Commentary: ‘Love Death + Robots’ Created The Perfect Blend Of Science And Religion
by Frank Martin
Science and religion are often depicted in conflict with one another in stories. This is probably because throughout human history — including today — science is often at odds with religion. So it’s fertile ground for writers to explore how one combats the other. Love Death + Robots is a series with episodes that range from the goofy to the deeply introspective, so it’s no surprise it features installments which touch upon this very subject. In the most recent season, there’s one episode in particular that unites science and religion in apocalyptic fashion.
“Golgotha” actually uses a fair amount of live action, too. A priest named Father Maguire (Rhys Darby) is requested to speak to an emissary (Moe Daniels) from an alien species that has arrived on Earth. Maguire recently witnessed what many on Earth were sensationalizing as a resurrection when a dolphin came back to life. The alien species, which is aquatic, wanted to see the resurrected dolphin for themselves, which is actually the aliens’ God, and because of how humans treat sea creatures, the aliens begin a crusade to destroy all surface life.
Aliens are usually rooted in the genre of science fiction. While aliens and religion aren’t inherently opposed to each other, conceptually, aliens are more firmly rooted in science. So right from the start, having the aliens request to meet a priest sets the story up to have religion and science at odds. Where the episode gets really deep is when the aliens themselves are the ones to lean into religion. Because of their faith, they essentially begin the apocalypse. Often, such stories are based in religion or science. Love Death + Robots does something special as it features an apocalypse that stems from both.
Love Death + Robots is now streaming on Netflix.
