If you must choose, Star Trek is more cerebral and more adult oriented.

I think it was in Trekkies that it was said "Star Trek is for adults, but kids can see it, while Star Wars is for kids, but adults can see it".

I love both in their own way and I don't think they're mutually exclusive at all, just like Babylon 5 is fucking awesome too, Farscape is also good. Sci-fi is where it's at, muthafucka!

Stargate can suck a dick though.

Sorry, but trekkies are just too nerdy for me. Star Wars is more acceptable... at least it was before episodes 1, 2 and 3.

Geeze, overthinking it a bit much Lucky!


It's perfectly fine to be into both. I enjoyed Star Wars and Star Trek. There's no need to be pro one and anti the other.

Throw in lots of lego, and when he's older some Twilight Zone, and you'll have a nicely rounded geek

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

My kids couldn't get into Star Trek. But my daughter is hugely into the Star Wars extended universe. She loves telling me how Boba Fett actually survived the Sarlac pit - and how Chewbakka had a nephew - mandalorian armour ... I could go on.

Show him both. He'll let you know which he likes better (Star Wars).

1 Teach them how to read electronics schematics
2 Make them take piano lessons
3 Begin instruction NOW in preferred dialect of Hànyǔ
(Mandarin)

They will become the geeks without having to even try

oh, HAM radio is cool, get em interested in short wave!! Wish my dad had....and for that matter wish my dad would have invested in fed ex, microsoft, and ...now I'm sad!!

the first star wars trilogy is epic. the last one not so. in fact it sucked big time and almost ruined my impression of star wars universe.
with star trek it was different -- the next generation was awesome while the other star trek spin-off tv series were not even close. and all the star trek movies more or less sucked
still, if if I had to decide on a threat of pain, I'd say star wars win

there's only one real trilogy, after all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxAEo3CWeq8

Star Wars and Trek are going to be old-school geek by the time yer kids are hip to it. Disney will have wrung that sweaty workout rag dry and Trekky convetions will look like AARP gatherings. You will be SO unhip if you make them fans.

You'll realize that if you send them to school with that vintage "Strikes Back" luchbox...

I'm telling ya dude....listen to the choggie:
Mandarin
Electronics
Music

They will never be without a 6 figure income and will define the new geek!

oh, and they WILL get the poonyani, easier than you did!!!

You should instill a love of reading first. If the lil one can't read yet,then read to them...every night. Get a telescope and let them look at the moon. The love of reading and the wonder of science is the best memory from being a kid

OK so I went through this as well.
Both my kids are certified Geek.

I started with super heroes and Star Wars but my kids went through all the phases from Transformers, to Mutant Turtles, X-men, Batman, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, and Buffy and every possible direction.

What I found is you can't force one over the other. Expose kids to everything Geek and let them decide. When you see them heading into a certain direction, just go with it. If they see you are interested in it, then they will be too. There is always something new and geek right around the corner.

Today's kids have a wider range than we did, there is just too much out there. my kids are knowledgeable on most Multi-verses but every time I turn around there's something new - and sometimes it's them introducing it to me (Ben10, Naruto etc.) All you can be expected to do is put it in front of them and be involved.

My kids (now 11 & 15) constantly surprise me. My daughter can correct any of her male peers on the geek of Marvel Comics, Buffy, Dr Who, Dragonlance and so much more. She reads 4-5 new books a week and gets straight As in school for the last 5 years straight.

My son has gone through all the multi-verses (and loves them all.) He wears a Tick T-shirt, loves Big Bang Theory and understand every side-joke. Now he is the one introducing me to stuff. Books in his room include E=Mc2 and the complete biography of Einstine. Loves video games and can beat most of them over a weekend.

Don't hold back, throw it all at them and don't hold back.


Stay away from the ol'time evils: Tomas the train, Dora, Babar, Caillou, Disney's Cars and all that stuff.

Oh, and books, lots of books.

Read to them lots and let them see you reading - that's how they will learn and not know they're learning.

All the good stuff from Alice in Wonderland, Narnia, Wizard of Oz.
As they start to read, get all the early readers based on super heroes, star wars and all the geek stuff. Make sure you stick to variety or they'll get bored and you'll lose them.

AND...
Watch all the classic geek movies and TV.

Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Never Ending Story(s), Princes Bride, LOTR, Planet of the Apes, So much more - too much to list, but you get the idea

But don't ignore the new stuff!!!
Eventualy they will be telling you what is cool so be ready to get interested in the stuff they bring to you.

Both, but why make him watch them? Let him enjoy whatever he finds.

If you want to force him, try ants.

Star Trek spends a lot of time dealing with fictional science of how things work, like dilithium crystals or warp drive'n'stuff. If you watch Star Trek for much length of time, this is unavoidable. Star Trek is science fiction.

Star Wars explains basically nothing about how any of their technology works. Engines are things that move characters between locations. No need to explain how light-speed works. Also, it has magic the force for whenever something needs to happen that would confuse science. Star Wars is science fantasy.

And I like them both.

Both for me too! Same with other series as well.

After @Sagemind came out as the uberfather of geekdom I feel the need to remind you that GOING OUTSIDE is also very important.
Just saying