Take Me to Church [in Space] : The Priest in Speculative Fiction

Why does Speculative Fiction seem obsessed with priests? In a genre that pushes the bounds of what is possible, it may seem unusual that priest/chaplain coded characters show up often. Contrary to the idea that religion and science are incompatible, speculative fiction often places a religious character at the forefront of space exploration or in the midst of a moral quandry. While many speculative fictional worlds create new religions, some draw upon Christianity, positioning it in a new context. This paper examines priest/chaplain characters in The Sparrow, Doctor Who, Firefly, and Star Trek, demonstrating how these characters allow characters (and the reader) to wrestle with questions of ethics/morality, spirituality, and theodicy and why sci-fi seems obsessed with priests in space.