave behind is as important as how we’ve lived. After all, Number One, we’re only mortal." -Picard "Speak for yourself, sir. I plan to live forever. -Riker
• The truth is usually just an excuse for a lack of imagination. -Garak
• "May the Force be with you."
• “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” -Yoda
• “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.” -Luke Skywalker
• “You don’t need to see his identification … These aren’t the droids you’re looking for … He can go about his business … Move along.” - Obi-Wan Kenobi
• “Use the Force, Luke.” - Obi-Wan Kenobi
• “I find your lack of faith disturbing.” -Darth Vader
• “Fear is the path to the dark side…fear leads to anger…anger leads to hate…hate leads to suffering.” -Yoda
• “When I left you, I was but the learner, now I am the master.” -Darth Vader “Only a master of evil, Darth.” -Obi-Wan Kenobi
• “I’ve got a very bad feeling about this.” - Han Solo
• “Wars not make one great.” -Yoda
• “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.” -Yoda

Star Trek Stills

Star wars stills.

• Wikipedia: Star Wars
• Wikipedia: Star Trek
• Wikipedia: Comparison of Star Trek and Star Wars
• The Official Star Wars Blog
• The Official Star Trek Website
• The 10 Best Yoda Quotes - Star Wars Blog
• Top 10 Star Trek Quotes - Science Channel
• Star Trek Trivia - IMDB
• Star Wars: Episode IV Trivia - IMDB

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Star Trek vs. Star Wars: which one is better in 2023?

For as long as both entities have existed, fans of science fiction and fantasy have debated the merits of Star Trek and Star Wars . But for most of the 45 years that the two franchises have overlapped, Star Trek and Star Wars haven’t actually had much in common, apart from their cosmic setting. Star Trek is an aspirational sci-fi series set in humanity’s future, while Star Wars is a bombastic fantasy adventure that takes place in a far-off galaxy. One has primarily lived on weekly television, while the other has broken big-screen box office numbers.

Star Trek and Star Wars have both leaned heavily into fan service

The streaming era has let both franchises experiment.

• The streaming bubble is forcing Star Trek and Star Wars to pump the brakes — and that’s good

However, in recent years, both Star Trek and Star Wars have become tentpoles for their parent companies’ subscription streaming services , Paramount+ and Disney+ , respectively, each pumping out a steady stream of content in an ever-widening array of formats. This has led them to encroach further into each other’s territory than ever before. Star Trek vs. Star Wars is no longer an apples-to-oranges comparison — they are directly competing products, sharing some of the same ambitions and struggling against the same environmental forces.

We will likely never settle on which space franchise is the greatest of all time, but we can take a moment to ask: Which is better right now?

• The Acolyte’s first trailer embraces the Dark Side of Star Wars
• One year ago, Andor changed Star Wars forever
• At SDCC, Strange New Worlds goes full musical and more Star Trek trailers

Studios have become increasingly risk-averse during the streaming era, and that’s meant relying on recognizable brands with loyal fanbases who will remain subscribed to a service as long as there are new releases within their favorite fictional universe. However, this dependence has also left streamers at the mercy of those same fans, who can now use social media to converse with creators or even make demands. While this can lead to crowd-pleasing moments like the return of popular characters or the inclusion of fan-promoted memes back into the product, it can also create a feedback loop in which creators continue to serve audiences slight variations on whatever fans say they like rather than expanding their worlds or telling new stories.

Over the past two years, both Star Trek and Star Wars have released series that are representative of this shamelessly fan-oriented approach. In 2022, Paramount+ released the first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , a prequel series set aboard the original USS Enterprise and starring Anson Mount as Captain Kirk’s predecessor Captain Christopher Pike. This series was prompted by a vocal fan campaign after legacy characters Pike, Mr. Spock, and Number One were featured in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery in 2019. A petition to give these characters their own spin-off received over 30,000 signatures, eventually leading to Strange New Worlds receiving a series order. Happily, the fans were right about this one, and Strange New Worlds has become more than just a nostalgic throwback to classic Trek , but exactly the shot in the arm the franchise needed. The series retains the episodic format of pre-streaming Trek series, but benefits from modern production values, a charming cast, and a sense of joy and wonder that the serialized Trek shows Discovery and Picard have yet to deliver.

The recent third season of Star Trek: Picard  has also been a serious crowd-pleaser, reuniting the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation for one last 10-hour adventure. Though certainly the most recursive and least imaginative new installment of Trek’s streaming era, it has been wildly popular among fans, well-received by critics, and is the first Trek series to make a dent into Nielsen’s weekly Top 10 streaming charts. A petition to launch a sequel series featuring Picard ’s younger cast members has surpassed the one that demanded a spin-off for Pike’s Enterprise, with over 44,000 signatures to date. There is a vocal online contingent that wants to hand the keys to the franchise to this season’s showrunner, gushing Star Trek fanatic Terry Matalas.  

The current state of the Star Wars Galaxy should be a warning against that particular future for Star Trek . While ascended fan and George Lucas apprentice Dave Filoni has produced some of the best Star Wars television, such as the animated Star Wars Rebels and the incredible final season of The Clone Wars , his insistence upon building every new series directly on the back of the last one has left the Star Wars galaxy feeling both smaller and more confusing than it has in decades. Characters’ stories weave between animated and live-action series, making each product harder to follow on its own. Important character beats for the main characters of The Mandalorian are resolved in The Book of Boba Fett . Ahsoka is a live-action spin-off for the popular Clone Wars character, but is also a sequel to Rebels , seeded in a number of Mandalorian episodes . Die-hard fans will have no trouble following this and delight in getting to see their favorite animated characters brought to life in live-action follow-ups, but this comes at the expense of what has always been Star Wars ’ greatest advantage over Star Trek : accessibility.

Meanwhile, the desire to tickle fans’ nostalgia glands with returning characters from the franchise’s past has resulted in creative misfires like the most recent Star Wars feature film, The Rise of Skywalker , the underwhelming Obi-Wan Kenobi streaming series, and the ghoulish practice of digitally applying the faces of young Mark Hamill or the late Carrie Fisher onto new actors. These are indications that even the unstoppable forces of time and death will not dissuade Disney from recycling the most popular Star Wars elements ad infinitum. That way lies madness.

Point: Star Trek

Prior to the streaming wars, Star Trek and Star Wars each had their own clearly defined lanes. Star Trek was weekly television that occasionally spun off into feature films, aimed at adults but also fostering a family audience; Star Wars was a film series that very rarely dabbled in TV, fun for all ages but plainly angling for a toy-buying audience. There had never been a Star Trek series specifically for kids (not even the short-lived 1970s Star Trek: The Animated Series ), nor had there been a Star Wars release that was made solely for adults. Over the past two years, however, both franchises have set their sights on the other’s target audience, with encouraging results.

In 2021, Paramount+ and Nickelodeon debuted Star Trek: Prodigy , a 3D animated action-adventure series aimed at kids under 12. Sporting a cast of colorful alien teenagers and a decidedly Star Warsian tone, Prodigy explores the Star Trek Universe from the perspective of complete outsiders, making it a perfect on-ramp for a young new fan. Prodigy is like no other Star Trek show before it, and yet it is still essentially Star Trek — a show about curiosity, cooperation, communication, and tolerance — winning it the enthusiastic approval of many adult Trekkies. It’s also a lot of fun, the sort of show that could easily capture the same sort of audience that The Clone Wars garnered during its earliest, most kid-friendly seasons. Naturally, it has spawned a toy line and a tie-in video game but is unlikely to compete with Star Wars to become a merchandising juggernaut.

Conversely, 2022 saw the release of Andor , the first Star Wars offering that feels totally adult-targeted. While still not explicitly sexual or any more graphically violent than the feature films, Andor is a slow, dense, character-driven drama that would bore most kids to tears. It is, nevertheless, one of the best new shows on television, the sort of series that could ably compete with Succession or Better Call Saul  in the acting, writing, and directing categories at next year’s Emmys. Even after the relatively gritty Rogue One: A Star Wars Story , to which Andor serves as a prequel, few fans predicted that a new Star Wars series would emerge that had so little interest in being commercial or toyetic.

And yet, its radical politics and revolutionary vigor are a perfect modern extrapolation of George Lucas’ original intent behind Star Wars , a film inspired by the Vietnam War in which the well-armed, well-funded government and military are the bad guys. It’s the side of Star Wars that was buried under mountains of merchandise as Lucas built his own Empire. Rival Star Trek has always been more overtly political, but with Andor , Star Wars has delivered an incisive dose of agitprop that would make Gene Roddenberry blush.

Point: Star Wars

The streaming bubble is forcing Star Trek and Star Wars to pump the brakes — and that’s good

As recently as 2022, both Disney and Paramount were betting the farm on streaming, spending unbelievable sums to pump out new installments of their most expensive franchises year-round. Disney+ debuted three live-action event series ( The Book of Boba Fett , Obi-Wan Kenobi , Andor ) and a set of animated shorts ( Tales of the Jedi ), totaling 23 weeks of new Star Wars content on the app. That same year, Star Trek hit critical mass, with a whopping 51 new episodes premiering on Paramount+ across all five of their ongoing series ( Discovery , Picard , Lower Decks , Prodigy , and Strange New Worlds ). As both services continue to hemorrhage money, it’s become clear that this breakneck pace of new content is not sustainable. Returning Disney CEO Bob Iger has ordered Lucasfilm and Marvel to slow the rollout of their planned streaming series in favor of more theatrical releases, and a trio of new Star Wars films was announced at 2023’s Star Wars Celebration event. Meanwhile at Paramount, Star Trek: Section 31 , once planned as an ongoing series, is being retooled as a TV movie, with plans for new standalone Trek specials every two years . This strategy may allow Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman’s “Phase Two” of streaming Star Trek to explore new angles for the franchise without committing each of them to a pricey ten-episode season order.

While it’s true that a more conservative approach to either franchise could result in fewer big swings like Andor , it could also strike a blow against mediocrity. During the peak streaming era, mediocre installments like Picard season 2 or The Book of Boba Fett did little damage to their streamers’ credibility, as there was always another release right around the corner that might potentially make up for it. This pattern could continue uninterrupted for years, with a steady stream of good, fine, or outright bad Star Trek or Star Wars and very little great Star Trek or Star Wars . The less we get, the more valuable each new chapter will be, and the more invested everyone — from creators to fans — will be in its quality.

Individually, both upcoming franchises’ upcoming slates represent an exciting variety. Star Trek ’s most uneven pillars, Discovery and Picard , are wrapping up, but Strange New Worlds , Prodigy , and the animated sitcom Lower Decks continue to go boldly in markedly different directions from each other (though Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks have a crossover episode coming up this year). Section 31 promises to be something totally new for Trek , a spy-fi adventure starring Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh. A new series, Starfleet Academy , is also in early development. Across the divide, Star Wars has the hotly anticipated Ahsoka coming out this summer, with more Andor  and The Mandalorian on deck. Star Wars: Visions , the exciting anthology of animated shorts created by studios around the world, is back for another season this year, and the trailer looks positively dazzling. Middling animated series The Bad Batch is coming to an end, seemingly putting the Clone Wars-adjacent era to bed for a while, while upcoming series The Acolyte and the three unnamed feature films will each take place in a different time periods, expanding a galaxy that has started to feel strangely claustrophobic.

Both of these upcoming slates look promising, but the sheer variety of announced Star Wars projects is simply too enticing to deny. However, whatever your individual preference, fans of space sci-fi will have plenty to argue over for years to come.  

Point and overall winner: Star Wars

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The writers' strike has lasted about one-and-a-half months so far, and it doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon. And now, Disney is making some major schedule changes to almost all of its upcoming franchise films. Avatar fans are going to feel it the most. Avatar 3 has been pushed back a year from December 2024 to December 19, 2025. The other sequels, Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, have been delayed to December 21, 2029, and December 19, 2031, respectively. That's a three-year delay for both titles from their previous release dates.

Marvel's 2024 slate is also getting a big shake-up, with Captain America: Brave New World moving away from its summer opening slot on May 3, 2024, to July 26, 2024. The Thunderbolts movie is shifting from July 26, 2024, to December 20, 2024, the former release date for Avatar 3. That will make it only the second MCU movie to be released in December after Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Star Wars eras are defined as much by their villains as by their heroes. While Emperor Sheev Palpatine is the overarching evil mastermind behind the entire Skywalker Saga, he’s never truly been the face of the franchise. That honor falls to the grim reaper of the galaxy, Darth Vader. His intimidating stature (provided by bodybuilder David Prowse), booming voice (courtesy of James Earl Jones), and menacing helmet (designed by Ralph McQuarrie and sculpted by Brian Muir) have made him an immortal pop culture icon. But what about his successor from the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver)? Positioned as the new hotness among merciless enforcers of space fascism, it seems the man once called Ben Solo never really got his due as a top-shelf villain in cinema’s most inescapable franchise. With the Skywalker Saga now years in our rearview, it’s time to reevaluate the question: Who is the better character, Darth Vader or Kylo Ren?

Darth Vader is unquestionably cooler than Kylo Ren

In the long and storied history of TV, there have been plenty of great sitcoms. From All in the Family to Friends to Seinfeld, popular, critically-acclaimed situational comedy shows tended to bring plenty of awards with them, and they also ran for an insanely long time. Two of the more recent shows to vie for entries in the pantheon of all-time great sitcoms are undoubtedly The Office and The Big Bang Theory. 

Although the two shows overlapped in their runs, they represent two fundamentally different approaches to sitcom storytelling. The question remains, though, as to which show is actually better. Let's break it down in a couple of crucial ways: Which one is funnier?

Star Trek Wars

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The Star Trek Wars were a series of wars that were fought on Earth , beginning in 2022 and lasting decades. Star Trek and the Church of Trek had taken over most countries, and had defeated a lot of creatures throughout the galaxy, including Na'vi. It's the longest war in history.

The war resulted in Star Trek being banned forever and all "Trekkies" were thrown into a volcano: recapped by Nichelle Nichols' head as "the manner most befitting virgins". The tapes of the Star Trek episodes were deposited on planet Omega 3 , inside the "Forbidden Zone".

Appearances [ ]

• Where No Fan Has Gone Before
• 1 Philip J. Fry
• 2 Turanga Leela
• 3 Bender Bending Rodríguez

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Warp speed ahead: is the Star Trek saga set to eclipse Star Wars?

With a fourth film in the rebooted series on the horizon, the USS Enterprise’s big-screen adventures may just be beginning

G reat news for Star Trek fans, though perhaps not hardcore “Trekkers” . The long-running sci-fi saga is returning to the big screen with a fourth episode featuring Chris Pine ’s Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto ’s Spock, along with the duo’s various Starship Enterprise crewmates. Simon Pegg’s Scotty, Zoe Saldana’s Uhura, Karl Urban’s Bones and John Cho’s Sulu are all tipped to return for a movie to be directed by WandaVision’s Matt Shakman, provided deals can be done with agents. According to Variety , Paramount hopes the project could be shooting by the end of this year.

The only question is why the studio didn’t get this one zooming past the moon a lot earlier. Justin Lin’s Star Trek Beyond (the third film in the rebooted series) may have struggled at the box office in 2016, certainly for such an expensive, high-profile effort. And let’s not forget how much some fans hated 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness . But generally, the series and its cast have been well-received by critics and audiences.

So why plan another film now, especially as Star Trek hardly needs the big screen to thrive in the era of streaming? Small screen spin-offs such as Picard and Star Trek: Discovery have found their audiences, while Paramount was so nervous about making a fourth instalment that it reportedly carried out market research into whether fans really wanted to see Pine and Quinto back on the bridge (luckily, they did). Three years ago, an attempt to bring back the series floundered when the studio was unable to strike a deal with Chris Hemsworth to reprise his brief cameo as Kirk’s dad from 2009’s Star Trek, which suggests the men in suits didn’t believe a new episode could work without parachuting in a star name best known for an entirely different franchise (in Hemsworth’s case, the Marvel Cinematic Universe).

But perhaps Paramount has finally worked out how fortunate it is to have a film series that could easily be at the beginning of its run rather than the end. The genius of JJ Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek (much to the chagrin of certain fans, who didn’t want time travel involved) was that it completely rebooted the timeline, giving the series permission to go in any direction it saw fit. If Kirk and co wanted their next adventure to be a psychedelic journey to the home-planet of the Tribbles in the company of those dodgy aliens from the (racially insensitive) Next Generation episode Code of Honor, they could do so without any worries about damaging the legacy of previous shows and movies.

By comparison with Star Wars, the possibilities are endless. Abrams himself managed to foul up the most recent Star Wars film, largely because he couldn’t work out how to make it interesting without cannibalising all the good stuff from George Lucas’s original trilogy – despite that tale having already been told. From a storytelling point of view, Star Trek finds itself in a much better place, with its main participants conceivably right at the beginning of their adventures. To end up in anything like such a positive position, Star Wars would have to completely recast Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia, and find them something to do other than defeat Darth Vader and blow up various Death Stars. This will almost certainly happen one day, but it would go down about as well as a Disney+ spin-off about Jar Jar Binks if producers were to try it right now.

Trekkers, of course, detest that Abrams rebooted Star Trek to make it more like Star Wars. Gone are the plotlines dealing with philosophical questions about the nature of mankind and its place in the universe. In their place are madcap space battles and helter-skelter sprints through alien jungles . It turns out that granting film-makers the freedom to boldly go where no screenwriter had gone before made for some of the greatest space-opera set pieces in modern cinema.

Meanwhile, the Star Wars franchise (despite the brilliant Mandalorian ) continues to underestimate fans’ appetite for fresh stories set a long time ago in that galaxy far, far away. The Book of Boba Fett is just the latest example of producers dredging up characters that should have been left to get digested by the sarlacc. We can only hope that Patty Jenkins’ forthcoming Rogue Squadron will learn from that show’s many mistakes .

So let’s welcome back Star Trek, and hope those fee negotiations go well. If this isn’t a saga whose moment has come, my name’s Nurse Chapel.

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Star Trek Prequel Movie In The Works With Star Wars Director

Toby Haynes, who directed episodes of Black Mirror, Doctor Who, and Andor, is lined up to make a Star Trek movie.

By Eddie Makuch on April 11, 2024 at 12:06PM PDT

A Star Trek prequel movie is in the works with Star Wars director Toby Haynes attached to direct, Paramount announced during CinemaCon. This has been rumored since January , and now it's confirmed. The movie is set for release sometime in 2025.

Haynes previously directed episodes of Doctor Who, Black Mirror, Sherlock, and the Star Wars series Andor. Collider reported on these details from CinemaCon.

Seth Grahame-Smith, who wrote The Lego Batman Movie, is writing the untitled Star Trek film. Haynes has never directed or written a Star Trek movie, but he directed Black Mirror's Star Trek-inspired USS Callister episode.

The film is said to be an "origin story" that will take place prior to the events of 2009's Star Trek, which took place in 2255 and was itself an origin story. This likely means it will feature a different cast. The stars of the latest series, including Chris Pine, Karl Urban, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana, have been rumored to be coming back for a fourth film in their series, but it hasn't happened yet.

2016's Star Trek Beyond is the latest entry in the main Star Trek movie series, but the franchise has lived long and prospered on streaming with the TV shows Picard and Strange New Worlds.

The 2009 Star Trek reboot and its 2013 sequel Into Darkness were directed by JJ Abrams, before he handed off directing duties to Justin Lin for Star Trek Beyond. The three movies collectively earned around $1.2 billion at the global box office.

In addition to Pine, Saldana, and Quinto, the latest Star Trek movie series featured John Cho as Sulu and Anton Yelchin as Chekov. Yelchin tragically died in 2016 at the age of 27 after a motor vehicle accident in his driveway.

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The following is a list of all military conflicts, rebellions, coups, etc. that have occurred from the distant past to the far future , organized by date.

• 1 Distant past
• 2 Conflicts of the 19th century
• 3 Conflicts of the 20th century
• 4 Conflicts of the 21st century
• 5 Conflicts of the 22nd century
• 6 Conflicts of the 23rd century
• 7.1 Dominion cold war and war
• 7.2 Conflicts involving the Borg
• 7.3 Delta Quadrant regional conflicts
• 8 Conflicts of the 25th century
• 9 Conflicts of the (possible) future
• 10.1.1 During Kahless' life
• 10.2 Involving the Romulan Star Empire
• 11.1 Alternate reality
• 11.2 Mirror universe
• 12 Averted conflicts
• 13 Accounts of conflicts proven to be false
• 14 Hypothetical
• 15 Fictional
• 16 Other and unsure
• 17 See also
• 18 External links

Distant past [ ]

An Atomic bomb is used during the Time of Awakening on Vulcan

Orbital bombardment of the Vaadwaur homeworld

• Slaver war : one billion years ago ( TAS : " The Slaver Weapon ")
• Arretan final war: 500,000 years ago ( TOS : " Return to Tomorrow ")
• Orbital bombardment of Iconia : 200,000 years ago ( TNG : " Contagion "; DS9 : " To the Death ")
• Unspecified Mesopotamian battle in which Flint fought : c. 39th century BC ( TOS : " Requiem for Methuselah "))
• A series of conflicts on Beta III : ended c. 39th century BC ( TOS : " The Return of the Archons ")
• Battle of Thermopylae : 480 BC ( DS9 : " What You Leave Behind ")
• Final battle at Mount Seleya
• Conflict on Solais V : started around 1500 years before 2365 , still ongoing in that year. ( TNG : " Loud As A Whisper ")
• Battle of Clontarf : 1014 ( DS9 : " Bar Association ", " It's Only a Paper Moon ")
• Crusades ( DS9 : " Q-Less ")
• Hur'q invasion : c. 14th century ( DS9 : " The Sword of Kahless "; ENT : " Affliction ")
• Battle of Orelious IX
• Ventax II period with wars: ended 1367 ( TNG : " Devil's Due ")
• Orbital bombardment of Vaadwaur homeworld : 1484 ( VOY : " Dragon's Teeth ")
• Overthrow of the Klingon Second Dynasty - 16th century ( DS9 : " You Are Cordially Invited ")
• Pueblo Revolt : 1680 ( TNG : " Journey's End ")
• Spanish reconquest of areas lost in the Pueblo Revolt : ca. 1690 ( TNG : " Journey's End ")
• Eminiar-Vendikar War : started c. 18th century , ended in 2267 ( TOS : " A Taste of Armageddon ")
• American Revolution : 1775 – 1783 ( TOS : " The City on the Edge of Forever "; TNG : " The High Ground ")

Conflicts of the 19th century [ ]

George Washington crosses the Delaware during the American Revolution

A scene from the American Civil War

• Human slave uprising on a Skagaran colony ( ENT : " North Star ")
• Denobulan-Antaran wars (end date) ( ENT : " The Breach ")
• Battle of Trafalgar : 1805 ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds "; Star Trek Generations )
• Battle of Waterloo : 1815 ( VOY : " The Thaw ")
• Battle of the Alamo : 1836 ( DS9 : " Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night ")
• Battle of Pine Mountain : 1864 ( VOY : " Death Wish ")
• Battle of Fort Hindman ( TOS : " The Cage ")
• Battle of Hampton Roads ( TOS : " The Cage ")
• An unspecified war fought on 892-IV (before 1868) ( TOS : " Bread and Circuses ")

Conflicts of the 20th century [ ]

Earth 's First world war

Nuclear Weapons development, part of cold war strategy

• Anthracite strike of 1902 : 1902 ( DS9 : " Bar Association ")
• World War I : 1914 – 1918 ( TOS : " The City on the Edge of Forever " et al )
• Gang violence in Chicago – 1920s ( TOS : " A Piece of the Action ")
• Dunkirk ( PIC : " Remembrance ")
• Battle of Britain : 1940 – 1941 ( DS9 : " Homefront ")
• Pearl Harbor attack ( TNG : " The Enemy ")
• French Resistance ( VOY : " The Killing Game ")
• Brush Wars : ~ 1960s ( TOS : " A Private Little War ")
• Civil Rights Movement ( DS9 : " Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang ")
• Watergate ( DS9 : " Q-Less ")
• Unspecified Asian coup d'etat : 1968 ( TOS : " Tomorrow is Yesterday ")
• Iran-Contra Scandal ( TNG : " The Ensigns of Command ")
• Tiananmen Square protests ( ENT : " Storm Front, Part II ")
• Earth Cold War : ~ 1947 – 1991 ( TOS : " A Private Little War ", DS9 : " Our Man Bashir " et al )
• Operations in North Africa ( ENT : " Hatchery ")

Conflicts of the 21st century [ ]

The Bell Riots

A court during the Post-atomic horror

• Vulcan annexation of Weytahn : 2097 ( ENT : " Cease Fire ")
• World Trade Center attack: 2001 ( ENT : " Storm Front, Part II ")
• Nakan massacre ( VOY : " Memorial ")
• Irish rebellion - ended in 2024 with the Irish Unification of 2024 ( TNG : " The High Ground ")
• Bell Riots : 2024 ( DS9 : " Past Tense, Part I ", " Past Tense, Part II ")
• Unrest amongst students in France: 2024 ( DS9 : " Past Tense, Part I ", " Past Tense, Part II ")
• Xindi Civil War : c. 2030s ( ENT : " The Council ")
• World War III : 2026 - 2053 ( TOS : " The Savage Curtain " et al )
• Post-atomic horror : second half of 21st century ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ")
• Kzinti Wars : c. 2060s ( TAS : " The Slaver Weapon ")
• Earth - Terra Nova dispute: ended 2083 ( ENT : " Terra Nova ")

Conflicts of the 22nd century [ ]

The Xindi probe strikes Earth

Battle of Andoria , the final battle in the Vulcan-Andorian conflict

22nd century

• Border Incursions of 2112 : 2112 ( ENT : " Cease Fire ")
• Coridanite civil war: 2150s ( ENT : " Shadows of P'Jem ")
• A series of three Andorian intrusions of P'Jem : last one in 2151 ( ENT : " The Andorian Incident ")
• Andorian orbital bombardment of P'Jem: 2152 ( ENT : " Shadows of P'Jem ")
• Andorian re-occupation and defense of Weytahn : 2152 ( TNG : " Cease Fire ")
• Battle of Andoria : 2154 ( ENT : " Kir'Shara ")
• Dominion - Teplan conflict ( DS9 : " The Quickening ")
• Unspecified conflict in which the Denobulan Infantry was involved ( TNG : " Cease Fire ")
• Krenim - Rilnar conflict ( VOY : " Year of Hell, Part II ")
• IKS Somraw raid on Xarantine outpost: 2151 ( ENT : " Sleeping Dogs ")
• A colony of Tessic's species conflict with Klingon marauders : Ended 2152 , ongoing for "five seasons " ( ENT : " Marauders ")
• Periodic coups on Xantoras , including one in 2153 ( ENT : " The Breach ")
• Klingon Empire internal struggle: until 2151 ( ENT : " Broken Bow ")
• Tandaran - Suliban conflict: started in 2044 , ongoing as of 2152 ( ENT : " Detained ")
• Zobral's clan rebellion: 2150s ( ENT : " Oasis ")
• Temporal Cold War : 2151 ( ENT : " Broken Bow " et al )
• Outbreak of violence aboard the Seleya : 2152 ( ENT : " Impulse ")
• Outbreak of violence aboard Vaankara : 2152 ( ENT : " The Expanse ")
• Triannon War : Ended in 2153 ( ENT : " Chosen Realm ")
• Battle of Azati Prime ( ENT : " Azati Prime ", " Damage ")
• Augment Crisis : 2154 ( ENT : " Borderland ", " Cold Station 12 ", " The Augments ")
• Bombing of United Earth Embassy : 2154 ( ENT : " The Forge ")
• Bombarding of T'Karath Sanctuary : 2154 ( ENT : " Awakening ")
• Babel Crisis : 2154 ( ENT : " Babel One ", " United ", " The Aenar ")
• Terra Prime crisis: 2155 ( ENT : " Demons ", " Terra Prime ")
• Battle of Cheron ( TNG : " The Defector ")
• Federation-Klingon Cold War ( TOS : " Errand of Mercy " et al )
• Borg assimilation of Species 262 : late 22nd century ( VOY : " The Omega Directive ")

Conflicts of the 23rd century [ ]

Klingon invasion forces on Organia

Battle of the Mutara Nebula , Khan Noonien Singh 's final stand

• Battle of Donatu V : 2245 ( TOS : " The Trouble with Tribbles ", DIS : " The Vulcan Hello ")
• Raid on Doctari Alpha ( DIS : " The Vulcan Hello ", " Lethe ", " Will You Take My Hand? ")
• Mass execution of colonists on Tarsus IV : 2246 ( TOS : " The Conscience of the King ")
• Battle of Axanar ( TOS : " Whom Gods Destroy ")
• Bombing of Vulcan Learning Center
• Suicide attack on Sarek
• Battle of the Binary Stars ( DIS : " Battle at the Binary Stars ")
• Attack on Corvan II ( DIS : " The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry ")
• Battle at Pahvo ( DIS : " Into the Forest I Go ")
• Battle near Xahea : 2257 ( DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 ")
• Gorn attacks on Finibus III and the USS Enterprise : 2259 ( SNW : " Memento Mori ")
• Battle of Caleb IV : c. 2260s ( DS9 : " Once More Unto the Breach ")
• Pralor - Cravic war: ongoing as early as 2222 and at least until 2372 ( VOY : " Prototype ")
• Borg assimilation of the El-Aurian homeworld : mid-23rd century ( TNG : " Q Who ", " I Borg ", Star Trek Generations )
• Neutral Zone Incursion : 2266 ( TOS : " Balance of Terror ")
• Klingon invasion of Organia ( TOS : " Errand of Mercy ")
• Gorn attack on Cestus III : 2267 ( TOS : " Arena ")
• Interplanetary conflict in the region of Altair VI : ended ca. 2267 ( TOS : " Amok Time ")
• Planet killer intrusion in Federation space: 2267 ( TOS : " The Doomsday Machine ")
• Destruction of all life in the Malurian system by Nomad ( TOS : " The Changeling ")
• Coup on Capella IV : 2267 ( TOS : " Friday's Child ")
• Conflict between the Hill People and a neighboring tribe on Neural : 2267 – 2268 ( TOS : " A Private Little War ")
• Conflict between Southside Territory and Northside Territory on Sigma Iotia II : ongoing in 2268 ( TOS : " A Piece of the Action ")
• Elasian - Troyian war - started "decades" before 2268 , possibly ended in that year ( TOS : " Elaan of Troyius ")
• Tralesta Massacre : 2268 ( TNG : " The Vengeance Factor ")
• 2268 - removal of all Zeons from the Ekosian capital
• Disrupter 's rebellion: Ended 2269 ( TOS : " The Cloud Minders ")
• Klingon Fight with V'ger : 2270s ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture )
• Attempted Son'a takeover of Ba'ku : 2270s ( Star Trek: Insurrection )
• Battle of Klach D'kel Brakt : 2271 ( DS9 : " Blood Oath ")
• Battle of the Mutara Nebula : 2285 ( Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan )
• Battle of Genesis : 2285 ( Star Trek III: The Search for Spock )
• Feira incident : before 2287 ( Star Trek V: The Final Frontier )
• Albino raids on Klingon colonies: 2290s ( DS9 : " Blood Oath ")
• Ansata struggle for independence; started 2296 , ongoing as of 2366 ( TNG : " The High Ground ")
• Battle of Khitomer : 2293

Conflicts of the 24th century [ ]

Wreckage after the Battle of Wolf 359

The First Battle of Chin'toka , part of the Dominion War

24th century

• Tomed Incident : 2311 ( TNG : " The Neutral Zone ")
• Son'a conquest of Tarlac and Ellora species: 2320s ( Star Trek: Insurrection )
• Alpha moon - Beta moon conflict: ongoing since 19th century, ended 2337 ( TNG : " The Host ")
• Mordan IV civil war : 2319 – 2359 ( TNG : " Too Short A Season ")
• Raids on the Haru outposts ( DS9 : " Past Prologue ")
• Raid on Pullock V ( DS9 : " Shakaar ")
• Liberation of Gallitep labor camp : 2357 ( DS9 : " Duet ")
• Destruction of a Cardassian orbital drydock around 2360 ( DS9 : " Waltz ")
• Kendra Valley Massacre ( DS9 : " The Collaborator ")
• Kiessa Monastery massacre ( DS9 : " Ties of Blood and Water ")
• Dominion annexation of Yadera Prime ( DS9 : " Shadowplay ")
• Setlik III massacre : ~ 2347 ( TNG : " The Wounded " et al )
• Attempted Cardassian annexation of Minos Korva ( TNG : " Chain Of Command, Part I ", " Chain Of Command, Part II ")
• mining of the Beloti sector ( TNG : " Ethics ")
• "Constant border disputes" in the sector containing Draygo IV : ongoing in 2370 ( TNG : " Homeward ")
• Battle of Narendra III : 2344 ( TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ")
• Khitomer Massacre : 2346 ( TNG : " Heart of Glory ", " Sins of The Father ", " Birthright, Part I ")
• Klingon raid in which Neral 's family was killed: 2350 ( DS9 : " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges ")
• Klaestron Civil War : mid-24th century ( DS9 : " Dax ")
• Gentonian trade wars : mid-24th century ( TNG : " Violations ")
• Norkan Campaign : mid-24th century ( TNG : " The Defector ")
• Todfrey Campaign
• Robmeybur Rebellion
• Endemic feuding on Acamar III : ongoing until the mid-24th century ( TNG : " The Vengeance Factor ")
• Tholian Attack on a Federation starbase : 2353 ( TNG : " The Icarus Factor ")
• Battle of Maxia : 2355 ( TNG : " The Battle ", PIC : " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ")
• Battle at Castal I
• Destruction of Galen IV colony
• Parada Civil War : started 2358 , ongoing in 2370 ( DS9 : " Whispers ")
• Federation-Tzenkethi War : c. 2360s ( DS9 : " The Adversary ", " Paradise Lost ")
• Rekag-Seronia dispute: 2360s , intensified in 2369 ( TNG : " Man Of The People ")
• Klingon raid into Federation space: 2362 ( TNG : " Aquiel ")
• Antican - Selay wars: ongoing as of 2364 ( TNG : " Lonely Among Us ")
• Destruction of the USS Drake : 2364 ( TNG : " The Arsenal of Freedom ")
• Operation Lovely Angel : 2365 ( TNG : " Peak Performance ")
• Civil war on Daled IV : ongoing for centuries in 2365 ( TNG : " The Dauphin ")
• Battle of Zambrano
• Husnock attack on the Rana IV colony : 2366 ( TNG : " The Survivors ")
• Destruction of a station in the Cuellar system
• Destruction of a Cardassian warship and a supply ship
• Kriosian struggle for independence: ongoing in 2367 ( TNG : " The Mind's Eye ")
• Lysian - Satarran conflict: ongoing in 2368 , started "decades" before ( TNG : " Conundrum ")
• Battle of Mempa ( TNG : " Redemption II ", DS9 : " Apocalypse Rising "
• Kriosian - Valtese conflict: ongoing for centuries as of 2368 ( TNG : " The Perfect Mate ")
• Cardassian attack on Solarion IV : 2368 ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ")
• Ktarian takeover attempt of Starfleet: 2368 ( TNG : " The Game ")
• Ennis - Nol-Ennis war: ongoing in 2369 ( DS9 : " Battle Lines ")
• Breakdown of government on Tilonus IV : 2369 ( TNG : " Frame of Mind ")
• Paqu - Navot dispute: 2369 ( DS9 : " The Storyteller ")
• Destruction of two Ferengi freighters by Cardassians in the Igo sector : 2369 ( TNG : " Realm Of Fear ")
• Overthrow of government on Malaya IV : somewhere between 2328 and 2370 ( TNG : " Inheritance ")
• Proxcinian War : c. 2370s ( DS9 : " Business as Usual ")
• Attempted coup d'état by the Alliance for Global Unity on Bajor : 2370 ( DS9 : " The Circle ", " The Siege ")
• Destruction of the Bok'Nor : 2370 ( TNG : " The Maquis, Part I ")
• Orias assault: 2371 ( DS9 : " Defiant ")
• Attacks on Veloz Prime and Quatal Prime : 2373 ( DS9 : " For the Uniform ")
• Marquis annihilation: 2373 ( DS9 : " Blaze of Glory ", VOY : " Hunters ")
• Voyager-Kazon conflict : 2371 - 2373 ( VOY : " Caretaker " et al )
• Battle of Veridian III : 2371 ( Star Trek Generations )
• Conflict between USS Equinox and the Krowtonan Guard : 2371 ( VOY : " Equinox ")
• Two week Bajoran government standoff with Shakaar : 2371 ( DS9 : " Shakaar ")
• Breen privateer raid on Free Haven : 2372 ( DS9 : " To the Death ")
• Rogue Jem'Hadar raid on Deep Space 9 : 2372 ( DS9 : " To the Death ")
• Conflict involving the Manchovites : armistice before 2373 ( DS9 : " Business as Usual ")
• Palamar conflict: ongoing in 2373 ( DS9 : " Business as Usual ")
• Q Civil War : 2373 ( VOY : " The Q and the Grey ")
• Year of Hell : 2374 ( VOY : " Year of Hell ", " Year of Hell, Part II ")
• Romulan seizure of the USS Prometheus ( VOY : " Message in a Bottle ")
• Territorial dispute in the Goren system : 2375 ( Star Trek: Insurrection )
• Battle of the Briar Patch : 2375 ( Star Trek: Insurrection )
• Brief war between beings Doctor Chaotica and beings of the fifth dimension : 2375 ( VOY : " Bride of Chaotica! ")
• Conflict between USS Equinox and nucleogenic lifeforms : Ended in 2376 ( VOY : " Equinox ", " Equinox, Part II ")
• Battle in the Bassen Rift : 2379
• Attack on Mars : 2385 ( ST : " Children of Mars ", PIC : " Remembrance ")

Dominion cold war and war [ ]

• Massacre on New Bajor : 2370 ( DS9 : " The Jem'Hadar "
• Battle of the Omarion Nebula : 2371 ( DS9 : " The Die is Cast ")
• Attempted United Federation of Planets coup by Vice Admiral Leyton : 2372 ( DS9 : " Homefront ", " Paradise Lost ")
• Destruction of Korma outpost: 2372 ( DS9 : " Return to Grace ")
• First Battle of Deep Space 9 : 2372( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")
• Battle at Ganalda IV 2373 ( DS9 : " Nor the Battle to the Strong ")
• Battle of Ajilon Prime : 2373 ( DS9 : " Nor the Battle to the Strong ")
• Second Battle of Deep Space 9 : 2373 ( DS9 : " Call to Arms ")
• Dominion taking control of Kepla sector : 2373 ( DS9 : " Valiant ")
• Battle of Torros III : 2373 ( DS9 : " Call to Arms ")
• Battle of the Tyra system : 2374 ( DS9 : " A Time to Stand ", " Inquisition ")
• Operation Return : 2374 ( DS9 : " Favor the Bold ", " Sacrifice of Angels ")
• Raid on the Coridan system 's dilithium mines ( DS9 : " One Little Ship ")
• Battle of Betazed : 2374 ( DS9 : " In the Pale Moonlight ")
• Romulan strikes on fifteen bases along Cardassian border: 2374 ( DS9 : " In the Pale Moonlight ")
• Three Second Fleet attacks on Betazed : 2374 ( DS9 : " The Sound of Her Voice ")
• First Battle of Chin'toka : 2374 ( DS9 : " Tears of the Prophets ")
• Battle of Monac IV : 2375 ( DS9 : " Shadows and Symbols ")
• Siege of AR-558 : 2375 ( DS9 : " The Siege of AR-558 ")
• Raid on Trelka V : 2375 ( DS9 : " Once More Unto the Breach ")
• Battle of Ricktor Prime : 2375 ( DS9 : " Field of Fire ")
• Invasion of Septimus III : 2375 ( DS9 : " Strange Bedfellows ")
• Breen attack on Earth : 2375 ( DS9 : " The Changing Face of Evil ")
• Second Battle of Chin'toka : 2375 ( DS9 : " The Changing Face of Evil ")
• Attack on Avenal VII : 2375 ( DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ")
• Battle of Rondac III : 2375 ( DS9 : " The Changing Face of Evil ")
• Attack on Tevak shipyards ( DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ")
• Mission to Kelvas facility ( DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ")
• Dominion destruction bases of the rebellion ( DS9 : " The Dogs of War ")
• Attack on Jem'Hadar barracks at the Cardassian capital city ( DS9 : " The Dogs of War ")
• Destruction of Lakarian City
• Razing of Cardassia Prime

Conflicts involving the Borg [ ]

• Caatati -Borg conflict: assimilated in the early 2370s . ( VOY : " Day of Honor ")
• Encounter at System J-25 ( TNG : " Q Who ")
• Destruction of New Providence colony and the USS Lalo ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds ")
• Engagement at the Paulson Nebula TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds ")
• Battle of Wolf 359 : 2367 ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II " et al , DS9 : " Emissary ")
• Battle in Earth orbit ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ")
• Rogue Borg attack on Ohniaka III : 2369 ( TNG : " Descent ")
• Rogue Borg attack on MS I colony : 2369 ( TNG : " Descent ")
• Battle of Sector 001 : 2373 ( Star Trek: First Contact )
• Borg- Species 6339 conflict: started 2371 , ongoing as of 2375 ( VOY : " Infinite Regress ")
• Borg-Species 8472 War : 2373 – 2374 ( VOY : " Scorpion ", " Scorpion, Part II ")
• Borg - Species 116 conflict: centuries, until c. 2374 ( VOY : " Hope and Fear ")
• Borg- Species 10026 conflict: 2375 ( VOY : " Dark Frontier ")
• Borg- Brunali conflict: ongoing in 2376 ( VOY : " Child's Play ")

Delta Quadrant regional conflicts [ ]

• Kazon uprising against the Trabe : 2346 ( VOY : " Initiations ", " Alliances ")
• Battle of the Pyrithian Gorge
• Alsaurian resistance movement ; started at the latest in 2360s , active in 2372 ( VOY : " Resistance ")
• Banea - Numiri conflict: ongoing in 2371 ( VOY : " Ex Post Facto ")
• Etanian - Nezu conflict: 2373 ( VOY : " Rise ")
• The Clash : ongoing for over a decade in 2374 ( VOY : " Nemesis ")
• Great War : beginning in late 2374 ( VOY : " Living Witness ")
• Iden's Rebellion : 2377 ( VOY : " Flesh and Blood ")
• Lokirrim Photonic insurgency : ongoing in 2377 ( VOY : " Body and Soul ")
• Conflict between: Aksani , Antarian , Chessu , and one more species: ended before 2377 ( VOY : " Drive ")
• Vojean - Wyngari conflict: started 2378 ( VOY : " Q2 ")

Conflicts of the 25th century [ ]

• Theft from Daystrom Station ( PIC : " The Next Generation ")
• Shrike attacks the USS Titan -A and the SS Eleos XII in the Ryton system ( PIC : " The Next Generation ", " Disengage ", " Seventeen Seconds ", " No Win Scenario ")
• Titan' s raid on Daystrom Station ( PIC : " Bounty ")
• Shrike captures the Titan ( PIC : " Dominion ", " Surrender ")
• Battle of Sol Station
• Battle over Jupiter

Conflicts of the (possible) future [ ]

Battle of Procyon V

26th century

• Battle of Procyon V ( ENT : " Azati Prime ")

31st century

• Temporal Cold War ( ENT : " Broken Bow " et al )
• Temporal War ( ENT : " Storm Front ", " Storm Front, Part II ")
• Riots on the Kyrian and Vaskan homeworld ( VOY : " Living Witness ")

33rd century

• War involving the V'draysh and Alcor IV ( ST : " Calypso ")

Conflicts with indeterminate dates [ ]

Unspecified battle between the Klingon Defense Force and a Borg cube

• Kohm - Yang war: implied to be millennia before 2267 ( TOS : " The Omega Glory ")
• Galactic Wars : 2269 ( TAS : " The Infinite Vulcan ")
• Gorn attack on the SS Puget Sound : 2230s or 2240s ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds ", " Memento Mori ")
• Trabe conquest and subjugation of Kazon : before 2346 ( VOY : " Initiations ", " Alliances ")
• Battle of Prexnak : before 2374 ( DS9 : " The Magnificent Ferengi ")
• Ersalrope Wars : before 2364 ( TNG : " The Arsenal of Freedom ")
• Kenzie Rebellion : before 2366 ( TNG : " The High Ground ")
• Violent rebellion resulting in the independence of Mexico from Spain . ( TNG : " The High Ground ")
• Andorian-Tellarite conflict ( ENT : " Babel One ")
• Attack on Station Salem-One : before 2366 ( TNG : " The Enemy ")
• Final war on Cheron : between ca. 47,732 BC and 2268 ( TOS : " Let That Be Your Last Battlefield ")
• Six conflicts in which the Mizarian were conquered, in the three centuries before 2366 . ( TNG : " Allegiance ")
• Ghorusda Disaster : before 2266 ( TNG : " Tin Man ")
• Koinonian Wars : "centuries" before 2366 ( TNG : " The Bonding ")
• Talosian nuclear holocaust": "thousands of centuries" before 2254 ( TOS : " The Cage ")
• Tarellian Civil War : prior to 2364 ( TNG : " Haven ")
• Saltah'na power struggle: before 2369 ( DS9 : " Dramatis Personae ")
• Dominion conquest of the T-Rogorans : before 2370 ( DS9 : " Sanctuary ")
• Borg- Sakari conflict: some time before 2373 ( VOY : " Blood Fever ")
• Based on assimilated individuals, both Klingons and Romulans seem to have had undocumented encounters with the Borg. ( Star Trek: First Contact , VOY : " Unity ")
• Uprising of Human slaves on a Briori planet: fifteen Human generations before 2371 ( VOY : " The 37's ")
• Motali Empire - Bara Plenum war: before 2375 ( VOY : " Think Tank ")
• Forceful displacement of Native Americans from their ancestral lands: centuries before 2370 ( TNG : " Journey's End ")
• Warlike period on Zeon : ended "dozens of [Zeon] generations" before 2268 ( TOS : " Patterns of Force ")
• The Spanish , Dutch , and the Portuguese had engaged in conquest under the guise of exploration. ( TNG : " Time's Arrow, Part II ")
• Attacks on the Diana and USS Muleskinner : Before 2364 ( TNG : " The Naked Now ")
• Triacus marauder attacks on the worlds of Epsilon Indi ( TOS : " And the Children Shall Lead ")
• The Aquans had apparently been attacked by their progenitors, known as " air-breathers ", centuries prior to 2269 . ( TAS : " The Ambergris Element ")
• Destruction of Gol : prior to the Time of Awakening ( ENT : " Kir'Shara ")
• Andorian renegade action in the Triangulum system ( TNG : " The Survivors ")
• Wars on Earth over Black pepper, paprika, mustard seed, cayenne, and other such resources. ( ENT : " Rajiin ")

Involving the Klingon Empire [ ]

• Battle of Tong Vey ( DS9 : " Rules of Engagement ")
• Failed Klingon invasion of the Breen : during the Klingon Second Empire ( DS9 : " 'Til Death Do Us Part ")
• Klingon annexation of Raatooras : some years before 2153 ( ENT : " Judgment ")
• Klingon conquest of Krios Prime : after 2152 ( TNG : " The Mind's Eye ")
• Battle of HarOs : before 2370 ( TNG : " Parallels ")
• Betreka Nebula Incident : " ages " before 2372 ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")
• A battle at Korma Pass : during the life of Kor , before 2372 ( DS9 : " The Sword of Kahless ", " Once More Unto the Breach ")
• An attack on Romulus : during the life of Kor , before 2372 ( DS9 : " The Sword of Kahless ")
• Romulan boarding of ShiVang's flagship ( DS9 : " Once More Unto the Breach ")
• Conquest of the Zora Fel ( DS9 : " Apocalypse Rising ")
• Liberation of Vrax ( DS9 : " Apocalypse Rising ")
• A Klingon-Romulan battle at Tranome Sar ( TNG : " A Matter Of Honor ")
• A Klingon-Romulan battle in which Klag's father was captured ( TNG : " A Matter Of Honor ")
• Romulan attack on a Klingon outpost ( TNG : " Face Of The Enemy ")

During Kahless' life [ ]

• Battle of Qam-Chee ( DS9 : " Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places ")
• Battle of River Skral ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior ")
• Kahless slaying of the Fek'Ihri ( DS9 : " The Sword of Kahless ")
• Battle at Three Turn Bridge ( DS9 : " Let He Who Is Without Sin... ")

Involving the Romulan Star Empire [ ]

• A hundred year long war between the Vulcans and the Romulan Star Empire ( VOY : " Death Wish ")
• "A hundred campaigns" a centurion claimed to have fought together with his Commander , previous to 2266 . ( TOS : " Balance of Terror ")
• A battle involving the Romulan commander Chulak at Galorndon Core before 2370 . ( VOY : " The Thaw ")
• Battle of Vorkado : before 2377 ( VOY : " Workforce, Part II ")

Alternate timelines [ ]

German forces occupy Washington, DC

Earth destroyed by the Xindi

• Nazi Germany conquest of Earth ( TOS : " The City on the Edge of Forever ")
• Nazi conquest of France , Belgium , and the Netherlands
• Battles in Virginia
• American resistance
• American counter-offensive in southern Virginia, eastern Pennsylvania, and at the Ohio River
• Nazi invasion of Russia and capture of Moscow
• Nazi operations in Africa
• American counter-offensive, crossing of the Ohio River
• Alternate reality invasion of Federation space by the Borg before 2370 ( TNG : " Parallels ")
• Federation-Klingon War : c. 2340s – 2366 ( TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ")
• Zahl conquest of the Krenim Imperium ( VOY : " Year of Hell ")
• Klingon Empire conquering of the Romulan Star Empire in the anti-time future ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")
• Xindi destruction of Earth: c. 2154
• Xindi destruction of Mars , Alpha Centauri , and Vega colony
• Xindi destruction of a Human convoy in the Mutara system : 2165
• Battle of Ceti Alpha V : 2165
• " The Visitor " showed hostilities between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, and while war was not mentioned, these seemed serious enough that Starfleet was forced to hand over control of Deep Space 9 .
• Given Admiral Janeway's confidence in " Endgame ", her assertion that the Borg are no longer a threat to the Federation as of 2404 might have been proven in combat.
• "Endgame" also mentioned a seemingly serious conflict between Voyager and the Fen Domar in the 2380s .
• " Shockwave " showed a future where Earth was in ruins in the 29th century , but did not specify if this was the result of direct conflict.

Alternate reality [ ]

Vulcan destroyed by Nero

• Attack on the USS Kelvin : 2233 ( Star Trek )
• A battle between the Narada and 47 Klingon ships: 2258 ( Star Trek )
• Destruction of Vulcan : 2258 ( Star Trek )
• Battle of Earth : 2258 ( Star Trek )
• Klingon conquest of two planets, and incidents involving Klingons firing on Starfleet ships half a dozen times. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )
• Mudd Incident : 2259 ( Star Trek Into Darkness )
• Attack on the Daystrom Conference Room at Starfleet Headquarters : 2259
• Confrontation in the Ketha Province : 2259
• Battle of Luna : 2259
• Battle of Altamid : 2263 ( Star Trek Beyond )
• Attack on Krall's base : 2263 ( Star Trek Beyond )
• Attack on Yorktown : 2263 ( Star Trek Beyond )

Mirror universe [ ]

Zefram Cochrane sets off Terran expansion into space

• Capture of the T'Plana-Hath : 2063 ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly ")
• The Terran Empire 's conquest of the Vulcans , Andorians , Tellarites , Denobulans , and Orions : between 2063 and 2155 ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly ")
• Battle at Tau Ceti : ca. 2155 ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly ")
• Battle of Vintaak : 2155 ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly ", " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ")
• Unnamed battle between Terran Assault Fleet and rebels: 2155 ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ")
• Destruction of the ISS Avenger ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ")
• Hoshi Sato 's coup d'etat : 2155 ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ")
• Gabriel Lorca 's attempted coup: before 2257 ( DIS : " Despite Yourself ")
• Destruction of Qo'noS : before 2257 ( DIS : " Will You Take My Hand? ")
• Destruction of rebel ships in the Porathia system : 2257 ( DIS : " Despite Yourself ")
• Razing of Harlak ( DIS : " The Wolf Inside ")
• Battle for the ISS Charon ( DIS : " What's Past Is Prologue ")
• Gorlan rebellion: before 2267 ( TOS : " Mirror, Mirror ")
• Terran conquest of Bajor ( DS9 : " Crossover ")
• Klingon-Cardassian Alliance conquest of the Terran Empire ( DS9 : " Crossover ")
• Battle of Terok Nor : 2372 ( DS9 : " Shattered Mirror ")

Averted conflicts [ ]

• Aldea cloaked itself to go unseen by marauders and other hostile passers-by who might rob and plunder ( TNG : " When The Bough Breaks ")
• Around 2257 , insurrection was of the Klingon high council against L'Rell was thought to be brewing. This was at least temporarily averted with the help of Section 31 . ( DIS : " Point of Light ")
• Ekosian Final Decision : aborted at the last minute in 2268 ( TOS : " Patterns of Force ")
• Some time before 2269 , Garth of Izar ordered the annihilation of Antos IV inhabitants; his crew refused the order ( TOS : " Whom Gods Destroy ")
• 2356 : Haakonian invasion of Talax : The Talaxians were anticipating this invasion, but it was averted by the Talaxian surrender. ( VOY : " Jetrel ")
• In 2365 , conflict nearly broke out between Atlec and Straleb ( TNG : " The Outrageous Okona ")
• A Romulan invasion of Vulcan was planned but averted in 2368 ( TNG : " Unification II ")
• A 2370 Maquis attack on Aschelan V ( VOY : " Dreadnought ")
• A 2370 Maquis attack on Bryma ( DS9 : " The Maquis, Part II ")
• In 2372 Garak attempted an unauthorized orbital bombardment of the Founders' homeworld using the USS Defiant ; he was caught ( DS9 : " Broken Link ")
• Shortly before the Federation-Klingon War , representatives of Federation worlds along the Klingon unsuccessfully called for a Federation preemptive strike ( DS9 : " Broken Link ")
• A Kelvan invasion of the Milky Way ( TOS : " By Any Other Name ")
• In 2373 , the Regent of Palamar planned a campaign on Nassuc 's homeworld, but was killed before it could begin ( DS9 : " Business as Usual ")
• In 2375 , during the Dominion War , Chancellor Gowron was set on ordering an attack on Sarpedion V , but was ultimatly talked out of it ( DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ")
• In 2375 , during the Dominion War chancellor Gowron proposed a major offensive, but later a new chancellor came to power who had previously strongly opposed the idea ( DS9 : " When It Rains... ")
• In 2376 , an autarch on Kelis' homeworld prepared for war with a neighbor; the war was averted ( VOY : " Muse ")

Accounts of conflicts proven to be false [ ]

Alleged advance scouts for the Ferengi invasion of Earth

• In 1947 , Nog managed to bluff the United States Army by suggesting a Ferengi invasion of Earth was imminent ( DS9 : " Little Green Men ")
• After the USS Enterprise was attacked (and managed to evade) Ekosian missiles in 2268 , the Ekosian government spinned this event as the successful defeat of an attack by multiple Zeon spacecraft ( TOS : " Patterns of Force ")
• Under the influence of the Beta XII-A entity , Pavel Chekov falsely believed he had a brother, Piotr Chekov , who had been killed by the Klingons on Archanis ( TOS : " Day of the Dove ")
• The Beta XII-A entity created a false memory of an agricultural colony on Beta XII-A being destroyed by Klingons ( TOS : " Day of the Dove ")
• In 2367 elements in the Federation feared that the Cardassians would try to annex the Igo sector ; this proved to be incorrect ( TNG : " Realm Of Fear ")
• In 2368 , Romulan Admiral Alidar Jarok defected to the Federation with information that a Romulan invasion of Federation space was being prepared. However, the admiral had been fed false intelligence to test his loyalty ( TNG : " The Defector ")
• New Berlin Colony reported a Borg attack in 2369 ; they proved to be mistaken ( TNG : " Descent ")
• Eris claimed to have been a citizen of a planet called Kurill Prime which was conquered by the Dominion in 2370 ; however, her story was a fabrication ( DS9 : " The Jem'Hadar ")
• After Seven of Nine modified her alcove to double as a cortical processing subunit , she incorrectly deduced that USS Voyager was trying to establish a military presence in the Delta Quadrant ( VOY : " The Voyager Conspiracy ")
• The Romulan Senator Vreenak was lead to believe that the Dominion was planing an invasion of the Romulan Star Empire , however, the incriminating evidence turned out to be fake ( DS9 : " In the Pale Moonlight ")
• The Praetor Campaign , a Starfleet -opposed Romulan expansionist mission which was part of a holoprogram of a fictional future based on William T. Riker 's thoughts and expectations. Also mentioned was an Excalbian Campaign , which may or may not have been military in nature ( TNG : " Future Imperfect ")
• The Museum of Kyrian Heritage 's depiction of the Great War involving Kyrians , Vaskans , and USS Voyager was an example of revisionist history , as the incident did not happen in that way. ( VOY : " Living Witness ")

Hypothetical [ ]

• In 2151 , Vulcan diplomat Tos claimed that the Klingons would have sent a squadron of warbirds to attack Earth had he not negotiated for the transport of Klaang 's corpse to Qo'noS . ( ENT : " Broken Bow ")
• The ailing Chancellor K'mpec warned Captain Jean-Luc Picard that his potential successor , who had poisoned him, would be capable of leading the Klingon Empire into war against the Federation . ( TNG : " Reunion ")
• Commander William T. Riker warned DaiMon Lurin that his seizure of the USS Enterprise -D risked a war between the Ferengi and the Federation, only for Lurin to claim no affiliation with the Ferengi Alliance . ( TNG : " Rascals ")
• Captain Picard speculated that a spatial anomaly in the Devron system was a ploy by the Romulans to start a war. ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")
• In a simulation conducted by the Dominion , Subcommander T'Rul threatened war in response to the Romulans being excluded from treaty negotiations between the Dominion and the great powers of the Alpha Quadrant including the Federation . ( DS9 : " The Search, Part II ")
• The Duras sisters had ambitions to "reconquer" the Klingon Empire with a trilithium weapon which ended with their demise in the Battle of Veridian III . ( Star Trek Generations )
• Prior to the Battle of the Omarion Nebula , Cardassian observers considered that Romulan movements along the Cardassian-Romulan border were preparations for an invasion of the Cardassian Union . ( DS9 : " Improbable Cause ")
• Jadzia Dax suggested that the attack on the Founders' homeworld could plunge Romulus and Cardassia into war with the Dominion. ( DS9 : " The Die is Cast ")
• Both Enabran Tain and Vice Admiral Toddman anticipated that, in the event that the Founders were destroyed, the Jem'Hadar would stage a counterattack against the Alpha Quadrant . ( DS9 : " The Die is Cast ")
• Dominion experts predicted that, had a group of rogue Jem'Hadar succeeded in activating an Iconian gateway , they would launch an insurrection and seize control of the Dominion within a year before attacking the Federation. ( DS9 : " To the Death ")
• Starfleet ordered the USS Enterprise -E to patrol the Romulan Neutral Zone , ostensibly for the event that the Romulans took advantage of the situation caused by the upcoming Battle of Sector 001 . ( Star Trek: First Contact )
• Kai Winn Adami understood that Starfleet could not protect Bajor at the cost of planets such as Vulcan , Andor , Berengaria and Earth. ( DS9 : " In the Cards ")
• The EMH Mark II of the USS Prometheus clarified to the Doctor that the Federation and the Romulans were not at war in 2374 . ( VOY : " Message in a Bottle ")
• The Dominion's successful invasion of Betazed left them in a position to threaten Vulcan, Andor, Tellar and Alpha Centauri . ( DS9 : " In the Pale Moonlight ")
• The Dominion attempted to establish a supply line to the Argolis Cluster through Betazoid space, which would have allowed them to attack Vulcan. ( DS9 : " The Reckoning ")
• Rom feared that a communications blackout was caused by a Dominion invasion of Ferenginar . Major Kira Nerys countered that it could not have been taken without first conquering the surrounding star systems like Irtok and Clarus . ( DS9 : " Profit and Lace ")
• Luther Sloan of Section 31 anticipated that, in the aftermath of the Dominion War, the Federation and the Romulans would emerge as the two powers vying for control of the Alpha Quadrant, affirming Doctor Julian Bashir 's observation that he was already planning for the next war. ( DS9 : " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges ")
• During the Battle of Cardassia , the Female Changeling believed that her surrender would invite the " solids " to cross into the Gamma Quadrant and destroy the Great Link before being convinced otherwise by Odo . ( DS9 : " What You Leave Behind ")
• Captain Jean-Luc Picard anticipated that the Romulans would have invaded a crippled Federation had Shinzon succeeded in using the Thalaron generator to wipe out all life on Earth. ( Star Trek Nemesis )

Fictional [ ]

Earth's continents destroyed

• Doctor Chaotica 's attempted conquests of Earth ( VOY : " Night ")
• Invaders from the Ninth Dimension ( VOY : " Homestead ")
• Hippocrates Noah 's attempt to destroy the Earth's continents ( DS9 : " Our Man Bashir ")
• Hirogen's Klingon simulation ( VOY : " The Killing Game ", " The Killing Game, Part II ")
• Massacre of Ferris VI ( DS9 : " Life Support ")
• Trojan War ( TOS : " The Squire of Gothos ")

Other and unsure [ ]

An unknown ship, firing its cannons for unknown reasons

• The vast majority of species assimilated by the Borg were presumably, at least briefly, in conflict with them.
• When taken together, the short life expectancies of Jem'Hadar , together with the fact that very few don't die in battle, would suggest that the Dominion is constantly involved in conflict, even beyond those seen. ( DS9 : " To the Death ")
• Argelius II was very violent before its Great Awakening . It is unknown if this violence extended to armed conflict. Skorr can similary be assumed to have been involved in many conflicts before their awakening. ( TOS : " Wolf in the Fold ", TAS : " The Jihad ")
• Ekosians were a said to be a warlike people until at least a few years before 2268. ( TOS : " Patterns of Force ")
• By 2366 , Chrysalians had been at peace for ten generations. ( TNG : " The Price ")
• Kelvans were implied to have a tradition of conquest. ( TOS : " By Any Other Name ")
• Remans were said to have historically been known as great warriors, and as such presumably fought in a number of conflicts, even before the Dominion War . ( Star Trek Nemesis )
• The hordes of Persia were mentioned. ( TOS : " The Squire of Gothos ")
• According to Malcolm Reed , war was brewing on Gosis' species homeworld in 2152 .( ENT : " The Communicator ")
• War loomed on Epsilon Canaris III in 2267 ; the Federation tried to prevent this, but the outcome is unknown. ( TOS : " Metamorphosis ")
• 2367 saw a Salenite miner dispute on Pentarus V ; it is unclear how far this went, but it was said they were very prone to violence. ( TNG : " Final Mission ")
• During the Dominion War , several Starfleet missions into Cardassian space had not returned. While not explicitly said, presumably this was the result of battle. ( DS9 : " The Magnificent Ferengi ")
• The Cardassian wars caused many deaths on Camor V . However, the exact cause was not explicitly stated. ( TNG : " Bloodlines ")
• The fact that Romulans in the 2150 held a strict doctrine of unlimited expansion would suggest that they engaged in conquest in the period before the Earth-Romulan War . ( ENT : " The Aenar ")
• The N'Kree were attempting to recruit the Silver Blood USS Voyager into their battle fleet in either 2374 or 2375. ( VOY : " Course: Oblivion ")
• A particular sailing ship firing was seen in both the Guardian of Forever and the resetting time stream . ( TOS : " The City on the Edge of Forever ", ENT : " Storm Front, Part II ")
• Armenia and Belgium were said to have been located on "natural invasion routes." ( TOS : " Errand of Mercy ")
• Trelane asked Kirk if Uhura was " a Nubian prize, taken on one of your raids of conquest...? " ( TOS : " The Squire of Gothos ")
• The Vaadwaur apparently raided and conquered many species before their defeat in the 15th century. This included conflict with the Talax-ilzay , and possibly the Turei . ( VOY : " Dragon's Teeth ")
• Warlords were known to operate on Preenos and Kelis' homeworld . ( ENT : " Oasis ", VOY : " Muse ")
• The Carnelian minefield was presumably deployed in the context of some conflict. ( TNG : " Legacy ")
• Ramses , Julius Caesar , Alexander the Great , Lee Kuan , and Krotus were individuals known to have pursued power and conquest. Genghis Khan , Maltuvis , and Ferris were not explicitly said to have engaged in conquest, but were nonetheless compared to some of these people. ( TOS : " Patterns of Force ", " Whom Gods Destroy ", " The Savage Curtain ")
• Quark mentioned a Minnobia - Vek war as part of a plot, and given the circumstances most likely would not dare to make names up. ( DS9 : " Business as Usual ")
• Luther Sloan claimed that his son was killed in a Dominion attack on a Federation convoy, but subsequent events called this into question. ( DS9 : " Inquisition ")
• Quark alluded to Emperor Worf 's plans for mass destruction, genocide, and other things. ( DS9 : " The Emperor's New Cloak ")
• In 2375 , Weyoun 7 stated that the Romulan colony in the Unroth system was ripe for attack, but this was not followed up. ( DS9 : " Strange Bedfellows ")
• Paul Stamets implied a large number of battles had been fought in order to corner the supply of dilithium . ( DIS : " An Obol for Charon ")
• The Cardassian Liberation Front debated attacking Adarak Prime , but no decision was seen to be reached. ( DS9 : " When It Rains... ")

See also [ ]

• Diplomacy and law
• Government and politics

External links [ ]

• War at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• War at Wikipedia
• Battle at Wikipedia
• 3 Ancient humanoid

Star Wars Vs. Star Trek: Which Came First (And Why Does It Matter)?

T he two most impactful science fiction franchises of the 20th century, "Star Wars" and "Star Trek," have inspired generations of fans while managing to remain at the top of modern pop culture. From hyperdrive to warp drive and Rebels to Starfleet, they've saturated the public consciousness with their characters and iconography like few other properties in the media landscape. But as both continue to create new material in the 2020s and their original release dates fade into history, many people have asked: which came first, "Star Wars" or "Star Trek"?

While "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope," opened on May 25, 1977, "Star Trek: The Original Series" premiered on NBC over a decade prior, with its first episode, "The Man Trap," airing on September 8, 1966. That timeline might lead some to assume that "Star Wars" was influenced by "Star Trek," but despite both having "Star" in their titles, they are wildly different franchises.

"Star Trek" was first conceived of by creator Gene Roddenberry, who helmed both "Star Trek: The Original Series" and its spin-off "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Set in the 23rd century and beyond, episodes were focused on space exploration in a future where humanity had set aside its differences to venture among the stars. On the other hand, "Star Wars," created by auteur director George Lucas, is famously set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." Due to its Jedi Knights, Emperors, princesses, and space magic, it is often distinguished as science-fantasy rather than science-fiction.

Read more: The Entire Star Wars Story Finally Explained

Star Wars Had Several Key Influences Other Than Star Trek

There has been much debate over the degree to which "Star Trek" influenced the later "Star Wars," but while George Lucas and his team took some inspiration, it was minimal. Lucas was primarily inspired by real history and Japanese samurai films, while his science fiction influences were 1930s serials like "Buck Rogers" and "Flash Gordon." Lucas actually sought to license the latter property for a remake and embarked on "Star Wars" after he failed to secure the rights.

When it came to history, Lucas drew from the events of World War II and the Vietnam War. This influence is evident in the Nazi-like aesthetics of the Empire. At the same time, the plot involving a band of rebels fighting a mighty imperial power was based on Lucas' understanding of the Vietnam War. The Rebel Alliance, as Lucas told fellow director James Cameron, was based on the Vietcong communist fighters who opposed United States forces in Vietnam (via AMC+ ).

Meanwhile, with characters like Han Solo (Harrison Ford) created in the mold of action heroes, "Star Wars" aped the aforementioned pulp serials. Other elements, like Jedi and their lightsabers, were futuristic reinterpretations of work by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, who was known for samurai films like "Seven Samurai."

Star Trek Opened The Door For Star Wars

The inspirations Gene Roddenberry drew on for "Star Trek" were quite different from those Lucas adopted for "Star Wars." While both franchises are, when boiled down, space Westerns, Roddenberry specifically cited television Westerns when he first pitched his series. As noted by Time  in 2016, he called it a "'Wagon Train' to the stars," referencing a 1950s TV series about a wagon train exploring the American West.

While "Star Wars" has, since its inception, woven an epic tale of good versus evil, episodes of "Star Trek" are typically focused on untangling a moral conundrum. Often, there is no obvious villain present in the narrative, and the stakes rest on intellectually untangling a problem rather than fighting it head-on. When it came to politics, "Star Trek" was influenced by the Cold War, with Starfleet being allegorical to the United States and the Klingon Empire, mirroring perceptions of Russia and the Soviet Union.

However, George Lucas was known to be a big fan of "Star Trek," and Roddenberry's work did influence "Star Wars" to a certain degree. "'Star Trek' softened up the entertainment arena," Lucas said in the documentary "Trek Nation," "so that 'Star Wars' could come along and stand on its shoulders" (via Scott Colthorp on Vimeo). In other words, the success of "Star Trek" caused Hollywood executives to see the market potential of science-fiction stories set in outer space. Lucas attributes his ability to create "Star Wars" to that newfound receptiveness.

Both franchises are still going strong today, with new "Star Trek" series like "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" and "Star Trek: Lower Decks" streaming on Paramount+. And while a new "Star Wars" film hasn't been released in a few years, new streaming series continue to emerge, most recently "The Mandalorian" and "Ahsoka."

Read the original article on Looper .

5 Reasons Star Wars is the Best (& 5 Reasons Star Trek is the Best)

Star Wars vs. Star Trek. It's a debate discussed by fans of each franchise for decades. We try to figure out the real answer to which is better.

It's been 43 years since Star Wars changed the movie and pop culture landscape for all time. The story of the young moisture farmer named Luke Skywalker learning to control the Force and become a Jedi like his father before him broke box office records, created a seemingly endless parade of knockoff movies, books, shows, and toys and, perhaps most importantly to some, helped revive interest in a decade-old TV series; Star Trek .

RELATED:  Mara Jade & 9 Other Star Wars Characters Who Don't Exist Anymore

And you can be sure that well before the first screening of Star Wars started, sci-fi fans were arguing over which now iconic sci-fi saga was better. Was Han Solo cooler than Captain Kirk ? Was the Millennium Falcon better than the Enterprise? Which was the better weapon; a lightsaber or a phaser? There is no one right answer to the question of which is better, Star Wars or Star Trek, because there are at least five reasons why each one is better than the other.

10 Star Wars: The Force

There's no simple explanation for what the Force is, but everyone knows it's very cool. Obi-Wan Kenobi explains that the Force is "an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together" which sounds cool but doesn't make it easy to understand. And that's on purpose.

George Lucas was using the Force as a catch-all for faith. Not faith in any type of diety or person, but in the Buddhist meaning of the word; trusting that the practice of the Buddha's teaching will bring fruit. For Star Wars, there is no Buddha, but there is faith in practice, patience, and teachings. In any case, when you are one with the Force, you get cool superpowers.

9 Star Trek: Utopia

While Star Wars is focused on having faith in an external source (although the Force is also an internal source. It really is hard to explain), Star Trek is about faith in humanity. Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future is one where Earth is a utopia. Mankind has moved passed prejudices based on skin color, sexual orientation, gender, or place of birth.

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In 1966, when Star Trek first aired on TV, this idea of a utopian society seemed impossible, and even today it's hard to imagine, but Roddenberry knew that to make it to the far reaches of space, coming together is something humanity will need to do. Most importantly of all, Star Trek doesn't ignore the great suffering it will take to reach enlightenment. In the history of Star Trek , the 21st Century is a period of great turmoil, including a nuclear war. Only after the collapse of society can it be rebuilt.

8 Star Wars: Destiny

Star Wars is based around destiny. The Force needs to be in balance - the light and the dark - and midi-chlorians, microscopic sentient lifeforms help keep that balance. Anakin Skywalker , some Jedi believed, was the prophesied "Chosen One" who would bring balance to the Force, and in some ways, he did just that by destroying the Jedi Order and leaving only a handful of trained Force users behind.

The overall saga of Star Wars, from The Phantom Menace to The Rise of Skywalker is about people who are chosen by a higher power to chart the course of the galaxy. It is Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey" across nine movies.

7 Star Trek: Hard Work

Where Lucas was inspired by Joseph Campbell, Gene Roddenberry found his inspiration in the work of C. S. Forester, who wrote the Horatio Hornblower series of books. Those books focused on a Royal Navy officer and his crew during the Napoleonic Wars, and that sense of naval adventure is built into the DNA of Star Trek .

To Roddenberry, no one person is destined for greatness, they work towards it. The crews that make up the various Star Trek shows are not brought together by fate, but by administrative planning. No one, except for Captain Sisko of Deep Space Nine , has a higher calling. The heroes of Star Trek are everyday people doing their best during extraordinary moments.

6 Star Wars: Good vs Evil

In Star Wars there is good and there is evil, and the line between the two is pretty clear. The bad guys are often called Storm Troopers and control an Empire. They use the Dark Side of the Force to get what they want and enslave others. The good guys use their powers to help others and believe that there is hope for everyone.

They fight for the downtrodden and never kill unless they have no choice. Most importantly, the good guys wear bright colors while the bad guys are in darker shades. This is all on purpose, and while it can seem simplistic, Star Wars is at heart a fairy tale, one that starts with "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away."

5 Star Trek: The Grey Area

Star Trek plays in grey tones when it comes to good and evil. The Federation is clearly the good guys, but that doesn't mean they are always right, nor does it mean that everything they do is "good." There are many instances in Star Trek where good people do horrible things to save others. It doesn't make them bad, it makes them human.

As for villains, there is no simple answer to any of the adversaries in Star Trek. The original foes, the Klingons , became part of the Federation. The Borg is made up of people who have no control over themselves. When the Dominion declared war on the Federation, the Romulans put aside their hatred for Vulcans and humans and offered to help. Even the Dominion, arguably the most clearly evil group in Star Trek, is only trying to protect their own quadrant of space after the Federation begins to encroach on their space.

4 Star Wars: Family Matters

In the long run, Star Wars primarily focuses on two families; the Skywalkers and the Palpatines . It is a story of legacy, familial bonds, and dealing with the failures of the past generations. Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa dedicate their lives to fixing the damage their father did to the galaxy while Rey Palpatine fights against her family's past to forge a new path.

Even Kylo Ren is trapped within his family, torn between idolizing his grandfather Darth Vader and feeling the love and empathy he gets from his parents.

3 Star Trek: Friends Matter

In Star Trek, there are a lot of families, from Mister Spock and his rather dysfunctional family to Benjamin Sisko and the close relationship he has with his son Jake. but the heart and soul of each series is the friendship.

This comes from the format of the original series where the crew was made up of people of different backgrounds, all coming together to make the universe a better place. Starting with the Kirk, Spock, and Bones, Star Trek is built around friendships created over time and forged in fire. These friends won't always agree, and will often argue, but they also always have each other's backs.

2 Star Wars: Cultural Significance

Star Wars is possibly the biggest and best-known story in the world. No other book, show, or movie has had as much of a cultural impact. It brought science fiction to the mainstream, turned marketing into a science, and most importantly of all, filled thousands of minds with endless dreams.

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Star Wars took elements of old movie serials, blended it with the mythology of samurai, and put in a dash of childlike wonder to create something never before seen. Now, four decades later, Star Wars continues to be a major force in popular culture, with live-action shows like The Mandalorian , animated series like the upcoming The   Bad Batch , and theme parks like Galaxy's Edge , not to mention toys, video games, and comics. And there's no end in sight.

1 Star Trek: Building the Future

On September 17, 1976, NASA invited the cast of Star Trek to join them in as they revealed the first reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft to the world. The name of that shuttle was, as you may have guessed, the Enterprise .

From cellphones and tablets to transparent aluminum, Star Trek not only saw what the future of technology would be, but it also inspired the people who made these things into aa reality. Over the years, Star Trek has served as the gateway that opened up the world of science and technology to some of the smartest people on Earth.

NEXT:  The 10 Weirdest Star Trek Guest Stars

Star Wars' Answer To Star Trek's Betazoids: Zeltrons Explained

For all the ways "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" differ, they're surprisingly similar when it comes to the birds and the bees. Many of the heroes in both franchises prioritize their causes over the pursuit of sexual pleasure, be it peacekeeping and scientific exploration as a Starfleet officer or diplomacy and fighting against the forces of fascism as a member of either the Rebel Alliance or the Republic (if not both in some cases). By the same token, members of the Old Jedi Order were forbidden from developing emotional attachments, although the man behind "Star Wars" itself, George Lucas, has said that Jedi Knights weren't required to be "celibate."  

It's a good thing, too; Luke Skywalker definitely got around in the non-canon "Star Wars" Expanded Universe (aka Legends), and Mark Hamill has confirmed that so far as he's concerned, the son of Skywalker absolutely put his ... lightsaber to work.

There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. In "Star Trek," for example, you have Betazed, a planet populated by telepathic human-esque individuals, known as the Betazoids, who are a bit like Dionysus ( or Jack Black, whichever deity you subscribe to ) in their devotion to hedonism. But as often as the Betazoids' ribaldry has been played for gentle laughs since their introduction in "The Next Generation," where the half-human Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) was revealed to have gained her unusual aptitude for empathy from her full-blooded Betazoid mother Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett), more recent "Star Trek" series like "Lower Decks" have depicted them as being more than just frisky carousers.

Funnily enough, "Star Wars" has an answer to the Betazoids. No, not Prince Xizor, the cunning head of the Black Sun crime organization who very nearly seduced Leia Organa using his potent pheromones in the Legends novel "Shadows of the Empire." (Let me tell you; when the EU got horny, it got horny .) I'm actually referring to the Zeltrons.

I've got a not-so-bad feeling about this

Speaking of Xizor, the humanoid Zeltrons are seemingly capable of producing pheromones much like the classic '90s "Star Wars" villain's race, the reptilian Falleen. The difference is that where Xizor used this ability to try and get into other individuals' pants without them knowing what he was doing (which is in no way intended to stereotype the Falleen in general; Xizor's misconduct was his and his alone), the Zeltrons typically exude chemicals that have a calming effect. 

As with the Betazoids, you see, Zeltrons are essentially empaths who are highly attuned to the emotions of those in close vicinity, so much so that they can experience heightened versions of those very feelings. Naturally, this can be a problem under certain circumstances, which is why the Zeltrons in the current "Star Wars" canon are taught at a young age to always be mindful of their emotions.

The EU/Legends iteration of Zeltrons had even more in common with the Betazoids, right down to their culture's very sexual art, polyamorous lifestyles, and reputation for living life like they're on permanent vacation on Fire Island (complete with their fondness for being scantily-clad and dressing in highly evocative colors). It's not exactly shocking that their sexcapades have been toned down dramatically, if not abandoned outright, during what little we've gotten of them in the Disney-era "Star Wars" canon so far, which is too bad, given that the Zeltrons were portrayed in a relatively sex-positive light for their time. The Zeltron thief Dani (seen above) even had a fling with Luke before breaking up with him of her own accord (as opposed to getting killed, like so many of his other love interests).

But who knows: just as "Star Trek" has given the Betazoids their due respect of late, perhaps "Star Wars" will one day follow and boldly go where the franchise hasn't been willing to go before (canonically).

• The Inventory

As Star Wars Stagnates, Star Trek Is Flourishing

Disney’s star wars feels beholden to the past, while paramount is letting trek go wild.

Can you imagine Luke Skywalker singing? Probably not. But just recently, Star Trek let Spock, Kirk, and even some Klingons sing and dance. And it didn’t happen in a weird dream or some obscure book for super nerds, but in an episode of the franchise’s current flagship series. Again, can you imagine Lucasfilm letting Mando sing in an episode of Mandalorian ? I can’t. What a shame.

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The age-old debate will never die. What’s better? Star Wars or Star Trek . Fans have been arguing about this for as long as the franchises have been around. Personally, I’m more of a Star Wars fan, but Star Trek has always had a place in my heart. Star Wars has always been big, bombastic, action-packed, and obsessed with feeling retro and grimy. On the flip, Star Trek is a franchise about moving forward, exploring the galaxy, and discovery. War happens, sure, but more often some of the most tense moments in Trek are conversations between characters with political or ethical disagreements.

To simplify it: Star Wars is a series in which people rebel, and Star Trek is a franchise in which people explore.

But, regardless of how you feel, Star Wars is still the far bigger franchise, with more games, movies, toys, comics, you name it. Especially when it comes to games , Star Wars has been winning the sci-fi franchise war for years now. We rarely get Star Trek games and even the most recent one, Resurgence , while better than most Trek games, isn’t close to the level of something like Battlefront or Dark Forces. Yet, Star Trek has recently begun to flourish and experiment in other ways that make me—a lifelong Star Wars nerd—very jealous.

Star Trek is out here taking chances and having fun

Let’s talk about one of my favorite shows on TV right now, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The series follows Captain Christopher Pike, Spock, and their crew of mostly new faces aboard a pre-Kirk Enterprise. It’s a fantastic mix of “Planet of the Week” episodes and more serialized storytelling. It’s also a show that loves to take big swings and shake things up, including a recent crossover with the animated Star Trek series, Lower Decks . (A show that itself does wild episodes involving robots having sex with bird people .)

But its biggest and best swing happened about a week ago during episode nine of the show’s second season. That’s when Strange New Worlds became a full-on musical , complete with silly little numbers, heartbreaking solos, and big group finales. People danced. Aliens sang. Spock was sad. Klingons did K-pop . It’s a wild hour of television that isn’t just fun, but actually has some important and memorable character moments that connect back to the larger themes of the season. (And surprisingly, it all feels very Star Trek -y, including how they ultimately escape the musical situation they find themselves in.)

And it’s something that Star Wars , at least in the current era we find ourselves in, will never, ever, ever do. The more I think about it, the more it makes me sad.

What Star Trek has done for a long time, and what newer installments like the animated Lower Decks continue to do, is reinvent and freshen up the franchise. Trek isn’t afraid to completely redesign aliens and ships or just outright ignore canon events in order to do something different. It’s not always better— the Klingons in Discovery ’s first season look awful —but it’s far more interesting than how safe Star Wars has been playing it for years.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about the new Ahsoka show, as it’s continuing a narrative that goes back over a decade. I’m pumped to see what happens next to Ahsoka and characters from Rebels, like Sabine. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that so much of Star Wars is focused entirely on maintaining canon, sticking to the past, and not changing things too much.

Star Wars is unable to look forward or take risks

Some annoying fans have complained that Disney has “ruined” Star Wars , but adding more women, making Luke a hermit, or changing up how some Force powers work isn’t ruining the franchise. What is hurting it, however, is that Disney and Lucasfilm seem unable to move the universe forward . They seem unwilling to take silly swings and try something new. And it doesn’t help that Lucasfilm seems utterly uninterested in moving the series forward.

Star Trek Picard wasn’t a perfect show, but it—and later seasons of Discovery —showed fans the future of the franchise. They moved the universe forward, into new territory . And sure Star Trek , like Star Wars , is guilty of being too referential at times. ( Strange New Worlds is a prequel to the original series, after all…) But Star Wars in recent years is only looking backward. With the exception of the recently announced Rey film , all announced Star Wars media is backward-looking, worried about carefully filling in gaps in a timeline that is growing denser and more complicated with each passing year.

Meanwhile, Star Trek has balanced its fan service and callbacks in the last decade with new stories and ideas that change the lore or outright ignore it. It’s also more willing to take a chance on something different, to “break” Star Trek and see what happens. And that’s so much more exciting than having us return to Tatooine again to meet the guy who walked past Luke Skywalker in scene 32 of A New Hope and reveal his rich backstory.

So yeah, the musical episode features Kirk (before he’s a captain) singing alongside Spock and Uhura, all legacy characters. But Trek uses those familiar faces to do something completely new and fun.

Can you imagine Lucasfilm letting Luke Skywalker or Obi-Wan sing? I can’t even imagine them recasting Luke Skywalker or Obi-Wan for a new movie, since they’ve started using CGI to recreate the old actors, let alone letting them dance alongside some Tusken Raiders. And that’s a missed opportunity for fans.

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The pitfalls of inventing an alien civilization

The ‘Vulcan-Ferengi dichotomy’ exposes the challenge of sci-fi world-building

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Ask a science fiction fan to list their favorite characters, and it’s a safe bet that some of those faves won’t be human. The Doctor from Doctor Who ; Spock from Star Trek ; the Crystal Gems in Steven Universe ; Valkyrie, Gamora, and Nebula from the Marvel Cinematic Universe … our most beloved characters often come from other worlds, even if they’re recognizably played by human actors.

Alien characters don’t just entertain us with their strange and unfamiliar ways — they also reflect our humanity back to us. Science fiction is all about exploring what it means to be human, and we can do that more easily by comparing ourselves against the alien characters we love or hate. This works a couple of different ways for writers:

• You can create alien characters who act human in many ways, except for a few major differences — and those differences can provide a contrast that reveals something about that human-seeming behavior.
• You can take one aspect of human behavior and exaggerate it until it becomes a defining characteristic, which lets viewers see its importance and its drawbacks more clearly.

Human-with-a-difference aliens can be an awesome thing — as anyone who’s ever been at a convention with a hundred people dressed as Klingons and Vulcans can attest. But there’s a drawback: the same thing that lets these alien characters reveal essential truths about human beings also risks turning them into reflections of our worst ideas about our fellow humans. Sometimes that almost-but-not-quite-human thing can reflect noxious stereotypes, or present one-dimensional images that we can then turn around and project onto real people.

Call it the Vulcan-Ferengi dichotomy. Both of these Star Trek peoples are based on a single attribute: “logical detachment” in the case of Vulcans, “avarice” in the case of Ferengi. But over the decades, Trek has given Vulcan culture a great deal of nuance and complexity, introducing noble Vulcans as well as Vulcan assholes. Meanwhile, Ferengi culture has remained pretty monolithic, and the fans have mostly come to admire Ferengi who’ve acted in an un-Ferengi-like fashion, or rejected Ferengi culture outright, like the wonderful Nog and Rom on Deep Space Nine .

One obvious difference: the Ferengi were originally created as villains, and only later became sympathetic characters, whereas the Vulcans started as heroes and eventually became something more ambiguous, especially in Enterprise . But it’s also a matter of nuance.

“The Naked Time”

A lot of the credit for the complexity of Vulcan society goes to Leonard Nimoy, who decided early on in the original 1960s Star Trek that his Vulcan character Spock wasn’t emotionless at all — he had tons of emotion, he was just repressing it, using techniques of mental discipline.

According to Nimoy’s memoir I Am Spock , the original script for the season 1 episode “The Naked Time” treated the Vulcan very differently than the version we see onscreen. In John D.F. Black’s original draft, after an inhibition-lowering virus spreads through the ship, a crewmember runs up to Spock and paints a mustache on his face. In response, Spock bursts into tears in front of everybody.

Nimoy felt this scene didn’t do Spock justice, so he convinced creator Gene Roddenberry to change it to the filmed version, which shows Spock hiding from everyone, alone, desperately trying to check his emotions by reminding himself of his Vulcan training. Spock loses this battle and weeps openly, telling Kirk that he regrets not telling his mother that he loves her. “That scene really showed our audience the internal conflict that drove the Vulcan,” Nimoy writes.

By the time the series visits Vulcan in “Amok Time” and introduces Surak, the founder of Vulcan society, in “The Savage Curtain,” Star Trek had already established the contradiction at the heart of Vulcan nature: They show no feelings because they feel too much. Over time, the franchise has revealed a number of Vulcan rituals and spiritual practices, and books like Spock’s World and Vulcan’s Glory have put more flesh on the Vulcan bones.

Likewise, the Klingons started out as one-dimensional villains — in the original Star Trek episode “Errand of Mercy,” they’re described purely as warlike and vicious, and they boast about their own ruthlessness. But over time, their portrayal started to emphasize their sense of honor and their family bonds, in episodes like “Day of the Dove.” By the time Worf first appears on The Next Generation , the Klingons are no longer the mindless sadists who tried to terrorize Organia back in 1967.

Meanwhile, everything revealed about Ferengi culture over the course of dozens of episodes just reinforces the notion that they’re motivated by greed, with a side order of misogyny. Most of the details we learn about the Ferengi involve things like the Rules of Acquisition, a set of guidelines for selfishness. The picture of traditional Ferengi culture grows more complex, but it’s always the same theme of finance and commerce above all else.

We’ve met a handful of sympathetic Ferengi since they were introduced in the first season of TNG . There’s Reyga, the scientist introduced in “Suspicions,” who helpfully says “a Ferengi scientist is almost a contradiction in terms.” (Even though you’d think greed and innovation would go hand in hand.)

And then there is Deep Space Nine ’s Ferengi co-star Quark, whose family members seem to be admirable only to the extent that they outgrow Ferengi values, with his brother Rom becoming an engineer, and Rom’s son Nog joining Starfleet. By the end of Deep Space Nine , Rom’s mother Ishka has converted the Ferengi leader, Zek, to social democracy and feminism, creating a more equitable society with a social safety net — and Zek names the humble Rom as his successor. Even Quark, who clings stubbornly to Ferengi values, finds that he’s cheating people less than before, and laments, “I’ve been infected too … I’ve gone soft.” He adds, “This disease has to be stopped before it destroys everything Ferenginar stands for.”

In an earlier DS9 episode, “Prophet Motive,” the all-seeing Prophets reveal that the Ferengi were once a selfless, “less adversarial” people, but they evolved to become obsessed with acquisition — thus setting up that Ferengi culture has become warped, but the Ferengi are capable of change. But at no point do we see much reason to admire Ferengi culture, beyond the fact that their cunning can prove useful.

The simplicity of Vulcan logic was tempered by our awareness that it reflects hard-won discipline, but the equally stark Ferengi greed is never anything but a dead end this culture has traveled down.

Meet one Toydarian, you’ve met ’em all

The failure mode of alien species is the one-size-fits-all characterization. Too often, science fiction creators allow every member of their vast invented civilizations to share the exact same personality and values. For example, the Star Wars Expanded Universe introduces several Toydarians, members of the same species as the slimy slave-owner Watto from The Phantom Menace . And all of them seem to be crooks with, as Wookieepedia puts it , a “shrewd business sense.”

The most hilarious example of an alien monoculture comes from the 1974 Doctor Who episode “The Monster of Peladon,” in which a mining engineer named Nexos proclaims, “We people of the planet Vega are a practical race of mining engineers.” That’s right: every member of his species is a mining engineer. One shudders to imagine the career fairs at Vegan schools.

We Could Be Heroes author and Star Trek superfan Mike Chen says there’s nothing wrong, per se, with building an alien civilization around “somewhat monolithic core values.” In fact, Chen finds this preferable to aliens who “act like humans, but they have fish heads.” The trouble starts when you pick a single attribute that overlaps with a stereotype about a real-life culture here on Earth.

For example, the Ferengi and Toydarians are frequently compared to Jewish people, while both Klingons and Vulcans have been seen as having Asian attributes. The Phantom Menace overall is a cornucopia of unforgivable ethnic stereotypes , including Jar-Jar Binks and the Nemoidians.

So how do you create an alien civilization that feels distinct, without falling into these stereotypes? Chen says the key is to treat real-life human cultures with respect, and to do what Trek did with the Vulcans: keep adding layers until the characterization becomes both deeper and more of its own distinctive thing.

But it’s also really helpful when the human characters in a story represent a wide range of communities and experiences on Earth. The more we see positive and nuanced images of Earth cultures in a story, the less likely they are to stand side-by-side with alien caricatures of those same cultures.

It’s also really important to avoid that “monoculture” thing that poor old Nexos exemplifies. One attribute of a believable civilization is that its citizens will vary, with different ideas and traditions. When you think about the huge differences between, say, New Jersey and Connecticut, it seems bizarre to imagine a whole world where everybody shares the exact same values and customs. A good rule of thumb should be that no members of the same society should agree about absolutely everything.

Most of all, the best alien species are recognizably alien . Even if they share our basic humanoid shape, they should have a very different anatomy and biology, reflecting the fact that they evolved in another ecosystem. Aliens shouldn’t necessarily have the same ideas about food, religion, mating, families, hobbies, or sports as anyone on Earth. The more wild and off-kilter you can make an alien’s physiology and ideology, the less likely they are to seem overly simplistic — or to remind anyone of a marginalized group on Earth.

I’ve struggled with creating believable alien societies myself, and I’ve found that the only thing that worked was the same thing that helped make the Vulcans so iconic: including internal contradictions, and making sure that different members of a species have different personalities and attitudes. For my young-adult space-opera novel Victories Greater Than Death , I had a rule of thumb: no planet has a single government, a single culture, or a monolithic philosophy. When you’ve met one Makvarian, you’ve met one Makvarian. But I quickly found that each of my alien species still needed to have its own defining traits, or they’d all be bland and forgettable.

And that’s the thing: Making a memorable alien is a balancing act. You have to give them something audiences can pin on them so they stick out in everyone’s mind, but you don’t want to end up with a planet made up entirely of mining engineers. And you can’t spare an hour or a hundred pages to deliver a lecture on sanitation practices. At the same time, showing diversity among the members of an alien species — and also showcasing the diversity of humans alongside them — can help you to avoid some truly terrible outcomes.

You don’t have to choose between holding up a mirror to humanity and avoiding our very human tendency to rely on stereotypes and archetypes. If anything, a strange and bewildering set of aliens provide a greater contrast to humanity, and thus do more to help us see ourselves in a new light. Maybe if we can see aliens as complicated people who come from rich, varied societies, we can expand our ideas about each other as well, and come to understand our own complicated societies better in the process.

Charlie Jane Anders is the author of the science fiction novels All the Birds in the Sky and The City in the Middle of the Night . Her new young-adult space opera Victories Greater Than Death is now available from Tor Teen.

Victories Greater Than Death

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Amie Kaufman says Charlie Jane Anders’ new book “bursts off the page, brimming with life, love, humor, and adventure.”

• $15 at Amazon

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, sdcc 2020: the psychology of star trek vs. star wars.

Moderator Brian Ward of "The Arkham Session" posed four topics to pop culture psychologists Dr. Drea Letamendi ("Lattes with Leia") and Dr. Ali Mattu ("The Psych Show") and special guests Todd Stashwick ("Star Trek: Enterprise") and Jennifer Muro ("Star Wars: Forces of Destiny") to analyze "The Psychology of Star Trek versus Star Wars."

Ward did a switcheroo and changed Muro from Team Wars to Team Trek and Stashwick from Team Trek to Team Wars.

·  Dr. Ali Mattu

·  Jennifer Muro ("Star Wars: Forces of Destiny")

·  Dr. Drea Letamendi

·  Todd Stashwick ("Star Trek: Enterprise")

First Topic

The Mandalorians and the Klingons have largely been defined by their strong sense of cultural identity, creed and code. How do these two groups demonstrate real-world group dynamics and which group actually shows more promise in terms of social justice? Whose set of principles seems more realistic?

Letamendi of Team Wars : The Mandalorians have a strong code, not unlike the Klingons, that emphasizes strength and bravery in combat. For the Mandalorians, separate pieces of armor have specific significance. The Mandalorians are not a race and they welcome other ethnic groups unlike the Klingons. The Mandalorians "seem to embody what a sophisticated group would think about in terms of actualizing everybody" and "those two components include belongingness and individualism." While she loves Star Trek, with the Klingons, she struggles to understand the concept that a race such as the Klingons are "characterized by aggression and combat and violence." It seems to be implied that "this is an inherent part of this race."

Mattu of Team Trek : Mattu told Letamendi, "You need to watch more Star Trek." While he found that Letamendi brought up some great points, Mattu felt the Klingons "are a better parallel to the world we are living in right now." He also noted that the Klingons "have always been a reflection of the world that we live in." In the 1960s (TOS), even with Mr. Chekov on the bridge of the Enterprise, the Klingons were "kind of the Soviet Union villain." He added, "We didn't really know much about them; we just knew that we hated them." With Worf in "The Next Generation," he noted, "You begin to see that there's actually a lot more diversity to the Klingons, to their beliefs." In "The Next Generation," the Klingons are not so driven by aggression and war, "but they do have this very strict honor code."

In the newer series, "Star Trek: Discovery," the experience with Klingons is mixed. In the first episode of "Star Trek: Discovery," you see that "there are actually different tribes of Klingons that have evolved on different planets. Worf's journey from "The Next Generation" to "Deep Space 9" to the movies, is "a great parallel for how we all experience culture" because in some ways Worf is very much Klingon in that "he's very much integrated with his Klingon identity." He speaks Klingon very well and appreciates Klingon cuisine and music, but in other ways he's separated and "more estranged from his Klingon heritage."

Stashwick of Team Wars : Stashwick stated, "Mandalorian is a choice; it's not a state of birth." There was a planet that had a social hierarchy, but where it stands today, "they have come to the aid of the oppressed." As for Klingons, what he has seen, they have been presented as a very aggressive and Worf is the exception, but not the rule. He is an outlier.

Muro of Team Trek:  Muro was 50-50 on this. When she thinks of diversity with Klingons, she thinks there is a psychological diversity. When Worf talks to other Klingons, some are honorable, and some are really bad to him. She feels it is very relevant now because "It is one race, but there is so much psychological diversity in that race. That is kind of how humans are."

Mattu of Team Trek:  Mattu added there's something inspirational to have the "these villains who just a few years later are at peace with the Federation and have a Klingon serving on the bridge of the Enterprise."

Second Topic 

Ward wanted to talk about emotional intelligence in the context of "someone who started out as an idealist" but who "dipped their toes in the waters of darkness." The hubris and self-doubt of the characters sent them into hermitage, meaning both Luke Skywalker and Jean-Luc Picard. How do their lives show experience of trauma and how do they grow emotionally?

Mattu of Team Trek:  Mattu said he was really stressed "because honestly, I love Picard and Luke's journey so much and I think they're just such beautiful stories of trauma." Picard has experienced many traumas. He was assimilated by the Borg and was responsible for the deaths of many humans and humanoids. Picard also lost his brother, his sister-in-law and his nephew in a fire ("Star Trek: Generations"), and then he had to face the Borg again and again. Through this all, "what has helped Picard to stay emotionally intelligent to understand what he's going through to get what he needs, to emotionally be resilient and bounce back, it's his ship; it's his crew." The support of Troi and the meaning and purpose behind being a Starfleet officer is what gave him that resilience and this is "compromised" in "Star Trek: Picard" where he was trying to save Romulans and the Starfleet wouldn't support him. He could not handle that compromise and went into hiding. "That is something many people do who experience trauma." Mattu is also a big fan of the journey seen in "The Last Jedi" with Luke. In both, he thought we're reminded to learn from our failures.

Letamendi of Team Wars : Letamendi agreed that these two stories are about the development of emotional intelligence. EQ is about how we try to override the logic and "just tap into the emotions that we're experiencing." EQ is not just about our emotions, but also being able to empathize and understand the emotions of the people around us and letting those feelings drive our behaviors. She said, "I've always looked at Trek to help understand social relationships and Star Wars is more about the interpersonal." When Luke goes into isolation, he is "not yet learning from his setback; he feels responsible for Kylo Ren becoming darkened in his path...he lets that resentment and feelings of self-doubt and failure permeate." When Rey comes, he's able to understand that it's not about himself all the time.

Third Topic

What do Rey and Michael Burnham show us about healthy coping and self-care? How do they preserve or deny their heritage and identity to maintain their mental well-being? What's the importance of legacy when it comes to saving the universe?

Letamendi of Team Wars : Rey had to adjust and adapt to being a scavenger and this gives her great resilience. Her journey is about developing this sense of resilience. Resilience is "our ability to mentally and emotionally cope with hardship," but also how we use external resources and ask for help. Despite the hardships she faces, Rey finds contentment and joy which is not only difficult to do, but "also shows that she's holding on to a sense of hope."

Mattu of Team Trek:  Mattu mostly agreed and added that she "struggled deeply with her being a Palpatine." The notion of legacy is "really what you make of it and what you learn and who you want to be." With Burnham, we find out that she has been raised by "probably the most famous parents in Star Trek and she is a sibling to probably the most famous character, Spock." Mattu highly recommended watching "Short Treks" because there's one about her and her father ("Star Trek: Short Treks," Season 2, Episode 9, "The Girl Who Make the Stars"). She lost her parents and was raised on Vulcan after being adopted by Sarek and Amanda. Burnham has been able to code-switch which adds to her ability to see things from different perspectives. In a sense, this shows how diversity is better. It is harder, but "diversity is a superpower that will help you solve problems you could never do, you could never solve with everyone coming from the same place," Mattu explained.

Stashwick of Team Wars : Stashwick noted that while many people criticized "The Force Awakens" as being a retread of "A New Hope," Rey was looking for a sense of family and belonging while Luke was running away from family and looking for adventure. Rey's newfound family fortified her enough to be able to overcome the darkness.

Muro of Team Trek:  Going last left Muro with little to say and expand upon, but she noted that with Burnham, she has invested a lot in attempting to emulate the Vulcan culture, but finds her resilience is from "giving in to the passion of her humanity."

Fourth Topic

The Kelvin Timeline was, according to the Official Star Trek Online Wiki, the alternative quantum universe created when a Romulan starship traveled back and destroyed the USS Kelvin.

Mattu of Team Trek:  Mattu talked about "Star Trek Beyond," and how it begins with Kirk and Spock really struggling with their positions. Kirk feels that things have become "episodic." Spock is struggling with the loss of Spock prime "as we all were with the death of Leonard Nimoy ." The whole story is about reconnecting with what is Starfleet. Reconnecting with the meaning of what you do can help you through tough times, including living under COVID-19 restrictions.

Letamendi of Team Wars:  Letamendi doesn't know enough about the Kelvin timelines to be critical. These stories have given us purpose. Star Wars "is storytelling around concepts of redemption" and that's something that we struggle with. The human experience is filled with making mistakes, having flaws and dealing with not only our own flaws but the flaws and mistakes of others. The Star Wars story has always been about a sense of "can we work on rebuilding connection and harmony." If you can come back to the good of yourself, "you can accept some of the mistakes you've made." That's something that is hard to do.

Stashwick of Team Wars : Stashwick noted that with J.J. Abrams, he "clearly was a Star Wars man" who was "handed the keys to the Star Trek kingdom and he made a Star Wars version of Star Trek," but Stashwick then noted that with Star Wars, "just because you blew up a Death Star once, your problems aren't over." Beating back the demons is "an eternal struggle" and "a noble pursuit." He concluded with "the struggle is real," and we need to "be strong and be together."

Live Long and Prosper and May the Force be with you in 2020.

Jana Monji, made in San Diego, California, lost in Japan several times, has written about theater and movies for the LA Weekly , LA Times , and currently, Examiner.com and the Pasadena Weekly . Her short fiction has been published in the Asian American Literary Review .

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Who Would Win in an All-Out Battle: Star Wars or Star Trek?

A classic debate! Good or Evil? Chocolate or Strawberry? Star Trek or Star Wars (excluding the Death Star)? But unlike those timeless questions this one really does seem to have a compelling answer. And its not what the majority seem to think.

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A few necessary caveats (take heed ye trolls):.

1) Although it (should) hardly need saying— these are both completely fictional universes whose technology and scientific foundations are, at best, bolted on after the fact as part of the setting and/or necessary plot devices. This entire debate is like meaningfully debating the combat prowess of Unicorns vs. Dragons. But of course, we're going to do it anyway.

2) The goal is to assume the most favorable interpretations for each technology as demonstrated most coherently by each canon. Obvious mistakes (i.e using parsecs as a measure of time... Hello Han) or figures completely inconsistent with the results offered (Star Destroyers with power generation of 7.75 x 1024 W... only 100 times less than the sun!) will be ignored.

For those crying foul a Star Destroyer that needs that much power (to create the abilities displayed) would represent the most fantastic inefficiency ever conceived. Likewise, some of the energy readings suggested for Star Wars laser weapons would instantaneously vaporize any unshielded craft—not to mention the atmosphere in between them—in rather spectacular fashion. Nothing in the physical behavior of these weapons supports these values (for instance that Slave 1 has 64,000 GW lasers or 190 Megaton missiles. Never, in any battle, was a blast of that nature or kind observed).

Bottom line: All weapons and systems should be evaluated on how they actually perform as depicted in the canon as opposed to often innumerate and psuedo-scientific gibberish offered in support of them. That being said, where a vaguely credible explanation has been offered, it will generally be taken (i.e. lasers are lasers).

3) The treatment of technology dramatically complicates the task of comparison. Star Trek consciously attempted to provide at least some basis (however weak or novel) for the science behind their technology. Star Trek represents a technological utopia and was promoting the idea of a better future via modern technology. This is also evident in that the technology of Star Trek advances dramatically over the course of the various seasons (including referencing far future Star Trek timelines with mastery over time itself). Star Wars, on the other hand, makes no such claims and depicts an utterly static technological milieu in which no appreciable advances have been made (save perhaps the Death Star itself) in tens of thousands of years. In addition, Star Wars often offers little—if any—scientific explanation for its tech (Hyperspace—it's fast!). I am assuming the general tech capabilities of Trek as found as late as Voyager.

Now, those out of the way lets get to the point. This is not a close fight. Despite the desires of the many fans, the Star Trek universe is rife with economic, tactical, social, and technological superiority. Claims of Star Wars victories all seem to echo the Stalin-esque view that "Quantity has a Quality all its own." But this is profoundly misguided. Let's break down why.

Economic Factors

Star Wars population is very difficult to assess. Some estimates suggest a 1,000,000 world Empire. But the Galactic Senate depicts a vastly smaller political entity. According to Star Wars Wiki , the Empire was divided into units of 50 systems each with a senator. However, the Senate only has 2,000 members. Which means a galactic polity of 100,000 active members. This is still vastly greater than the Federation with something like 150 members and 1-5 thousand worlds.

However, the nature of this population is most important. The Empire, while having far larger population, appears weakly integrated. Entire populations (quite commonly) are depicted as isolated and poor. Basic farming or harvesting seems commonplace. Much of the population appears uneducated and even tribal. While the core worlds are densely populated, they are apparently completely dependent on agricultural and other products from the empire. This means Star Wars retains a traditional resource economy model.

Star Trek, by contrast, has matter/energy conversion. The Federation is deeply integrated with almost no poverty and a large decentralized membership of worlds. The importance of matter/energy conversion cannot be overemphasized. On a war footing, the only limits to the Federation's economic capacity is energy which is in vast supply in both universes.

In addition, each world is at least theoretically capable of self sufficiency. Although there still appears to be strategic resources in Trek (dilithium comes to mind), these are relatively limited and the series has routinely demonstrated that they can innovate when necessary around them. The greatest advantage of the Empire is size. But the small, highly integrated and economically more advanced Federation is similar to the inequality many leading nations in Earth's history have held over their more numerous adversaries. Numbers alone cannot determine the issue.

Social Factors

The Federation is a democracy with fully functioning representative government that has demonstrated unfailing resolve in the face of both invasion and subversion. A careful, adaptive, and strategic mindset is universally depicted with the Federation routinely tackling better armed and more numerous adversaries.

The Empire is a dictatorship deeply riven by insurrection and dissent. Entire planetary economies are in de facto revolt with the best technology of key defense companies is in the hands of the Rebellion (i.e. Incom). Control is maintained through direct rule via regional governors and is shaky enough that planetary obliteration is required in order to maintain control.

When pressed the Federation will coalesce (as it did with the Borg). Its unified tech basis and energy economy means perfectly fluid production and great adaptability. Individual initiative and problem solving is a Trek hallmark. Similar initiative in Star Wars is shown as being a quick way to a Force-induced death. Although both world have great diversity, the Empire is deeply racist and enforces a human-first ethic, which severely restricts the full participation of most of their Empires inhabitants. Star Trek has no such barriers.

Such social cooperation would present a huge propaganda advantage to Trek. Who could offer union to the vast, under-trodden alien masses and endless material support to the Rebellion.

Tactical Factors

Detection, Evasion, Range. These three elements spell the doom of the Empire. The sensors in Star Trek can discern the individual cellular make up of individuals on a planet from orbit, can detect ships from trillions of kilometers away (in other sectors) and can track and successfully target objects at ranges of hundred of thousands of kilometers in space.

By contrast, sensors on a Star Destroyer cannot even detect droids in a unshielded pod. They cannot track down individual aliens (say, Wookie) on a planet, and most combat occurs at visual range with a remarkable rate of misses.

Intimidator Class Star Destroyer

Cloaking technology in Trek, which is effective against that milieu's vastly superior sensor Tech, would be an overwhelming advantage making most Trek vessels effectively invisible. Even without this, the range and accuracy of sensors means that Trek vessels could detect SW vessels at vast distances and engage them while remaining completely invisible. As modern fighter combat has routinely demonstrated the age of the dog fight is past. Long range detection and strike renders numbers almost meaningless. Like a modern F-22 (with nearly unlimited ammo), enemies inside the weapon envelop can be eliminated long before they can even bring their weapons to bare.

Weapon tech is also no contest. Photon torpedoes travel at warp speed. This means that they are unblockable by Star Wars vessels whose reaction time is such that skilled humans can provide superior guidance as compared to their computers. Photon torpedoes are matter/antimatter devices whose yields have been described as being able to wipe out cities with a single torpedo. Proton torpedoes are sublight (and slow) missiles that can destroy city blocks. Given that several laser shots and the impact of a vessel traveling at sublight was sufficient to destroy the shield generators on an Executor Class vessel, it is perfectly possible for Star Trek ships to target the shield of Star Destroyers from ranges well beyond the detection range of those ships—and then bombard them with total impunity.

USS Enterprise firing a photon torpedo

Without going into the difficult discussion around energy outputs of beam weapons, Star Trek beams are computer controlled, use the vastly superior Trek sensors and computer systems, and have an output that has been described as being capable of destroying the entire surface of a planet. Turbo lasers (save and except the Death Star's) have limited firing arcs and, while incredibly numerous, are dramatically limited by poor fire control and range.

In Trek, it would be a foolish captain that would enter firing range but Trek Shielding has repeatedly encountered "laser" weapons and indicated that they posed little or no threat to the shield capacity of their vessels. On more than one occasion, Trek shields have resisted near-nuclear strikes, plasma blasts that have eradicated entire planetary installations, and torpedoes capable of reducing modern vessels into component atoms. Given the ability of small, unshielded craft to survive direct strikes from turbo laser batteries ,the shields of Trek could offer near complete shielding for all but the most intense fusillade.

On this note, much is made of the lack of fighters in Trek. One simple explanation is that such craft simply cannot survive when pitted against capital ship level phasers targeted by near-AI level computer and tracking systems. Put simply , what Trek ships aim at they hit. Nearly always. Small ships simply do not challenge large ships in Trek and with good reason.

Additionally, transporters have huge tactical advantages. Without shields and at distances of tens of thousands of kilometers, the Federation would be able to teleport fusion weapons directly into launch bays or engine rooms. Finally, warp capability means that Federation ships can travel faster than human reaction (which is apparently the benchmark for targeting in Star Wars). This means they can effectively move with impunity through the battle zone.

Bottom line, the sheer size of the Empire presents the most compelling threat to the Federation. But it is facing a small, tightly integrated, post-scarcity Federation possessed of ships with vastly greater tactical flexibility. The political attractions of the Federation are also not to be understated as political warfare is an area the Federation may be uniquely well positioned to capitalize on. If the Federation could survive long enough to ramp up to a war footing sheet, tactical advantages could prove more than a match for the Empire's vast numerical superiority.

Star Trek: 1, Star Wars: 0.

Art by Michael Hession

In an all-out battle (and excluding the Death Star), which star fleet would win, Star Trek or Star Wars? originally appeared on Quora . You can follow Quora on Twitter , Facebook , and Google+ .

This answer has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.

‘Star Wars Outlaws’ Launch Date Set, Trailer Released

By Todd Spangler

Todd Spangler

NY Digital Editor

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Ubisoft , in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games , announced the launch date for “ Star Wars Outlaws ” — the first open-world Star Wars game — and released the official trailer as well as new details for the much-anticipated title.

“Star Wars Outlaws” will launch Aug. 30 on Xbox Series X|S consoles, PlayStation 5, Amazon Luna and PC through Ubisoft Connect, at a suggested retail price of $69.99 for the base game. ( Watch the trailer below. )

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Kay and Nix will travel across the galaxy to gain the right resources and crew for the ultimate heist. In their journey, they’ll travel across distinct locations, both classic and new: Canto Bight, Kijimi, Tatooine, Akiva, and the windswept savannah of Toshara. Along the way, Kay will explore bustling cities and cantinas, race across sprawling outdoor landscapes on her speeder, and pilot her ship the Trailblazer through the wilds of space. When things go awry, the Trailblazer will also help them chase, evade and attack to gain the upper hand in thrilling dogfights with the Empire and other foes.

In announcing quarterly earnings in February, Ubisoft said “Star Wars Outlaws” would release before the end of the year and that “Assassin’s Creed Codename Red” will launch by March 2025.

Watch the trailer for “Star Wars Outlaws”:

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Published Apr 2, 2024

What to Expect from The Final Season of Star Trek: Discovery

The cast details everything you need to know to get ready for the Season 5 premiere this week!

Getty Images / StarTrek.com

The highly anticipated fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery arrives this week!

This season finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the  U.S.S. Discovery  uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. But there are others on the hunt as well… dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.

Ahead of the premiere, StarTrek.com had the opportunity to speak with series cast Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Michael Burnham), Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland "Book" Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira), along with this season's recurring guest star Eve Harlow (Moll) and executive producer and co-showrunner Michelle Paradise . With their help, here's what you can expect from their characters this season!

In case you need a quick refresher before we dive forward, we've got a handy Where We Left Off guide !

Now let's fly!

Sonequa Martin-Green on Season 5 Stakes and Captain Michael Burnham's Relationship Status

"Red Directive"

StarTrek.com

"This season, we can expect a wild ride," teases Sonequa Martin-Green. "One of the things that they wanted to do was that they wanted to have a tonal shift. They wanted it to be adventurous, they wanted it to be fun, they wanted it to be kind of like the Indiana Jones season. And so we really did that. We really did that. The artistry is on another level."

"In every department, you will see some really incredible things coming to life," continues Martin-Green. "In Season 5, we did some stuff we should not have been able to do; we did some stuff that we've never done before. I'm really proud of every department, of every cast member, of every crew member, every writer, every producer, every post-production coordinator, and supervisor, and worker. We took it to the next level without even knowing that it was our last season. When everyone sees it, I think that they'll see what I'm talking about. It's culminating because of that; it is just on another level. It's a huge, huge season. People have a lot to look forward to."

Addressing where Michael Burnham and Book find themselves at the start of this season, Martin-Green explains, "Book and Burnham, they are the classic, old Facebook status of 'It's complicated.' They've got a lot to work through. That's where we pick up with them, having not been speaking as regularly as they normally do. Of course, we see that he was sent off at the end of Season 4. Now they are back in each other's midst, and they have got a lot to talk about and a lot to wade through. It's very complicated between them. There's obviously still that love, that deep love, that bond, that respect, but they've got a lot to work through."

Doug Jones on Saru's Next Step

"Under the Twin Moons"

Reflecting on Saru's journey across the entire series, Doug Jones reveals, "Saru had been captain of the ship for Season 3. And Season 4, he then kind of took a step to First Officer again, because of his loyalty to Michael Burnham, and the special task we were on throughout the season."

"Well, now he’s [re-evaluating] his purpose there," adds Jones. "Has it run its course? His relationship with President T’Rina, played by the lovely Tara Rosling. She does come into the equation with how he makes his decision."

Anthony Rapp on Paul Stamets' Legacy and Season 5 Baddies

Episode 506

"This season, you can expect a new level of inquiry for Paul about what's next for him in terms of the work that he wants to do," hints Anthony Rapp. "He's an incredibly driven and brilliant human being with this mind, that's some level of genius. You get to see him like stretch himself in new ways."

What does the Discovery crew make of arrival of this season's antagonists — Moll (played by Eve Harlow) and L'ak (played by Elias Toufexis)?

"I really love the description of this kind of Bonnie and Clyde," shares Rapp. "It was fun for us, or for me, I could speak for myself, to have these kind of iconic touchstone archetypes brought into our show. Their energy as people; [Eve Harlow and Elias Toufexis] brought a beautiful energy to the company to being a part of our show and being a part of our story. And then their work was exceptional. To have this, this idea of this kind of like maverick couple that's on the run is a cool one. And there's a reason it's iconic. And I think that the way that our writers threaded it through our story was really well done."

Mary Wiseman on Sylvia Tilly's Career Focus

"Tilly's in a great place," notes Mary Wiseman. "She's found a certain kind of assurance from going off to teach at Starfleet Academy, and coming back feels like coming home. You're a little cooler and a little more adult. And people call you 'Miss.'"

However, that's not without some challenges. "But she kind of also feels stuck with the problem about how to get through to these kids that have grown up in this era where there isn't the sort of interconnectedness, galaxy-wide communication, and transportation possibilities that there were when she was growing up," highlights Wiseman. "And she's kind of noticing it in the kids' behavior, and inability to interact or team build. And so that's something that she kind of wants to work on and figure out how to help them out with that."

Wilson Cruz on Dr. Hugh Culber's New Experiences

Episode 505

"Where we first find Culber in Season 5, he's in a really good place," notes Wilson Cruz. "He's really embodied this new version of himself, and is ready and willing to take on whatever he's confronted with."

Cruz continues, "This season, he is confronted with an experience that forces him to ask even more existential questions that kind of blows his mind. It starts him on knowing about all of the mysteries of the universe. This whole mission really makes him question a lot of things. We see him process a lot of that throughout the season."

David Ajala on Cleveland "Book" Booker's Love for Burnham and Season 5 Action Sequences

Episode 503

Following the events of Season 4, Book must walk away from Burnham. Reflecting on his actions and headspace at the start of this season, David Ajala states, "It's interesting, because, if we're talking about the gift of grace, Book has definitely received grace from Michael Burnham. Even though Book made the decision that he thought was right, it was not even honorable, but he felt duty bound to do what he did. He was still afforded grace by Michael Burnham, to be welcomed back with open arms. The journey of someone like Cleveland Booker, who was very driven by keeping his autonomy, and also serving his purpose on the planet, which was to help endangered species, to be a part of Starfleet, it was never something that was within his remit. But then to come full circle in Season 5, and to see him, organically incorporate himself within that team is a wonderful story."

"Where we left off in Season 4, revisiting and coming back for Season 5, it's a different territory for both of them," explains Ajala. "And yet, they both have to acknowledge that they're in different spaces, but then still show a level of care for one another. This grey area is new territory."

As for the Indiana Jones -level of excitement the series explores this season, Ajala details, "I love action, I love being able to be physical, to express myself. Having said that, I love the way action is used in the right way. And because this is the final season, we could have taken like one to potentially three episodes to kind of warm into it. But with the first episode, we were straight in with high octane, big action sequences, and just a real spectacle to observe."

Blu del Barrio on Adira's Growing Confidence

"Adira starts out in a pretty solid looking place," reveals Blu del Barrio.

"On the outside, they look and seem really good," adds del Barrio. "They have a lot more responsibilities on the ship. And they're taking their work very seriously, and just very happy to be like more integrated. But underneath the surface, they're struggling a little bit more with some emotional stuff and some major personal stuff."

Eve Harlow on the Arrival of Star-Crossed Lovers and Joining the Cast of Discovery

During NYCC 2022 , audiences got to learn about this season's baddies. Moll and L'ak are former couriers turned outlaws. Moll is highly intelligent and dangerous, with an impressive strategic mind and a sharp wit. She goes into every situation with a clear plan and stays focused and clear-headed on her goal, even when things go awry. She’s not easy to intimidate, and will face down anyone who stands in her way in order to get what she wants. Whereas L'ak is tough, impulsive, and fiercely protective of his beloved partner, Moll. So long as he knows she’s safe, he doesn’t care about collateral damage or its consequences — a perspective that makes him very dangerous at times and will put him on the opposite side of Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery when they come into conflict.

Speaking directly to StarTrek.com on Star Trek: The Cruise VII, Eve Harlow divulges, "Moll is badass, and she and L’ak are an interspecies couple. It’s kind of breaking all the rules, which is why they’re on the run. It’s very much like Romeo and Juliet or Bonnie and Clyde because they’re star-crossed lovers."

On her experience of joining this series for its fifth season, Harlow offers tons of praises, "These are some of the kindest, just most welcoming people I've ever met. I feel like I just talk about how much I love Sonequa a lot, but I will keep talking about how much I love her. She is the best leader I've ever experienced on set."

"[When I reflected on] who on-set is most like their character in real life. Without skipping a beat, Elias and I, at the same time, were Sonequa. She is that captain, and she treats everyone like an equal. I've just never been on a set where everyone, the crew is so appreciated. She knows everybody's names. She knows what they do. She knows their family life, what's going on with them. She genuinely cares, and being around that, that spirit is infectious. Every single time I was on set. I was so high energy; I was just so happy to be here. And it's because of the people who were working on that show."

Michelle Paradise on Season 5's New Faces

"Elias [Toufexis] and Eve [Harlow] play L’ak and Moll who are our two new bad guys this season," states Michelle Paradise. "We talked about them as kind of a Bonnie and Clyde unit. We hadn't had a couple before as our antagonist. In turn, they're obviously formidable foes for our heroes. But we also really wanted to make sure that they felt well-rounded, and that they weren't just one note, bad guys. We understood the why of what they were doing the depth of their love for one another. People will be surprised that they may start rooting for these bad guys, actually. But they'll never want them to win more than our heroes, of course. It’s a lot of fun to have them."

L'ak and Moll aren't the only new faces this season. Rayner, also previously announced at NYCC 2022, is a gruff, smart Starfleet captain who holds a clear line between commander and crew — he leads, they follow. Rayner’s all about the mission, whatever it may be, and he doesn’t do niceties along the way; his feeling is, you get the job done and apologize later. He has a storied track record of wartime success, but in times of peace, he struggles. Collaboration is not his strong suit. That said, if it serves the greater good he’s willing to learn... but it won’t be easy.

"And then Callum Keith Rennie plays Captain Rayner," elaborates Paradise. "What's interesting about him is that he is going to be a bit of an antagonist, but not in a bad guy way. He's going to push Burnham, and we'll get to see new sides of Burnham and new growth in Burnham because of her interactions with him. It's a really interesting dynamic there. That's one of the things that we always look at, if we're going to bring in any new guest characters, is how can they impact our regulars? And how can they help our regulars grow over the course of the season or change or help us see new sides of them, and these three do that beautifully."

Get ready for Discovery 's final adventure when Season 5 premieres with the first two episodes later this week!

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Christine Dinh (she/her) is the managing editor for StarTrek.com. She’s traded the Multiverse for helming this Federation Starship.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

‘Star Trek’ Origin Story Movie Will Be Set Decades Before 2009 Film

CinemaCon 2024: The new project will be produced by longtime “Star Trek” steward J.J. Abrams

Paramount Pictures is ready to boldly go (again).

After rumors circulated earlier this year, Paramount officially announced a new “Star Trek” prequel film on Thursday, this time taking place decades before the original 2009 “Star Trek” feature.

“Andor” director Toby Haynes will direct from a script by Seth Grahame-Smith (who is also writing another hotly touted CinemaCon title, the third “Now You See Me” film). J.J. Abrams is returning to produce.

But then again, we’ve heard about a new “Star Trek” movie before.

During the run-up to “Star Trek Beyond” in 2016, it was revealed that a fourth film would reunite Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk with his deceased father (played, once again, by Chris Hemsworth). A year later, Quentin Tarantino approached Paramount about doing a “Star Trek” movie – this time as an R-rated gangster movie (based, in part, on the 1968 episode of the original series “A Piece of the Action”). In 2018 S.J. Clarkson, a TV vet who would eventually direct “Madame Web,” was hired to direct the fourth film in the Abrams-verse, but salary disputes led to Pine and Hemsworth leaving the project. That version was canceled in 2019 and Tarantino stated in 2020 that he wouldn’t be making his “Star Trek” either.

In November 2019 “Fargo” creator Noah Hawley was hired to write and direct a new “Star Trek” film based on his version of the series. A year later, this movie was canceled by new Paramount Pictures president Emma Watts. In 2021 “Star Trek: Discovery” writer Kalinda Vazquez was hired to write a version based on her original pitch, but a separate script was being developed by Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. The studio even set a summer 2023 release date for a new “Trek” (which “Trek” was the question).

In 2021 that release date was pushed to Christmas 2023, under the direction of “WandaVision” director Matt Shakman. Josh Friedman and Cameron Squires were brought on to retool the script. In early 2022 it was announced that the stars of the three previous “Star Trek” installments in the Abrams-verse would all be returning, although it was later reported that the actors had not entered negotiations to return.

In 2022 Shakman left “Star Trek” to join Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four.” But just last month Steve Yockey was hired to write a fourth “Star Trek” movie.

Now, we are finally getting word of another film in development, with another writer/director team. But it’s not the first time that a “Star Trek” prequel script has been floated, as Erik Jendresen, cowriter of “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning,” had submitted a script for “Star Trek: The Beginning” before J.J. had taken over and pitched his 2009 version. It depicted the Earth-Romulan War.

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