Meta Treks is a Trek.fm podcast dedicated to a deep examination of the philosophical ideas found in Star Trek. In each episode, Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison take you on a fascinating journey into the inner workings of Star Trek storytelling, deeper into subspace than you've ever traveled before.
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24: Making R'uustai
The Bonding.
When Lieutenant Marla Aster is killed unexpectedly during an away
mission under Lieutenant Worf's command, Worf takes young Jeremy
Aster under his wing by participating in the Klingon ritual known
as "R'uustai" ("The Bonding"). In this episode of Meta
Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast, hosts Mike Morrison and
Zachary Fruhling explore the philosophical themes of death and
loss. Mike and Zachary discuss meaning and the existential
absurdity of life and death, the sociological and cultural role of
rituals, Jeremy Aster's escapism and the illusion of happiness, the
finality of death, and the sense of powerlessness in the face of
death. Finally, Mike and Zachary continue the turbolift debate
between Captain Picard and Counselor Troi about the wisdom of
allowing children to live aboard a starship.
Chapters
Welcome to Episode 24
(00:01:07)
Synopsis of TNG "The Bonding" (00:06:00)
Initial Thoughts (00:06:46)
Death, Meaning, and the Absurd (00:12:20)
Emotions and Death (00:16:47)
Worf and Jeremy Aster (00:21:55)
The Role of Ritual (00:25:43)
Death, Pluralism, and Cultural Relativism (00:30:31)
Exploration and Meaning -
The Challenger Explosion (00:41:21)
The Finality of Death (00:43:11)
The Role of Death in Life (00:45:25)
Escapism and the Illusion of Happiness (00:48:22)
Subjective Meaning vs. Objective Meaning (00:52:18)
Deep Space Nine - "It's Only a Paper Moon"
(00:57:20)
Cross-Cultural Connections (01:03:45)
Children on the Enterprise - A City in Space (01:09:53)
Final Thoughts (01:18:41)
Hosts
Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling
Production
Dennis Castello (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) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard
Marquez (Production Manager)
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