Topics in film Studies - Essay Example

The film focuses on the adventures of the crew of one ship, the Enterprise, as it is seeks to save Earth from destruction by what appears to be an omni powerful entity from outside their galaxy. The crew ultimately prevails through their pragmatic use of scientific study and technology, and the god-like aggressor turns out to be a returning, alien-upgraded Voyager space probe. In contrast, the people of Star Wars are ruled by the heavy handed Galactic Empire. The empire dedicates its resources to applying oppressive control over its population, destroying entire planets as it sees fit to further its goals.

Rather than focusing on the crew of a single ship, the protagonist characters of Star Wars begin largely unaware of each other, living entirely separate lives and different worlds, only to come together near the end of the film to defeat the forces of the empire. Further, its the use of the mysterious, almost religious powers of "The Force", rather than science, that delivers the characters from defeat. Behind these on screen differences, though, the 1977 Star Wars film had inescapable, pervasive influences, both positive and challenging, on the production of the Star Trek film that followed.

One of the most significant examples was Star Wars’ influence in convincing the Paramount film studio that the Star Trek movie should be made at all. In 1977, while there had been initial efforts to bring Star Trek to the big screen, Paramount had decided to develop a new Star Trek television series, instead. The success of Star Wars, however, changed their minds. “Box office receipts for Star Wars were making science fiction believers out of the most skeptical critics; even Charles Bluhdor, chairman of Gulf & Western, Paramount’s parent company, reportedly inquired why there was so much foot-dragging on Star Trek” (Stein) Gene