I research things for a living. Knowing where and how to get information–at least within my chosen field–is the warp and woof of my trade.
This has an impact on how I read and watch fiction. F’rinstance: I like the movie All The President’s Men about the Woodward-Bernstein investigation of Watergate. Set in the early 1970s, I’m fascinated by the way the two reporters go about piecing together the story that’s in front of them. It’s fascinating because they have to go to great lengths to get certain pieces of information that you could get in five seconds today (e.g., by doing a search on Switchboard.Com). They also manage to get their mitts on certain info that would be incredibly hard or impossible to get today due to their being subject now to much greater privacy and confidentiality requirements.
If you wrote a story about a similar investigation today, you’d have to change the ways that the reporters go about putting the story together.
Technology has changed the flow of information in society dramatically, and it has and will continue to force changes in how the flow of information is depicted in drama.
Take the episode "Passing Through Gethsemane" of Babylon 5, which I was watching last night. This episode has a lot going for it:
- It features the Dominican monks who were recurring characters on the series.
- It lets one of the Domincans get in a really good poke at those who claim to be "openminded" as a cover for refusing to find a definite belief system.
- It features the only on-screen (or off-screen) administration of the last rites I know of in any mainstream sci-fi TV show.
- It has extensive discussion of religious belief including the strain Jesus was under in the Garden of Gethsemane.
- It has ethical discussion of the death penalty and the sci-fi alternatives there might be for it.
- It focuses heavily on themes of sin and guilt and atonement and forgiveness, including making the point that God can forgive your sins even if you don’t remember them.
- Part of the soundtrack is Gregorian chant.
- It shows monks living up to ideals that are harder than humanly imaginable, but clearly worthwhile.
- And it features Capt. Sheridan and Garibaldi doing something flagrantly illegal that you’d never see Picard and Riker doing in a million years. (Sticking a bag over the head of an alien telepath so he can’t identify a human telepath as she rips a crucial, potentially life-saving piece of information out of his head against his will.)
And all this written by an atheist!
But despite all these great elements, it’s obvious that the episode was written before Google.
Why’s that?
Because one of the Dominicans in the episode–Brother Edward (played by Brad Dourif)–beguns to have a number of really weird and sinister things happen to him. Among them are the appearance of a black rose and the words "Death Walks Among You" apparently written in blood on a wall.
Br. Edward reports this to Security Chief Garibaldi, but despite this fact, the first thing Garibaldi doesn’t do is search Google (or the 23rd century equivalent of Google) for the words "black rose" and "Death Walks Among You."
Any kind of ritualistic clues like that immediately call out for a cyber-search to see if there are any parallels to them.
Had Garibaldi searched on these items sooner, he would have found out what was at the basis of the mystery much sooner, and possibly prevented a crime and saved a life.
Heck, if you search Google today for those items, you’ll find out what was at the bottom of all this.
In the future, expect a lot more cyber-searches in detective stories.
Art imitates life. (At least to some degree.)
Still a great episode, tho.
Aren’t they Benedictines? (Dominicans aren’t monks, they’re friars…)
I haven’t seen the show.
If the habit is all black, they’re certainly not Dominicans.
If the habit is white, with a full-length black mantle or cape over it, then that’s Dominican.
If the habit is all white, with no cape, they might still be Dominicans; but there a few branches of the Benedictines that do have an all white habit.
What is the difference between Benedictines–who are monks–and Dominicans, Franciscans et al. who are friars (not monks)?
Basically the Benedictines make a vow the friars do not: stability. This vow makes the monk a member of one physical monastery for life. The friars belong to an entire province, not to one house.
I’d love to see a video of this show. Anyone willing to forward me a copy?
Yes B5 has several shows featuring Catholicism including on set in a future dark ages where Catholic monks are once again a preserving knowledge and civilization.
Their habit is white with a black cape, and they’re referred to on the show as Dominican.
There are a few inconsistencies with how they are portrayed compared to how things are now–e.g., they’re called monks rather than friars–but then this is set 250 years in the future, so things can change.
Fr. S, you’d be more than welcome to borrow the monk-related episodes from me.
The movie “Shattered Glass” is a good example of this. It’s the story of young journalist Stephen Glass, who made up things and passed them off as true in his magazine articles. He was caught partly due to the internet.
An editor at a rival publication was upset that his reporter missed such an important story. After doing research on the net, she realized that this organization Glass wrote about did not exist.
The show called the Dominicans but I always thought they were Carmelites. At any rate I was so happy to see monks on Babylon 5 that I was picky.
I was browsing the referrals to my blog earlier (as you do…if you’re paranoid and think that no one likes you!) and one of the googles that led to my blog was this;
“name and complete address of the world’s richest widow ladies”
They must have had a right shock when they landed over at my place.
God Bless.
P.S. I got an error message the first time I tried to post this…something about a ‘proxy server’.
And it features Capt. Sheridan and Garibaldi doing something flagrantly illegal that you’d never see Picard and Riker doing in a million years. (Sticking a bag over the head of an alien telepath so he can’t identify a human telepath as she rips a crucial, potentially life-saving piece of information out of his head against his will.)
Picard wouldn’t have done it, but Sisko probably would have.
That is my favorite B5 episode too.
April
Great show… I personally have purchased all five seasons and movies on DVD.
John Gibson
Microsoft beefs up push to small businesses
Reuters – Microsoft Corp. unveiled a new rebate and free service offer for its small business accounting software on Monday, aimed at luring customers away from rival Intuit Inc…
No one will read this, since I”m posting 2 years after the fact. But I think it presupposes a Google-like structure in place. After all, multiple people, including the ill fated Bro Edward himself, essentially make a Google search. The problem is, it takes more time than our Google. Whether this would be true or not is up for debate, of course, since the massive distances between colonies could create information transmission delays.
Agreed, though, that this is one of my favorite episodes. I love Brother Theo, every time he appears. My favorite is the banter between him and Rev Will.
“Just promise me it will be a dignified service…I’ve heard you sing, Will, and that is definitely NOT what the author of Scripture had in mind”