If the Aliens and Predators couldn’t get it to work, then there’s no chance that Star Trek and Star Wars could
We all love Patrick Stewart here. Jean-Luc Picard to many is one of the most important figures in all of Star Trek lore. His first Trek show, Star Trek: The Next Generation, created a boom-period for the brand that saw four shows air one-after-another, and at least two on at the same time for most of the time period. It was a glorious age for Trek, and because of that, Stewart was beloved by all. His run with the X-Men franchise only helped boost his geek-icon status. There was nothing Stewart could do wrong, not even Star Trek: Picard could ruin his reputation with the fanbase. Even though (according to some) the show tried to do just that.
No, Stewart has kept the fans’ admiration his entire run with the franchise. That doesn’t mean that everything that comes out of his mouth is gold. Not even kind of. Stewart spoke to Men’s Journal, and the topic of Star Trek and Star Wars crossing over came up and Stewart said that he’d love to see and be apart of that. In a joint interview with Star Wars and Batman icon, Mark Hamil, Stewart spoke about the idea.
"I will admit that, at least for us on Star Trek, we have fantasied about a combined universe between Star Wars and Trek movie. There have been a lot of ideas thrown about on putting together two iconic universes, and having all of these great characters coming into contact. I would personally get such a kick out of that."
While it’s great that Stewart is excited about such a concept, the problem lies with the fact that Star Trek and Star Wars are fundamentally polar opposites of one another in style, tone, and substance. For Star Trek, it’s about exploration and ship-to-ship combat. It’s about backstabbing politicians and rogue Starfleet officers. It’s about dealing and finding ways to manage relationships and issues with differing species. It’s about taking modern-day and turning it into a more palatable version of current events.
It’s more science fiction than fantasy.
Star Wars is about the spirituality of the hero. What can one do to improve themselves without losing themselves in the moment? It’s about exploring old concepts in a new light, like the wandering hero or the rogue with a heart of gold. It’s about action and physical conflict. It’s about space knights and wizards with grand powers.
It’s more fantasy than science fiction.
A crossover would be a jumbled mess. Either Star Trek fans will be left wondering why this had to happen, as it’d be such a tonal shift from what they want, or Star Wars fans will be upset, for the same reason. If you want to cross Star Trek with another series, why not Battlestar Galactica? At least they’ve shared key members of the creative process.
Star Trek and Star Wars just don’t mix. So don’t even bother speaking such a bad idea into existence. This crossover is the pineapple pizza of movie ideas. It’s just the worst.