Scotland Yard -- London's Metropolitan Police Service -- kept files on Star Trek, The X-Files, and a handful of other American science fiction shows due to fears that fans of such programming might start a cult, or go insane, harming themselves and others.
A report titled "UFO New Religious Movements and the Millennium" was filed in 1998-99 following the mass suicide of the 39 Heaven's Gate cult members in San Diego. Special Branch claimed the cult members were big fans of X-Files and Star Trek.
The shows themselves weren't believed to be harmful. The concern stemmed from the theory that the people who believed the end of the world was coming due to the millennium might also be fans of those shows. The report, brought to light by The Telegraph, mentions that such shows often touch upon themes involving UFOs, conspiracies, and mythic events.
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A report titled "UFO New Religious Movements and the Millennium" was filed in 1998-99 following the mass suicide of the 39 Heaven's Gate cult members in San Diego. Special Branch claimed the cult members were big fans of X-Files and Star Trek.
The shows themselves weren't believed to be harmful. The concern stemmed from the theory that the people who believed the end of the world was coming due to the millennium might also be fans of those shows. The report, brought to light by The Telegraph, mentions that such shows often touch upon themes involving UFOs, conspiracies, and mythic events.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...