Maggie’s talk is called “The Inner Light”: The Alienation and Re-Membering of soma in Star Trek: The Next Generation
This paper will discuss the idea of soma, the appeal of Star Trek, and how in both the television series and films, soma has been alienated — designated to be illustrated in non-human characters. It will then use the episode from Star Trek: The Next Generation, “The Inner Light,” to examine how soma has been dismembered from the ideals of Starfleet, but how it can also be re-membered. In this episode, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is sent to live out a lifetime in a now extinct culture that died when it became too hot for life to exist. That culture’s idea to preserve its existence was to send a probe into space in order to find a teacher to tell others about their civilization. Reflecting that sentiment, this paper will discuss the importance of myth and depth psychology – including soma, and how Star Trek reflects our culture in all its imperfections.
About Maggie
Margaret (Maggie) Mendenhall, PhD, currently resides in Long Beach, California and is a graduate of Pacifica Graduate Institute’s Mythological Studies program. She is also currently a student in Pacifica’s Depth Psychology program, specializing in Jungian and Archetypal Studies. Margaret has presented papers on Star Trek-related topics at various conferences, including past Mythologiums; the Science Fictions, Popular Culture Academic Conference; the Association for the Study of Women and Mythology (ASWM); and Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association (PCA), for which she also serves as Area Chair for Psychology and Popular Culture. She writes a blog, My Daily Soul Trek, analyzing each Star Trek episode and film from the beginning in chronological order through a depth psychological perspective. She has written, performed, and produced two myth-based one-woman shows: Dancing to the Edge of a Cliff: A Mythical Journey Toward Wholeness, and Soul Trek: My Sci-Fi Journey Toward Wholeness, and produced and hosted the public access television series Myth Is All Around Us.
To hear Maggie’s talk and many others, join us at the Mythologium!
The Mythologium is a conference and retreat for mythologists and friends of myth, held July 29 – 31 via Zoom in the Pacific time zone.