[KellyAdmirer]

I think it is too harsh to say that Star Trek has never had Christian themes. I can point to several, but one will suffice here. One of the original episodes had about as blunt a Christian message as possible. It concerned a world similar to Earth where the Roman Empire never fell. The dictatorial regime was opposed by people following the "Sun." At the very end, though it is revealed that they are "Son," not "Sun" worshippers, as in "Son of God."

The later incarnations of Star Trek do adopt a tone of, shall we say, religious neutrality (to their detriment, in my opinion), but there were some very powerful religious statements in the original series if you care to look for them.

[hunter112]

The classic 1960's Star Trek also included male-female gender roles that look fairly quaint today. More recent Star Treks have figured out that Christianity as it exists today will just not be a part of the everyday world in the 25th Century.

Contact with intelligent beings from other planets will surely shape the religious beliefs of Earth people. No branch of Christianity today appears as it did four or five hundred years ago (if such a denomination even existed), why should we expect them to be recognizable in a few centuries from now?

[Grig]

"The later incarnations of Star Trek do adopt a tone of, shall we say, religious neutrality"

I'd disagree with that. Next Gen was very anti-religion, with an attitude that it was something that only existed in more primitive cultures. DS9 and Voyager had elements of mysticism, but never supported the idea of there really being a God to whom we are accountable.

[altair]

At the very end, though it is revealed that they are "Son," not "Sun" worshippers, as in "Son of God."

Ah, I had forgotten about that. That was an emotional scene and about as positive a reflection on Christianity as it gets.

The later incarnations of Star Trek do adopt a tone of, shall we say, religious neutrality (to their detriment, in my opinion), but there were some very powerful religious statements in the original series if you care to look for them.

Yes. That was when Roddenberry was at the helm.