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Star Wars name-drops Star Trek’s Captain Kirk and Spock in a new canon novel. The two franchises have been compared to each other for decades, as fans debate the pros and cons of each in an attempt to figure out which one is “better.” Regardless of one’s tastes, both of endured in pop culture for a very long time and show no signs of slowing down. Star Trek has a key presence on CBS All-Access with multiple TV shows, while Star Wars has Disney+’s flagship program in The Mandalorian. Lucasfilm is also developing a handful of other series and new feature films.
While Star Wars and Star Trek have rich histories spanning across several mediums, one thing that hasn’t happened yet is a true crossover. The closest viewers have gotten are minor Easter eggs, such as R2-D2 making a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek. It’s something that even Star Wars and Star Trek actors would like to see, but nothing’s come to fruition. However, a new Star Wars canon novel provides a tantalizing tease of what could be.
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To celebrate The Empire Strikes Back’s 40th anniversary, the book From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back was published. The novel is a retelling of the film’s events from the perspectives of various characters. Its final chapter depicts the Whills writing the film’s opening text crawl. One of the Whills takes objection to the use of the word “starfleet” in a sentence, which confuses another.
Wait… “Starfleet”? Did you just say “Starfleet”? Are Kirk and Spock going to show up next?
I don’t even know what Kirk and Spock are!
There’s a big surprise… Do you know anything?
It’s important to mention this chapter is written in a tongue-in-cheek tone (it openly mocks The Empire Strikes Back becoming the most acclaimed Star Wars movie), so it arguably isn’t meant to be taken as seriously as other passages in the book. That said, the From a Certain Point of View novels are considered canon, meaning at least one of the Whills is aware of other universes or franchises. This isn’t Star Wars naming a new character Kirk as a way of paying homage; the text is a direct and very obvious reference to Star Trek’s iconic duo. It’s humorous to see From a Certain Point of View be so blatant, and readers who enjoy both properties should get a kick out of the chapter. If nothing else, it’s an amusing way to conclude the book.
While it’s fascinating to see Star Trek get woven into Star Wars canon, readers shouldn’t take this as a sign an actual real crossover movie or TV show is coming down the line. Again, “The Whills Strike Back” has a sarcastic edge to it and is meant to be read in jest. It’s highly unlikely Kirk and Spock appear within a Star Wars story and interact with Star Wars characters, since that would raise numerous questions about continuity and how everything fits together. Still, the From a Certain Point of View chapter is a reminder that Star Wars is fun – and could be interpreted as a meta message saying to not take things too seriously. The Whills sound like two pop culture fans bantering with each other over the finer points of Star Wars.
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