The Scopes Monkey Trial, Inherit the Wind, and DS9’s “In the Hands of the Prophets.”
Running Time: 1 hour 41 minutes 25 seconds
Download / RSS / Send us a message / Discuss the show / Support Trek.fm
The trial of US high school teacher John Scopes in 1925 was perhaps the definitive 20th-century showdown between religion and science. Indicted for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution in defiance of creationist state law, Scopes turned the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, into the center of a political carnival. Household names headed up the legal teams on both sides, vast crowds packed into the courthouse, and performing chimps were stationed outside among the lemonade stands to provide entertainment for those who couldn't get a ringside seat.
In this episode of Primitive Culture, host Duncan Barrett is joined by Clara Cook to look at how the Scopes Trial—and it’s most well-known cinematic recreation in the lightly fictionalized 1960 film Inherit the Wind—featured as a major inspiration for Deep Space Nine’s Season-One finale, “In the Hands of the Prophets.” Penned by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, this classic episode eschewed the temptation of a shocking cliffhanger ending in favor of a complex political and philosophical drama which staked a claim to the kind of show DS9 would go on to be.
Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Inherit the Wind (00:04:25)
Fire and Brimstone (00:29:05)
Galileo, Galileo (01:06:40)
Religious Education (01:28:30)
Host
Duncan Barrett
Guest
Clara Cook
Production
Tony Black (Editor) Duncan Barrett (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer)
Music in Star Trek. We take a look at how Trek’s underscore has developed over more than half a century with musicologists Jessica Getman and Evan Ware.
Half a Decade of Primitive Culture. In this special episode, recorded earlier this year, we look back on the podcast and how Star Trek has changed in the time we’ve been podcasting.
Cardassian war crimes and The Man in the Glass Booth. We look at the DS9 episode “Duet” alongside The Man in the Glass Booth, as well as the presentation of war crimes in Star Trek more generally.
Autistic representation in Star Trek. We look at Trek’s history of (accidental) representation of neurodiversity, considering characters such as Data, Seven of Nine, Reginald Barclay, and Sylvia Tilly.
Star Trek’s Double Troubles. We look doppelgängers and duplicates from The Original Series through Lower Decks.
Trans Representation in Star Trek. We look at how Star Trek accidentally addressed the topic in TNG and DS9.
The Alien franchise and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. We take a look at “All Those Who Wander” alongside the Alien franchise.
How Star Trek’s leaders reflect our own. We talk about the parallels between Star Trek’s leaders and our own, and ask whether Star Trek has finally managed to marry the military ethos of Starfleet with the business of intergalactic politics.
Star Trek’s backdoor pilots. We take a look at the original attempt to establish a spinoff series, “Assignment: Earth,” as well as more recent examples including Strange New Worlds and more potential offspring of Discovery.
What if it wasn’t the Vulcans who made first contact? In honor of First Contact Day, we imagine how things might have played out for humanity had it been the Klingons, Romulans, or others passing by on April 5, 2063.