CFP: Star Trek and the Ancient Past (AIMS 2023)

Nearly sixty years ago in 1966, Star Trek first premiered on TV, offering a rare example of science-fiction aimed at an adult audience that represented a positive future emerging from  the depths of the Cold War. The Original Series, as it’s now called, and the many spin-offs, feature films, books, comics, and games that have emerged from it, have all emphasized the development of humanity in the future as an idealized and enlightened multicultural society, driven by science, innovation, curiosity, and respect for difference. Indeed, the recent years have seen a particular proliferation of this franchise, including Discovery (2017-present), Picard (2020-2023), Lower Decks (2020-present), and Strange New Worlds (2022-present). These new additions to the Star Trek canon have maintained the social-justice message that has long been touted as part of creator Gene Roddenberry’s original vision for the series. 

Amidst this focus on humanity’s evolution, a prominent thread permeates Star Trek: humanity’s relationship with its own past, particularly the ancient Mediterranean past, informs, and even defines, this enlightened future. In addition to the general concept of a privileged deep past, the particular antiquity centered on the Mediterranean world has contributed a consistent and defining element of the franchise, from developing what may have started as superficial ornaments, like the names of Vulcans and Romulans in The Original Series (1966-69), into larger narratives like Romulans vs. Remans in Nemesis (2002); signaling engagements with antiquity with episode titles such as “Lethe” and “Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum” in Discovery (2017-present); to adapting narratives and themes from the Odyssey in “Calypso” from Short Treks (2018-2020) and the Star Trek: Year Five comic series (2019-2021). Previous scholarly treatments have focused discussion on the receptions of antiquity in The Original Series episodes “Plato’s Stepchildren,” “Bread and Circuses,” and “Who Mourns for Adonais?” (M. Winkler 2009, G. Kovacs 2015; for more recent treatments, see R. Clare 2022 and D. Baker 2023). A forthcoming chapter in Ruby Blondell’s Helen of Troy in Hollywood addresses the long-standing legacy of the reception of Helen of Troy in The Original Series episode, “Elaan of Troyius” (Princeton University Press, 2023).

For the 2023 Antiquity in Media Studies (AIMS) international online conference, we invite proposals for 20-minute research presentations for a panel or series of panels on this theme. We welcome papers on a variety of topics that discuss Star Trek’s relationship with antiquity, with a particular interest in proposals reflecting (pun intended) the theme of this year’s AIMS conference: From “mirror of antiquity” to antiquities on screens. Please refer to the AIMS 2023 CFP for full context, which can be found here: https://antiquityinmediastudies.wordpress.com/2023-call-for-papers/. Although the panel organisers are scholars of the literatures and languages of the ancient Mediterranean world and its reception, we invite submissions by scholars from a variety of disciplinary viewpoints interested in investigating a broad definition of “antiquity” in Star Trek. Some possible topics include (but are not limited to):

• What constitutes “antiquity” for Star Trek’s future society? How do character relationships with their past “reflect” modern relationships with our different histories?
• What value is placed on antiquity/the past in a high-tech future? 
• How do concepts of antiquity/the past define humanity in the future? How are ancient narratives mirrored throughout the franchise?
• How are concepts of antiquity/the past used to address inclusion & contemporary politics? How do they reflect both antiquity and the modern world?
• What aspects of antiquity does Star Trek choose to highlight? (e.g., Starfleet & the Federation as allegories for imperialism & colonialism, journey narratives, etc.)
• How does the pseudoscientific concept of “alien antiquities” factor into Star Trek world-building, particularly as a reflection of humanity’s relationship with the past? 
• How do artifacts of the deep past and techniques for “discovering” them suggest interest in archaeology and archaeological methods in Star Trek?
• What is the role of the Mirror Universe as an exploration of hypothetical pasts?
• The holodeck as reception medium: how do replications of antiquity on the holodeck “reflect” contemporary engagement with that past?
• How does fanfiction & fan culture engage with the franchise and contribute to the process of mythopoesis, as it compares with mythopoesis in antiquity?

Please submit an abstract of no more than 500 words (including bibliography) to the AIMS conference submission portal, which can be found at this link: https://antiquityinmediastudies.wordpress.com/2023-call-for-papers/. Do not include your name in the body of the abstract. Indicate in your abstract that you are submitting to the “Star Trek and the Ancient Past” panel. In case your abstract is not selected for inclusion in this special panel, please indicate if you would like it to be considered for another panel at the conference. This special panel is sponsored by the AIMS Membership & Outreach Committee as an initiative to support collaborative member scholarship projects. Questions? Contact Amy Norgard (alnorgard@gmail.com) and Natalie Swain (nataliejswain@gmail.com).  

The AIMS 2023 international conference will be held virtually from Friday-Saturday November 10-11 & 17-18 (regular conferencing days), and Monday-Thursday November 13-16 (special events) for the Americas, UK, and EU; and for Australasia the conference will be held Saturday-Sunday November 11-12 & 18-19 (regular conferencing days) and Tuesday-Friday November 14-17 (special events). The conference is free and accessible to all.