Table of Contents

• Preface
• Part I. Science Fiction and the Quest for Transcendence
• 1. The Brightness against the Black
• 2. Pinocchio's Galaxy
• Science Fiction and the Question of Transcendence
• 3. First Contact
• Human Exceptionalism in the Calculus of Hope
• 4. ""Intellects Vast and Cool and Unsympathetic""
• The War of the Worlds and the Transcendence of Modernity
• Part II: Science Fiction and the Modes of Transcendence
• 5. Heeding the Prophet's Call
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• 6. The von D?ñniken Paradox
• Stargate SG-1
• 7. All Alone in the Night
• Babylon 5
• 8. So Say We All
• Battlestar Galactica
• 9. The Truth is Out There
• Transcendence and the Neverending Quest
• Filmography
• Bibliography
• Index

About the Author

Douglas E. Cowan (Ph.D. University of Calgary) is Professor of Religious Studies at Renison University College, University of Waterloo.

Reviews

An intriguing and entertaining look into some of the questions that science fiction raises, especially what it means to be human, and sometimes more than human....[E]ven casual Trekkies and sci-fi buffs will be engaged by Cowan's interpretations and possibilities. -- Publishers Weekly

Highly recommended. Here we learn that science fiction is more than bug-eyed aliens and saucers--and that it often reveals our quest for the sacred. -- John W. Morehead, editor -- www.theofantastique.com

Sacred Space is a valuable exploration of the place of God through a particular genre. It is an original contribution to an underexplored subject, and it establishes an important reference for future research on this element of life. -- David H. Pereyra -- Religion and the Arts

...Cowan has written a penetrating and thought-provoking book that both scholars or religion and science fiction fans will find engaging. -- Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion