Star Trek and I have gotten very close lately. I have made it a habit after CPE to arrange dinner
plans, do whatever work I wish to get done, and pop in an episode or two of
Star Trek: The Next Generation for a little R&R before bedtime. I have made it such a habit that I am on the
6th of 7 seasons. I will soon
be forced to find a new television series to transport my mind somewhere it
hasn’t gone before.
I will say that I have really enjoyed getting to know the
characters and immersing myself in the various story lines. It’s always fun to catch the latest
philosophical question posed by Data, chuckle at the humorous blunders of Worf,
or listen to the seemingly infinite wisdom of Captain Jean Luc Picard. I have been continually impressed with the
scripts of most episodes and I have said on more than one occasion that this
series was ahead of its time.
Although this series was very advanced, the God figure, “Q”,
is portrayed quite satirically and this bothers me a bit. “Q” is manipulative, playful, chaotic, and
sarcastic. Not exactly an ideal God. Why couldn’t we see a consistently omnipotent character who mirrors a more benevolent and compassionate force in the
universe?
I suppose “Q” needs to be there as the antithesis to the
ordered way of life which humanity has created for itself. In a way, God is a source of order in the
creation story, but then becomes a source of chaos in the incarnation story. Jesus’ message provided the basis of chaos in
a Romanized world. Ironically, “Q” does
seem to embody not only the nature of the entropic universe, but also the ever unpredictable
Christian God.
Oh Star Trek, how do you do it?
Until Next Friday!
You want interesting religious dimensions in sci-fi? Get the Battlestar Galactica series just concluded on SyFy. The "present yet hidden" nature of God, and the imperfect and even conflicting glimpses we catch, is perfectly captured over the sweep of the series. Stick with it to the end, because the general God concept improves - my guess is the overall story line wasn't totally scripted in the beginning, but found its way toward the end.
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