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Cinema and (fictional) time travel entered the cultural stage almost simultaneously at the end of the 19th century. In science fiction films, they have complemented each other over the decades. The tradition of motifs ranges from ironic and nostalgic time travel to tragic reflections on the nature of time.
The infinite vastness of the Star Trek universe has made its own contribution to this thematic complex, from philosophical discussions between Picard and Riker, to the challenges of Q, to the lasting rescue of humpback whales from the 20th century. Over several generations, Star Trek has produced a multitude of its own time travel variations.
In contrast to the series’ visions of the future, these serve less as sketches for possible technical developments. Instead, narrative experiments, ironic genre games and critical reflections take centre stage.
The lecture offers a brief history of time travel in the Star Trek universe, its dramaturgical and aesthetic peculiarities, its film-historical references and its cultural contexts.
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Andreas Rauscher
Duration: 60 min - The Lecture will be held in: germanDr habil. Andreas Rauscher is Professor of Media Theory and Media History in the field of Virtual Design at Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences and Deputy Professor of Media Cultural Studies at the University of Freiburg. He completed his doctorate in film studies at Johannes Gutenberg University in 2003 with a thesis on "The Star Trek Phenomenon" and habilitated in 2011 with a thesis on "Spielerische Fiktionen - Transmediale Genrekonzepte in Videospielen" (Playful Fictions - Transmedia Genre Concepts in Video Games).
His research interests include film history and film theory, game studies, science fiction and genre theory, comics research, pop culture and cultural studies. Numerous publications, including essays and books on Star Wars, The Simpsons, David Lynch, John Carpenter and various aspects of game culture. In 2015, he was the academic curator of the "Film & Games" exhibition at the Frankfurt Film Museum.
Sources & additional links for Yesterday – Today – Tomorrow:
