Could anything overtake the popularity of Star Wars/Star Trek?

[GodAtum]

I've always wondered if anything could top Star Wars and Star Trek as consumer juggernauts? If you were to measure their success on the amount of industry (films, TV, mechanise, conventions, books, costumes etc) generated around them, I don't think anything comes close.

Harry Potter and Games of Thrones are very popular but I don't think they come near? Also it's a shame Stargate did not.

[Gatefan1976]

I would certainly say HP does challenge them, GOT, perhaps. Dr Who would also be up there.

[knowles2]

I think it very hard because of the shear quantity of material there is in both worlds. These are both well built franchises. They also had long periods where essentially the fans were the only ones producing new materials.

Both of these shows have been around for so long.

Harry Potter comes the closest the problem with Harry Potter through is that only JK Rowling writes stories for it, no other author have contributed to the universe.

I do like the fact that the world biggest franchises are all science fiction or fantasy base.

[GodAtum]

i wonder if anything will replace Star Wars/Star Trek in another 30 years. I'm biased and dont want them to be replaced, but on the other hand it'll be a sad state of affairs if no-one on earth can come up with another great idea.

[Teddybrown]

What about the Marvel Cinematic Universe? The comics, now the films and theyre still going strong.

[Infinite-Possibilities]

Star Wars and Star Trek have decades of popular culture recognition that other franchises of the same genres just don't have.

[DigiFluid]

Star Wars and Star Trek have decades of popular culture recognition that other franchises of the same genres just don't have.

That, plus Star Trek also has the extra leg-up of having been one of the 'founding fathers' of science fiction TV. Virtually every trope and cliche that you've seen in SF TV for the last 50 years is only a trope/cliche because Star Trek either did it first, or did it in such an iconic way that it became the formula that followers emulated.

[Gatefan1976]

*Pushes Digifluid through the time tunnel*

[DigiFluid]

Premiered *1 day* after Star Trek!

[Gatefan1976]

It's a time tunnel.................

[jksj89UIs]

In order for something to overtake those two series it would need to be very original. In terms of popularity I don't see how anything could. Just my opinion but maybe if there was a live action TV series of the Matrix made that was really good or a show based on another popular Sci-Fi film then that could gain alot of popularity. That being said it's all about quality. The writting would need to be great.

[aretood2]

In order for something to overtake those two series it would need to be very original. In terms of popularity I don't see how anything could. Just my opinion but maybe if there was a live action TV series of the Matrix made that was really good or a show based on another popular Sci-Fi film then that could gain alot of popularity. That being said it's all about quality. The writting would need to be great.

Well, Star Trek was for TV what Star Wars was for Movies. This new thing will have to pave the way for some medium in some genre to have a similar effect. GOT has one author and one show whose value is deeply routed in the shock factor. It could work if a single holder of the rights to it arises to allow an expansive and popular franchise to rise out of it. Because neither Star Wars nor Star Trek made it apparent that they would, decades down the road, be such huge cultural giants, it's hard to really know.

For all we know, there is a little known show, game, or movie out there that will one day also host a similar spot in popular culture. Doctor Who is already there, has been...so I would pair it up with the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises.

[Infinite-Possibilities]

Dr Who doesn't quite have the same level of impact outside UK popular culture as inside it.

[Gatefan1976]

Dr Who doesn't quite have the same level of impact outside UK popular culture as inside it.

For the original run, I would agree with you, but since the new series started, I would not be so sure.

[aretood2]

For the original run, I would agree with you, but since the new series started, I would not be so sure.

What it lacks is feature films that garner large international casual audiences. If it had that, then it would most certainly be a giant like the other two.

Also, didn't the under the ocean show and Buck Rogers predate Star Trek?