# Lord Of The Rings or Star Wars?



## Heavelyn (Oct 24, 2015)

Just Vote ^^ .
Tell my your full type if you want.


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## Korra (Feb 28, 2015)

INFP, and Star Wars by far. I will admit, I grew up on Star Wars basically, so the attachment/nostalgia is strong within my family. I loved it when my dad took me to see Episodes I-III, and even though I now don't particularly love those particular movies as much as before, I still have a soft spot for them. Star Wars overall is something I cannot let go of and adore, as there's so many good memories attached to it; when I drew endless pictures of those characters/ships/scenes, when I made cardboard/craft stick models of certain ships, and the times we as a family could sit down and watch the films. It's a part of me. 

I recently saw LotR from last year. I recognize it has far superior elements to Star Wars, which isn't surprising considering how LotR is mega influence. Still, I hold not much attachment to those films. They're good, but they're not for me.


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## Blue Soul (Mar 14, 2015)

Both? :crazy:


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Heavelyn said:


> Just Vote ^^ .
> Tell my your full type if you want.



No. Different genres. No basis for comparison.


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## Penny (Mar 24, 2016)

I am ENFJ and voted LOTR, but I read the books before the movies came out. They were excellent reads!


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## Heavelyn (Oct 24, 2015)

But people (I know) when asked about one of these series, starts arguing about what's better. 
+ Both are "childhood favourite" series for many. 
+ Star Wars = Adventure ! and LoTR = Adventure ! Kids who see something more in movies are not only rare. They scare me. 

But yes, you may be somehow right. Truth is relative.


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## katemess (Oct 21, 2015)

ENTP. Lord of the Rings, _obviously_.


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## Ubuntu (Jun 17, 2011)

tanstaafl28 said:


> No. Different genres. No basis for comparison.


I would consider both of them to be high fantasy (SW to be a combination of science fiction and high fantasy) ; unless maybe you want to argue that the prequel series established a pseudo scientific explanation for 'the force'. I haven't seen the latest.

I don't like Lord of the Rings. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get into that.


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## Jordgubb (Oct 5, 2013)

I'm unable to choose between the two.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Ubuntu said:


> I would consider both of them to be high fantasy (SW to be a combination of science fiction and high fantasy) ; unless maybe you want to argue that the prequel series established a pseudo scientific explanation for 'the force'. I haven't seen the latest.
> 
> I don't like Lord of the Rings. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get into that.


Star Wars is a futuristic space saga, whereas, LoTR is more about the past. I can see some similarities, but for the most part, I consider them separate genres. 

I read LoTR trilogy about 20 years before the movies came out (yes, I'm that old). I fell in love with the storytelling and languages Tolkein invented. What ties both stories together is Joseph Cambell's Hero Cycle. There is other complexities.


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## bcjoy (Mar 29, 2016)

ENFJ. The Lord of the Rigs...now I am reading the book ( after watching the movie) and it's wonderful


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## bcjoy (Mar 29, 2016)

ENFJ. The Lord of the Rings...now I am reading the book ( after watching the movie) and it's wonderful


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## UraniaIsis (Nov 26, 2014)

INFJ

Ok, as cheesy and overplayed this is I just couldn't resist... 

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But, if I'm threatened to pick...

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## Wellington (Sep 9, 2015)

INTJ 
Lord of the Rings, no contest.


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## chongczh (Jan 9, 2016)

Making me choose between these two franchises is probably the hardest decision I made in this area LOL. I chose LOTR


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## Ubuntu (Jun 17, 2011)

tanstaafl28 said:


> Star Wars is a futuristic space saga, whereas, LoTR is more about the past. I can see some similarities, but for the most part, I consider them separate genres.
> 
> I read LoTR trilogy about 20 years before the movies came out (yes, I'm that old). I fell in love with the storytelling and languages Tolkein invented. What ties both stories together is Joseph Cambell's Hero Cycle. There is other complexities.


Doesn't Star Wars take place "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" ?

In my understanding 'fantasy' involves what can't be explained with modern science ('hard science fiction' only allows for what's assumed to be scientifically possible and 'soft science fiction' allows for anything that can be given some kind of a pseudo scientific explanation even if it's not actually possible). 'High fantasy' involves a world or a world within world where 'magic' and the 'supernatural' is common and widely accepted in contrast with low fantasy (ie. Buffy and Angel) where the magic or supernatural that exists is not public knowledge, only a minority of people understand that it exists and it's out of place or hidden in a generally mundane world that is clueless about it. Star Wars has science fiction elements but even if there is a pseudo scientific explanation for 'the force' introduced in the prequels there are still things like prophecies, the fact that the ghosts of people live on when their bodies die, Anakin Skywalker being conceived through immaculate conception because of a 'destiny' he has to fulfill and even 'the force' and 'the dark side' etc. are very spiritual and emotive concepts in a universe that is not fundamentally amoral (as ours is assumed to be), it's not like gravity or some purely impersonal physics concept. They can't really be explained 'rationally' or within the current dominant scientific world view. I personally consider it to be a high fantasy story with science fiction elements.


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## Wednesday Mermaid (May 30, 2015)

INFJ. I love the LOTR books, dislike the movies, not a Star Wars fan. So... LOTR.


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## Aelthwyn (Oct 27, 2010)

I can't pick

I'm a big fan of both, but fantasy in general feels closer to my heart than sci-fi does. 

If we're just talking movies though, then it's Star Wars all the way. I love all three originals, they're among my favorite movies. While the LOTR movies.... I really only liked the first one enough to watch it multiple times, and they did things with Aragorn that really annoyed me esp. in the extended version. I have even bigger issues with the other two.... so... yeah.... I love the scenery, music, and costumes, but I don't care for their interpretation of some of the characters or plot, etc. So i kind of have a love/hate relationship with those. 

I've read Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and The Hobbit and really enjoyed those. I've also read a number of books in the Star Wars universe (Timothy Zahn's trilogy and the X-wing series) which I also really enjoyed, but I think I'd say I enjoyed Tolkien a bit more.


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## Larch (Oct 14, 2015)

I didn't watch either of the movie series until I was in university, although I loved them both when I watched them.

I read the LOTR series three times growing up, so they were some of the defining books of my childhood and adolescence. If I had to choose between the two series I would choose the LOTR, mainly because of their history and influence in my life. I have a slight preference for the LOTR setting as well, as I find the historical and linguistic background very compelling. But I am a Star Wars fan as well.


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## anaraqueen (May 14, 2015)

lotr is one of the most boring movies i've ever watched (and i never really completed it which is rare so CONDRAGULATIONS)

star wars is pretty great imo (if you discard the first movies I and II)


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## Hei (Jul 8, 2014)

*Tolkien*


not even a competition for me


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## Highway Nights (Nov 26, 2014)

Star Wars, by far. Never cared for high fantasy. Nothing wrong with it or people who do like it, just not my thing. Although I agree with a previous post here that Star Wars is really fantasy as well instead of science fiction, but the SF trappings and the more "spiritual" vibe of the fantasy elements make it easier to tolerate.

I have a suspicion that NFs and SJs will, on average, tend toward LOTR, and NTs and SPs will usually prefer Star Wars.

Edit: Huh. Looks like intutitives are more likely to prefer LOTR and sensors are more likely to prefer Star Wars.


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## angelfish (Feb 17, 2011)

LoTR for its aesthetic beauty - very hard choice, though!! I love Star Wars, too.


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## Tridentus (Dec 14, 2009)

Star Wars since I feel like there is more relate-able relationship building and character development.

Everyone in LOTR either has an absurdly underdog personality (the hobbits / Gollum), or an absurdly OP and established personality, so it's hard to relate. The only dynamic I really relate to is the Boromir/Faramir of Gondor thing, since he's a flawed character who tragically dies at the moment of finally reaching fulfillment. If Aragorn's journey from being a young guy to the person he is at the start were included I might find that more interesting, but as it is he's just invincible throughout the whole thing. Everything is mostly one-dimensional- with the only difference between how right/wrong you are being about what level you're on (e.g. Gandalf is always right, Aragorn is second most right, etc.) Plus, I can practically feel the plot-design all the way through.

I've always related more to people who are a mix of ability, potential and flaws in equal measure- and Star Wars characters are all like that. They all have different strengths and weaknesses, different times where their personality is right and wrong, as is what happens in real life. You never know which way is the "right" way for certain throughout the whole thing, until you're able to grow up with the group of characters and realise it for yourself.


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## Allyrah (Nov 23, 2015)

Really enjoy both of them, however, in my opinion, LoTR (Not including the new Hobbit movies) is more epic and awe-inspiring. There's something both familiar and exciting in these movies. They're immersive, believable, they transport you into their world of fantasy and adventure. Ugh, true masterpieces. With that being said, Star Wars is brilliant as well, and (in the case of the original series) really ahead of its time. Although I'll always find Skywalker's character (in the case of the acting) insanely cheesy and a bit annoying. Although I have fun giggling when he talks in that whiny voice. Oh gosh.


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## Clyme (Jul 17, 2014)

INTJ.

Definitely Lord of the Rings.


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## Loaf (Mar 27, 2014)

ISTP, Star Wars for me.


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## WamphyriThrall (Apr 11, 2011)

Why are you making me do this


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## MaskedNicci (Aug 5, 2014)

I'm an INTJ and prefer LOTR.

However, I would agree with some previous posts. They're not really comparable to me, other than the fact that they're both epic fantasies. Which really, that would encompass a HUGE umbrella of material. It's the same for me when people ask "Star Wars or Star Trek?" They're totally different genres to me, with a difference in audience and purpose.

(Disclaimer: all of the following is meant to be taken as 100% my own opinion, not as an 'obvious fact.' I am no fantasy expert, by any means, and I will admit I do not know Star Wars extremely well, such as the book (ex)canons, etc.)

Even if SW does not (to my knowledge) directly explain "the force," it seems indicative that there is some sort of scientific rules to it, at the very least. There is a balance to it, like positives and negatives. There is a system to how it should be properly applied, and who is or is not allowed to have it or use it, etc. LOTR does not attempt to explain why or how the magic in its universe exists, just that it is. We do get back story on its origins, in a way. But 'magic is magic' seems to be the overwhelming message, particularly in The Hobbit.

LOTR is meant to be high fantasy, and was built on Tolkien's languages - he made the world _for_ the languages to exist in. Within this genre, that means it has a lot of what seems to be cliches in it, by today's standards. It follows a typical Epic plotline, and can be quite predictable at times, and has very lengthy (and for many, excessively elaborate) passages, because it was made _for_ the sake of language, and "a love for beautiful words."

Star Wars is science fiction(technically a space opera), almost a Western. It's more action-based, and spends less time detailing back stories as progressing the plot forward. This is not to say it is thinly created - but honestly, it is more streamlined to a popular audience. Most people don't want to read eight pages about what a statue looks like, they want to get to the action, obviously. The characters are made to be fairly relate-able, it follows its own typical "The Chosen One" plotline, and mostly revolves around a sort of direct-family ancestry. Practically everybody in the Skywalker line has a huge personal impact on the universe at large - they have a sort of inside-to-outside power, whereas most of LOTR is focused on a sort of helplessness outside-to-inside power. 

(We could talk about the Silmarillion and ancestry/family crap of that history, but I think we're talking more about LOTR here?)

LOTR took its influences from the Welsh language, fairy tales, and such things as Beowulf. SW took influences from things like Nazis, the Roman Empire and deliberate parallelisms. Tolkien deliberately did not want his story to be a metaphor/parable, but I don't think George Lucas was quite so stingy about it.

I'm less frustrated by SW/LOTR comparisons as much as SW/Star Trek, however.


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## Cosmic Hobo (Feb 7, 2013)

SP - voted for LotR; would rather watch 007.


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## Winterly (Mar 20, 2016)

_INFJ_ - Lord of the Rings.
I love and grew up with both (my dad is a giant nerd), but LOTR has a special place in my heart ♥


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## Leah2 (Mar 24, 2016)

INFP- Lord of the rings. I've read the books and seen the movies and I just love them!


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## Kavik (Apr 3, 2014)

LOTR. Better lore, better movies, better characters.



tanstaafl28 said:


> No. Different genres. No basis for comparison.


They are both a 'hero's journey'. Characters and the backdrop change but the cores of the stories are the same.


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## fleursdetilleul (Dec 21, 2015)

LoTR, I've never been into Star Wars actually.


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## ArmchairCommie (Dec 27, 2015)

INTP here and long time Star Wars fan.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Kavik said:


> LOTR. Better lore, better movies, better characters.
> 
> They are both a 'hero's journey'. Characters and the backdrop change but the cores of the stories are the same.


I mentioned the heroes' journey.


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## Jennywocky (Aug 7, 2009)

I appreciate the books and mythology of The Lord of the Rings but didn't like most of the related movies (except for maybe "The Fellowship of the Ring.")

I appreciate the mythos and world-building of Star Wars but would only say I'm a fan of three of the current seven movies, while I highly appreciate the SWTOR expansions / fleshing out of the universe -- it's one of those things where the licensees at least in the past did better at fleshing out the ideas.

Overall Tolkien's mythological and historical background for his work is probably better done / more thorough, but I like both settings.

INTP 5w4


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## VinnieBob (Mar 24, 2014)

neither
i read the lord of the ring series in the early 70's long before the world knew about it
the original editions had a glossary in the back since the language in it was new much like dune
i did enjoy the books, sad part is if you ask the pseudo fans who wrote the book's very few can answer correctly


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## The Dude (May 20, 2010)

NF...Lord of the Rings...


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## inverity (Feb 16, 2016)

INTP. LOTR, because I grew up with it. I've only watched the latest Star Wars movie, and ehh.....


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