Meta Treks 35: Wesley's Inferno / by Trek fm

The Divine Comedy.

Running Time: 1 hour 44 minutes 59 seconds
Download / RSS / Send us a message / Discuss the show / Support Trek.fm

In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss the classic work of literature The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri and its relevance to the Star Trek universe. Dante's semi-autobiographical, mythical tale of a redemptive and self-reflective journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise, led by the poet Virgil (Dante's symbol of human reason) and the lady Beatrice (Dante's symbol of divine love), has become an archetypal metaphor for going astray and being led back to one's true path.

Many characters in the Star Trek universe have gone astray, whether literally as in the case of the Voyager crew lost in the Delta Quadrant, or metaphorically as in the case of characters with deep personal struggles, such as Wesley Crusher, Worf, and Benjamin Sisko. These and other Star Trek characters who have gone astray are frequently visited by quasi-mystical messengers, analogous to Virgil and Beatrice in The Divine Comedy, who lead them on a journey and back to their own true and unique paths.

Chapters

Welcome to Episode 35 (00:01:06)
Initial Thoughts on The Divine Comedy and Star Trek (00:01:45)
The Doctor's Inferno (00:04:55)
"Shattered" and Other Dante References in Star Trek (00:09:31)
Virgil [Human Reason] and Beatrice [Divine Love] (00:17:16)
Wesley's Inferno (00:21:47)
Comparing Kirk/Spock/McCoy with Dante/Virgil/Beatrice (00:27:09)
Virgil and Beatrice [Picard and Troi] on the Enterprise-D (00:33:52)
"Midway Through Life's Journey" (00:50:31)
Voyager - Tom Paris, Captain Janeway, and Harry Kim (00:57:11)
Worf's Inferno (01:05:51)
Benjamin's Inferno (01:15:38)
Other Examples and Final Thoughts (01:26:43)

Hosts

Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison

Production

Mike Morrison (Editor and Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Janeway (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)

More Recent Episodes of Meta Treks...
Meta Treks 98: Geordi's Pedagogically Esoteric PowerPoint Presentations
Meta Treks 98: Geordi's Pedagogically Esoteric PowerPoint Presentations

Gnosticism, Esotericism, and Secrecy in Star Trek. We explore the many forms of secret and forbidden knowledge, esoteric cultural practices, and hush-hush political agendas in the Star Trek universe.

Meta Treks 97: A Real Butterfly
Meta Treks 97: A Real Butterfly

Philosophical Themes in Star Trek: Picard, Season 1. We explore an impressive list of philosophical themes and concepts in the first season of the recently completed first season of Star Trek: Picard.

Meta Treks 96: Andorian Cowboys
Meta Treks 96: Andorian Cowboys

Enterprise Season 1 - Essential Trek Philosophy. We discuss the overarching themes and our top choices for Essential Trek Philosophy from Star Trek: Enterprise, Season 1.

Meta Treks 95: Eternity is Passé
Meta Treks 95: Eternity is Passé

Death Wish. We discuss the philosophical themes in the second-season Voyager episode "Death Wish," the question of meaning as it relates to death and immortality in the Q Continuum, and "Death Wish" as a well-developed example of Nietzschean philosophy.

Meta Treks 94: Where Are the 24th-Century Space Hippies?
Meta Treks 94: Where Are the 24th-Century Space Hippies?

Utopianism in Star Trek. We discuss the optimistic vision of the future depicted in the Star Trek universe, the dark side of utopianism, and whether Star Trek should be seen as a modern-day take on a futuristic Plato's Republic.

Meta Treks 93: In a Relevantly Similar Possible Universe, I Would Always Have Been Your Friend, Jim
Meta Treks 93: In a Relevantly Similar Possible Universe, I Would Always Have Been Your Friend, Jim

Alternate Universes and Modal Realism. We discuss modal realism, the philosophical view that alternate universes or "possible worlds" really exist, through the lens of Star Trek.

Meta Treks 92: Prepaid Long-Distance Mind Meld
Meta Treks 92: Prepaid Long-Distance Mind Meld

Discovery Season 1 - Essential Trek Philosophy. We discuss the philosophical themes in the first season of Star Trek: Discovery.

Meta Treks 91: Get That Whale Some Gumbo
Meta Treks 91: Get That Whale Some Gumbo

Equality and Equal Rights. We discuss the philosophy of equality and equal rights in the United Federation of Planets, from the different senses of equality such as moral equality and equality of opportunity to equal rights for non-humanoid life forms.

Meta Treks 90: ODD (Omniscience Deficit Disorder)
Meta Treks 90: ODD (Omniscience Deficit Disorder)

The Q Continuum. We give a philosophical analysis of the Q Continuum and the deity-like attributes of the Q.

Meta Treks 89: Faustian Horseback Ride
Meta Treks 89: Faustian Horseback Ride

Philosophical Themes in "The Cage." We discuss the philosophical themes in the unaired pilot episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, including the existential burdens of making choices and being in command, and the nature of human happiness.

Meta Treks 88: Spock's Altered States of Consciousness
Meta Treks 88: Spock's Altered States of Consciousness

The Original Series Season 1 - Essential Trek Philosophy. We discuss our top picks for Essential Trek Philosophy from season 1 of Star Trek: The Original Series.

Meta Treks 87: These Are the Redacted Voyages
Meta Treks 87: These Are the Redacted Voyages

Philosophical Themes in "These Are the Voyages." We explore themes of historical lessons and conflicting ethical duties in the finale of Star Trek: Enterprise, "These Are the Voyages."

Meta Treks 86: Pandora's Stasis Chamber
Meta Treks 86: Pandora's Stasis Chamber

Good vs. Evil in Star Trek. We discuss the nature of evil in the Star Trek universe, including examples of supposedly evil characters such as Armus from "Skin of Evil," the Borg Queen, and the Pah-Wraiths.

Meta Treks 85: The Pen Is Mightier Than the Bat'leth
Meta Treks 85: The Pen Is Mightier Than the Bat'leth

The Visitor. We discuss the philosophical themes in the Deep Space Nine episode, "The Visitor," including the relationship between creative writing, lived experience, and what the German philosopher Martin Heidegger called "Being-in-the-World."

Meta Treks 84: Meta-Metaphoric
Meta Treks 84: Meta-Metaphoric

TNG Season 5 - Essential Trek Philosophy. We compare our top picks for Essential Trek Philosophy from season 5 of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Meta Treks 83: Caesar of the Stars
Meta Treks 83: Caesar of the Stars

The Conscience of the King. We discuss the themes of moral responsibility and personal identity over time in "The Conscience of the King" (Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 1).

Meta Treks 82: Hasta La Vista, Baby
Meta Treks 82: Hasta La Vista, Baby

Drone Warfare and "The Arsenal of Freedom." We discuss ethical issues related to automated warfare and the commodification of war in "The Arsenal of Freedom" (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 1).

Meta Treks 81: Katric Six Pack
Meta Treks 81: Katric Six Pack

Vulcan Katras and the Mind-Body Problem. We give a philosophical analysis of the metaphysics of Vulcan katras in relation to the mind-body problem in philosophy.

Meta Treks 80: The Pros and the Khans
Meta Treks 80: The Pros and the Khans

Deep Space Nine Season 5 - Essential Trek Philosophy. We compare our choices for Essential Trek Philosophy from season 5 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Meta Treks 79: The Redshirt Edition
Meta Treks 79: The Redshirt Edition

The Philosophy of Color in Star Trek. From the physics of light to the physiology of color perception, we discuss the philosophy of color in the Star Trek universe and why exactly the infamous Redshirt uniforms are red.

Meta Treks 78: How Do You Say 'Wall' in Klingon?
Meta Treks 78: How Do You Say 'Wall' in Klingon?

Philosophical Themes in Star Trek: Discovery, Episodes 1 and 2.  Fresh on the heels of the premier of Star Trek: Discovery, we discuss Discovery's 23rd-century social and political commentary on our 21st-century world today.

Meta Treks 77: Stewards of the Continuum
Meta Treks 77: Stewards of the Continuum

Property Ownership in *Star Trek*. We discuss the philosophy and economics of property ownership in 24th-century Federation society.

Meta Treks 76: Essential Ennui
Meta Treks 76: Essential Ennui

Voyager Season 5 - Essential Trek Philosophy. We discuss ennui (boredom) in the season 5 opener "Night" and our recommendations for Essential Trek Philosophy from Voyager season 5.

Meta Treks 75: Kindergarten Calculus
Meta Treks 75: Kindergarten Calculus

Star Trek Philosophy of Education. In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss 24th century philosophy of education in Star Trek.

Meta Treks 74: Tell Me a Story
Meta Treks 74: Tell Me a Story

Narratives and Metanarratives in Star Trek. Hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling discuss the use of narratives and metanarratives, or the grand unifying narratives, of the Star Trek universe.

Meta Treks 73: Space Ham Radio
Meta Treks 73: Space Ham Radio

Pen Pals. In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss the second-season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Pen Pals," interpreting the Prime Directive, and 24th-century ham radio in space.

Meta Treks 72: Trojan Catfish
Meta Treks 72: Trojan Catfish

Enterprise Season 2 - Essential Trek Philosophy. Hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling recount their choices for Essential Trek Philosophy from season 2 of Enterprise, along with proverbial life lessons learned from this season.

Meta Treks 71: Borg Butterfly Effect
Meta Treks 71: Borg Butterfly Effect

Future Human Cultural Evolution with Patrick Devlin. In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison are joined by Meta Treks associate producer Patrick Devlin to discuss cultural progression in the Star Trek universe.

Meta Treks 70: The Clothes Make the Cardassian
Meta Treks 70: The Clothes Make the Cardassian

Cardassian Virtue Ethics. In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling discuss uniquely Cardassian character traits and what we can learn about our own human natures from the Cardassians in the Star Trek universe.

Meta Treks 69: Turn On, Tune In, Beam Down
Meta Treks 69: Turn On, Tune In, Beam Down

"Rapture" and Altered States of Consciousness.  Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss ineffable moments of insight and clarity, duck-rabbit Gestalt shifts, the ethics of medical intervention, and the power of positive thinking.