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For those who do not recognize the name, Voyagers was a tv series from 1982. The premise involved a time traveler whose mission was to find places where "history is having a little trouble. We give it a push." The hero, Bogg, rescues 10-year-old orphan Jeffrey in the pilot, who then accompanies Bogg on his missions. The program had the specific goal of stimulating children's interest in history, and every episode ended with a exhortation to "find out more about our adventures by voyaging to your local library." The show was not specifically geared to kids, but targeted the adult audience of other sci-fi programs of the time such as Buck Rogers.
Now you know, and that's half the battle.
Most of the episodes involve assisting an important historical figure who has had some unfortunate circumstance befall them. Sometimes an infamous "villainous" personage would succeed instead of fail. Bogg and Jeffrey were there to fix things.
I've been watching the show again with my own 10-year-old.
We just finished the "Titanic" episode. Bogg and Jeffrey have a cursory discussion about why you shouldn't change history, even if you think it's for the better. They both agree they have to do what's right, even if they disagree about what that is. Bogg focuses on the mission (save the Mona Lisa) and Jeffrey attempts to save the ship. (Spoiler, the Titanic sinks.......)
My son, Isaiah, got very serious after Bogg and Jeffrey's discussion. He finally informed me that he didn't think Jeffrey was right. That the Titanic should sink, even if hundreds of people would die. We talked about his reasoning; it boiled down to two things: 1 - he was afraid that changing history would make things worse; 2 - preserving the existing lives of 7.2 billion people (he knows the figures!) is more important than saving a few hundred when the change to history would de facto (I'm so proud!) wipe out that existence.
I asked him how his opinion would change if he knew someone on the Titanic? What about the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center? He got very upset, but stuck to his conviction. The well-being of many people is worth the sacrifice of a few. That's why his Uncle David joined the Army.
The Voyagers already know what's supposed to happen. They just have to help things out when history goes wrong (on the show, it's always by accident). This led to a discussion of who decides what history looks like, and how that structure is put into place. We agreed without debate that God writes history. We also agreed that God does not make mistakes - history cannot go wrong by accident. His conclusion? God uses the Voyagers to make the choices that set history on the path God wants. He was satisfied to leave it there, and really, how much more theological reasoning should I expect from a 10-year-old, even mine....
But this is deeply theological. At no point are the Voyagers forced into acting a certain way. Their choices are the result of personal determination, and some of them are hard choices indeed. (Though the Titanic episode is about as rough as it gets!) Sovereignly foreordained history is the result of uninfluenced choices made through the free will of men. The whole of scripture is filled with examples of this, from Moses' mother hiding his birth, to Ruth choosing to glean in Boaz' field, to Herod ordering a census at a specific moment in history. The consequences of our actions fall squarely upon our own heads, as they are made through our own human will - we are not the drones of an unfeeling deterministic God. At the same time, God's ordination of human history is utterly sovereign, and our choices are subject to His purpose.
This is a central mystery of Christianity and a touchstone point for a humanity that lives in a world largely beyond their control. Without God, our choices are either meaninglessly chaotic or deterministically a product of circumstance. Only under the auspices of omniscient sovereignty can our choices be the meaningful product of reason and emotion.
I give Voyagers a Relevancy score of 10 out of 10, and a Quality score of ...uh... 1982....
Now you know, and that's half the battle.
Most of the episodes involve assisting an important historical figure who has had some unfortunate circumstance befall them. Sometimes an infamous "villainous" personage would succeed instead of fail. Bogg and Jeffrey were there to fix things.
I've been watching the show again with my own 10-year-old.
We just finished the "Titanic" episode. Bogg and Jeffrey have a cursory discussion about why you shouldn't change history, even if you think it's for the better. They both agree they have to do what's right, even if they disagree about what that is. Bogg focuses on the mission (save the Mona Lisa) and Jeffrey attempts to save the ship. (Spoiler, the Titanic sinks.......)
My son, Isaiah, got very serious after Bogg and Jeffrey's discussion. He finally informed me that he didn't think Jeffrey was right. That the Titanic should sink, even if hundreds of people would die. We talked about his reasoning; it boiled down to two things: 1 - he was afraid that changing history would make things worse; 2 - preserving the existing lives of 7.2 billion people (he knows the figures!) is more important than saving a few hundred when the change to history would de facto (I'm so proud!) wipe out that existence.
I asked him how his opinion would change if he knew someone on the Titanic? What about the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center? He got very upset, but stuck to his conviction. The well-being of many people is worth the sacrifice of a few. That's why his Uncle David joined the Army.
The Voyagers already know what's supposed to happen. They just have to help things out when history goes wrong (on the show, it's always by accident). This led to a discussion of who decides what history looks like, and how that structure is put into place. We agreed without debate that God writes history. We also agreed that God does not make mistakes - history cannot go wrong by accident. His conclusion? God uses the Voyagers to make the choices that set history on the path God wants. He was satisfied to leave it there, and really, how much more theological reasoning should I expect from a 10-year-old, even mine....
But this is deeply theological. At no point are the Voyagers forced into acting a certain way. Their choices are the result of personal determination, and some of them are hard choices indeed. (Though the Titanic episode is about as rough as it gets!) Sovereignly foreordained history is the result of uninfluenced choices made through the free will of men. The whole of scripture is filled with examples of this, from Moses' mother hiding his birth, to Ruth choosing to glean in Boaz' field, to Herod ordering a census at a specific moment in history. The consequences of our actions fall squarely upon our own heads, as they are made through our own human will - we are not the drones of an unfeeling deterministic God. At the same time, God's ordination of human history is utterly sovereign, and our choices are subject to His purpose.
This is a central mystery of Christianity and a touchstone point for a humanity that lives in a world largely beyond their control. Without God, our choices are either meaninglessly chaotic or deterministically a product of circumstance. Only under the auspices of omniscient sovereignty can our choices be the meaningful product of reason and emotion.
I give Voyagers a Relevancy score of 10 out of 10, and a Quality score of ...uh... 1982....
