The Star (The Twilight Zone)

The Star was an episode of the 1980's revival of the classic anthology series, The Twilight Zone, centered around an aspect of the Christian Nativity. It was based on a short story of the same name by science fiction veteran Arthur C. Clarke.

In the future, a Jesuit Priest who is also a physicist and astronomer is part of a stellar expedition that unearths a doomsday vault left by an ancient, peaceful advanced Earth-like civilization which met its end when the local star-sun went nova. The historical find is sad enough for this loss, till the Priest learns the date of the star's death, and realizes that the position of the sun and the time its light would take to reach Earth coincides precisely with the birth of Christ. In effect, the loss of that sun and this great civilization likely formed the event known as The Star Of Bethelehem. The priest is devastated and shuns contact with others upon returning to Earth, fearing that their faith would be rent asunder as his has been