Page - 9 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 06/01

powers and superheroes. More than this, science fiction is sometimes connected, directly or incidentally, to the exploration of religion, faith, or belief. This issue of the Journal for Religion, Film and Media examines these themes by focusing on science fiction in films and TV-series, including both historical and con- temporary case studies. The basic questions at the core of the articles are: How do films deal with the origin(s) of humankind? Does a machine (a robot, a computer, an android, or a ship) have a soul? What about the concepts of determinism versus free will, the bounds between faith, magic, and experimentation? How do films deal with God/god(s) and the figure of the savior, with prophets, priests, imams, or rabbis? How can ideas of time travel and the afterlife be linked with established religious beliefs? How can science be related to faith? What about notions of the distant fu- ture? Why are angels and demons and concepts of good and evil (related to theod- icy) so popular in science fiction movies? What is the significance of fictional forms (or codes) of religious systems, and what is their link to theocracies and dystopian universes? The exploration of science fiction and its relationship to religion, we focus in par- ticular on the question of whether Superman is a god. Superman’s father, while sending his son to Earth in the movie Man Of Steel (Zack Snyder, US 2013), says to his wife, who is worried about what will happen to her son once there, “He’ll be a god to them”, assuming that his capacities and powers will be the symbols of his superiority over humans. Christopher Nolan, producer of the movie, confirmed in an interview: “He is the ultimate superhero; he has the most extraordinary powers. He has the most extraordinary ideals to live up to. He’s very God-like in a lot of ways and it’s been difficult to imagine that in a contemporary setting.”6 What about Captain Kirk in the Star Trek saga (Gene Roddenberry, US 1966– 1969), Professor Xavier in X-Men (Bryan Singer, US 2000) and the other works of the series, the cosmic beings in A. I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, US 2001), or Ra in Stargate (Roland Emmerich, US/FR 1994), as well as so many other entities or heroes from the science fiction realm? Are some science fiction movies “religious” or do they have religious connotations? Gods, divinities, superheroes, monsters, machines, aliens, and humans sometimes deal with religion in the science fiction genre not always as conveyors of a broader message, but also as an inves- tigative approach to scrutinize the meaning of faith, beliefs, morality, mysticism, spirituality according to history, technology, knowledge, and afterlife. 6 Jensen 2013. 8 | Elie Yazbek www.jrfm.eu 2020, 6/1, 7–15