John Boyega Thinks Star Wars Can Learn One Lesson From Star Trek

John Boyega is a "Star Wars" fan, of course. Starring in three "Star Wars" movies is the kind of thing that'll give you a healthy appreciation for the galaxy far, far away. And like many other "Star Wars" fans, he's also adamant that his team is the superior one in the eternally raging battle between "Star Wars" and "Star Trek," and he's been known to say as much. "I'm an old school 'Star Wars' fan, and if you're a Trekkie and you've met me at the booths, you would find that I would mention that I don't like 'Star Trek,'" as Boyega described his fandom during an appearance at the 2025 Dragon Con (via SFF Gazette). 

Boyega's dismissal of "Star Trek" has one notable caveat, though. As the two franchises' names reveal, "Wars" is about large-scale armed conflicts and the events that lead up to them, while "Trek" is focused on comparatively peaceful exploration. According to Boyega, this gives the latter a major advantage when it comes to dialogue opportunities, to the point that "Star Wars" could take notes:

"I just think that on the Trekkie side, they like to talk about it. On the 'Star Wars' side, we just get active. With 'Star Wars,' you've got to talk while the war is going on. In 'Star Trek', they give you time to have discussions. I think there's something 'Star Wars' can learn from that, actually."

It helps when an actor is actually familiar with the sci-fi franchise that they're working on, and it's even better if they happen to be an actual fan. In 2018, exiting "Doctor Who" star Peter Capaldi embodied the Doctor by comforting a young fan with a kind Christmas letter and a fun Dalek doodle, which is fitting since Capaldi used to be a hardcore Whovian himself when he was younger.

Then again, not particularly liking the franchise in question hasn't stopped actors from giving a performance for the ages, either. Sir Alec Guinness infamously didn't love his role in the "Star Wars" franchise, and while he did feel alright about the property in general, he felt the first "Star Wars" movie's script desperately needed rewrites. Even when he begrudgingly returned to film his scenes as Obi-Wan Kenobi's Force ghost in the sequels, Guinness had strict salary requests for his work that earned him millions of dollars on those movies.

Boyega, while unequivocally a "Star Wars" man, seems to have found a healthy middle ground between completely embodying his role and vocally resenting it. While he has picked his team and stands behind it, he's not above calling out his "Star Wars" sequels over their biggest mistakes. He's also fully capable of looking at other franchises and recognizing their strengths, even if said property is "Star Trek." If you ask me, this seems like a pretty solid approach so far as fandoms go ... but don't expect Boyega to extend his admiration to actually appearing in a "Star Trek" show or movie. "In terms of me appearing in ['Star Trek'], I've got to stay on team," he admitted at Dragon Con. "I'm a lightsaber guy."