Where would we be without Star Wars and Star Trek?

The Star Wars and Star Trek franchises have been around for decades, but where would we be if they had never existed?

As we see 'Star Trek : Into Darkness' sail to the top of the box office this week, and the anticipation for Star Wars 7 build, audiences continue to flock to see new releases in bigger and bigger numbers. It dawned on me that if Star Wars and Star Trek had never existed, what would have happened to our culture?

The history of both franchises is very different, but where they share a common language is community. Without these movies, millions of people would have never come together to enjoy these stories. Parents would have never gone to the cinema with their kids, friends and family would have never laughed together over memorable characters, and the world that we know today would have surely been different.

Visionaries like George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry defined decades of entertainment, and I think to myself, without these guys, and without the creative teams that came together to make these movies, my childhood and my values would have been different.

It's thanks to clever characters like Data in Star Trek, or C3PO in Star Wars that we can make friendships with other people, because these fictional characters are an ice-breaker. We see the human qualities in them, and it's just a lot of fun to share our views about them with others. But it's also that form of escape; being able to go to the future in our minds, and identify with those characters in those situations, that makes it that much more special. Talented actors like William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Natalie Portman, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher have all portrayed these characters so brilliantly, and created a cult following thanks to their interpretations.

It's been a real delight to discover these movies, these personalities, and the battle of good versus evil. From special effects, to props, to sound design, and directing, it's been an incredible collaboration, and I think that's what filmmaking is really all about.

There is something truly special about both franchises, and I am just very grateful they have remained popular for so long, and continue to be reinvented and made. From the triumphs to the failures, the highs and the lows, the Star Wars and Star Trek universes are some of the greatest examples of our humanity today.