Live Long and Prosper, and May the Force Be With You

WARNING: Spoiler Alert

J.J. Abrams' latest installment in the Star Trek film series is the epitome of 21st century science ficiton movies--a hurricane of breathtaking cinematography, sonic sound design, fresh young actors, futuristic technology, adrenaline-laced action, and a balls-to-the-wall hyper-storyline mixed together in a multi-million dollar production vat and served with just the right amount of originality and retro-Trekkie homage to offer a crowd-pleasing summer film that leaves just enough room for a sequel in three years. I saw this film in all its IMAX splendour; seeing Eric Bana's beard stubble forest on a 50 ft high screen is enough of a technical achievement to see this film in IMAX. The resurrection of the franchise, like many others, was an "origins" play; but in an Abrams style twist, the film introduces an "alternate reality" timeline, allowing free room for an original story and character development while appealing to both newbies and Trekkies alike. My Star Trek knowledge going in to this film was about a 2 on a scale of 10, but I must confess that Abrams and the fellows at Spyglass Entertainment did a good job at introducing me to the universe on a slow curve. I enjoyed the film. But I couldn't help notice that this incarnation of Star Trek bears semblance to another sci-fi flick from 32 years ago.

Star Wars is my baby. Along with the Lord of the Rings saga, the original Star Wars trilogy was the universe I grew up in. Apart from ardent Trekkies, the Star Wars universe is the one most people prefer--it is a grittier, dirtier, and consequently more human universe containing a motley assortment of species. It is a universe we can see ourselves inhabiting, as opposed to the sterile, cold, and calculating space that the U.S.S. Enterprise sails. As a pre-pubescent junior high fanboy, I was there for the arrival of the new trilogy in The Phantom Menace. I wept at Qui-Gon's death. I rejoiced at the marriage of Anakin and Padme. I cringed when I realized at Episode III that George Lucas wrote dialogue crappier than daytime soap operas. I became a Jedi Master. But despite how awesome(ly bad) the new trilogy was, the original trilogy has always held a special place in my heart. Who can forget the boyish grin of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker? The audacious manhood of Han Solo? The lovable cuddliness of Chewbacca? The fact that Kashyyyk is spelled with three "y"s?

Star Wars: A New Hope is the tale of Luke Skywalker--the hero and his destiny. The story, like almost every other fantasy pic, is a retelling of what mythologist Joseph Campbell calls the "monomyth," or in layman's terms, the hero's journey. This concept, introduced by Campbell in his book Hero With a Thousand Faces, outlines the pattern of what essentially every hero, from Odysseus to Frodo Baggins, goes through throughout the course of his adventures. It is, as C.S. Lewis said, a shadow and hint of the greatest story ever told, one that resonates deeply within us and excites us with a passion for more. George Lucas, citing Campbell as prime inspiration for A New Hope, has always steeped his saga in hero mythology. Lucas' greatest achievement with Star Wars is that he rekindled the myth--nothing more than a fantasy or make-believe story that hides a profound human truth--at the big screen. And J.J. Abrams copied him. In other words, they both are incarnations of the monomyth.

Star Trek is remarkably similar to Star Wars. Not the universes or the characters, but the two films; one from 2009, one from 1977. Besides the superficial similarities--groundbreaking visual tour de forces about the last frontier of space by up-and-coming film directors--they both rely heavily on the monomyth and the hero's journey in their storytelling. Campbell's exegesis on the monomyth led him to recapitulate it into seventeen parts; for our sake (and befitting to the films), we will look at the major twelve of these seventeen and compare the similarities of Star Wars and Star Trek found in each (the following occur in varying orders during the course of the narratives):

1. The Call to Adventure

Luke Skywalker and James Kirk are both no-name, rural farmboys--one from Tatooine, the other, Iowa. They both have deceased fathers of galactic renown, destoryed by an evil force, and each can only hope to one day live up to their father's name. The presitigous Academy seems to be the only way out of rural nowhere. After events stir up their ordinary lives, destiny beckons in the forms of the Rebel Alliance and a recruiting Star Fleet captain.

2. Refusal of the Call

Our heroes refuse their call to the join the universe, one from fear, one from pride. However, destiny works within each, and eventually they are thrust in to the world of escalating events and become surrounding by a bevy of talented peers.

3. Supernatural Aid

A sage elder comes to the aid of the hero, at varying points in the quest. For Luke, Ben Kenobi and (later in the series) Yoda guide the fledgling jedi in his physical and spiritual growth. Kirk, after being stranded by his rival on a deserted ice planet (a locale Luke will visit), encounters an aged and alternate reality Spock, who assures him of his purpose and urges him to embrace his destined leadership role.

4. Crossing the First Threshold

This is our hero's first encounter with destiny--a tumultuous encounter with danger in which he must prove his green skills. Luke and Han Solo attempt an undercover rescue of the mysterious Princess Leia by infiltrating the Imperial Death Star, a floating planet destroyer. Kirk, with the help of McCoy, boards the USS Enterprise on a rescue mission to Vulcan and tries to warn the captain of a group of hostile Romulans from the future bent on destroying planets.

5. Belly of the Whale

The decisive moment of inner turmoil--the hero must reject the past he has known and embrace the full transformation of self that makes him a leader.

6. The Road of Trials

The hero's tribulations that advance his continual transformation of self.

7. Meeting with the Goddess

In Campbell's writings, the point when the hero experiences a monumental and soul-filling love for a woman, whom he reveres with as much unconditional and caring respect as he did his lost mother, who died in childbirth. However, in both Star Wars and Star Trek, this does not seem to occur with the main hero, but the sidekick/rival--Han Solo and Spock. Luke's affectionate feelings for Leia turn out later to be a subliminal fraternal love, and Kirk's attraction to Uhura is thwarted by her affections toward Spock.

8. Atonement with Father

This is a complex point in the narrative that is manifested in many different ways. Campbell describes it as the hero's confrontation with the figure that holds ultimate power, usually the father or the supernatural father-like figure. It is also the point when the hero embraces the same path his father took and must choose his path accordingly--Luke with the responsibilites of the Force and the Alliance, and Kirk with the responsibilites as captain of his own ship.

9. Apotheosis

The death of an important figure, which affects the hero in a great way and usually occurs before the ultimate climax. Obi Wan's death at the hands of Darth Vader, and the death of Spock's mother, for Spock (like Han Solo) is almost a second main hero.

10. The Ultimate Boon

The climax of the journey and the achievement of the task. Luke uses Obi Wan's guidance and the Force to destroy the Death Star and gain a victory for the Alliance. Kirk uses his leadership, confidence, and freshly established flight team to take on the Romulan threat and saves Earth from destruction.

11. The Return Threshold

The hero must take the knowledge and experience gleaned from this quest and combine it with the his roots in the full creation of the destined self.

12. Master of Two Worlds

The hero has completed his journey--physical, mental, and spiritual--and has truly become the self that destiny had placed before him. Although he has much yet to do and must grow in experience, he is a master of two worlds, the physical and spiritual, and is characterized by a harmonization and tranquility of the inner and outer selves.

These are just a few of the many similarities found in these two films. I urge to go watch both and come up with more; there are definitely ones I overlooked. Until then, live long and prosper, and may the Force be with you.