The Force Killed Star Trek (tjmf-1348)

For the first time in decades, there is no Star Trek tv show. There's talk of an upcoming movie, but that's still speculative. There are constant rumors as to what brought Star Trek down, but one theory growing in popularity is that the big-budget, mega-blockbuster force of the recent Star Wars films didn't do Star Trek any favors.

For the first time in decades, there is no Star Trek tv show. There's talk of an upcoming movie, but that's still speculative. There are constant rumors as to what brought it down, but one theory growing in popularity is that the big-budget, mega-blockbuster "force" of the recent Star Wars films didn't do Trekkies any favors.

See also:
Superman Tattoo Pics - 5 Professional Design Tips - The majority of the time, if a client will show the tattoo artist a particular design, especially superman tattoo pics but it really needs touching up so here are 5 tips for design a professional tattoo.

After disappearing from theaters and TV in 1983, Star Wars began challenging Paramount's greatest franchise with "Episode One The Phantom Menace."

At the time, it seems to many fans that the return Star Wars in 1999 couldn't have come at a worse time for Trekkies because it looked like it could use a boost in its Dilithium Crystals. The most recent entry in the Trek film series (Nemesis) bombed, putting the film franchise on ice.

See also:
Steps Required to Becoming a Participant on a Reality TV Game Show - Reality TV shows have taken the world by storm and have become quite popular.

Meanwhile, with The Next Generation, DSP and Voyager languished in syndicated repeats after wrapping with seven seasons done. Enterprise only lasted four season before it faded out. Now, the television and motion picture future of the franchise remains shrouded in rumors and pessimistic predictions.

At least part of this overall unsettling state of Federation affairs arrived thanks to The Force. If Jim Cameron is King of the World, George Lucas is Emperor of the Universe. The Phantom Menace opened to greatest hype and highest opening day box office numbers in history (grossing almost $42 million in its first two days and more than $61.8 million in its opening weekend). This critic-proof movie became more of a pop culture event than a simple Hollywood premiere. Attack of th Clones and Revenge of the Sith consistently made more than its predecessor making Star Wars into one of the most popular and powerful franchises in movie history. That kind of box office cred can easily pull attention away from Star Trek.

See also:
WGA Writers Strike Information - What caused the writers strike and when will it end. the information he may give you some insight.

Perhaps there really is no box office equivalence between Star Trek grosses and Star Wars takes. Star Wars is off the chart, while Star Trek is good, but never mammoth. Still Star Wars flourishes while Star-Trek fell off the table.

If you add up the Star Wars franchise earnings at the ticket window, the six films pulled in more than $3 billion, more than the nine Trek films combined.

See also:
Direct TV Review: Don't Order Direct TV Until You Know the Facts - Making the decision to switch from cable to Direct TV isn't an easy one. I found that out when I started researching the options. Here's everything you need to know before you sign on the dotted line.

Star Trek also doesn't cash in as well overseas, while Star Wars imports. No Trekkie films show up on the 150 highest international grossing films of all-time. While the first three Star Wars films all made the Top 20, with a combined $1.78 billion take.

It would seem that the Federation might have to take a back seat to such galactic buzz. Or, worse, Star-Trek might finally be ready to pack up the phasers and tricorders and resign its commission as Star Wars rules the media universe.

See also:
PC TV Can Virtually Replace Regular Sets - Television may have owned the second half of the 20th century, but the 21st belongs to PC TV. That's right, computerized television is the wave of now. With literally hundreds of different sites offering television downloads and streams and satellite providers catering directly to computer owners,...

However, the industry professionals I spoke to offered a much more optimistic look at Star-Trek's immediate future and long-term fate.

Who better to ask about all of Star Trek's tomorrows than the Franchise boss and Gene Roddenberry's heir to the throne, Rick Berman. From his offices on the Paramount lot, Berman said there was a lot of interplay between them and Star Wars that reaches beyond just this similar names.

See also:
The Tackiest Break Ups in Hollywood - Celebrities do most things different from the rest of us, including ending relationships. Of course this is not always a good thing. Read about the three tackiest break ups in the celebrity world.

"There's a great swapping of influences that these two univierses had on one another," Berman explained. "The success of Star Trek in syndication in the 70s made Star Wars viable in 1977. While Star Wars success led to the first Star Trek film in 1979."

See also:
Behind The Fine Print Of Online DVD Rental Companies: Which Are The Best Buys? - Online DVD rental companies have grown tremendously in popularity over the last several years, and with good reason. With our lives busier than ever, who wants to be a slave to a video rental schedule?

"We tend to do a lot more character driven material with Star Trek. We can build those character through hundreds of television episodes as opposed to over a course of a few films."

He immediately dismissed any idea that the revived popularity of Star Wars was a threat to Kirk, Picard and company.

"Positioning Star Trek and Star Wars as competitors is inaccurate," he said. They're not at each other's throats. They compliment each other and remain interdependent. Star Wars feeds a general boom in overall interest in all things sci-fi.

About the author: Jordan Williams is your TV show insider giving you the inside scoop on todays hottest shows. You can find more articles and news about TV shows from eWeb TV World.