In the battle of Star Wars and Star Trek, I'm always going to side with the Federation. One could argue that Star Wars is more "fun" than Star Trek, but few can make the argument that it's smarter. Star Trek takes the fantasy of interstellar travel and expatiates on the implications of that reality intelligently. Star Wars, by design, speaks more to the metaphorical heart of humanity, where Star Trek speaks to the collective human intellect and imagination.
Star Trek's approach to the nuances of war (cold or otherwise) is my favorite example of this. For a series with "war" in its title, Star Wars tends to gloss over the grotesque and twisted horror that is intrinsic to battle. I mean, Luke and his band of cohorts are technically terrorists, but Star Wars happily pushes that fact to the periphery due to the youthful demographic for which the franchise aims.
In the video linked above, the YouTube channel Trekspertise provides a comprehensive look at how Star Trek discussed terrorism. The video essay is incredibly high quality and as intellectual as the series that inspired it.
