Star Trek, The Olympics and the Glory of God
August 10th, 2012
Watching the Olympics this year was incredible. Michael Phelps, Gabby Douglas, gold medals abounding, new world records set left and right – it was amazing. Through all of it, I couldn’t help but think of the glory of God reflected in humanity…and, of course, Star Trek.
It’s no wonder I kept thinking about those things. The Olympics came to mind for just those reasons as I was writing “The Undiscovered Country: Star Trek and the Christian’s Human Journey,” my contribution to the book Light Shining in a Dark Place: Discovering Theology Through Film. In the essay, I write about Gene Roddenberry’s fascination with the achievements and the potential of humankind. From the book:
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We, like Roddenberry, are drawn to human excellence in any form. We watch the Olympic games to see athletes push themselves to the limits of human capacities. As they stretch themselves to seeming superhuman levels of strength, speed and endurance, we nonetheless intrinsically recognize that they are, while totally exceptional, like us. Watching the Olympic games gives us hope that the human potential to achieve amazing things is not just limited to people who get to be on TV, but that it is in all of us. In those moments of powerful, compelling achievement, the flags on the uniforms disappear and we see, not a foreign country vying for a prize, but a human person like us reaching inside themselves to pull out the best of their capabilities. We are moved, not by patriotism or a competitive spirit, but by another human being who, for at least a moment, we can relate to in ways that we might not normally find within ourselves.
In these moments, we experience a glimpse of what Roddenberry envisioned for the future of humanity—and, I would contend, what Christ envisioned for his followers. The reason for this just might be that in seeing the highest possible achievements of God’s crowning creation, we see something of the God who imagined such beings into existence and why Christ came to seek and save the same. It reminds us that we have value as human persons because we are made in the image of God and that the image of God is an impressive thing. “[Star Trek] speaks to some basic human needs,” Roddenberry said, “We have things to be proud of as humans. No, ancient [alien] astronauts did not build the pyramids. Human beings built them—because they’re clever and they work hard. And Star Trek is about those things.”
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Of course, the athletes of the Olympic games all have their reasons for competing. Some are driven by a desire for excellence, some by a sense of personal achievement. Some are prideful, others seek to make someone else proud. I was particularly struck by a tweet from Gabby Douglas after becoming the fourth US Olympian to win gold in the Women’s Gymnastics All-Around:
“Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.”
It was not the first or the last time that Douglas made an effort to specifically seek to praise God through her accomplishments. I was impressed by her focus on what her abilities were given to her for and what her hard work ultimately accomplishes: the glory of God. But, even athletes who don’t have such a focus also reflect God’s glory, even when they don’t intend to, because they are examples of the greatness of God’s creation. All of God’s works reflect his greatness, as is perhaps unwittingly alluded to in this Nike ad that ran during the Olympics.
—————————————————–
We, like Roddenberry, are drawn to human excellence in any form. We watch the Olympic games to see athletes push themselves to the limits of human capacities. As they stretch themselves to seeming superhuman levels of strength, speed and endurance, we nonetheless intrinsically recognize that they are, while totally exceptional, like us. Watching the Olympic games gives us hope that the human potential to achieve amazing things is not just limited to people who get to be on TV, but that it is in all of us. In those moments of powerful, compelling achievement, the flags on the uniforms disappear and we see, not a foreign country vying for a prize, but a human person like us reaching inside themselves to pull out the best of their capabilities. We are moved, not by patriotism or a competitive spirit, but by another human being who, for at least a moment, we can relate to in ways that we might not normally find within ourselves.
In these moments, we experience a glimpse of what Roddenberry envisioned for the future of humanity—and, I would contend, what Christ envisioned for his followers. The reason for this just might be that in seeing the highest possible achievements of God’s crowning creation, we see something of the God who imagined such beings into existence and why Christ came to seek and save the same. It reminds us that we have value as human persons because we are made in the image of God and that the image of God is an impressive thing. “[Star Trek] speaks to some basic human needs,” Roddenberry said, “We have things to be proud of as humans. No, ancient [alien] astronauts did not build the pyramids. Human beings built them—because they’re clever and they work hard. And Star Trek is about those things.”
—————————————————–
Of course, the athletes of the Olympic games all have their reasons for competing. Some are driven by a desire for excellence, some by a sense of personal achievement. Some are prideful, others seek to make someone else proud. I was particularly struck by a tweet from Gabby Douglas after becoming the fourth US Olympian to win gold in the Women’s Gymnastics All-Around:
“Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.”
It was not the first or the last time that Douglas made an effort to specifically seek to praise God through her accomplishments. I was impressed by her focus on what her abilities were given to her for and what her hard work ultimately accomplishes: the glory of God. But, even athletes who don’t have such a focus also reflect God’s glory, even when they don’t intend to, because they are examples of the greatness of God’s creation. All of God’s works reflect his greatness, as is perhaps unwittingly alluded to in this Nike ad that ran during the Olympics.
Indeed, greatness is in all of us, not because of ourselves, but because we are made in the image and likeness of a great God. Gene Roddenberry saw that human beings were capable of extraordinary things and chose to believe that we were all part of God, that we were somehow intrinsically divine. The truth however, is that we are instruments of God, chosen and designed by him to participate in the great story of his goodness, grace and mercy. Mere humans reflecting the God of the universe? No wonder Roddenberry saw divinity in humankind.
As I look at the Star Trek universe I’m reminded, as I am when I see the Olympics, of all the ways the human race brigs glory to God just by being good humans. As the above clip makes clear, we don’t have to win gold medals or set world records to do that. It is within each of us to glorify God right now, today, in what we are doing in this moment, in this place in our lives. We don’t have to reach out to the stars to point to the one whose glory they declare. (Psalm 19:1)
What greatness is in you? What has God called you to do that may seem a small thing to someone else, but to you may seem like building a warp engine? Maybe it’s going for the gold. Maybe it’s jogging down the street. I encourage you to embrace the image of humanity that Star Trek shows us – human beings who, as Roddenberry says, are clever and work hard. Perhaps we’ll be more willing to engage that part of ourselves if we realize that it’s not about our cleverness and hard work, but about the way those things reflect our Creator. May we Live Long and Prosper through Christ in the pursuit.
Get your copy of Light Shining in a Dark Place: Discovering Theology Through Film here.
As I look at the Star Trek universe I’m reminded, as I am when I see the Olympics, of all the ways the human race brigs glory to God just by being good humans. As the above clip makes clear, we don’t have to win gold medals or set world records to do that. It is within each of us to glorify God right now, today, in what we are doing in this moment, in this place in our lives. We don’t have to reach out to the stars to point to the one whose glory they declare. (Psalm 19:1)
What greatness is in you? What has God called you to do that may seem a small thing to someone else, but to you may seem like building a warp engine? Maybe it’s going for the gold. Maybe it’s jogging down the street. I encourage you to embrace the image of humanity that Star Trek shows us – human beings who, as Roddenberry says, are clever and work hard. Perhaps we’ll be more willing to engage that part of ourselves if we realize that it’s not about our cleverness and hard work, but about the way those things reflect our Creator. May we Live Long and Prosper through Christ in the pursuit.
Get your copy of Light Shining in a Dark Place: Discovering Theology Through Film here.
