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"Most legends have their basis in facts."
James T. Kirk, "And the Children Shall Lead" (1968)
"[...] many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
Obi-Wan Kenobi to Luke Skywalker, Return of the Jedi (1983)
According to Susan L. Schwartz, "Star Trek is a vast modern mythos" that counteracts "the fickleness of American culture and its search for the rational, factual, and real" even though "it is not historically true" (131). To an extent Schwartz is correct in her assertion. Star Trek does play the part of a modern day myth; however, to say that it bears no resemblance to historical fact is inaccurate. Star Trek's, cultural value with its own fans would be depreciated if it lacked grounding in historical fact. They watch the series because it is founded on an authentic representation of contemporary life inherently integrated with their history. Indeed, both Star Trek and Star Wars not only take historical facts and make compelling stories from them, they also use culturally inherited myths and symbols synonymous with the very roots of western civilization. In this essay I examine those myths central to science fiction's two most popular products, highlight their similarities and differences, and perhaps offer an explanation for why they became and still remain so popular with fans and academics for over thirty-five years. After a brief outline of how myth is used in Star Trek, I re-evaluate Robert Jewett and John Shelton Lawrence's seminal piece The American Monomyth in the context of Star Trek's more recent incarnations. And in response to the fact that there has been a substantial amount of previous work done on Star Trek and. Star Wars individually but not together, I offer my own comparative analysis of how the two science fiction franchises compare in their creation and use of history and myth.
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In 1987 Lane Roth wrote the essay "Death and Rebirth in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" In it the mythic qualities of the death/rebirth cycle are ascribed to the plot of Star Trek's most popular feature film. The death and subsequent resurrection of Spock is given mythical significance thanks to the archetypal doubling motifs found in western literature. Both Kirk and Spock undergo...