Sacred Space: The Quest for Transcendence in Science Fiction Film and Television
326Sacred Space: The Quest for Transcendence in Science Fiction Film and Television
326Paperback(New Edition)
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Overview
From the millennial dreams of a future bright with potential to the promise of evolution from some as-yet-undreamed engine of creation, science fiction's visions of transcendence animate the pages of Sacred Space. Drawing on the most popular examples Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, and Stargate SG-1as well as the lesser known but no less important, Cowan reveals the multivalent religious ideas present in this media. Why do these themes that consistently appear in science fiction matter? What do they reveal about the often ambivalent relationship between outer space and our spirits? Cowan insightfully shows how these films and shows express and reinforce culturally constructed conceptions of transcendent hope, and along the way provides a provocative reflection on what this ultimately says about our culture's worldviews, hopes, and fears.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781602582385 |
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Publisher: | Baylor University Press |
Publication date: | 08/15/2010 |
Edition description: | New Edition |
Pages: | 326 |
Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d) |
Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Preface ix
Part I Science Fiction and the Quest for Transcendence
1 The Brightness against the Black 3
2 Pinocchio's Galaxy: Science Fiction and the Question of Transcendence 35
3 First Contact: Human Exceptionalism in the Calculus of Transcendence 71
4 "Intellects Vast and Cool and Unsympathetic": The War of the Worlds and the Transcendence of Modernity 105
Part II Science Fiction and the Modes of Transcendence
5 Heeding the Prophets' Call: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 141
6 The von Däniken Paradox: Stargate SG-I 171
7 All Alone in the Night: Babylon 5 197
8 So Say We All: Battlestar Galactica 225
9 The Truth Is Out There: Transcendence and the Neverending Quest 261
Filmography 275
Bibliography 285
Index 309
What People are Saying About This
Cowan convincingly demonstrates that modern science-fiction films and television shows have made religious questions and answers central to the issues they raise about human identity, values, and purpose. By emphasizing the diversity of religious ideas present in these media, Cowan shows how they are as multivariant as the nature of religion itself. In so doing, he sheds light not only on what religion is, but also on what it might be.
From the 'millennial dreams' and 'apocalyptic nightmares' of alien contact to the Buddhist visions of Neo's matrix, Doug Cowan weaves a grand adventure for fans and students of religion and science fiction. If the hope for transcendence is the universal human religious question, as Cowan ably presents, then science fiction film and television are the blank screens most qualified in our media-rich culture to propel us on that journey.
Cowan convincingly demonstrates that modern science-fiction films and television shows have made religious questions and answers central to the issues they raise about human identity, values, and purpose. By emphasizing the diversity of religious ideas present in these media, Cowan shows how they are as multivariant as the nature of religion itself. In so doing, he sheds light not only on what religion is, but also on what it might be.
Cowan’s in-depth exploration of the religious content of science-fiction films and television shows is a great step forward for the study of religion and popular culture. By taking fictional religions on their own terms, he uncovers complex meanings within some of science fiction’s best-loved films and television shows. His discussions of the role of religion in War of the Worlds, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Stargate SG-1 are the most thorough you’ll find.