Captain Kathryn Janeway (Photo credit: Tram Painter)
In early November 1994, a show premiered with a female lead called Earth 2. I remember watching this show when I was, um, younger but I cannot remember much. So, I’m watching it again.
Like most things rewatched when one is aware of certain things, several aspects of the show stand out – especially the use of religion (at least in the early episodes). A variation of the Lord’s prayer is uttered during a crash scene. Later, when the group must bury one of their own, an android gives the eulogy, begging forgiveness, some grace, as they had not buried one in generations. Later, a dust to dust theology was explained to the children.
There is, if you remember, an Avatar type of earth religion in play. First, children are dying because they are no longer connected to earth. The aliens, then, are really, really connected to the planet.
The acting is a bit, um, boring… but it was never really given the chance develop. But, again, a female lead… before Janeway.
If you get a chance, check it out.
Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).
Website: → Unsettled Christianity
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