Harvard Summer School 2026 Grad Student Paper: Mass Media & Effects of Star Trek on Spirituality
Graduate Student Term Paper:
Mass Media and Effects of Star Trek on Spirituality
Bruce Lee
Reli 1508 Religion Media and American Pop Culture:
Harvard Summer School 2026:
August 7, 2026
Contents
Introduction-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------3
Religious Experience?-----------------------------------------------------------------------3
Star Trek Community------------------------------------------------------------------------4
Development of the Phenomenon----------------------------------------------------------6
To the Future-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------7
Last Words--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9
Bibliography-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9
Introduction
Our world is constantly evolving and so are the sociocultural norms and all the players associated with it; among several factors which have shaped our popular culture, spirituality, and even religious formation, perhaps none has played a critical role than what mass media in the last 5-6 decades have managed to accomplish. The role of mass media’s effect on spirituality is applauded by Emily Edwards as she notes, “Though most of the concern about media influence concentrated on the effects of media violence and the atrophy of cultural ideals, a parallel concern pondered the effects of media on faith and the spiritual life of audiences.”[1] Indeed, the effects of mass media on the spirituality of those adherents following the sci-fi genre in particular are truly remarkable in that highlighted by the community bonding among the followers, with all of the standout characteristics resembling at least those matching qualities seen in a peripheral faction of a regular religion, the Star Trek phenomenon could possibly termed as spiritual and transformative.
In this paper the author would like to examine the effects of the mass media, particularly the far-reaching transformative, subliminal, transcendent, and comprehensive effects of sci-fi movies—Star Trek as the main featured theme-- and all the entangled elements surrounding the Star Trek phenomenon, and hopefully to demonstrate the deeply entangled web of various factors which are woven into the Whole Star Trek Phenomenon that has become in our popular culture over the last several decades.
Religious Experience?
Porter and McLaren write regarding the Star Trek’s influence on the spiritual front as, “For some fans, Star Trek replaces older religions like Christianity, and for others it supplements them with new ways of expressing the same messages. One feature of contemporary society is the ability people have to pick and choose from among a number of beliefs and create a “personal” religion (Bellah et al. 1985: 220 ff.). Star Trek draws together those who love science and technology, along with humanist-oriented fans (both religious and secular), all of whom find aspects of the show (e.g. the political progressiveness and optimism, the morality, or the technology) to appreciate.”[2]
How have the science and technology, along with humanist-oriented fans contributed to the whole phenomenon? Well, it is a human intelligence, inclination or the seemingly limitless human imagination that has paved the way to the worship of sci-fi genres in film and media through and through as they become merged and the line between the reality and virtuality rendered blurred; as David Hipple points out, “the issue here is not machine intelligence per se, but human inclination to attribute personality and intentionality to coherent interactions, even when altered that any ostensible “understanding” is simulated,”[3] we humans like to attribute personality to even inanimate objects just like we would do to our canine companions. Hence, the sci-fi characters, the settings, and the machine all become live and get connected to our psyches and a mental or spiritual sphere. That is how a community gets formed and grows, and the Star Trek Community is no exception.
Star Trek Community
However, the reality of the matter is that sci-fi along with the Star Trek phenomenon is not for real no matter how realistically the sets, the customs, and the episodes are produced to project an illusion of the reality onto us. To this effect Grech argues that “However, the border between the imagined reality of the Enterprise and the external reality of the audience is always manifest—it lies in front of the viewer, at the edge of the screen, and as soon as the episode ends and the credits roll, the viewer is abruptly ejected into their reality. Nevertheless, due to the power of mimesis, ‘we become immersed and present in their worlds, emotionally experiencing them as if they were really happening to us’ (Rigby and Ryan 2011: 82), just as we readily respond to events in the outside world.”[4] So therein lies the true reality facing the Star Trek community.
In the same article used for this paper Grech argues that as the “falsehood” fictional nature or contents of sci-fi fantasy film is projected onto the audience, the reality or perhaps “glitches” in merging of the falsehood and reality would emerge where the metaleptic effects are produced, which in turn unsettles the “overarching narrative order of the narratives.” How to fix these critical glitches of “falsehood”, patch them all up, and go on about preaching the good voyage of the Enterprise to the worldwide believers at large and the community of the Intergalactic Federation with plausibility, authenticity, and first-rate entertainment viewing as well? Artificial Intelligence or Highly Advanced Set of AIs to be employed. Basically, more fabrication, more complexity, and more elaboration of the storyline—largely driven by the AI technologies-- to create a fantasia so big and so overwhelming in cosmic scale as to immerse and fully baptize the audience, community, and even the 3rd party casual observers to render lasting impressions which would at least rival the spiritual experiences of the regular already-established religions. Would it have worked---rather have they worked to the intended effects? Jury is still out in this author’s opinion. Hipple writes, “AI (with unforeseen potential risks) is a long-established sf theme, including the possible absurdity of creating our own subjugators.”[5] The absurdity of humans to go such a length to envision a dystopian world wherein the doomsday scenario is wrought by the armies of cyborgs created at the hands of the former human masters!
On the other hand, in the paper Hipple seems not so certain whether the effects of AI would be either beneficial or detrimental to humanity in the end; what he is projecting is the possible emerging of the two in the paper such that a union of such contrasting (flesh Vs. metal) natures forecasts unpredictable and even ominous future; yet it would yield a being which might be on the cusp of being called a god. And ladies and gentlemen, that is where the current 4th Industrial Revolution spearheaded by the Transhumanism Movement seems to be taking us all along for the ride. The theme is everywhere as it is unavoidable and is about to swallow us all up.
Development of the Phenomenon
Next, we can take a look at Michael Jindra’s paper in which he sweepingly takes us through the development of the Star Trek phenomenon as the fandom and the spiritual-like community grew out of the singularly unique and landmarking sci-fi tv series. Thusly, Jindra’s article looks at the variety of ways in depth and width in which the Star Trek phenomenon interacts with masses in shaping up the popular culture and trends. Jindra writes, “Star Trek fandom seemed akin to a religious movement: an origin myth, a set of beliefs, organizations, and some of the most active and creative members found anywhere. Fans fill out a mythological universe and keep it consistent through the formation of a “canon” of acceptable and unacceptable Star Trek events. Within fandom, there are also the schisms and oppositions that such movements typically engender.”[6] However, Jindra is careful in defining the whole Star Trek experience to be rivaling or even having a form of legitimate religious place in our society. What is religion then, or what does it mean to be religious in our society these days? Jindra writes, “(A less ethnocentric definition) regards definition as the daily, lived expression of an individual’s or a society’s most important values. In many cultures, religion is not articulated as “belief” but is more often fail to recognize religion in our own society when it lacks an institutional and creedal form and is instead “disguised” under various political or cultural forms…I argue that Star Trek is also a primary location for the expression of contemporary religious impulses.”[7]
To the Future
What lies far beyond the Stars? We might have all wondered at one point or another. In an article quoted Sneed looks into the far distant future as the “Star Trek Deep Space Nine” engages Black visions as it chases the vision for future adding the references from the ancient Hebrew prophets and the NT Book of Revelation as a part of the guide. As Sneed writes, “The surprise here is that the humanistic universe imagined by Gene Rodenberry that allegedly would have no place for such things as the Bible, prophetic utterances, and religious faith, has now expanded…in that a Black man is not just the commander of an important space station, he is also the savior figure for a planet and for an entire quadrant of the galaxy.”[8]
It is worth to note at this time that what has made Star Trek not only a successful sci-fi phenomenon is not its singularity focused on the use of high technology based on Artificial Intelligence tools; it encompasses whole lot more than that. It literally has taken the whole village to bring about the religious phenomenon it has become in meshing several key important elements. In his comprehensive tell-tale book, a NASA-affiliated chief historian Swanson reveals a historical collaborative work among the film studios, NASA space center, and Smithsonian Museum as how the cultural phenomenon that was Star Trek was brought to the world outside. Swanson argues that a cultural phenomenon is an artificially engineered multi-faceted output involving many factions rooted in diverse socioeconomical and even political enterprise. Swanson writes, “Star Trek took off through syndication like no other show in the history of television. Fans, increasing exponentially because of daily access to the series, refused to let the show die…Paramount Television’s syndication offices used publications such as Variety and Broadcasting to promote the phenomenal success of Star Trek by printing ads boasting the large number of viewer markets…By the 1970s, Star Trek’s popularity continued to be felt even in the White House…”NASA has received hundreds of thousands of letters from the space-oriented Star Trek group asking that the name ‘Enterprise’ be given to the craft.”[9]
Last Words
Lastly, it is worthwhile to look at the Weitekamp article as it examines the two different types of Enterprise ships: one which he calls “Canonical” and the other is the physical starship Enterprise, a studio model made of plastics, glues, wood, and paint. The author contrasts the iconic images projected by the “canonical” model, which originated from the fantastical studio model, which is safely tucked away at the Smithsonian Museum. Is it a relic to cherish being safeguarded at a dust-collecting museum or a transcending spiritual or even a religious experience which will live lastingly not only in our fond memories but to take us for a ride to swiftly move us at the speed of light to the unknow future where the mystery of the universe is still to be discovered? Weitekamp observes, “For some fans, however, the conservation results will never be sufficient…But for others, the physical state of the studio model will always seem a little flatter, dimmer, and heavier than the starship they remember. For those fans, the authentic Enterprise is the canonical one that remains unblemished in their memories, zooming across a glowing cathode-ray tube on their childhood television, welcoming them to the universe of Star Trek.”[10]
Bibliography
Edwards, Emily D. "Possessed and Dispossessed by Mass Media." In Metaphysical Media: The Occult Experience in Popular Culture, 1–32. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2005.
Grech, Victor. "Mirror, Mirror: Metalepsis in Star Trek." Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction 49, no. 1 (2020): 19–28.
Hipple, David. "Encounters with Emergent Deities: Artificial Intelligence in Science Fiction Narrative." Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 55, no. 2 (June 2020): 382–408. doi.org.
Jindra, Michael. "It's about Faith in Our Future: Star Trek Fandom as Cultural Religion." In
Religion and Popular Culture in America, edited by Bruce David Forbes and Jeffrey H.
Mahan, 165–179. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005.
Porter, Jennifer E. Porter and McLaren, Darcee L., eds., Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Religion, and American Culture, Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1999.
Revington, Bradley. "Televangelism and Religion in Star Trek V and Licence to Kill." Journal of Religion & Film 28, no. 2 (2024): Article 5. https://doi.org/10.32873/uno.dc.jrf.28.02.05
Sneed, Roger. "Revelation as Reality: Star Trek Deep Space Nine's 'Far Beyond the Stars' and Black Prophetic Visions." Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 78, no. 3 (July 2024): 231–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00209643241244454
Swanson, Glen E. Inspired Enterprise: How NASA, the Smithsonian, and the Aerospace Community Helped Launch Star Trek. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2025.
Weitekamp, Margaret A. "Two Enterprises: Star Trek's Iconic Starship as Studio Model and Celebrity." Journal of Popular Film and Television 44, no. 1 (2016): 2–13. doi.org.
[1] Emily D. Edwards, Possessed and Dispossessed by Mass Media. In Metaphysical Media: The Occult Experience in Popular Culture, 1–32. (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2005), ??
[2] Jennifer E. Porter and Darcee L. McLaren, eds., Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Religion, and American Culture. (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1999), 229.
[3] David Hipple, Encounters with Emergent Deities: Artificial Intelligence in Science Fiction Narrative. Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 55, no. 2 (June 2020): 382–408. doi.org, 394.
[4] Victor Grech. Mirror, Mirror: Metalepsis in Star Trek. Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction 49, no. 1 (2020): 25.
[5] David Hipple, Encounters with Emergent Deities: Artificial Intelligence in Science Fiction Narrative. Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 55, no. 2 (June 2020): 382–408. doi.org, 389.
[6] Michael Jindra. It's about Faith in Our Future: Star Trek Fandom as Cultural Religion. In Religion and Popular Culture in America, edited by Bruce David Forbes and Jeffrey H. Mahan, 165–179. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005), 167.
[7] Ibid, 168.
[8] Roger Sneed. Revelation as Reality: Star Trek Deep Space Nine's 'Far Beyond the Stars' and Black Prophetic Visions. Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 78, no. 3 (July 2024): 231–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00209643241244454, 237.
[9] Glen E. Swanson, Glen E. Inspired Enterprise: How NASA, the Smithsonian, and the Aerospace Community Helped Launch Star Trek. (Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2025), 162-163.
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