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Theology and Star Trek

Shaun C. Brown (Anthology Editor) , Amanda MacInnis Hackney (Anthology Editor) , Siobhan Benitez (Contributor) , Timothy J. Bertolet (Contributor) , Matthew William Brake (Contributor) , Shaun C. Brown (Contributor) ,
View more contributors
Online resources available
Theology and Star Trek cover

Theology and Star Trek

Shaun C. Brown (Anthology Editor) , Amanda MacInnis Hackney (Anthology Editor) , Siobhan Benitez (Contributor) , Timothy J. Bertolet (Contributor) , Matthew William Brake (Contributor) , Shaun C. Brown (Contributor) ,
View more contributors
Online resources available

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.

Table of Contents

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 22 2023
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 1st
Extent 330
ISBN 9781978707122
Imprint Fortress Academic
Series Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

SB
Anthology Editor

Shaun C. Brown

AH
Anthology Editor

Amanda MacInnis Hackney

Amanda MacInnis Hackney (PhD, Wycliffe College, Un…

SB
Contributor

Siobhan Benitez

TB
Contributor

Timothy J. Bertolet

MB
Contributor

Matthew William Brake

SB
Contributor

Shaun C. Brown

MB
Contributor

Michael Buttrey

JC
Contributor

Joshua Canzona

LD
Contributor

Leah DeJong

TG
Contributor

Tupá Guerra

AH
Contributor

Amanda MacInnis Hackney

Amanda MacInnis Hackney (PhD, Wycliffe College, Un…

TH
Contributor

Timothy Harvie

PM
Contributor

Peter M. J. Hess

CH
Contributor

Christopher Hrynkow

MM
Contributor

Michael R. MacLeod

JM
Contributor

James F. McGrath

James F. McGrath is the Clarence L. Goodwin Chair…

GM
Contributor

Gabriel Mckee

BP
Contributor

Brett David Potter

JS
Contributor

James Shire

ZS
Contributor

Zachary B. Smith

MS
Contributor

Michael J. Stell

WS
Contributor

W. Craig Streetman

RS
Contributor

Robert C. Stroud

Reviews

  • 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

ONLINE RESOURCES

Bloomsbury Collections

This book is available on Bloomsbury Collections where your library has access.

Go to this book on Bloomsbury Collections.

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