The 10 Commandments in Star Trek

By Miss Cellania in Film, Religion on Oct 21, 2009 at 9:33 am

For a science fiction series, Star Trek had a lot of references to religion. Gene Roddenberry once said he rejected all religions, yet one or another of the Ten Commandments showed up in quite a few episodes. Beliefnet takes a look at some of those episodes.

In “The Apple” from the original “Star Trek” series, Captain James Kirk and his crew encounter an idyllic world whose ageless inhabitants feed a computer named Vaal.
It seems like a dandy setup to Mr. Spock, but Dr. McCoy argues that it can’t be healthy to have all your needs met by a “hunk of tin” (perhaps shortly after polishing off a meal created by the Enterprise’s replicator). Eventually, the Enterprise is forced to zap Vaal with its phasers, sending the binary being to an ignoble, smoky end.
The natives are seriously bummed, but Kirk cheers them up by telling them they can now work and struggle and get sick and die just like everyone else. Yay!

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  1. Gauldar
    Oct 21st, 2009 at 10:02 am

    The more I know about religion, the less I want anything to do with it.

  2. Gauldar
    Oct 21st, 2009 at 10:08 am

    I guess another reason why religious content gets added to various Sci-Fi materials, is that there aren’t any copy write laws to restrict the use of it, so you’ve got a truck load of open source episode material.

  3. BamaChris
    Oct 21st, 2009 at 10:08 am

    Haha, awesome!

  4. Melissa
    Oct 21st, 2009 at 10:23 am

    Common decency and ethical behavior does not equal the ten commandments. Yeah, Jews and Christians recognize those ten specific rules a part of their religion, but a lot of that stuff is pretty universal no matter what religion (or lack of religion) people follow.

  5. Splint Chesthair
    Oct 21st, 2009 at 11:17 am

    I for one follow that Hammurabi Codes, it gets a little hairy sometimes, like when I punched a pregnant woman who then miscarried and my daughter was put to death, but overall it’s a good system (my daughter was getting a bit annoying anyway).

  6. hapbt
    Oct 21st, 2009 at 4:39 pm

    uh, just because he wrote episodes of a sci fi show referencing religion, has absolutely NO implication that he ever was anything other than an atheist.

  7. ozoozol
    Oct 21st, 2009 at 5:20 pm

    Religious lore makes great fodder for fiction. It resonates culturally.

  8. ted
    Oct 21st, 2009 at 6:34 pm

    Star Trek was all about the goodness of humanity overcoming the cold, unfeeling roboticized world. Every second episode was about how robots overheat when they encounter paradoxes in logic.

  9. samlive the red
    Oct 21st, 2009 at 9:04 pm

    whats so horrible about religion? and i think there needs to be a clear definition here between religion and spirituality. religion is the dogma, the rules, the church, whereas spirituality pervades all of this and emanates through every human being. i believe in everything! and honestly im tired of ignorant people on the left (who are exactly the same as the religious right, just opposite) who claim religion as the source of all of the worlds problems. we are the source of our own problems, get over it. religion helps a great many people, and while i do not agree with the church or the rigid structure of most religions i am intelligent enough to see through whatever misunderstandings or misinterpretations there may be to the root spiritual message. love!

  10. hearsetrax
    Oct 22nd, 2009 at 7:06 am

    religion is for those that have no appreciation of life’s widdle quirks

    the day shall come for us all to pay for our misdeeds and or beliefs

  11. Virginia Connor
    Mar 22nd, 2010 at 10:57 pm

    I have 3 priest friends who are into “Star Trek”. Just because some atheists like it,doesn’t mean that we religious people can’t. I have other friends who love “Star Trek” too. Many of us grew up watching the programme and we don’t care if others like it too! Even my dogs-3 Border Collies-watch it when they can and I introduced a friend’s 8 year old son to the Blooper Reel,one of many things I enjoyed watching at the conventions when I was younger.


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