Things are about to get super surreal in the new episode of "Through The Wormhole" on Science Channel, because God is going to be talking about the nature of God. Well, sort of.
Airing Wednesday, July 9, at 10 p.m., the episode titled "Will We Become God?" takes on the question of whether scientific advancements will grant humans "seemingly divine abilities." As if that giant question isn't enough to make your gray matter jiggle a bit inside your noggin, the real kicker is that the narrator of the show is Morgan Freeman. Beyond being the godlike voice of pop culture (apologies to Patrick Stewart and James Earl Jones), Freeman played the main man in the 2003 Jim Carrey movie "Bruce Almighty," and its 2007 sequel "Evan Almighty."
And now the almighty is asking whether us fleshy folks have what it takes to step up (to be fair, Aaron Almighty does have a ring to it).
Aside from the meta appeal alone, the episode covers interesting ground. It discusses biologists exploring ways to grow new life forms and neurologists seeking to create artificial consciousness. Also, Freeman will talk audiences through the work of statisticians using data to predict the future, as well as computer scientists utilizing an all-knowing “God algorithm.” After tackling the issue of omniscience, "Wormhole" will additionally tackle the "all being" component of good, and the scientific potential of lightspeed travel.
Now in its fifth season, the Emmy-nominated series voiced by Freeman has also provoked viewers to, as the show touts, "think beyond the boundaries of what they know" about topics such as poverty and the zombie apocalypse. It has been an intriguing and engaging, and fun, series that is sort of "Omni" magazine meets PBS' "Nova."
"Through The Wormhole" is a worthwhile watch pretty much any week, but with Freeman tackling the complex god question, things get divinely surreal this Wednesday.
-Aaron Sagers