NapoleonXIV said:Star Wars started as an "underground" hit. It was released with fairly little publicity and its popularity was a grassroots phenomena spread by word of mouth, mainly among college students.
If the Arts crowd had got to it earlier, it might have been doomed forever. With Rex Reed comparing it to Bergman people would have stayed away in droves.
It would be seen as a minor hiccup in the career of a still fairly successful filmaker, but nowhere near as successful as in OTL. The Indiana Jones films (done by Spielberg and Cronenberg) would be seen as the major cultural statement of the 80's. The stories of Frank Buck and Ernest Thompson Seton would enjoy a revival and be endlessly imitated. A seemingly insane South African zookeeper would have a major hit tv show where he handled the most poisonous snakes and dangerous animals with little protection.
SF stories (except for the ST series) would continue to languish in remainder bins until the first of Turtledove's screen adaptations revive the genre with megahits in the early 1990's.
Xen said:Would Star Trek still get the movie deals? I seem to remember reading Leonard Nimoy saying the studio was very jealous of the success of Star Wars and was looking to come up with a sci-fi movie of its own when they were reminded they still had the rights to Star Trek.
You know its too bad George Lucas has lost touch with the original SW story and feel and Gene Rodenberry died. It would have been awesome for those two to collaborate in writing a SW meets ST movie. Nevermind Star Trek takes place in the future and Star Wars takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Xen said:I am not a big fan of the OT, Im more of Next Generation fan, and yes I do think Picard is superiour to Kirk, especially in acting. "Mr.......Spock.......theres something on the wing, some......thing."
"Captain that is illogical the enterprise doesnt have wings."
Well it was a good movie; just very, very boring at times.MattRice said:We've...GOT....to get wings...
Count Deerborn said:None of these TV shows would have ever been made:
Battlestar Galactica (both versions)
Star Trek: TNG
Star Trek: DS9
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Enterprise
Andromeda
Babylon 5
Leej said:Not sure if I'm thinking of empire strikes back here but I know one of them was always destined to be a big hit. Lucas invented the modern phenomena of film merchandicing, its thanks to star wars that action figures are the size they are, prior to SW they were all Action Man sized.
If it didn't happen though.... Star Trek Phase 2 gets made as a actual TV series and not a bunch of films?