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hunterinabrowncoat · 7 years ago

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We need to talk about religion in Star Trek

Or rather, the distinct lack of religion or religious characters in the Star Trek canon, and why I refuse to accept that singularly catastrophic aspect of Roddenberry’s creation.

Gene’s Roddenberry’s vision of a utopian future was only possible, in his mind, if we leave our more ugly practices behind - violence, racism, oppression, prejudice, capitalism. The problem with including religion in that list, is the inevitable implication that religion is inherently regressive, and humanity cannot reach a utopia without abandoning it.

I agree that religion must change if we ever hope to see the future Roddenberry dreamed of, but to suggest it has to be annihilated for humanity’s betterment is problematic to say the least. We can’t move on to our oppression-free socialist utopia as long as religion holds power over the state, but painting all religions with the same strokes as modern Christianity, not only fundamentally misunderstands the purpose of religion, it also groups together every religion under the banner of mainstream Christianity, which given that many other religions have been suppressed or even anihilated by Christianity, is more than a little problematic.

Roddenberry wasn’t subtle about his disdain for religion either; it isn’t just noticably absent from human characters in Star Trek, it’s openly spoken about as something regressive that Picard is ashamed of, like humanity’s violent past. Repeatedly he makes references to religion as primitive superstition, and as something unscientific that infers a lack of rationality or intelligence. When filming the new Star Trek: Discovery, Jason Isaacs was told after adlibing the line “Fire something, for god’s sake!” that there is no God in this future, so he can’t say that.

For starters, tradition is a huge part of many religions, and many begin traditions that move further away from their spiritual roots. See: Christmas. Most of what Western society enjoys at Christmas actually has nothing to do with its Christian take-over; the tree, the decorations, Santa Claus, presents, the food - all has nothing to do with Christianity or the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Yet even without the religious aspect, it’s still viewed as a Christian holiday. So would Christmas continue as a cultural tradition after religion has been abandoned? Or would all cultural traditions that are tied to religion also cease in this athiest future?

Secondly, it just doesn’t make sense. It’s hard to believe that capitalism will die and be replaced with a perfect socialist society in 200 years, but I can stretch my suspension of disbelief that far. It’s doable. I can hope. But religions have been around for literally thousands of years. Judaism is thought to be about 3500 years old, as is Hinduism; Christianity and Islam 2000 years, and Bhuddism 2500, but 200 more years and they all magically die out? I don’t buy it. And neither should you.

Because, thirdly, religion is not something we need to rid ourselves of in order to achieve a better society. Contrary to popular belief, religious people are no more likely to start wars, be violent, or less intelligent than non-religious people. And though many athiests and anti-thesists cling to the notion that religion is a belief in the supernatural that’s used to explain what we can’t understand, almost any other religious person, particularly the plethora of religious scientists that are out there, will tell you how ridiculous that is.

For me as a Christian, religion is an important aspect of my life that defines who I am, and I would not be who I am without it. But for many others it’s not just a personal thing, but an intrinsic part of their cultural identity or heritage, and you simply cannot seperate the two.

Worf (TNG) is allowed to wear his sash, and Nog (DS9) is allowed to wear his headdress, so evidently deviations from the standard Star Fleet uniform are allowed so that officers can adhere to cultural traditions and keep with their cultural heritage. Bajoran earrings however, which have religious significance, are not permitted (see both TNG and Voyager). Making this distinction, however, completely ignores the fact that oftentimes religion and culture cannot be seperated like that, and for many religions attempting to do so demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of what that religions is.

Jewish people, and many Indiginous peoples alike, have survived thousands of years of attempted assimilation, and continuing their religious practices in the face of Western imperialism isn’t just a personal spiritual choice, it’s also an act of bold defiance, and a vital part of their collective cultural identity. So it’s not progressive to proclaim that humanity will move beyond the ~silly superstition~ of the past. Because religion isn’t just about about belief. It’s also about community. It’s about tradition. It’s about heritage. It’s about structure. It’s about striving for something more, trying to be better.

And it’s not going anywhere. Except to the stars... boldy.

#star trek #star trek tng #star trek ds9 #religion

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