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This study addresses itself to the need for stories and myths in the lives of modem humans. Myth is seen as an organizing framework upon which the facts of our daily existence are organized into a psychologically meaningful narrative. Western society has chosen science as its organizing paradigm, driving mythic awareness into the collective unconscious. Jungian theory provides an understanding of the compensatory nature of the unconscious and of the ability of myth to offset the over-valuation of science. Science fiction serves the function of a modem myth, helping to balance and bridge the often-competing perspectives of science and myth. Science fiction builds upon science as a familiar and trusted paradigm, allowing us to range from this base into mythic areas that reconnect with the ancient energies of the archetypes. Jungian theory suggests that if opposites are held in tension long enough, a transcendence occurs in which the opposites are combined into a new paradigm which values each pole as an integral part of the greater whole. In this theoretical study I used the tool of Joseph Campbell's hero's journey to explore the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) as a modem myth. The series as a whole was examined for com ensatory psychological meanings. Four major characters representing the machine, the feminine human, the masculine human, and the god were examined archetypally. The model of the crew collectively as archetypal Hero emerged as a major theme, providing balance to the stereotypic Western notion of the lone hero on a solitary journey. TNG emerged as providing images of a human future in which science and myth are more integrated. Finally, the concept of the crew as Hero gave rise to a theoretical model for analytical work with projections.
In the past, the examination of myth has traditionally been the study of the "Primitive" or the "Other." More recently, myth has been increasingly employed in movies and in television productions. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Star Trek television and movie franchise. This collection of essays on Star Trek brings together perspectives from scholars in fields including film, anthropology, history, American studies and biblical scholarship. Together the essays examine the symbolism, religious implications, heroic and gender archetypes, and lasting effects of the Star Trek "mythscape."
Today's media, cinema and TV screens are host to new manifestations of myth, their modes of storytelling radically transformed from those of ancient Greece. They present us with narratives of contemporary customs and belief systems: our modern-day myths. This book argues that the tools of transmedia merchandising and promotional material shape viewers' experiences of the hit television series Star Trek, to reinforce the mythology of the gargantuan franchise. Media marketing utilises the show's method of recycling the narratives of classical heritage, yet it also looks forward to the future. In this way, it reminds consumers of the Star Trek story's ongoing centrality within popular culture, whether in the form of the original 1960s series, the later additions such as Voyager and Discovery or J. J. Abrams' `reboot' films. Chapters examine how oral and literary traditions have influenced the series structure and its commercial image, how the cosmological role of humanity and the Earth are explored in title sequences across various Star Trek media platforms, and the multi-faceted way in which Internet, video game and event spin-offs create rituals to consolidate the space opera's fan base. Fusing key theory from film, TV, media and folklore studies, as well as anthropology and other specialisms, To Boldly Go is an authoritative guide to the function of myth across the whole Star Trek enterprise.
The beginning of the twenty-first century has already seen its fair share of modern myths with heroes such as Spider-Man, Superman, and Harry Potter. The authors in this volume deconstruct, discuss, engage, and interrogate the mythologies of the new millennium in science fiction fantasy texts. Using literary and rhetorical criticism - paired with philosophy, cultural studies, media arts, psychology, and communication studies - they illustrate the function, value, and role of new mythologies, and show that the universal appeal of these texts is their mythic power, drawing upon archetypes of the past which resonate with individuals and throughout culture. In this way they demonstrate how mythology is timeless and eternal.
Focusing primarily on the television series Star Trek, the Next Generation, Richards discusses the elements of the Star Trek series which enable it to successfully create a coherent universe, including the political structure, the psychology of individual characters, the stories and myths, the sense of religion, and how and why the various parts fit together.