So, there seem to be a few Kirk fans and one SERIOUS Klingon fan. Kallen may take on all comers.

Now I am really just a fan of Star Wars and have a passing knowledge on a few others, mostly Star Trek and Firefly. So, this thread is interesting in all the other universes and timelines that have been brought into the discussion.

As I don't know much on anything BUT Star Wars, I'll just stick to that one.
The premise of Lucas' movie is that motivated, sell-aware, and creative individualists can and will triumph over the monolithic, powerful, but faceless "empire."
So, the Empire has the great technology, but lack the initiative needed to triumph in "tricky" situations leads to defeat.
Now, a "New Republic" force combines the great technology with individual initiative, THAT is something to reckon with.