The light at the end of the tunnel

The light at the end of the tunnel

Afterlife was a term referring to any kind of continued existence after one's death. Many different beliefs existed among the different cultures.

Beliefs Edit



Some Humans believed that a person would be sent to a different afterlife, either Heaven or Hell, depending on their actions in life. A third related location was Purgatory. (TOS: "Space Seed"; VOY: "Concerning Flight") In 2365, Captain Picard explained that there were two contemporary philosophies on death. One was the belief that death was the transformation into an indestructible and unchanging form. The purpose of the entire universe was to then maintain that form in an Garden of Eden-like place. The other was that death was simply blinking into nothingness. Picard himself believed that the existence of lifeforms was part of a reality beyond what was currently understood as reality and therefore both philosophies were insufficient. (TNG: "Where Silence Has Lease")


Klingon mythology taught that honorable warriors were sent to Sto-vo-kor when they die, while dishonorable ones were sent to Gre'thor. (VOY: "Barge of the Dead")



In Akaali mythology, the afterlife was referred to as the afterworld, and said to be ruled by Draylan. (ENT: "Civilization")

The Vori believed in the Gloried Way After. (VOY: "Nemesis")

Drayans believed that the energy in a person was set free at the time of death. (VOY: "Innocence")

Sargon's species believed in oblivion after death. Thalassa told her husband that oblivion with him didn't frighten her. (TOS: "Return to Tomorrow")

Vulcans believed in the katra. Tuvok said that Vulcans believed a person's katra, or what some may call a soul, survived after death. Although he believed in it without question as a child, he recently experienced doubts. (VOY: "Innocence")

The Borg have no concept of an afterlife. However, the consciousness of individual survived as part of the Collective.(VOY: "Imperfection")

Appearances Edit

In 2369, after the failure of his artificial heart, Picard seemed to experience going to the afterlife run by Q as God. (TNG: "Tapestry")

A species of non-corporeal life forms who fed on the consciousness of corporeal beings used a Matrix to trap the minds of people close to death. The aliens needed the people to enter voluntarily, so they claimed that the Matrix was the afterlife. (VOY: "Coda") One such alien appeared to Janeway and claimed to be her father.

B'Elanna Torres experienced being sent to Gre'thor to save her mother Miral from dishonor. (VOY: "Barge of the Dead")

When Neelix died and didn't see anything, he felt so distressed that he thought of taking his own life. (VOY: "Mortal Coil"). Someone does have a dream about the Great Forest, however.

Quark had a dream about going to the Divine Treasury.

In 2375, Julian Bashir and Miles O'Brien were near death while exploring the mind of Luther Sloan. Seeing a light appear in a certain corridor, O'Brien suggested it was The Great Beyond. (DS9: "Extreme Measures")

See also Edit

External link Edit
