In a universe where magic is real.
Comment on No contest
semisimian@startrek.website 20 hours ago
In Star Trek, their run-of-the-mill, rarely discussed deflector is doing way more work than anything in the Star Wars universe. The one exception is the world-ender planet lasers which have been a big plot point in too many films and STILL have no plausible means to exist IN THEIR OwN UNIVERSE!
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 10 hours ago
Let’s be very clear, “magic” exists in StarTrek, too: Q is literal god-level magic. There are telekinetics, empaths, and hiveminds. At least one species has the capacity to mentally create realistic illusions taken from a subject’s mind, while others will keep you trapped in your own nightmares for what feels like centuries. Hologram programs are solid and are, multiple times, shown to have the capacity to achieve sapience.
So, saying “in a universe where magic exists” belies the real difference: “in a universe where the explanation of phenomena is not a priority”
The giant space lasers are never explained, because their explanation would not suit the desires of the storytellers.
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 8 hours ago
That’s just sufficiently advanced technology.
I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world 8 hours ago
Something, something, midi-chlorians.
There’s a lot of hand waving involved, but I feel like they’re at least fleshed out more than the wormhole aliens or the Caretakers.
wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 8 hours ago
Ah, but unfortunately, the great Lucas, in his infinite, unquestioned wisdom, managed to establish that the force is ALSO simply a sufficiently-advanced evolutionary response to a pre-existing fundamental force of the universe, mediated by whatever the fuck “midichlorians” are supposed to be. You’re missing the rest of the quote, which is telling: “sufficiently-advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. The bidirectional applies here: “magic is indistinguishable from sufficiently-advanced technology”.
You can’t draw a line. Just because the random layperson of Tattooine has no explanation for the force, doesn’t mean that there isn’t one. Just because we’re told that there are truths humans can’t comprehend which allow the Q to break every law of reality, that doesn’t mean that their powers appear or act in any way less-miraculous. The difference is that, in Star Wars, the genre of science fantasy demands the mysticism, while the science fiction of star trek demands an explicable nature, even if we don’t get all of the answers.
ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
The one thing Star Wars has over Star Trek is absolutely absurd levels of energy generation and storage. The thing about the construction of light sabers that impresses people in-universe is the Khyber crystal, not power cell running it which apparently is a palm sized terawatt fusion generator. That is why ships like the X-wing are still useful in combat. Even at their size, they can carry enough firepower to punch through a lot of armor and force shields.
semisimian@startrek.website 10 hours ago
Excellent point!