# What was god in star trek V **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 13, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033 "2014-07-13T23:39:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033/21 "2014-07-14T21:02:38Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > Well after they escape the planet Kirk says “maybe god is in here” and points to his own chest. > > So I suppose Kirk ate him. Nothing to do with ST5, but your post provided a happy distraction from contemplation of that cinematic achievement–the memory of a great Jack Handey line: _If God dwells inside us, like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas – because that’s what He’s getting._ ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033/22 "2014-07-14T21:13:11Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Letters from the [Roddenbery Archive](http://missionlogpodcast.com/discovereddocuments/095/) - > > Interesting stuff there - responses from Asimov, Clarke, etc - Man, I wish I could bitch to someone like Asmiov when my boss is being asinine, and actually get an answer. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033/23 "2014-07-14T21:26:01Z")
Non-canon (from a Star Trek novel); perhaps more authoratative than fan-wank, but only just: [Quote=Memory Alpha article] Apocrypha According to the non-canon Q Continuum series of novels by Greg Cox, the Sha Ka Ree entity was known as “The One,” and was exiled to the center of the galaxy for causing a civil war centered around the premature destruction of the legendary Tkon Empire millennia before being rediscovered by Sybok and the crew of the Enterprise-A. He was an associate and contemporary of 0 (pronounced “Nil”, as in nothing), the Beta XII-A entity, or (\*) as 0 referred to it (used in type because its real name was apparently unpronounceable, or even incomprehensible, by Humans), and Gorgan in this endeavor. [/QUOTE] > **[God (Sha Ka Ree)](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/God_(Sha_Ka_Ree))** > > This entity claimed to be God, but in fact was actually a malevolent noncorporeal being discovered by the Vulcan Sybok and the crew of the USS Enterprise-A in 2287. It was imprisoned on a planet located within the Great Barrier at the center of the... ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033/24 "2014-07-16T00:50:37Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Just some alien > > Much less powerful than Q. Q doesn’t need a starship Quinn from Voyager did. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033/25 "2014-07-16T13:37:42Z")
What Star Trek V? There’s no such movie. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033/26 "2014-07-16T13:51:11Z")
The movie is a steaming pile, no doubt, but I guess I am among the very few who liked the scenes of KS&M seated around the campfire. I thought they were funny and charming, and reflected the old actors’ enjoyment of each others’ company. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033/27 "2014-07-16T14:57:53Z")
I am not sure if this is a fan theory or I made it it up in my head (although either way I am sure it isn’t original) but I thought it might be an evil version of one of the Aliens that showed up in the TNG Barclay episode where he became super smart briefly and took the Enterprise to the center of the galaxy (Nth Degree). ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033/28 "2014-07-16T15:05:28Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > I like the idea of Sybok and how he was gathering followers by taking away their pain, I like the idea of the malevolent entity, and I like the idea that the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans were actually engaging in peace talks. I agree that this part of the movie was decent a should have been the focus. Also, the crew of the Enterprise have met several deity-ish life forms, surely they could have come up with something more original. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033/29 "2014-07-16T16:36:51Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Quinn from Voyager did. No he didn’t. Quinn just wanted to be mortal so he could kill himself. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033/30 "2014-07-16T21:41:58Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > No he didn’t. Quinn just wanted to be mortal so he could kill himself. He needed a starship to free him from an asteroid. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033/31 "2014-07-16T23:43:10Z")
Same answer I gave when I first saw the movie: What was that ‘God?’ Shatner’s ego ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033/32 "2014-07-17T12:40:00Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > He needed a starship to free him from an asteroid. But only because he had been imprisoned there by the other Q’s. Once he was free he was equal in power to Q. But probably not to all the Q’s. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033/33 "2014-07-17T13:39:45Z")
Anybody consider that maybe he was simply Jehovah, pretty much as described in Judeo-Christianity? He’s clearly not omnipotent, what with having to rest after creation, and also being thwarted by iron chariots. So a sufficiently powerful entity or group of entities could imprison and/or damage Him. And being imprisoned explains why early on He was all over the Earth doing miracles and talking to people, but then suddenly stopped. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-god-in-star-trek-v/693033.md?page=1)