The powers of propaganda and media.

[Inactive-Shapeshifter]

So, let's get it down. Star Wars is more know worldwide than Star Trek, it has more young fans than Star Trek, and it is more "classic" on the peoples mind.

The question is... Is it really because of the battles?
You see... I'm 16 (already told that) and had a friend... A typical Star Wars fanboy.
I got him into watching TOS and he liked it. By the end on TNG he was a Trekkie.

So... All come down to this: Star Wars has more propaganda? Because half of my colleges like Star Wars better and never EVER have seen one goddamn episode of TNG (just like my friend i mentioned).

THE LINE MUST BE DRAWN HERE!

 

[The Wormhole]

Star Trek has a stigma of being intellectual and making people think while Star Wars is basically action movies set in space, thereby making it more accessible.

 

[Melakon]

Star Trek has a stigma of being intellectual and making people think while Star Wars is basically action movies set in space, thereby making it more accessible.

This. With Star Wars, you can put your mind on hold and watch the visuals. The dialogue sure isn't worth thinking about after the film's over.

 

[Inactive-Shapeshifter]

Star Trek has a stigma of being intellectual and making people think while Star Wars is basically action movies set in space, thereby making it more accessible.

This. With Star Wars, you can put your mind on hold and watch the visuals. The dialogue sure isn't worth thinking about after the film's over.

But that doesn't change the fact that my friend there was like that and after watching TOS and TNG changed his mind.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

But that doesn't change the fact that my friend there was like that and after watching TOS and TNG changed his mind.

You can't generalize based on a sample size of one.

 

[Windcharger]

They must be useing a Jedi mind trick. Darth-Isney is no doubt to blame.

 

[Inactive-Shapeshifter]

But that doesn't change the fact that my friend there was like that and after watching TOS and TNG changed his mind.

You can't generalize based on a sample size of one.

I'm not trying to. The very idea of this post is to make a debate about "what if it's that way... or what if it's not..." C'mon, you can't just deny that Star Wars has A LOT more propaganda and media attention.

 

[Lexx Shrapnel]

But that doesn't change the fact that my friend there was like that and after watching TOS and TNG changed his mind.

You can't generalize based on a sample size of one.

I'm not trying to. The very idea of this post is to make a debate about "what if it's that way... or what if it's not..." C'mon, you can't just deny that Star Wars has A LOT more propaganda and media attention.

What big entity is promoting Star Wars constantly repeating the same slogans? It only became popular because people liked it, originally it was a very dubious investment.

 

[Jedi_Master]

Propaganda:
information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

I would hesitate to classify the marketing of Star Wars and its licensed products as propaganda.

 

[Greg Cox]

I think the OP has got things backwards.

Star Wars is not more popular than Star Trek because it gets more hype and publicity.

Star Wars gets more hype and publicity because it's more popular that Star Trek.

As to why it's more popular . . . well, that's whole other issue.

But it's not because of "propaganda."

 

[CorporalCaptain]

But that doesn't change the fact that my friend there was like that and after watching TOS and TNG changed his mind.

You can't generalize based on a sample size of one.

I'm not trying to. The very idea of this post is to make a debate about "what if it's that way... or what if it's not..." C'mon, you can't just deny that Star Wars has A LOT more propaganda and media attention.

Yeah, but you said, "But that doesn't change the fact that my friend [etc.]," as if that countered what Melakon said. My point is that your experience with your friend doesn't impact what Melakon said in the slightest.

The idea that the media is to blame for why Star Trek isn't as popular as Star Wars is—to put it bluntly—precious.

What big entity is promoting Star Wars constantly repeating the same slogans? It only became popular because people liked it, originally it was a very dubious investment.

Yep. At first, Star Wars wasn't well-marketed, because no one knew how to market a film like that; it was the first of its kind. During its initial run, it caught on and surpassed Jaws as the greatest blockbuster for a single reason: people liked it, and they liked it a lot.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that on the popularity scale, some things are more popular than others.

 

[Greg Cox]

It shouldn't come as a surprise that on the popularity scale, some things are more popular than others.

And that's not necessarily a value judgment. I like pizza and I like fried oysters, but it's obvious that pizza is more popular than oysters.

Doesn't mean that pizza is better than oysters (or vise versa). Or that the media has brainwashed us all into like pizza better.

It's just the way things are.

 

[Jedi_Master]

The beautiful thing is, something doesn't have to be "the most popular" for a person to enjoy it and talk about it to others.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

It shouldn't come as a surprise that on the popularity scale, some things are more popular than others.

And that's not necessarily a value judgment. I like pizza and I like fried oysters, but it's obvious that pizza is more popular than oysters.

Doesn't mean that pizza is better than oysters (or vise versa). Or that the media has brainwashed us all into like pizza better.

It's just the way things are.

Absolutely.

 

[Inactive-Shapeshifter]

The beautiful thing is, something doesn't have to be "the most popular" for a person to enjoy it and talk about it to others.

Absolutely. Don't take me wrong, i like both, just prefer Star Trek, and perhaps i explained myself in a bad way. My point is, that here where i live anyway, is very common you see Star Wars references around, and not as nearly as Star Trek ones, also, the characters from Star Wars appear in a very large scale along the market.

My point is simply this: Wouldn't that make worse for the new generation of people to actually even try to watch Star Trek with all that stuff telling that Wars is better? I say this because i am, a young trek fan, and i am surprised by the number of people that don't even KNOW Star Trek at all. I'm just saying that if we had more "Live long and prosper" as we have "I am your father" things could be different...

 

[J.T.B.]

Star Wars started as a record-breaking movie phenomenon, as mainstream a success as any movie, ever. Star Trek has had long-term success, but on a much more moderate level and in more of a genre niche. They're just not equals in the marketplace, and that's that.

If the question is "Does Star Trek deserve to be as popular as Star Wars?" that's just a matter of personal opinion. Or as William Munny said, "Deserve's got nothing to do with it."

 

[Greg Cox]

It's a chicken-and-the-egg situation. Once something breaks out and becomes a blockbuster that builds on itself and makes it even more ubiquitous. Popularity leads to more exposure, which leads to more popularity and exposure and so on . . .

Look at vampire movies. One could wish that UNDERWORLD was as popular as TWILIGHT but TWILIGHT has more momentum at this point. Which is not to say that UNDERWORLD is not successful and does not have its devoted fans (trust me, it does), but TWILIGHT is a phenomenon . . . .

But all the hype in the world cannot guarantee success--as proven by the handful of failed blockbusters every year. There still has to be something about the material that hits a nerve with the general public.

 

[eyeresist]

I like Underworld (except the 4th movie)!

Star Wars is simple and focused on action, but with enough detailed world-building to interest more thoughtful types. Star Trek is in a way hampered by having to be "about something" - you can't just kill the baddy, rescue the princess and blow up the fort, you have to take into account subtle moral questions, technological issues, and the nature of alien cultures.

Look at the TNG movies. Stewart and Spiner got the most money as they were supposedly the most popular characters. An old bald man and an effete robot? Imagine if the original Star Wars had been about the adventures of old Obi-Wan and C3PO. They missed a trick by not making Worf a leading part; he's tough but funny, and has access to cool Klingon weapons. But then, if the emphasis was mostly on combat, would it be "Star Trek"?

 

[The Wormhole]

Star Trek has a stigma of being intellectual and making people think while Star Wars is basically action movies set in space, thereby making it more accessible.

This. With Star Wars, you can put your mind on hold and watch the visuals. The dialogue sure isn't worth thinking about after the film's over.

But that doesn't change the fact that my friend there was like that and after watching TOS and TNG changed his mind.

Sure, it's possible that some people more into Star Wars than Star Trek might change their opinion of Trek after watching some episodes or movies. But most of them won't, because of Trek's reputation as "thinking man's sci-fi" probably scares them.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

If someone were to approach me and insist that I would like Space Patrol more than Star Wars—I would be highly skeptical to say the least.

Now, I've never seen Space Patrol, and it's theoretically possible that I might find at least certain aspects of it interesting. But to be honest, it's really far down on my list of programs to sample.

I'm not expecting to like Space Patrol better than Star Trek, either.

Point is, in some peoples' minds, they may have estimated how much they'd like Star Trek sight unseen in much the same way as I've estimated how much Space Patrol would appeal to me: not as a result of having been brainwashed, but relative to other known cultural elements, such as period and visual style. Yes, such processes are often how prejudice sneaks in, but they're also how people try to filter out things that probably won't interest them.

Nothing against Space Patrol, but if someone were to try to push it on me, I'd probably not be receptive!