Halloween was last Friday, and my youngest went of trick or treating with his friends, I was left at home all alone. After doling out a mountain of sweets (Halloween is a big thing in my part of London), I decided to go to the local pub in my go to costume - Hannibal Lecter.
As I drank my chianti, chewed my fava beans while I waited for liver to be cooked (I was having a friend for dinner) - I got chatting to an American. I expounded on my Star Trek to Star Wars theory of American politics. They found it interesting, so I am now sharing with you. I know a lot of people find science fiction to be very unserious, but in my experience the best science fiction is merely a tool for the writer to comment on the current world. Dune by Frank Herbert was transparently an analysis of the inevitable outcome of the West exploiting the Middle East for oil. Foundation by Isaac Asimov is a commentary on how to get and maintain power (politics, economics, religion and trade).
So what about Star Wars and Star Trek? I find their differences to be astounding, and reflect very different ideals about how the world should be run. In Star Trek, there is no money. Everyone is assigned a role according to their ability, and all the nations of the world are represented on the original ship, with later versions of Star Trek adding more and more aliens to the mix. Other planets are invited to join the Federation, and Star Fleet is under strict orders not to exploit primitive nations, but to allow them space and time to develop. Meritocracy is a key metric.
In other words, Star Trek represents the post World War II ideal of multilateral cooperation to make the world a better place. All nations big and small have equal rights, and even the most charismatic leader (Captain Kirk) still refers back to Star Fleet Command.
Star Wars which started in the 1970s, has a much darker view of the world. It is definitely world with money, and smugglers and traders. It is a world of hard work, and exploitation. Also in contrast to Star Trek, there is a place for a quasi-religious order, the Jedi, in this world. Power comes from might, as the old republic is over thrown by the Empire. New planets are colonised, and mining settlements are common. Also in contrast to Star Trek, nepotism is a constant. Luke Skywalker is the son of Queen Padme. His father is also somewhat influential in state matters. In later movies his nephew also becomes a substantial leader. Nepobabies of the Universe - unite!
Power comes from pure might. Death Stars, cruisers and guns. Both sides of the conflict claim religious endorsement from their respective branches of the state religion.
Star Wars and Star Trek for me represent the fundamental disconnect in human nature. We all know that we as a species achieve more when we work together, but we also know we get more when we stand out from others. That is we naturally oscillate between cooperation and conflict. As many big thinkers will tell you, human technology and society tends to develop quicker from conflict (Europe conquered the world because they were the best at organised conflict), but ask anyone who lived through the Two World Wars and they will say - yes intercontinental flight is nice, but could be have had that without the 100 million deaths? After 40 years of relative peace (I see 1980 as the peak of the communist threat), we have forgotten the costs of conflict, and we are once again moving to a Star Wars era.
What this means for politics, is we need more Darth Vader style leaders, and less Captain Kirks . Trump is a Darth Vader. Justin Trudeau was a Captain Kirk. Keir Starmer is a Captain Kirk. President Xi is a Darth Vader. Putin may well be a Emperor Palpatine in this analysis. In most elections, I think you should expect the Darth Vader character to win in this era.
But why have we shifted from Star Trek to Star Wars? It I had to guess, Star Trek politics, like the show itself, tends to suffer from stagnation. Even recent Star Trek themes touched on themes of corruption at Star Fleet. And I think the world is tired of stagnation. Change is the political driver - for better or worse. And with that I hope the force is with you, and that you live long and prosper.
