Meta Treks is a Trek.fm podcast dedicated to a deep examination of the philosophical ideas found in Star Trek. In each episode, Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison take you on a fascinating journey into the inner workings of Star Trek storytelling, deeper into subspace than you've ever traveled before.
Gnosticism, Esotericism, and Secrecy in Star Trek.
We often take for granted that philosophers and Starfleet officers mean what they say. But there is a rich history of esoteric writing in the history of philosophy, whether for pedagogical, protective, or political purposes. The same is often true within the Star Trek universe itself. All of Star Trek can interpreted as a form of esoteric expression on the part of its creator Gene Roddenberry as a way of expressing his own social and political messages while evading television censors of the late 1960s. And within the Star Trek universe, from starship captains and Federation diplomats to the esoteric practices of and ceremonies of various alien races and religions, certain practices, beliefs, and various forms of dangerous knowledge are kept secret from the average Federation citizen and Starfleet officer. In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling lift the veil of secrecy to explore and reveal the many forms of gnosticism, esotericism, and secrecy in the Star Trek universe.
Chapters
Intro (00:01:19)
Initial Thoughts (00:02:59)
The Naivety of Enterprise and Knowledge in the Interstellar Community (00:10:31)
Neoplatonist Gnostic Societies (00:14:10)
Janeway and the Omega Directive (00:18:02)
Different Types of Esotericism (00:20:16)
Simon Tarses, Julian Bashir and Defensive Esotericism (00:26:23)
Challenging the Notion of the Star Trek Universe as a Utopian Ideal (0030:56)
Captain Archer and Political Esotericism in A Night in Sickbay (00:37:44)
Deep Space Nine and the Federation Agenda (00:44:08)
Pedagogical Knowledge and The Traveler from TNG (00:48:31)
Parables, The Gospels, and Theological Esoteric Knowledge (00:53:24)
Geordi's Powerpoints and Pedagogical Clarity (00:58:36)
Klingon Tea Ceremonies and Performative Expressions of Knowledge (01:04:04)
Secret Societies and Secret Knowledge in the Star Trek Universe (01:05:47)
Young Tuvok and Pedagogical Esotericism (01:12:29)
Is the Q Continuum Q-soteric? (01:14:20)
Mysticism and the Vulcans (01:19:08)
Justified True Belief and Authentic Esotericism (01:23:35)
Closing (01:28:54)
Hosts
Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling
Production
Mike Morrison (Editor) Zachary Fruhling (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Shaw (Associate Producer) Mark Walker (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)
6 Apr 2020
97: A Real Butterfly
Philosophical Themes in Star Trek: Picard, Season 1.
The recently completed first season of Star Trek: Picard deals with an impressive amount of philosophical material in a mere ten episodes. In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss the philosophical themes and concepts within the premier season of Star Trek: Picard. From Rios's broody existentialism to the metaphysics of android neurons, join Zachary and Mike as they practice absolute candor in their discussion of Season 1 of Star Trek: Picard.
Chapters
Intro (00:01:19)
Initial Thoughts on Season One of Star Trek: Picard (00:03:15)
Broody Existentialism and Broken Characters (00:08:50)
Picard's Identity and Sartre's First Principle of Existentialism (00:16:08)
Aristotelian Acorns and Human Potential (00:29:23)
Stoicism and Order Out of Chaos (00:34:14)
Starfleet Isn't Starfleet Anymore (00:43:43)
Mortality and the Meaning of Life (00:46:30)
The "New" Transporter Problem and Consciousness (00:54:26)
Consequentialist Ethics and the Death of Bruce Maddox (01:03:15)
Philosophy of Mind and Synthetic Picard (01:05:45)
Philosophical Disappointments in Star Trek: Picard, Season One (01:11:17)
Closing (01:25:12)
Hosts
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison
Production
Mike Morrison (Editor) Zachary Fruhling (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Shaw (Associate Producer) Mark Walker (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager)
18 Nov 2019
96: Andorian Cowboys
Enterprise Season 1 - Essential Trek Philosophy.
Like the first season of any new television series, Season 1 of Enterprise struggled to find its footing, especially coming out of the the successful run of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager throughout the 1990s. And while Season 1 of Enterprise had important overarching themes, such as human technological progress, showing the Star Trek universe to be a possible future for us in the emerging 21st century, getting back to Star Trek's roots as a "wagon train to the stars," and building unity through diversity, Season 1 of Enterprise had several philosophically important episodes as well. In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling discuss the philosophical themes and compare their choices for Essential Trek Philosophy from Season 1 of Star Trek: Enterprise.
Chapters
Intro (00:01:19)
Initial Thoughts about Enterprise Season One (00:04:07)
Understanding the Larger Themes of Enterprise Season One (00:13:28)
Star Trek Post September 11th (00:23:52)
Terra Nova (00:27:02)
Dear Doctor (00:34:44)
The Andorian Incident (00:44:23)
Shuttlepod One (00:53:41)
Breaking the Ice (01:00:17)
Detained (01:09:42)
Honorable Mention: Fusion (01:14:03)
Final Thoughts on the History of Philosophy and Enterprise (01:14:50)
Recap of Essential Trek Philosophy (01:17:51)
Closing (01:18:38)
Hosts
Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling
Production
Mike Morrison (Editor) Zachary Fruhling (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Shaw (Associate Producer) Mark Walker (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)
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Apple Podcasts (US)
4.6 / 5
46 ratings
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