Our monthly educational series exploring the spiritual, philosophical, moral and ethical implications of Star Trek returns with special guest Roger Nygard, director of "Trekkies" and "Trekkies 2" on Sunday, February 28 at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church of Encino.  Also joining us that night will be Professor Daryl Frazetti (featured in the "Trekkies" documentaries).

The Spirit Of Star Trek is co-hosted by Academy Award-winning makeup artist Michael Westmore and Rev. Curtis Webster. Each month, we screen an episode from one of the five Star Trek series and then discuss the episode with a special guest (or guests) associated with the episode.

Our first session on March 1 with Armin Shimerman and Max Grodenchik yielded an evening of great conversation and reflection on the meaning of Ferengi spirituality.

Our second session on March 29 featured the incomparable Ethan Phillips with a discussion of the Voyager episode, "Mortal Coil."   We had an amazing discussion (with heavy audience participation) on cultural views of the afterlife and the existential quest for meaning in spite of doubt.

With Robert O'Reilly's appearance on April 26, we screened "Rightful Heir" from Star Trek: The Next Generation and explored, among other topics, the Shakespearean roots of Klingons and the separation of church and state.

Rod Roddenberry's appearance on June 14 led to a wide-ranging discussion of Gene's vision, with some very intriuging insights into the spiritual and mythological dimensions of Star Trek.

Chase Masterson graced our stage on September 20, along with James Kerwin, director and writer of the upcoming sci-fi noir, "Yesterday Was A Lie."   We talked about journeys of faith, alternate realities, and the growing evidence that science and theology have much to learn from each other.

         Michael Westmore                     Curtis Webster

Robert Picardo's visit in October yielded a fascinating discussion of the evolution of the Emergency Medical Hologram (otherwise known as "The Doctor") from Star Trek: Voyager as we viewed and analyzed "Latent Image," the episode in which The Doctor was forced to face the very human challenge of ethical conflict.

We closed out our 2009 schedule in November with a visit from John Billingsley from Enterprise as we analyzed the ethical dilemma presented to Dr. Phlox in "Dear Doctor."  We delved deep into medical ethics and had a great time while we did it!

The Spirit Of Star Trek is free of charge (although donations are quite welcome). Seating is limited. Please call Amber at (818) 788-1147 to make a reservation.