Would you rather live in the SW universe or the ST universe?

[6079SmithW]

Star Wars. Its got the Force and cool aliens and all those cool planets to visit. I think it would be far more exciting then Star Trek.

Also, I wouldn't want to live under the tyrannical rule of the Federation, who conquers, assimilates, and oppresses you with a smile. To paraphrase Eddington, "At least the Sith are honest about what they want."

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Just what either galaxy needs, a Darth Eddington.

 

[TiberiusMaximus]

Frell both of them, I want to live in the Farscape universe.

But if that's not a choice, then I guess it'd be Trek. It has all the characters and races I'm familiar with and I'd have a much better chance of surviving because I'd know what was happening. Put me in the Wars 'verse and I'd be screwed just because I know nothing about it.

Still, Farscape would be my first choice.

 

[davejames]

Actually I think the ideal would be to use the ships and technology of the Trek universe to explore the worlds of the SW universe.

Their planets seem so much more exotic and interesting than the rather bland planets of Trek.

 

[Christopher]

What if you got to be a Jedi Master? Wouldn't the benefits of the Force make it a harder choice?

ST captains die all the time, too...

The question was about life as an ordinary, average human. Besides, I wouldn't want to be a starship captain or a Jedi. Too much discipline, hard work, responsibility, and danger. I like the quiet life. And I would enjoy living in a post-scarcity society where all my material needs were provided for so that I could concentrate on my writing. If I wanted excitement, I'd go to Risa.

Besides, I'd rather live in a universe ruled by science and reason than one ruled by magic and mysticism. Although with Trek science it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference.

Trek. Athough I would definitely stay away from Earth, considering how often it gets attacked or invaded.

Ahh, but in Trek, aspiring invaders of Earth are almost always defeated or turned away before they can do any actual damage. The only exceptions I can think of, the only alien attacks that actually inflicted any significant destruction on the surface of Earth rather than being stopped in orbit or before, were the Xindi attack of 2153 (which devastated Cuba and Florida), the whale probe incident of 2285 or so (which inflicted global meteorological disasters), and the Breen raid of 2375 (which did significant but largely cosmetic damage to San Francisco). One per century is pretty good odds. In the Dominion War, Earth was only attacked once (twice if you count the terrorist bombing in Antwerp, but that was before the war proper). In the two canonical Borg incursions, the cubes were destroyed before reaching Earth orbit. In the novels' Destiny trilogy, much of the Federation was devastated but Earth narrowly escaped destruction. Even in the new movie's alternate timeline, Vulcan got blown to bits but Earth only sustained minor damage to the floor of San Francisco Bay. And considering how many other planets galaxywide have been devastated by warfleets, planet killers, probes, parasites, plagues, supernovae, and the like, I'd say that despite often being a target, Earth is pretty clearly the safest place to live in the whole Federation.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Interesting question. Both universes are great for setting stories in, but actually living in the Star Wars universe would be creepy and disturbing, based on what I've been able to glean about it. It seems to be governed by the Force, which seems to have an actual "will" of sorts, and seeks balance between the Light and Dark, which are not synonymous with Good and Evil. Instead, evil emerges from imbalance between the Light and Dark.

Balance is achieved by eternal conflict between Light and Dark, in which neither side can gain advantage, so equillibrium is maintained. The other option is the destruction of Light and Dark both. But wouldn't that require destroying the Force? Since the Force comes from the life energy of all living things, to destroy Light and Dark requires the eradication of all life in the cosmos. Eternal warfare is certainly the better option.

Star Wars is the perfect title for this cosmos, since it is fated to undergo eternal warfare and strife. It might be tempting to think that if I were a Jedi, this would be a fun cosmos to live in, but even the Jedi are just pawns in the ongoing game between Light and Dark.

Even more disturbingly, the Jedi either don't understand the game, or can't accept it, since it implies that they can and should never defeat the Sith in such a way that they can never return. Even if they destroyed the Sith, the Force would create some other Dark Side entity to throw against them. Or, maybe the Force would arrange for half the Jedi to join the Dark Side, which by definition makes them Sith. That certainly would be a demoralizing realization, that the universe is against you.

The Star Trek cosmos otoh is a rational universe that is not ruled by any entity that seeks anything. It's all just what you make of it. Eternal warfare is not necessary and peace is certainly a possibility. Anything within the laws of physics is a possibility, as long as you put enough effort into it.

The even more interesting question is: which universe are we living in right now?

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

Star Trek. I would just stay at Earth, use my replicator to produce delicious food every day, go in the Holodeck, never do any work.

 

[Klaus]

The even more interesting question is: which universe are we living in right now?

Well Trek is the future, SW is the past... "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." If you combine them and believe in Hodgkins' Law of Parallel Galactic Development , SW "humans" are not necessarily anything like Earth humans. They may look like us, but there's no need for any similarity past that.

The only way they could both work as our context is if after a galaxy-shattering final conflict between Sith and Jedi, some of the survivors flee their galaxy for ours and then become the Progenitors, seeding worlds with humanoid life using SW cloning tech. But of course Earth's "intelligent" life evolved independently anyway.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Star Trek would be a much safer place to live. The Dominion War was the only conflict to really threaten the bread and butter of the Federation. Plus, it's a socialist paradise!

SW on the other hand has always had a horrifically corrupt and inept government (or an evil dictatorship) and there's a major war wiping out billions every 5-10 years!

I interpreted the question philosophically but even if you interpret it politically, Trek still wins. Because then the question becomes, what do you prefer, boring communist paradise or wild vacillations between degenerate democracy and fascist empire? The latter might be fun to watch movies and TV shows about, but not so much fun from the front row seat.

 

[RandyS]

Star Trek is the clear choice, but I'd be like Kirk and change the rules so that I could live in the Star Trek world with the power of the Force and a Lightsaber.

Nice.

Best of both worlds, right?

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The even more interesting question is: which universe are we living in right now?

Well Trek is the future, SW is the past... "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." If you combine them and believe in Hodgkins' Law of Parallel Galactic Development , SW "humans" are not necessarily anything like Earth humans. They may look like us, but there's no need for any similarity past that.

The only way they could both work as our context is if after a galaxy-shattering final conflict between Sith and Jedi, some of the survivors flee their galaxy for ours and then become the Progenitors, seeding worlds with humanoid life using SW cloning tech. But of course Earth's "intelligent" life evolved independently anyway.

I was thinking more along the lines of this: are we living in a materialist or taoist cosmos? This is a valid question even if Wars and Trek are mere made-up stories that have no bearing on the true nature of the cosmos. But one of them might represent the "correct" interpretation. One purpose of fiction is to try to sort out what "truth" is, by running through fictional scenarios and seeing which one feels the most real. The problem is, both Wars and Trek do convincing jobs, so is one more convincing than the other?

 

[auntiehill]

I'd much rather be in the Trek universe. I think life would be easier--and longer--than in the SW universe.

 

[Silvercrest]

What if you got to be a Jedi Master? Wouldn't the benefits of the Force make it a harder choice?

"The benefits of the Force"? Star Wars doesn't become any more appealing if your only selling point is the lure of personal power. The path to the dark side this is!

Trek.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Still, Farscape would be my first choice.

Yep, the Uncharted Territories.

 

[TiberiusMaximus]

I'm glad someone agrees with me. Enough danger to keep you on your toes, wierd and freaky aliens to make friends with...it'd be great. Especially if you got to hang out with Crichton.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Star Trek universe for me,easily. Much easier to succeed. I don't think there is meant to be societal or economic class divisions in the Trek universe...but as a regular civilian I'd be a writer or a historian.

 

[Roshi]

I'd rather live in our universe and enjoy both universes for their entertainment values...

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Farscape is essentially the same materialist cosmos as Star Trek, except there is no powerful entity like the Federation, with Starfleet as the muscle, to provide a safe commie hippie paradise for those not seeking an exciting life. It's nothing but one big bleak expanse in which the Evil Galactic Empire eternally fights the Klingons, except these are Klingons minus all the charming piratical aspects.

I see no advantage to Farscape vs Star Trek. With Star Trek, you can venture to realms that are equivalent to the Uncharted Territories, with adventure and zany aliens galore. There's probably even a guy or two as hot as John Crichton (hopefully without a jealous butt-kicking warrior wife.)

But then you have the option to scuttle back to safety when it all gets too much. With Farscape, there's no place to hide.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Temis you're forgetting the Peacekeepers. They're like a militaristic version of Starfleet that enforces the peace within the Farscape universe. While there is no Federation, granted the Peacekeepers are a major force in that universe.

 

[Aragorn]

I'd much rather be in the Trek universe. I think life would be easier--and longer--than in the SW universe.

Plus even if you were to die, someone could always reverse the polarity of the antimatter array and send an inverse subspace pulse into the black hole to create an opening in the space-time continuum to time travel and bring you back.