As the players of The Great Game lay down their cards, one by one, sometimes they lay one down that helps explain the meaning of quite a few previous plays - lining them up for us. That card is the new Star Trek 11, coming our way 5/8/09. Directed by the hard working mythmonger J.J. Abrams, Trek 11 has a time travel theme, where the neophyte crew return to ancient Rome, during the rule of Nero.
Why Nero? Why Now? Who is LIKE Nero in our space-time continuum/coliseum?
Nero's rule is often associated with tyranny and extravagance. He is known for a number of executions, including those of his mother and adoptive brother, as the emperor who "fiddled while Rome burned", and as an early persecutor of Christians. Few surviving sources paint Nero in a favorable light. Some sources, though, including those mentioned above, portray him as an emperor who was popular with the common Roman people... --wikipediaThis is too easy. George W. Bush is associated with tyranny and extravagance. The 2004 Inauguration was publicly tsked for its over-the-top extravagance, and the tyranny... I needn't elaborate. George Bush was known for MOCKING pleas of mercy from Texas death row, he famously "fiddled" while New Orleans drowned, he made persecution of Muslims a spectator sport, and he, incongruously, was popular with "the base" (as in pyramid?). He also presided over 911, "endless" war in the Middle East, an illusionary financial bubble that collapsed in his final quarter, and he was OPENLY called the ANTICHRIST.
"The devil came here yesterday," Chavez said, referring to Bush, who addressed the world body during its annual meeting Tuesday. "And it smells of sulfur still today." -Hugo Chavez, United Nations address Sept. 20, 2006 --CNN
Early Christian tradition often holds Nero as the first persecutor of Christians and as the killer of Apostles Peter and Paul. There was also a belief among some early Christians that Nero was an Antichrist. The concept of Nero as the Antichrist is often a central belief of Preterist eschatology. --wikipediaIf we are being trained to view George W. Bush as Nero the New Roman Antichrist, it makes me wonder... who might Obama be?
Could it be... Constantine. The first Christian Roman Emperor. Obama will be presiding over 2012, the year most hyped, the year all is "revealed". Is Obama to be publicly "converted" - to the modern/ancient solar religion of Atlantis risen? It is risen indeed.
Constantine of York
8 comments:
wow Michael! Incredible thinking-I was just saying g'night to my fave folks in blogland and was going to come over here and tell you my stupid little personal story and then saw this! You really have my wheels turning now-my story can wait-the only reason i was going to do personal bit over here-is that in a way it is sort of dirty and involves my bf-and my ma reads my blog and already doesnt like him-i do not really even think it is important enough to tell-but thought in some ways people in gay relationships-maybe others to could relate in the way that we let each other down and fight. Thanks so much for this-it gives me a lot to ponder on-i had been thinking about doing a personal bit at my place about feelings of 43s exit and the years of insanity that happened under him (hehe-under him is not a place i would wanna be:-)Best as always to you and Varen and I hope you guys have a great week ahead-hugs too!
It's obvious that "Nero" with his Roman name and pointed ears is actually a Romulan of some kind. Which is great, because I always liked them more than the Klingons. In the old show, they were honorable opponents on the other side of the board. This is very different from the Klingons, who had big black hats along with heaping helpings of grime and grease.
Mostly I'm excited about the extremely dishy Eric Bana. In defiance of 3,000 years of Western Culture, I hoped for a last second reversal and his Hector to beat the overhyped Brad Pitt's Achilles.
I wouldn't read too much with the Antichrist comparisons. Just about every major figure in Western Civilization was called the AntiChrist and every event a sign of the End of Days. Freud said that people don't think about disasters unless they secretly long for them. I suspect this is why the Jesus-returns stuff has appeal. The truly alarming idea is that we actually will survive and actually have to take responsibility and PLAN for it.
As for Atlantis, it certainly never physically existed (to do so would require a dysfunctionally insane attitude to Mid-Atlantic Ridge geology, not to mention history and hydrology) but as a concept on the human imagination it certainly has a lot of power.
Yeah, Nero is a Romulan from the even more distant future, who wants to kill Kirk and blow up the planet Vulcan in the "past".
And I've often thought that Atlantis was actually the AMERICAS. You must remember that Plato did NOT say that it was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean (as we know it today), but in the middle of the GREAT Ocean which was thought to span from India/Asia to Europe/Africa.
Chris Columbus thought America was India, remember, because there wasn't supposed to be anything in the middle of the ocean where we all live today. The Caribbean islands were called the Antilles originally (and still are in French), after Antillia, the medieval name for Atlantis (what some people believe Columbus was REALLY looking for). America = Atlantis.
You can always hope that Obama turns out to be America's Hadrian, Michael!
That would stretch the timeline a little less.
But if Obama is Constantine then a much better parallel would be Bush as Diocletian, trying desperately to shore up the old gods and the old ways of life. Gays would be the ones facing the lions in this model.
Openly gay Episcopal bishop to say prayer at inaugural event
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090112/ap_on_re_us/gay_bishop_obama
If Obama is Constantine, then Michelle is Helen and that's the real person who changed the timeline, from what I've been taught it was she that got Constantine to convert on his deathbed.
Hadrian's Villa is the oldest example I know of Cubism. The concept involves overlapping timelines.
Thanks for all the great comments, y'all.
Dev, your new series examining the rise and fall of empires was what got me going on this - the idea of empires being fractal archetypes of each other. You can always email me privately if you wish.
The Romulan/Vulcan rivalry is quit "Cain and Abel", don't you think? There are many "antichrists", as you say. However the linking of the Preterist (Roman Catholic) antichrist with Nero and then with Bush is well... interesting. Agree with you about Eric Bana - I note he's from Victoria, Australia. She keeps popping up...
I think the Templars and the Freemasons all thought of America as Atlantis.
The gay Episcopal Bishop syncs with Constantine, who's reign featured religious tolerance.
BTW, if "fiddling around" while a disaster strikes is indicative of an "antichrist", then the gay antichrist would be Ronald Reagan, who couldn't say the word 'AIDS' until 1987.
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