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Anyone who has watched a large amount of Star Trek has likely noticed various mentions of religions. All of the series mention ideas of faith and belief from time and again, but the later series (Deep Space Nine and Voyager), seem to have a particularly interesting view of religious devotion. It became rather evident to me while watching Voyager. Often times there seemed to be a certain disdain for religious ideas, and other times the characters seemed to be much more religious than I remember from the other series. Sure there are no Evangelical Christians or meditating Buddhists, but there is a Native American who shares his spiritual beliefs and rituals with others on the ship, and a Vulcan whose only recreational activity seems to be lighting candles and focusing on controlling his mind. Then there are episodes that seem to comment on religious individuals when the episode itself doesn't even touch on issues of faith. It raises a few questions:
  • Overall, is the portrayal of religious belief positive? Negative? Ambivalent?
  • Why do issues of spirituality and belief seem so out of place in the Star Trek world?
  • What did Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the Star Trek world think of religion? Does Voyager continue to represent his beliefs?
  • Does the way religion exists in Voyager reflect something about what was going on culturally in the US at the time?
  • What do other people think about these questions?

Research doesn't bring up much for an answer. There are a few books on the topic of religion in Trek, and some well-written fan essays discussing the way religion was treated by the various series, but little of it centers on Voyager, and the work that does centers on a few specific elements and ignore some of the more subtle aspects of religion in the show.

That's where this site comes in. I wanted to investigate the sometimes contradictory and very complex way religions, faith and spirituality are discussed on Star Trek: Voyager; to see how that treatment may diverge from the intentions of the show's universe's creator, and to find out what the show might suggest to viewers is the proper role of faith and belief today and in the future. One thing that many of the millions of Star Trek fans love about the franchise is the utopian view of the future and the tolerance practiced. IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) has always been a foundation for Star Trek.

My question: is religion afforded the same tolerance?

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