NationStates Jolt Archive

Anybody else think its weird that all of the worlds major religons seem to have vanished from Earth(as depicted in Star trek) and there are no homosexuals?

Anybody else think its weird that all of the worlds major religons seem to have vanished from Earth(as depicted in Star trek) and there are no homosexuals?
Maybe they just don't happen to be on the ship...

Maybe they just don't happen to be on the ship...
Nah thats not it man, in every single trek movie and season there hasnt been one human homosexual//god botherer .

Well... if you look at most fan fiction sites for Star Trek, there are quite a few subtexty relationships going on between those of the same sex. ;)

Nah thats not it man, in every single trek movie and season there hasnt been one human homosexual//god botherer .
Maybe there are but it has become so accepted that it is never worth a mention.

Nah thats not it man, in every single trek movie and season there hasnt been one human homosexual//god botherer .
Maybe you just don't see them praying or men making out with other men... It's not like they don't have to go to the toilet anymore because you never see anyone taking a crap

Well... if you look at most fan fiction sites for Star Trek, there are quite a few subtexty relationships going on between those of the same sex. ;)
Indeed, but the only homosexuals ever depicted on the series were from an alternate universe where humanity hadnt advanced quite so much- its almost as if there is an implication that homosexuality//religon has been "cured"

Chakotay in Voyager practised his Native American religion, and Captain Janeway was a Catholic who introduced Seven at one point.

Maybe you just don't see them praying or men making out with other men... It's not like they don't have to go to the toilet anymore because you never see anyone taking a crap
Good point we never did get to see the captains log.

Chakotay in Voyager practised his Native American religion, and Captain Janeway was a Catholic who introduced Seven at one point.
What episode stated that Janeway was Catholic? A lot of the voyager episodes gibbered on about spirituality but I dont recall any real religons being named.

Good point we never did get to see the captains log.
"Captains log, stardate:13764.4. It's long and solid: I had corn last night"

Chakotay in Voyager practised his Native American religion, and Captain Janeway was a Catholic who introduced Seven at one point.

I don't claim to be an expert on Star Trek but i have seen a few. wasn't Chakotay not human therefore not native american. or was he 1/2 and 1/2?

I don't claim to be an expert on Star Trek but i have seen a few. wasn't Chakotay not human therefore not native american. or was he 1/2 and 1/2?
Nah man Chakotay is human, his tribe had contact with aliens tho.

Well Gene Roddenberry was an atheist (Secular Humanist actually) and he obviously had a huge impact on the Star Trek mythos...

Article on Religion in Star Trek (http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/religion.htm)

Well Gene Roddenberry was an atheist (Secular Humanist actually) and he obviously had a huge impact on the Star Trek mythos...

Article on Religion in Star Trek (http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/religion.htm)
Nice link, thanks man.

Well, let's be fair. Does religion factor into the average TV series? I can't remember religion in any show off the top of my head. What about CSI? I can't remember any indication of any of what religion the investigators are.. well, there was a priest in one episode. Anyway, I can't think of a program that regularly does deal with religion.
As for homosexuals: same issue. Some shows have homosexuals featured prominently, but many don't bother, and even when they do, isn't the assumption that everyone is heterosexual? So unless sexuality is an issue, there won't be any indication of sexual orientation.

Anybody else think its weird that all of the worlds major religons seem to have vanished from Earth(as depicted in Star trek) and there are no homosexuals?
They managed to get rid of it. Along with hunger, disease and war.

"Captains log, stardate:13764.4. It's long and solid: I had corn last night"

Hahahahahahahahaha!! :D

Probably homosexuals have breeded among themselves to extinction.

God-botherers got tired of bothering people who believe in God? *how much more do you want to argue? It's 400 bloody years and your still arguing over it!?*

Well, let's be fair. Does religion factor into the average TV series? I can't remember religion in any show off the top of my head. What about CSI? I can't remember any indication of any of what religion the investigators are.. well, there was a priest in one episode. Anyway, I can't think of a program that regularly does deal with religion.
As for homosexuals: same issue. Some shows have homosexuals featured prominently, but many don't bother, and even when they do, isn't the assumption that everyone is heterosexual? So unless sexuality is an issue, there won't be any indication of sexual orientation.
Touched by an Angel, Highway to Heaven, and Seventh Heaven come to mind right off the top of my head, but those are themed shows. Father Dowling Mysteries.

But you are more or less right.

Oh yeah, didn't Vulcans, Klingons and others have their own Gods?

What episode stated that Janeway was Catholic? A lot of the voyager episodes gibbered on about spirituality but I dont recall any real religons being named.

I'm afraid I don't know the episode exactly, but I know it was after Seven came aboard. Janeway had a Catholic crucafix in her personal holodeck program thingy. (I know it was Catholic since it featured the image of Christ, which (most?) Protestant religions don't show).

Plus, Wesley Crusher is such a gay.

Well, let's be fair. Does religion factor into the average TV series? I can't remember religion in any show off the top of my head. What about CSI? I can't remember any indication of any of what religion the investigators are.. well, there was a priest in one episode. Anyway, I can't think of a program that regularly does deal with religion.
As for homosexuals: same issue. Some shows have homosexuals featured prominently, but many don't bother, and even when they do, isn't the assumption that everyone is heterosexual? So unless sexuality is an issue, there won't be any indication of sexual orientation.

Grissom has been established as a lapsed Catholic, in the episode where one brother takes the rap for a double homicide (shooting, strangulation at a gas station) that would have put his brother in jail for life. A priest tries to intervene without revealing his inside information and Grissom and the priest talk about it.

Oh yeah, didn't Vulcans, Klingons and others have their own Gods?
Vulcans: Dunno. Doesn't seem logical.
Klingons: Khalas seems to be almost godlike. Since to Klingon legend he killed the old Gods. At least I think it was him. But I do rememeber that some Klingon killed them. Kinda what happened to emperor Augustus and Julius Ceasar after they died.

"Captains log, stardate:13764.4. It's long and solid: I had corn last night"

Corn is really just a timing device...

I haven't watched a ton of Star Trek, but it seems like all they ever do is bother god-like creatures.....

sorry.

My main problem is why are humans the only 'mixed bag' in the universe? The Klingons are warriors, the Vulcans are logicians, the Ferengi are traders but the humans-whatever you get, mixed bag.

How in the hell does that happen?

Well, let's be fair. Does religion factor into the average TV series? I can't remember religion in any show off the top of my head. What about CSI? I can't remember any indication of any of what religion the investigators are.. well, there was a priest in one episode. Anyway, I can't think of a program that regularly does deal with religion.
As for homosexuals: same issue. Some shows have homosexuals featured prominently, but many don't bother, and even when they do, isn't the assumption that everyone is heterosexual? So unless sexuality is an issue, there won't be any indication of sexual orientation.

What about Joan of Arcadia? and Sally Fields in that show about the flying nun...

I haven't watched a ton of Star Trek, but it seems like all they ever do is bother god-like creatures.....

sorry.

My main problem is why are humans the only 'mixed bag' in the universe? The Klingons are warriors, the Vulcans are logicians, the Ferengi are traders but the humans-whatever you get, mixed bag.

How in the hell does that happen?
What do you mean with mixed bag?

You forgot. The borg are communist/anarchist.

What do you mean with mixed bag?
Humans aren't a singular definition, like 'warrior,' 'trader,' etc.

Every other planet has a 'planet tradition' (The blahblahnians practice this ritual that involves drinking this and hitting this and it takes ten days and if you random bastards f' it up, so help us...) But the humans are a jumble, like we are. Why aren't the other races a jumble?

You forgot. The borg are communist/anarchist.
Communist perhaps. But they are to well organised to be anarchists. Not to mention they all answer to the Borg queen.

All I have to say is http://picard.ytmnd.com/

And that's because I'm a dirty heathen who hasn't watched enough Star Trek to contribute properly.

I haven't watched a ton of Star Trek, but it seems like all they ever do is bother god-like creatures.....

sorry.

My main problem is why are humans the only 'mixed bag' in the universe? The Klingons are warriors, the Vulcans are logicians, the Ferengi are traders but the humans-whatever you get, mixed bag.

How in the hell does that happen?

That's what makes humans interesting to the rest of the universe...

Humans aren't a singular definition, like 'warrior,' 'trader,' etc.

Every other planet has a 'planet tradition' (The blahblahnians practice this ritual that involves drinking this and hitting this and it takes ten days and if you random bastards f' it up, so help us...) But the humans are a jumble, like we are. Why aren't the other races a jumble?

Because Star Trek is just TV pap, written by bored committees of lazy hacks?

My main problem is why are humans the only 'mixed bag' in the universe? The Klingons are warriors, the Vulcans are logicians, the Ferengi are traders but the humans-whatever you get, mixed bag.

How in the hell does that happen?
Simple. Racial stereotyping.

Anybody else think its weird that all of the worlds major religons seem to have vanished from Earth(as depicted in Star trek) and there are no homosexuals?

Spock and Dr. McCoy are gay lovers. Isn't that obvious that they're married?

Simple. Racial stereotyping.
Oddly enough ever notice that most of the ferengi in DS9 were played by actors with jewish sounding surnames?

Oddly enough ever notice that most of the ferengi in DS9 were played by actors with jewish sounding surnames?
Hehehe...now that I think about it... :p

Oddly enough ever notice that most of the ferengi in DS9 were played by actors with jewish sounding surnames?
Armin Shimerman didn't realy need all that make up.

Daxx is bi.

Daxx is bi.
Daxx is a symbiont and has no sexuality- there were two "lesbian" kisses in DS9
one where Jadzia Dax kissed an alien female that Curzon Dax had loved(she remembered the feelings of love through the symbiont) and another where the mirror universe Ezri kissed the mirror universe Kira (both non humans)
Christ how fucking geeky did that all sound.

Humans aren't a singular definition, like 'warrior,' 'trader,' etc.

Every other planet has a 'planet tradition' (The blahblahnians practice this ritual that involves drinking this and hitting this and it takes ten days and if you random bastards f' it up, so help us...) But the humans are a jumble, like we are. Why aren't the other races a jumble?

*dons geek hat*

I seem to recall TNG doing something about this. I recall a 3 parter that involved Picard going on an archeological dig in his spare time on a particularly mysterious planet. This results in him uncovering the secret to a super-duper vital to the universe thingy (can you tell it's been a while since I watched TNG?) and the Enterprise getting involved in a race across space with the Ferengi, Romulans, Klingons and others. Eventually they find said thingy on a remote planet and it reveals the origins of the species, with the other species being manifestations of certain traits and the humans (IIRC) being the balance.

Well, that was the single vaguest piece of crap I've ever posted. Anyone care to help me with this?

*removes geek hat in shame*

*dons geek hat*

I seem to recall TNG doing something about this. I recall a 3 parter that involved Picard going on an archeological dig in his spare time on a particularly mysterious planet. This results in him uncovering the secret to a super-duper vital to the universe thingy (can you tell it's been a while since I watched TNG?) and the Enterprise getting involved in a race across space with the Ferengi, Romulans, Klingons and others. Eventually they find said thingy on a remote planet and it reveals the origins of the species, with the other species being manifestations of certain traits and the humans (IIRC) being the balance.

Well, that was the single vaguest piece of crap I've ever posted. Anyone care to help me with this?

*removes geek hat in shame*
Yeah I remember that episode- the chick that played the changeling "leader" in DS9 was the "creator alien"

I remember that one, the episode in which they finally explained why every race in the galaxy looks the same, with cosmetic differences - all were created by an elder race, apparently because they could. Talk about a galaxy-shattering find, the philosophical implications are staggering, and yet not one subsequent episode ever referred to it again. Like, you'd think it would still crop up in small talk the following week..."Wow, I still can't believe last week we discovered the origin of life in the galaxy and why every race out there looks just like us with bits attached..."

*dons geek hat*

I seem to recall TNG doing something about this. I recall a 3 parter that involved Picard going on an archeological dig in his spare time on a particularly mysterious planet. This results in him uncovering the secret to a super-duper vital to the universe thingy (can you tell it's been a while since I watched TNG?) and the Enterprise getting involved in a race across space with the Ferengi, Romulans, Klingons and others. Eventually they find said thingy on a remote planet and it reveals the origins of the species, with the other species being manifestations of certain traits and the humans (IIRC) being the balance.

Well, that was the single vaguest piece of crap I've ever posted. Anyone care to help me with this?

*removes geek hat in shame*
I heard of that episode, but I thought it was to sort out why there where so many biped huminoids in the universe. But, I haven't seen it, so....

I heard of that episode, but I thought it was to sort out why there where so many biped huminoids in the universe. But, I haven't seen it, so....
It was a pretty lame attempt to explain why there were so many humanoid species that were a)at the same stage of technology and b) could interbreed.

Dear me !!! I remember Star Trek for seeing Kirk fight a gorn, spock mind meld with a Horta or Nomad and the Enterprise battle the Doomsday machine...not to see whether Chekov was a Russian orthodox or mr sulu was a closet homosexual why do some people think these elements have to be projected everywhere ???

You can keep your second rate star trek spin offs too :mp5:

It was a pretty lame attempt to explain why there were so many humanoid species that were a)at the same stage of technology and b) could interbreed.
This is where I actually diverge, I think it's interesting to adjust a modifiable narrative like Star Trek-to deal with the problems of the world that has been created and try and resolve them. These particular challenges intrigue the hell out of me. That is most of the thrill I get out of these kinds of fiction. I don't care what the schematics of the Enterprise is or what the googleconducinator does, or if it was used properly in episode 142A or not. I really dig the impications of the reality on the 'people' who have to live in it and the solutions to the inherent problems of that reality. I think writing for something like that would be a thrilling challenge, as long as I never had to interact with the hardcore fanbase.....

There was that one episode in TNG, when Riker fell in love with a female member of an all homosexual race, and she ended up going on trial for "pervirsions against nature".

I saw somewhere in the web that in an episode kirk and spock kissed each other, but then the episode was considered too extreme and was canceled

Slightly off-topic, perhaps, but wouldn't it be interesting if one of the cast was recorded for 24 hours on set. There would be minimum guidelines for plot, and then it was up to them to stay in character, interact with others, invent their own dialogue, etc.

"Excuse me, Will, but I must visit the bathroom NOW!"

or Worf passes gas and sets off the ship's interior atmospheric alarm systems.

And Dr. Crusher goes looking for Troi but each time she's counseling someone and not just waiting for her to go exercise.

It's nice that on tv everything works out perfectly, the timing of everything, but as we all know, in real life, that ain't so.

"Captain," states Riker, "I can't beamdown now. My shift is over, and I have a dentist appointment. How about later on this evening?"

Can you just imagine watching 24 hours straight of uninterrupted, undirected, free-form acting.

Then again, I'd prefer if it were on HBO or something like that, so it didn't have to be so PG-rated.

Nah thats not it man, in every single trek movie and season there hasnt been one human homosexual//god botherer .

Maybe. But, in the last movie, Nemesis, when Data gave the speech at the wedding at the start of the movie, he addressed it to "Ladies, gentlemen, and invited transgender species" which, being transgender myself, I truly appreciated that!

Also, in Star Trek VI, The Undiscovered Country, when the Klingons came to dine aboard The Enterprise, one of the Klingon escorts of Chancellor Gorkon looked decidedly gay. the first thing I tought, when I saw him was..."he's gay." I got a pretty good "gay-dar" and I'm betting the actor that played him was gay. Now, I am not talking about Chang, played by christopher Plummer, nor the Brigadier...there was another one...and HE is the one who looked gay. Watch the movie, you'll pick out which one I'm talking about.

At any rate, you are right, there is not overt reference to homosexuality. But, as we learn in the tenth movie, transgender folks still exist, and that makes me very happy.

Also, in the ninth movie, Captain Picard (or maybe it was Riker, not sure, I'll have to watch again) says something that made me want to stand up, right there in the theatre, and shout it out, Rocky-style...did you all hear THAT?!?! and it is when he says, "It is easy to turn a blind eye to the sufferings of a people you do not know."

DAMN, that was just a wonderful statement! star Trek has always been rather cutting-edge in terms of social advancement, the movies are full of metaphoric references to the injustices of our own day.

And, as to God...the entire fifth movie is all about God. Remember, they went to see "God." Remember Bones..."Jim, you don't ask The Almighty for his I.D.!!"

And the humans on the ship referred to the planet beyond The Great Barrier as Eden, the Romulans refered to it as Voortavor (spelling??) So there is evidence that religion does still exist in star Trek. Perhaps they finally learned to keep their nose to themselves concerning other people's private lives. Which would make the future a very desireable place to live!!

Thank god (be it Sutekh, Kroll or Amdo) that Im a Doctor Who fan !!!

You forgot. The borg are communist/anarchist.

I thought Q described them initially as 'the ultimate consumer'?

Its obvious that as the human race was able to move to other planets, all the gay people went to their own planet and all the religious nuts went to a planet of their own.

The gay people died out because they didnt reproduce, and the religious people burned/stoned/cruified eachother to death. To the last man.

Oh yeah, didn't Vulcans, Klingons and others have their own Gods?

Yes. In one TNG episode, while searching for a bunch of old relics to build a psionic weapon, they discussed the gods of Vulcan briefly.

In Star Trek, their "religion" is to go where no one has gone before. Homosexuality has been genetically elminiated from the human race. ;)

(to the thread-starter)
Or, more importantly, how come all the aliens speak English, look conveniently like human actors with one small piece of costume alteration and, for such a super-advanced time, all the ships' bridges explode, spark and vent stuff everywhere each time they are hit by anything?

Remember how TNG had Riker falling in love with an alien whose species had apparently evolved from two genders into one? Something about using a 'husk' to reproduce...

It scored high on the lame-o-meter. Well, anyway, that was TNG's clumsy attempt to deal with TG/gender preference issues...which is where it stood 'til DS9 had the lipstick lesbian bit with Dax and a former flame.

I think Paramount is skittish about freaking out the fundie kiddies and more importantly, their parental units, into boycotting the rest of their fare. Personally, I'd love seeing men kiss passionately in Trek. It'd shake people up, like Uhura kissing Shatner on TOS.

Spock and Dr. McCoy are gay lovers. Isn't that obvious that they're married?

You mean, just like Frodo and Sam? Or Legolas and that dwarf (what was his name again?)? Or Batman and Robin? Or James Bond and Q (James Bond womanizing is just self-denial - he LOVES Q)?


Its obvious that as the human race was able to move to other planets, all the gay people went to their own planet and all the religious nuts went to a planet of their own.

The gay people died out because they didnt reproduce, and the religious people burned/stoned/cruified eachother to death. To the last man.


LOL!

Just curious, but in the context of Start Trek - How well would the current Judeo-Christian and Muslim mythologies fare when faced with the proof that we were one of a multitude of intelligent being, and certainly not as advanced as many?


Would the idea that WE were made in God's image and were his favourites still feel likely in the face of such a reality? How would people reconcile that reality?


Gene was certainly a humanist, and it was interesting to note that Kirk and Uhura made television history. They were the first interracial kiss seen in the United States on TV, and it was considered shocking in it's day.

Just curious, but in the context of Start Trek - How well would the current Judeo-Christian and Muslim mythologies fare when faced with the proof that we were one of a multitude of intelligent being, and certainly not as advanced as many?

- Hopefully well, but I wouldn't hold my breath...


Would the idea that WE were made in God's image and were his favourites still feel likely in the face of such a reality? How would people reconcile that reality?

- It might still work if the aliens were bipedal humanoids, but it'd most likely be strained if they were completely dissimilar. There's been some interesting fiction written about just such a conundrum, the least satisfying of which resolves the issue by having aliens come around to Christ-worship.


Gene was certainly a humanist, and it was interesting to note that Kirk and Uhura made television history. They were the first interracial kiss seen in the United States on TV, and it was considered shocking in it's day.

- Hence my earlier point about seeing two gay male characters kissing in Trek. TOS helped shatter a lot of preconcieved notions about what could be considered 'appropriate' on TV. I think we could all stand to see men loving each other instead of fighting/killing each other.

Hell, for that matter, I'd like to see James Bond have to seduce a gay character for once in order to save the day. WTF not?

Vulcans: Dunno. Doesn't seem logical.
Klingons: Khalas seems to be almost godlike. Since to Klingon legend he killed the old Gods. At least I think it was him. But I do rememeber that some Klingon killed them. Kinda what happened to emperor Augustus and Julius Ceasar after they died.
klingons have an afterlife in the klingon version of valhalla

vulcans dont NEED religion, they have proof that their souls exist after death

In Star Trek, their "religion" is to go where no one has gone before. Homosexuality has been genetically elminiated from the human race.

if find it funny that in the future we eliminate genetic diseases, cancer, MS, whatever, we have ended hunger and poverty (and indeed even MONEY) on earth, but we still have male pattern baldness!
surely if it were put to a vote men would go for eliminating baldness WAY before they would eliminte cancer

the thing that always bugged me about tng was that it seems that in the future we no longer RUN. "captain the engines are about to blow, you better get down here!" *picard and data walk briskly down the corridors*

Star Trek made a history for itself of social commentary (witness the different national origins and gender/racial makeup of the original cast). Star Trek didn't DIRECTLY address the issue of sexual orientation, but they indirectly took on the issue in one TNG episode (the one where the species were supposed to be gender neutral but one of them was attracted to Riker and wanted to be female).

klingons have an afterlife in the klingon version of valhalla

vulcans dont NEED religion, they have proof that their souls exist after death



if find it funny that in the future we eliminate genetic diseases, cancer, MS, whatever, we have ended hunger and poverty (and indeed even MONEY) on earth, but we still have male pattern baldness!
surely if it were put to a vote men would go for eliminating baldness WAY before they would eliminte cancer

the thing that always bugged me about tng was that it seems that in the future we no longer RUN. "captain the engines are about to blow, you better get down here!" *picard and data walk briskly down the corridors*

Robots can't run and Captains are too lazy.

Daxx is a symbiont and has no sexuality- there were two "lesbian" kisses in DS9
one where Jadzia Dax kissed an alien female that Curzon Dax had loved(she remembered the feelings of love through the symbiont) and another where the mirror universe Ezri kissed the mirror universe Kira (both non humans)
Christ how fucking geeky did that all sound.

OK, then... Jadzia is bi. Happy? :)

I loved that scene! ;) That little trail of spittle after the kiss was just... awsome! :D

The way that Earthlings in ST are multi-talented and multi-potentialed while other humanoids are specialized is reflected in the way that humans in A/D&D are the same, while demi-humans are specialized - humans are the only race that can take any class ... although they cannot multiclass.

Just curious, but in the context of Start Trek - How well would the current Judeo-Christian and Muslim mythologies fare when faced with the proof that we were one of a multitude of intelligent being, and certainly not as advanced as many?

Would the idea that WE were made in God's image and were his favourites still feel likely in the face of such a reality? How would people reconcile that reality?

Christianity faced a similar crisis in the past, when Europeans inadvertantly stumbled upon North and South America. Some of the issues the New World and the people living there posed:

*The Western Hemisphere landmasses weren't mentioned in the Bible.
*Who were the Native American people and how did they figure into the Bibilical story (some thought they were the lost tribes of Israel)?
*Were the strange plants and animals in the New World aboard Noah's Ark?
*The New World had no grapes. Was it possible to hold Mass without wine?

It is possible that the discovery of the New World contributed to the Age of Reason and movement away from purely religious explanations for the workings of the natural world; however, religion did not disappear.

I'm sure the world's religions will adapt to the discovery of other life forms on distant planets, just as they did to their discovery of peoples not mentioned in the Bible.

Something just came to me. In Startrek the 25th anniversary, the game, the Enterprise was send to a planet which was inhabitet by some Christian sect of some sort.

Grissom has been established as a lapsed Catholic, in the episode where one brother takes the rap for a double homicide (shooting, strangulation at a gas station) that would have put his brother in jail for life. A priest tries to intervene without revealing his inside information and Grissom and the priest talk about it.
That bit slipped my mind, but that was the episode I mentioned: the one with the priest in it. In general, though, religion doesn't factor into most shows. (Yes: Except for the themed ones like Touched by an Angel, Seventh Heaven, Joan of Arcadia (now is that actually religious or is she just talking to God. There's a huge diference, because Ben Sisko talked to gods too: the Prophets.) and other examples, but it's rare in other shows.) If religion does come up, most of the time it's some sort of philosophical or moral issue. Well, the Trek shows have plenty of ways to deal with moral issues, and completely alien religions and philosophies to deal with. Why bother using a human religion? We all know human religions: that's boring in comparison with alien beliefs: OOh! That guys religion says that Picard's a god!

Oh, and there WERE Christians in an Original Series episode. It was a planet where the Roman Empire still existed, and the Christians were being persecuted. HA!

What? You people don't pay enough attention ...

After passing the bong to Kirk:

http://www.unlc.biz/Kirk_Bong.jpeg

Spock busts mad beats on the Pioneer DJM-500:

http://www.unlc.biz/DJ_Spock.jpeg

It don't get more religious than that, mon.

That bit slipped my mind, but that was the episode I mentioned: the one with the priest in it. In general, though, religion doesn't factor into most shows. (Yes: Except for the themed ones like Touched by an Angel, Seventh Heaven, Joan of Arcadia (now is that actually religious or is she just talking to God. There's a huge diference, because Ben Sisko talked to gods too: the Prophets.) and other examples, but it's rare in other shows.) If religion does come up, most of the time it's some sort of philosophical or moral issue. Well, the Trek shows have plenty of ways to deal with moral issues, and completely alien religions and philosophies to deal with. Why bother using a human religion? We all know human religions: that's boring in comparison with alien beliefs: OOh! That guys religion says that Picard's a god!

Oh, and there WERE Christians in an Original Series episode. It was a planet where the Roman Empire still existed, and the Christians were being persecuted. HA!

I remember that episode!

Hey, seriously, as long as we are sidetracking onto religious-themed shows for a second, here, I could not let that go without an honorable mention for "Highway To Heaven." Now THAT was a good show! THAT was religion at it's best...christians acting like Christians OUGHT to act...with peace, joy, love, tolerance, acceptance...bringing a message of peace, joy, hope, love, and light...to those who desperately needed some.

I'd have no problem with religion, if more religious people acted as their religions dictate they ought. Unfortunately, it seems the vast makority of religios people are mean-spirited, selfish, petty, and cruel...especially to anyone who is, in any way, "different." That bothers me. Jesus set the example, in His day, he hung out with the social outcasts of His time...lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors...and he showed them mercy, peace, love, tolerance, joy, hope....Jesus brought light to multitudes. It is easy to see why He gained so many followers.

What I have a hard time with is how the modern Church gains so many followers, when most of them are literally about 180 degrees removed from the actual teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught more by EXAMPLE...and less by WORDS. If only more Christians, or so-called christians...were like that, I think I'd quite like them. however, the way most so-called Christians are, in this modern world...makes me despise them.

ON EDIT: In fact, I'm willing to bet that if Jesus DID come back...most modern-day, so-called "Christians" would not even recognize Him. No different than 2,000 years ago, really. they would not recognize what they were seeing, because Jesus would act in ways that they did not expect. Like showing mercy, peace, love, joy, tolerance...by consoling the needy, the sick, the weary of body and of soul...
And despite his claims, Rev. Moon is NOT the Second Coming!!

I think most modern-day so-called christians would expect a wild-eyed redneck, going around condemning gays, and hanging out with the likes of Wildmon, Falwell, and Pat Robertson.

anyone here ever read any Nathaniel Hawthorne? THAT depiction is what I think most modern-day so-called Christians expect. The God of hellfire, damnation, and brimstone. Well, damnation hellfire, and brimstone for all those who do not conform to THEIR narrow way of thought and belief, anyway. No hellfire, damnation, and brimstone for THEM, of course...and no rebukation of THEM, of course, for THEY are the only ones fortunate enough to have a monopoly on THE TRUTH...don't you know it?

Anybody else think its weird that all of the worlds major religons seem to have vanished from Earth(as depicted in Star trek) and there are no homosexuals?

Are you talkin' about humans? Because there's certainly a lot of religion with some of the other species, namely the Klingons. Don't forget the Bajorians either.

But yeah, I don't recall any religion with the humans/federation...