cover image Sacred Space: The Quest for Transcendence in Science Fiction Film and Television

Sacred Space: The Quest for Transcendence in Science Fiction Film and Television

Douglas E. Cowan, Baylor Univ., $24.95 paper (326p) ISBN 978-1-60258-238-5

Cowan, a professor of religious studies at Renison University College, University of Waterloo, has investigated the intersections of religion and culture in previous books (Sacred Terror). He now turns an academic eye to science fiction movies and TV and what the genre reveals about human ideas of transcendence, examining such shows as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the recently remade Battlestar Galactica alongside such movies as Contact and Blade Runner. While some concepts are treated more harshly than others—Cowan critiques several Christian films for their anthropocentric transcendent ideals—the author provides an intriguing and entertaining look into some of the questions that science fiction raises, especially what it means to be human, and sometimes more than human. Robots may be a common enemy in science fiction, but to Cowan, they also represent our fears, and hopes, of going beyond natural and social limits. While possibly better suited to a classroom than a general reader's bookshelf, even casual Trekkies and sci-fi buffs will be engaged by Cowan's interpretations and possibilities. (Aug.)