Why are Alein Cultures almost always presented with unified religons ?

[DanGussin]

This has long been one of the biggest flaws I see in much of Science Fiction.

Too many Alien worlds that seem to be mono cultural and mono religious.

While is might be true that as a planets culture and technology advances some standardization might occur it seems very unlikely to me that billions of people will choose the same path and ideology. It is true that the only real world example we have to work with is Earth , but it has never really made sense to me that there tends to be only one culture and spiritual belief system left standing on so many of the planets seen in Sci Fi.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Depends of the focus of the story really. Most Trek stories aren't that interested in complex world building. The alien "cultures" are there to examine a particular idea or concept.

 

[Mudd]

Because it's about telling a story, not hypothetical culture studies.

 

[Awesome Possum]

There are plenty of interesting stories that could told using multiple religions. Our history and modern society was basically built on different religions interacting with each other and usually going to war. I'd imagine a lot of other species would have similar experiences.

I do like that the newer Treks are trying to make an effort in showing a greater diversity on planets. Vulcan now has logic extremists, some of whom are against human and vulcan society combining. The Klingons now have each House being its own culture. Humans have a variety of cultures spread out to different colonies, some of which reject high technology.

 

[Jayson1]

To be honest I sometimes think some of it has also just come down to time and money. Cheaper to put your 2 alien guest stars and your 5 extra's in the same matching jumpsuit then to find away to make each of them more unique. You also have maybe 2 new sets to use to represent a whole planet and only 42 minutes to tell your story which has to be completed in 42 minutes since you can't do arc's and you only got a week to film the episode and I am guessing not much more time to write it while also dealing with 5 other scripts your trying to get ready.


Jason

 

[theenglish]

It depends on the medium and the purpose of the stories as well, I think. Although I cannot recall off the top of my head I am sure that there are books out there that present multiple religions. In fantasy, one of the strengths of A Song of Ice and Fire is that multiple religions are an important focus of the story.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I'm left assuming that religious proselytization, cultural and economic subjugation, and/or outright genocide were more effective in the implied history of alien civilizations.

The humans in the original Star Trek seemed to be largely antipathetic to religion apart from the odd reference to God or the depiction of a seemingly humanistic wedding ceremony - so was it another monoculture?

 

[The Wormhole]

Streamlined storytelling. Stories only include details necessary to tell their tale, and whether or not the alien world has other political entities or religious beliefs other than the one at the forefront of the story is irrelevant to the story being told, so it's not touched on. Even when these things are touched on, it's typically in a simplistic manner, eg a planet might have two nations controlling equal halves of the planet at war with each other, or two religions engaged in jihad. Maybe in ongoing series focused on a particular planet or species there might be room for exploring these various facets of their political and religious ideology, but even then that's only if it serves the greater story that's being told. In the end, the needs of the story are the priority, not a desire to thrown in frivolous tidbits in a desire to be realistic.

 

[Teelie]

It's just easier to make up one new religion than try to make up multiple ones for an alien culture too. Outside of Babylon 5 nothing else comes off the top of my head immediately that has multiple cultural and religious variations in an alien race.

 

[The Wormhole]

It's just easier to make up one new religion than try to make up multiple ones for an alien culture too.

Definitely. And even when multiple religions are thought up for alien races, their typically just analogues for human religions anyway. So, really instead of writing about a aliens with Space Christians, Space Jews and Space Muslims, why not just write a story on Earth about Christians, Jews, and Muslims?

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The humans in the original Star Trek seemed to be largely antipathetic to religion apart from the odd reference to God...

Not really. Kirk affirmed (to Apollo) that:
"We find the One quite adequate"

In Kirk's assessment about Dr. Daystrom's beliefs added to his M-5 unit:
"Daystrom felt such an act was against the laws of God and man."

In the final act of "Bread and Circuses," Kirk and Uhura marvel over the discovery of Christ and a movement based on his teachings on planet 892-IV.

McCoy made several references to faith or direct quotes from the Bible, as seen (for one example) in "The Immunity Syndrome," where he quotes a variation of Leviticus 19:17.

Its pretty clear that in TOS, human characters still had religious faith, and its highly unlikely that it was an assumption that it was all limited to a few U.S.S. Enterprise crewmembers being the only humans in that galaxy who still believed.

 

[Thowra]

I would rather remove religion totally. It seems such a human trait.

(ETA: remove from sc-fi. I’m an atheist, but not that extreme to want to remove people's religion from real life.

Wouldn’t complain if it was, though...)

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Not really. Kirk affirmed (to Apollo) that:
"We find the One quite adequate"

In Kirk's assessment about Dr. Daystrom's beliefs added to his M-5 unit:
"Daystrom felt such an act was against the laws of God and man."

In the final act of "Bread and Circuses," Kirk and Uhura marvel over the discovery of Christ and a movement based on his teachings on planet 892-IV.

McCoy made several references to faith or direct quotes from the Bible, as seen (for one example) in "The Immunity Syndrome," where he quotes a variation of Leviticus 19:17.

Its pretty clear that in TOS, human characters still had religious faith, and its highly unlikely that it was an assumption that it was all limited to a few U.S.S. Enterprise crewmembers being the only humans in that galaxy who still believed.

So had monotheistic Christianity gained an upper hand over Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc? How did that happen?

 

[Mysterion]

The Klingons now have each House being its own culture.

And there had already been what I consider to be a slight hint that Klingon Kulture (tm) might not be quite as monolithic as one might think. In Day of the Dove, Kang remarks that the Klingons have no devil. However, it latter Trek (Barge of the Dead, VGR) we see the Klingon underworld depicted along with Fek'lar, the guardian of the underworld and, arguably, a Klingon equivalent of the devil (reinforced by Ardra's brief portrayal in TNG's Devil's Due). Of course over the years klingons have also tended to be somewhat revisionist in the own history, or least how they describe it to outsiders.

 

[DanGussin]

So had monotheistic Christianity gained an upper hand over Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc? How did that happen?

To me Star Trek has always attempted to embrace the best of Human religion and culture.

TOS made it clear that the exploration of each individuals spiritual growth was encouraged on Earth in the 23rd century. While a bit corny n some ways having Kirk be concerned over serving turkey on Thanksgiving was a nod to the best of humanity. Having a chapel , a wedding ceremony , Uhura speaking in her native language and the references to ancient cultures in Who Mourns for Adonis and "Bread and Circuses" were ground breaking in the 1960's. And of course having an African American women not only on the bridge but also the head of an entire Dept aboard ship goes without saying.

And in TNG and DS9 -

Watching the O'Brian wedding and their personal interactions over culture and food choices, Sisko referencing African history and an exploration of the civil rights movement are some of my fav non sci Fi related moments in Trek. And Quark confronting Sisko about slavery, concentration camps and genocide and his disbelief that humans would irradiate their own planet remind us of our continued need to "work toward a better tomorrow" as Edith Keeler would say.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Alien cultures are mono-everything usually. Sometimes an entire planet's worth of people are summed up by one location with about 20 people.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Really, would anyone be much interested in learning the excruciatingly detailed variations of fictional alien religious or cultural diversity?

 

[Mudd]

To be honest I sometimes think some of it has also just come down to time and money.

Exactly. To tell a television story requires keeping time and money at the forefront. You don't tell TV stories about religions or "societies" but about a couple of people.

If you want to get into details and complexities and thrash around in the weeds, write a proper novel.

 

[Marsden]

The truth is a river, and god is the mouth of the river.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Sometimes rivers don't get as far as the sea.