And the Lord Human made Huey, Dewey, Louie, Wall-E, and Eve from the dust of excess. My SBL Abstract
Posted on February 23, 2012 at 1:47 pm by Dr. Jim
I’ve been working on an SBL paper proposal and just submitted it. It’s probably full of typos. As usual. And silliness. As usual.
Its for the “Scripture and Film” section. Never submitted a paper on movies before, so I’m kind of excited. I really hope they take it. Here is the abstract:
http://cigaretteburnscinema.blogspot.com
And the Lord Human made Huey, Dewey, Louie, Wall-E, and Eve from the dust of excess. The deification of humanity in Silent Running and Wall-E.
The 1972 film, Silent Running (dir. Douglas Trumbell) and the 2008 hit animated feature, Wall-E (dir. Andrew Stanton), revolve around themes of a future Earth unable to support vegetation. Both films freely adapt Genesis’s stories of paradise and Noah’s ark, albeit to different ends. Neither film is a warning about the death of humanity because of environmental damage, but a call to “enlightenment”, i.e., to knowledge of a true relationship between nature and humanity. Yet, both films undermine this truth even as it is asserted as they seemingly put an ignorant humanity in the place of a deity as creators of robots that carry “true” human ideals.
Silent Running is set aboard one of a number of giant spacecraft housing the last remnants of Earth’s forests. The story revolves around a crew member, Freeman Lowell and the ship’s three robots (named Huey, Dewey, and Louie). Enraged by an order to destroy the forest-domes so that the ship can return to commercial use, Lowell murders his crew-mates. Before committing suicide, he leaves one forest-dome in the care of Dewey. Silent Running’s idealistic but disturbing hero is both Adam and Cain but also God, in appointing Dewey to biblical Adam’s task of preserving the garden.
The 2008 hit animated feature, Wall-E stars an earth-bound machine and his robotic romantic interest, Eve. Wall-E is a kind of inverted Adam figure, cleaning up the planet after it was abandoned by humans until vegetation can grow again. Again, humanity is in no danger of extinction although they are unknowingly in the control of a computer system that does not want an Exodus back to earth. With children in its intended audience, Wall-E is a far more optimistic film.
The two films “humanize” the robots with emotions and they become idealized humans charged with a “sacred” mission on behalf of “natural” humanity. The films appear to be asking whether people can live up to the human potential of their own creations. As creators, however, humans assume the role of gods, but the two films differ on the potential of humanity to be restrained by the products of its own ingenuity.
http://www.wall-e-wallpaper.com/wall-e-wallpapers2.html
February 23, 2012 at 5:00 pm
You see, I think I should just let you set the title for my talk in May. I have been racking my brains trying to come up with something clever and funny, whereas I should perhaps leave that to someone with greater skill in that area!
February 24, 2012 at 10:15 am
Well, here are a few attempts:
“The Goat in God’s Eye: Themes of sacrifice in Science Fiction”
“Adama does not live by bread alone, unless he has a toaster: reconciliation of enemies in Battlestar Galactica”
“And the first shall be last: Theological reflections on whether there was a second shooter at all in the Star Wars Bar”
“The Trouble with Tribulations: Reproduction of/as apocalypticism in Sci-Fi.
February 24, 2012 at 11:41 am
OK, now I’m torn. I was thinking of doing something fairly general and lighthearted, focusing mainly on Star Trek but with some Doctor Who and other things thrown in. But now I really want to do a presentation with the title “Adama does not live by bread alone, unless he has a toaster: reconciliation of enemies in Battlestar Galactica”!!!
February 24, 2012 at 12:06 pm
General and Lighthearted is fine!
February 24, 2012 at 12:15 pm
What about these?
“Q & A(pollo): On Star Trek’s Exploration of Strange New and Very Familiar Gods”
“From Starfleet’s Scientific Salvation to Gallifreyan Gods: A Comparison of Religion on Star Trek and Doctor Who”
“The Enterprise Crew Met God, and The Doctor Met The Devil: A Comparison of Religion on Star Trek and Doctor Who”
“The Devil Beamed Down To Gallifrey: Examining Religion in Star Trek and Doctor Who”
“Professor Who Studies Religion and Sci-Fi: What I Really Do”
“God Loveth A Cheerful Redshirt: Reflections on Self-Sacrifice by Starfleet Security Personnel”
“Jesus Wore a Red Shirt: Self-Sacrifice in the Star Trek Universe”
“Religion and Science Fiction: It’s Not Just for Scientologists Any More!”
I’m kidding about some of them…I think.
February 24, 2012 at 12:48 pm
Brilliant! The last two really cracked me up!
Actually, the first 4 would be great titles for a talk!
The room we books is very well wired with a PC, data projector sound etc., so no worries there.
How about these:
“Dr. Who’s on Third Rock from the Sun? Intertextuality in the Physical, Temporal and Generic Space between Heaven and Earth.”
“Resistance is Faith-based: Scientists as the Borg and the affirmation of the irrational human spirit in Star Trek”
“‘Space: the faithful frontier’ How science fiction is religious fiction”
“Can Replicators serve Communion? Can it be done in Space as it is in Heaven?”
We have to get another book done!