Who Watches The Watchers?

[Brother Jeff]

Who Watches the Watchers?

 

"Who Watches the Watchers?" is my absolute favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation episode not only because it is very entertaining, but because it deals with the issue of god belief. In the episode, Starfleet has an undercover surveillance team on the planet that is observed by one of the primitive natives - the Mentaukans - when an accident occurs and the holographic generator fails. Dr. Crusher beams up to the Enterprise with the injured alien, who observes Captain Picard in sickbay, and believes him to be a god - one of the Overseers of ancient Mentaukan myth. The episode goes on to expose and explore the dangers of god belief - religious violence, the unknown and unknowable will of god, guilt, shame, ignorance, fear, etc. - all of which are present in our own religions.

 

Religion places a terrible burden on the world. It causes much human suffering and it then feeds upon it. Fundamentalist fanatics of one stripe terrorize us with guns and bombs in the name of their god while fundamentalist fanatics of another stripe preach fear, guilt, shame, and ignorance from their pulpits in the name of their god. In the end, they are all the same. They wish to shape the world in their god's image because they cannot deal with the world - REALITY - as it is. This is clear not only in terms of religious violence, but in terms of religious opposition to science and scientific and social progress.

 

Religion is absurd, and as Voltaire observed, "If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities". The history of religion bears Voltaire's observation out. It already had done so many times over when he lived.

 

Religion preaches fear. Religion, as George Carlin humorously observed, has actually convinced people that an Invisible Man lives in the Sky. According to religion, if we don't fear this Man and give him a lot of money, he will barbeque us forever in a flaming torture chamber.

 

Religion preaches guilt and shame. Religion teaches that we are so bad - so flawed - that we deserve to be eternally tortured.

 

Religion teaches that the will of god is knowable. This belief feeds religious guilt, shame, and fear because in reality the will of god is not knowable (because god does not exist), and the more one prays to know the will of god and the longer the silence from god continues, the deeper the religious guilt, shame, and fear run. It's a vicious cycle that can be very hard to break out of. I know because I have been there.

 

Religion teaches and stands for ignorance. Religion does nothing but hold back scientific progress. That has historically been the case, and it continues to be so today. The Christian Church was directly responsible for the Dark Ages, and it continues to oppose science today to varying degrees. The Catholic Church has admitted the validity of evolutionary science, but ignorant fundamentalists continue to oppose it, continually repackaging their creationist beliefs in ways they hope will be more acceptable to believers and the public at large. Such is the case with the Intelligent Design movement. It's nothing but religion - creationism - under another name. Religion teaches that physical and mental illness is caused by evil spooks. Faith healers continue to make millions of dollars off of gullible religious believers by promising them healing by casting the devil or his evil spooks out of them in exchange for donations - whether required or not. Their shows are elaborate and entertaining, but the appeals for money never stop!

 

Religion stands for dishonesty, from the clergy to the creationists. Religion stands for greed. Religion stands for tyranny over the minds of men. Religion stands for... this essay could be much longer than it is! So, without further ado, please enjoy "Who Watches the Watchers?", the finest episode of Star Trek:TNG ever made, in my humble opinion:

 

http://www.religionisbullshit.org/video/watchers.wmv

[Friendly neighborhood atheist]

Another excellent post!

Man, I'm really liking this site. Wish I found it sooner.

 

Yea, I'm a bit of a closet Trek fan myself, geek badge of honor and all.

 

A lot of people don't know this but Gene Roddenberry was an avid atheist.

It's a "duh" moment when you look at his influence on the show,

and even moreso the original 60's Star Trek.

While respectful of his lead actor's personal views,

(Shatner and Nimoy were -a nd are - both jewish)

he wrote about a future where humanity seemed to outgrow the need for gods.

There was precious little reference to the subject, excepting where it

was somehow refuted or debunked by a natural explanation.

 

Another Next Generation episode that deals with this theme

was the one about Ardra, the female "devil" who came back to collect

on a 1,000 year old contract on a planet that had turned it's back on technology

in order to "save itself" (ahem). Remember that one?

Right before the eyes of the NG bridgecrew she morphed into

the devil, "Feklar" the klingon devil figure, and couple other demonic figures

from other races within the Star Trek universe.

Picard is never fooled, not one bit. He eventually (with the help of his crew)

finds the real source of her power and exposes her at a trial,

not the least of which by putting on a show where he "steals" her powers,

and recreates her "miracles" at will.

 

After Gene Roddenberry died, the guys who took over

eventually came up with and wrote much of the story arc of "Deep Space 9".

It deals a whole helluva lot more with religion, mainly the Bajorian one,

about the prophets - but it has a very spiritual side, WAY more than Roddenberry would have liked.

Despite that, it still has that nice atheist "out"; the prophets (Bajor's gods)

were really just some strange "worm-hole aliens", and not gods.

I also liked the fact that the later seasons had the evil Dominion,

where the soldiers (Jem-Hadar) and the middlemen (Vorta) were

PROGRAMMED SINCE CONCEPTION to believe the founders (the changlings) were "gods".

Oh what delicious commentary this makes on we 21st century humans.

 

Anywho - enjoyed your post, thanks for inspiring me to ramble too!

-Greg FNA

[Lycorth]

Great post! The writers of ST: TNG and Voyager really touched on the futility of religious nonsense a few times and did so brilliantly. I for one Star Trek.

[sonofspong]

Yeah, i remember "Watchers" episode. A pretty good one, at that.

 

Another great episode that delt with blind faith was (i forgot the name of the episode) this one where the Enterprise comes upon seemingly utopian planet, where everyone is happy, healthy, and good looking, and there there is no crime.

 

Of course, there is a catch to this utopia. The reason that there is no crime is because even the smallest of offenses (ie walking on the grass) will get the offender almost instantly executed via lethal injection, right there on the spot. Of course, everyones favorite superboy, Wesly Crusher, decides to walk on the grass (seriously, no joke) bringing the police upon him. Picard and the enterprise aren't too keen on letting aliens kill Wesley for such a stupid offense, so they they decide to beam the hell out.

 

Just one slight problem. The Utopian planet is guarded by a seemingly god-like being, whom the aliens worship. This being keeps Picard and co. stuck on the planet, to answer to the wrath of the pissed off aliens.

 

So, Picard, using his uber Picard intellect, basically says "you're an idiot, your worshipers are idiots, and we are way better than you cuz we're not stupid enough to kill people for walking on grass. BITCH!!!" The god sees the logic in Picards speech, and lets them go.

 

Picard proves hes better than god. Rock on Picard.

[white_raven23]

*Sigh*

 

Well.....I was putting off buying the TNG Seasons on DVD until they were cheaper.......

 

Boy that notion just flew out the window!!!

 

Thanks a heap you guys!

 

My favorite OS Trek novels: Uhura's Song, Vulcan Academy Murders, Spock's World

[SkepticOfBible]

A lot of people don't know this but Gene Roddenberry was an avid atheist.

I had pretty much guessed that, but now I know

[pandora]

Oh dude... I LOVE that episode. I also like the one where Warf tries to decide if he believes in his culture's messiah figure or not... I forget the name of it. I think it was something like.. oh shit. I really do forget. I actually used to know the name of it.

[godlessgrrl]

It always amazed me how ST:TNG was able to touch on so many current events and human issues without necessarily going into them overtly. The ST shows have a huge reputation for being these corny, geeky, even campy things sometimes; but truth is that they were all amazingly well-written. I also appreciate that ST:TNG ended up going the direction Roddenberry originally wanted ST to go - compare any post-first season ST:TNG with the pilot of ST. The pilot was way more cerebral than later ST episodes were.

 

But I digress.

 

I think the whole thing with the Q Continuum was a commentary on the gods. I mean in some sense, the Q were gods, as humans understand deities: immortal, all-powerful, all-knowing, occasionally pop down to meddle in human affairs, often fucking things up bigtime. In this context I thought the episode of ST:Voyager where the Q member wanted to become human so he could die was an interesting one. If I remember right, the Q were plagued by a deep sense of interminable ennui, and he wanted out. Seems godhood ain't all it's cracked up to be, eh?

 

Anyhoo. I miss that show sometimes. Though at other times I'm glad it ended when it did, because it never jumped the shark. Better to end on a roll than tank out after 20 seasons.

[pandora]

Heh...I thought Enterprise did tank. It was okay, I suppose... but definitely not as good as the previous incarnations.

[Thurisaz]

Yup, that TNG ep is one of my favorites too. Read: One of the few I try to catch when it re-airs here.

 

By and larged I've dropped Trek for good but there are exceptions. Every now and then one likes a change from goo' ol' B5

[godlessgrrl]

Heh...I thought Enterprise did tank. It was okay, I suppose... but definitely not as good as the previous incarnations.

 

Hmm... I never actually saw Enterprise, believe it or not. I stopped watching ST at all partway through Voyager, because it just got too frustrating.

 

I realize now as I'm reading my post that it was a bit ambiguous which series I was referring to as "never jumping the shark" - but for clarification I meant that ST:TNG never did. It ended when it was still good.

[Jaded]

Every now and then one likes a change from goo' ol' B5

 

 

B5 was another great show...haven't seen it in years though, need to rent it.

 

I believe Roddenberry also intended the borg to be statement on christianity or religion in general. The idea of giving up your own mind or at least individuality and being hell bent on the idea of dragging others into your group because what you believe is right.

[Lycorth]

Eh... can a show like ST:TNG ever have really "tanked"? I mean, the Simpsons are still going after what, sixteen years - and they're still funny!

 

Voyager would've had a limited lifespan, due to the nature of the plot, but if they didn't make quite so many big leaps home they easily could've squeezed a half dozen seasons or more out of it. Then again, I don't bore easily of things I like, and I can watch the same thing over and over and still be pleased.

 

As a side note, I thought Jeri Ryan was a looker but had it more for Kate Mulgrew. Come here, Captain, I've got a log for ya

 

And B5 - another show that I can watch ad infinitum. When I think of shows like that it makes me really see how badly TV sucks today.

[Checkmate]

Thanks for the post and the link, Bro Jeff! I had never seen this episode. (I'm an old school Star Trek bigot, I suppose. I prefer Kirk and Spock. Sue me. )

 

Anyway, I couldn't help but be impressed how this episode drove home the point that FUNDAMENTALISM = FEAR. In very short order the one native dude who got beamed aboard and healed, became a Fundie nutbar, calling for strict obedience, sacrifice and murder to appease The Picard. Even though he couldn't possibly know Picard's Will. I saw Christianity and Islam all over that line of thought. Excellent show.

[I Broke Free]

"Who Watches the Watchers?" is my absolute favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation episode

 

Brother Jeff, that episode became my favorite from the first day I saw it. Thank you for starting a thread on it.

 

For me, the message of that program was how dangerous religion really is. The tribe of people where desperate to ‘appease’ their new god, Picard; but how? With no direct communication many assumed they must make some kind of sacrifice to him! How familiar does that sound?

 

IBF

[BlueGiant]

Personally, I like the one where Q plays god in a most literal sense, offering Picard a "second chance" when he goes through another heart. More of a be careful what you wish for thing, but still, a very nice episode. Well that and even if there are gods, they (the Q) can be a real bunch of dicks.

[DucorpsToo]

Personally, I like the one where Q plays god in a most literal sense, offering Picard a "second chance" when he goes through another heart. More of a be careful what you wish for thing, but still, a very nice episode. Well that and even if there are gods, they (the Q) can be a real bunch of dicks.

 

So true and totally not surprising. After all, I presume that an omnipotent, immortal entity would plagued by absolute boredom at times. And as the old adage goes...idle hands are the devil's workshop

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

I'll definately have to check out that episode. Thanks.

[Caretaker]

Cool..... I have that episode recorded if anyone wants to email me about it.....

 

--------------

 

Oh..... I just now saw BJ's link to the WMV...... If you can't do WMV, well, you can still email me anyways

 

Another Next Generation episode that deals with this theme

was the one about Ardra, the female "devil" who came back to collect

on a 1,000 year old contract on a planet that had turned it's back on technology

in order to "save itself" (ahem). Remember that one?

Right before the eyes of the NG bridgecrew she morphed into

the devil, "Feklar" the klingon devil figure, and couple other demonic figures

from other races within the Star Trek universe.

Picard is never fooled, not one bit. He eventually (with the help of his crew)

finds the real source of her power and exposes her at a trial,

not the least of which by putting on a show where he "steals" her powers,

and recreates her "miracles" at will.

This episode is called Devil's Due, which I believe might also be recorded.

 

Yeah, i remember "Watchers" episode. A pretty good one, at that.

 

Another great episode that delt with blind faith was (i forgot the name of the episode) this one where the Enterprise comes upon seemingly utopian planet, where everyone is happy, healthy, and good looking, and there there is no crime.

 

Of course, there is a catch to this utopia. The reason that there is no crime is because even the smallest of offenses (ie walking on the grass) will get the offender almost instantly executed via lethal injection, right there on the spot. Of course, everyones favorite superboy, Wesly Crusher, decides to walk on the grass (seriously, no joke) bringing the police upon him. Picard and the enterprise aren't too keen on letting aliens kill Wesley for such a stupid offense, so they they decide to beam the hell out.

Justice

 

Personally, I like the one where Q plays god in a most literal sense, offering Picard a "second chance" when he goes through another heart. More of a be careful what you wish for thing, but still, a very nice episode. Well that and even if there are gods, they (the Q) can be a real bunch of dicks.

Tapestry

[euphgeek]

Against the stereotype, me being a computer geek, I never really got into any of the Star Trek shows or movies, but I happened to see this episode one time on TV, and I agree that it was a very good episode. I didn't see it from the beginning, though, so thank you, Brother Jeff, for putting it on your website for me to see in its entirety.

[Thurisaz]

I believe Roddenberry also intended the borg to be statement on christianity or religion in general. The idea of giving up your own mind or at least individuality and being hell bent on the idea of dragging others into your group because what you believe is right.

 

Dunno, I just can't ignore what looks like damn good proof that the TNG makes just copied a certain other concept to create their Borg... compare the standard Borg cube with this:

 

 

That's one of the "Fragment Ships" of the Posbis (positronical/biological robots) of the Perry Rhodan story. The Posbis are basically robots, but with a capsule filled with organic nerve/brain tissue that enables them to have emotions and creativity just like human beings... their ships look like, well, see above, are usually of enormous size and mind-boggling firepower. Sound familiar, no? The Posbis even have a "trademark phrase" like the Borg, it's just a bit shorter - "Are you True Life?" instead of "You will be assimilated"...

 

However, the Borg certainly are a good symbol of monotheistic madness cults in general...

[Interested Atheist]

Another good Star Trek TNG episode to use to discuss religion is "Drumhead Trial", season 4. In this, a routine investigation into spies on the Enterprise is turned into a witchhunt by a special investigator whose accusations become more and more paranoid, eventually attacking Picard as an enemy of the Federation. The lesson? Well, as Picard said at the end of the show to Worf, "Vigilance - that is the price we must continually pay."

 

What has this got to do with religion? Right now, I'm thinking about Creationism and ID. I'm also thinking about the wall between Church and State, and the idea of a theocracy. This episode is a demonstration of how a system designed to be fair to people and open to inquiry can be subverted by someone with an agenda. Science, in the battle with religion, has a weakness - it is open-minded and prepared to doubt. Religion is certain, and prepared to do whatever it has to in order to spread that certainty - like a lawyer whose duty is to get a conviction, not find out "the truth". Religion already knows the truth; now it just has to find a way - any way will do - to convince people.

 

Ahem. Sorry for the little rant there. Hello everybody.

[Friendly neighborhood atheist]

Actually Interested Atheist,

that was a very good point and well written.

I'm very new to the board myself,

so I'm hardly qualified to say this,

but "welcome to the board!"

 

Greg, AKA "Friendly neighborhood atheist".

[Interested Atheist]

Thanks for the welcome, Greg!

 

I would have stopped by elsewhere on the forum and introduced myself first, but I saw this thread discussing star trek AND christianity, so I had to join in.

See you later!