Theology and Star Trek

When you got back from the public lecture
on the interface between theology and art,
specifically music, you’re mind was working
making new connections and it was easy to tell
you were excited about the new ideas.

When you asked me what I had done with my night
I said “watched Star Trek” because I had watched Star Trek.
Four or five episodes of Jean Luc patrolling the Neutral Zone
not letting those sneaky-ass Romulans get away with any of their shit.

You laughed. It was funny.
I said it dry. Like I was being clever.
But it wasn’t a joke, it was a lament.
I just said it like a joke because I say everything like a joke.

Instead of going to a lecture
and discussing the lecturer’s points
over beer and sweet potato fries
I sat on a couch and watched
science fiction. And as a result
my mind was busy with
critiques of Data’s conclusions
about what it means to be human
and the theological difficulties posed
in Star Trek’s condescending utopia.

Somehow, I think your thoughts
about Handel’s Messiah
and how it mirrors the Psalter’s movement
from individual lament to communal praise
will be easier to discuss seriously
than my thoughts about Worf’s commitment to Klingon tradition
while being a Star Fleet officer as a model for the Church
in a pluralistic secular society. But to be honest,
I thing both lines of thought would be correctly described
as being ridiculously nerdy.