It has been the subject of countless geeky dorm-room debates: which would win in an all-out slug-fest for supremacy, an Imperial Star Destroyer or the Starship Enterprise?

The partisans for each of the two pre-eminent science-fiction franchises have been relentless in battles almost as fierce as the most famous space-combat scene never filmed; their fights have spanned Internet message boards and video arcades and parents’ basements. At stake: nothing less than the honor and glory of their preferred fictional universes.

But now, some brave soul with some video-editing software and a lot of free time has decided to settle the fight once and for all. Well, sort of, since this version ends in an inconclusive draw:

Okay, so this clip is pretty dorky and the cuts are rough, and it’s really distracting how the Enterprise‘s bridge crew keeps changing uniforms and positions. (First Wesley’s there, then he’s gone, then he’s back again! Then he’s in red, then gray! And what about Admiral Piett coming back from the dead? What’s up with that?) But it’s kind of a fun idea — I love the visuals of TIE fighters diving on and then getting blasted by the Enterprise — and, if nothing else, the clip nicely captures the tone and style of the two competing properties (talky Star Trek vs. belligerent Star Wars).

It’s also pretty damn amazing when seen from the perspective of someone who used to dabble in video-editing using two VCRs patched together with RCA cables. (This was after we realized that banging two rocks together wasn’t working.) Only a few years ago, my buddy Cheno and I would’ve spent days trying to assemble a clip like this, and it wouldn’t have looked as good as this guy managed, even with his rough jump cuts and poor continuity. I’m telling you, we’re living in the future…
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I personally think a single Star Destroyer could handily eliminate even a Galaxy-class starship; you wouldn’t need a fleet or a Death Star, just a whole mess of expendable TIEs to wear down the other ship’s shields while you waited safely out of torpedo range, then a few long-range turbolaser blasts fired into that oh-so-vulnerable warp core. Poof.

I’m rather ashamed for having a side in this debate, let alone a justification… I’m such a nerd…