Theology and Star Trek: : Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture Siobhan Benitez Fortress Academic

Theology and Star Trek

Description

After Star Trek: Enterprise concluded in 2005, Star Trek went on hiatus until the 2009 film Star Trek and its sequels. With the success of these films, Star Trek returned to the small screen with series like Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds. These films and series, in different ways, reflect cultural shifts in Western society. Theology and Star Trek gathers a group of scholars from various religious and theological disciplines to reflect upon the connection between theology and Star Trek anew. The essays in part one, “These are the Voyages,” explore the overarching themes of Star Trek and the thought of its creator, Gene Roddenberry. Part two, “Strange New Worlds,” discusses politics and technology. Part three, “To Explore and to Seek,” focuses on issues related to practice and formation. Part four, “To Boldly Go,” contemplates the future of Star Trek.

Part One: These are the Voyages
1. Gods and Theology in the Star Trek Universe: The First Commandment and the Prime Directive James F. McGrath
2. Critique and Creativity: Canonicity and Mythos in Star Trek and Religion Timothy Harvie
3. Star Trek, Time Travel, and the Problem of Evil: A Science Fiction Theodicy Michael J. Stell
4. This was your Ritual: Theology, Crypto-Theology, Star Trek, and the Teleological Limits of the Study of Religion
James Shire
5. The Future of the Future of Humanity: Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Star Trek
Joshua Canzona
6. Starfleet's AWOL Chaplain: Why Star Trek's Federation Lacks Chaplains Robert C. Stroud

Part Two: Strange New Worlds
7. Malfunction and Transcendence: Machines, Free Will, and Spiritual Transformation in
Star Trek
Gabriel Mckee
8. Borg Eschatology and Alien Flesh: Theological Anthropology and the Limits of the Human
Brett David Potter
9. Context is For Kings: Existential Threats, Carl Schmitt, and Political Theology in
Star Trek: Discovery

Product details

Published	May 26 2023
Format	Hardback
Edition	1st
Extent	330
ISBN	9781978707115
Imprint	Fortress Academic
Dimensions	238 x 157 mm
Series	Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Anthology Editor

Shaun C. Brown

Anthology Editor

Amanda MacInnis Hackney

Contributor

Siobhan Benitez

Contributor

Timothy J. Bertolet

Contributor

Matthew William Brake

Contributor

Shaun C. Brown

Contributor

Michael Buttrey

Contributor

Joshua Canzona

Contributor

Leah DeJong

Contributor

Tupá Guerra

Contributor

Amanda MacInnis Hackney

Contributor

Timothy Harvie

Contributor

Peter M. J. Hess

Contributor

Christopher Hrynkow

Contributor

Michael R. MacLeod

Contributor

James F. McGrath

Contributor

Gabriel Mckee

Contributor

Brett David Potter

Contributor

James Shire

Contributor

Zachary B. Smith

Contributor

Michael J. Stell

Contributor

W. Craig Streetman

Contributor

Robert C. Stroud

The contributors to Theology and Star Trek have boldly gone to the final frontier of inquiry about the franchise’s treatment of religion, from Gene Roddenberry’s depiction of classical gods as alien travelers to the spiritual practices of Vulcans, Klingons, and Bajorans in later series. Important themes discussed include free will, ecology, and transhumanism, among many others. These essays enhance Star Trek’s optimistic hope for a future in which humans and non-humans work together while respecting our infinite diversity in infinite combinations.

Jason T. Eberl, Saint Louis University; co-editor of Star Trek and Philosophy: The Wrath of Kant
The Star Trek multiverse is one of late modernity’s defining explorations of science fiction’s great “What if?” question. For far too long, scholars have ignored the extraordinary depth of religious feeling and the ways in which it defines not only Earthbound cultures, but those beyond our solar system. Theology and Star Trek makes another bold essay into the strange new worlds of the religious imagination.

Douglas E. Cowan, Renison University College, University of Waterloo