Star Trek Playlist: Star Trek and Religion/Spirituality

[Stoek]

This weeks playlist focuses on episodes that deal with religious and spiritual topics.

A note for those who haven't read one of these threads before, I place series in, in universe chronological order, so Enterprise comes first.

Episodes are listed in the order given in their listings on Memory Alpha, and movies come in their appropriate section after episodes.

ENT

Chosen Realm

TOS

Who Mourns For Adonais?
The Motion Picture
The Final Frontier

TAS

The Magicks Of Megas-Tu
How Sharper Than A Serpents Tooth

TNG

Who Watches The Watchers?
Devil's Due
Rightful Heir
Masks

DS9

In The Hands Of The Prophets
Paradise
Destiny
The Sword Of Kahless
Accession
Rapture
The Reckoning
Treachery, Faith, And The Great River
Covenant

VOY

Emanations
Tattoo
False Profits
Sacred Ground
Coda
Distant Origin
Mortal Coil
The Omega Directive
Barge Of The Dead
Spirit Folk
Prophecy

 

[datagal]

DS9: The Reckoning.
It's one of my favorite episodes from DS9.
It shows how an outsider (Sisko) has more faith in the Prophets than the one (Kai Wynn) who proclaim to have it.

 

[T'Girl]

TOS
That Which Survives. Lieutenant Rahda and her bindi.
Balance of Terror. Angela Martine kneeling in prayer, in the ship's chapel.
Who Mourns For Adonais. Kirk: "We find the One ..."
Bread and Circus. Uhura: "It's the Son of God."

TAS
Yesteryear. Spock (a distant cousin) traveling to the family shrine.

MOVIE
TSFS. Vulcan Temple and Vulcan Priestess.

TNG
Where Silence Has Lease. Picard speaking on continuing after death.

VOY
Hunters. Tuvok's wife: "My husband, we have been given the news that you are alive. Your children and I have asked the priests at the temple of Amonak to say prayers for your safe return."

ENT
The Andorian Incident. The Vulcan monastery at P'Jem.
Cold Front. Phlox spent a week at a Tibetan monastery, attended Mass at the Vatican, and observed the Vulcan Tal-Shanar ritual.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Shouldn't the list include all Q episodes, who self-described as omnipotent?

 

[Roboturner913]

More DS9
Battle Lines (mission work)
Let He Who is Without Sin (fundamentalism)
Tears of the Prophets (mysticism, death)
Image in the Sand (more mysticism, prophecy)
Shadows and Symbols (and more mysticism)

 

[maneth]

Shouldn't the list include all Q episodes, who self-described as omnipotent?

I don't think so, because the Q continuum never asked or required the less powerful races to worship them.

 

[Robert Comsol]

This weeks playlist focuses on episodes that deal with religious and spiritual topics.

While most definitely a topic I'm very interested in, I wonder if your focus is on "god (or devil) images" or philosophical-spiritual-religious issues.

TOS:

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" & "Charlie X" (can man handle god-like powers?)
"This Side of Paradise" and "The Apple" (false paradises)
"Wolf in the Fold" and "And the Children Shall Lead" (devil entities)
"Return to Tomorrow" (god images)
"The Savage Curtain" (good vs. evil)

TAS:

"Bem" (the TAS Episode that left me almost speechless...)

Bob

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Shouldn't the list include all Q episodes, who self-described as omnipotent?

I don't think so, because the Q continuum never asked or required the less powerful races to worship them.

The thread does not ask for something specifically theistic. Nonetheless, the Q have godlike qualities (ominipotents and omniscience, although not necessarily omnipresence, not unlike Greek deities) and often play godlike role, particular in regard to judgement.

 

[Melakon]

TOS: Return of the Archons. Landru is treated pretty much as a god by those in The Body, and even resistance members like Reger and Marplon seem to call out to him when circumstances turn against them. Lawgivers with staffs and dressed like monks, and Landru's projected images make him look like Charlton Heston as Moses.