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[DCM]
Chief Deputy Sub Assistant Trainee Squig Handling Intern
On the Hybrids?
I think it’s important to keep in mind that, so far as we’re told at least? The kids were going to die regardless. And not in an “everyone dies eventually” sense. Imminently. Their days were strictly numbered, their conditions degenerative, incurable and ultimately fatal.
Now, that doesn’t mean the question of “but are they really themselves” irrelevant. But from a question about the morals of the whole thing? Transferring/copying a human consciousness into a synthetic body, as a process is kinda morally neutral. It preserved the memories and emotions of the subject.
Spoiler:
Evidence for that is Slightly’s entirely understandable concern for his family’s safety, and his instant homesickness when he hears his Mum’s voice.
So, whether a really good copy, or the original? We’ve not seen they’ve lost anything in the transfer.
Of course, finding out Boy Kavalier had only told the parents the kids were dead, and how he’s using them as novel playthings rather than as children? That’s morally evil, 100%. He’s put them, knowingly, into hazardous situations, seemingly just to see what happens.
But as I said? The underlying process is morally sound. The kids, unless someone was lying about the seriousness of their medical conditions (which I’m not gonna rule out) were going to die, and die tragically young.
Putting them into adult bodies? Well I’m not 100% that was entirely necessary. We’ve seen that they can shut them down, switch off their senses and even remove chunks of memory, which for me raises the question of whilst it would no doubt be somewhat expensive? Sure you could just put the Thinky Bits through a series of bodies, to help mimic natural growth spurts.
But it is an emerging, experimental technology and process, so perhaps this is just the initial batch to see if children’s minds can adapt where we’re told adult minds just can’t. Maybe, if the product went to market, more sophisticated synthetic bodies, with some capacity to grow would be part of it.
So…yeah. Copy or transfer of the original? I’m not sure that’s a moral issue, where it was This Process or No More Child At All. The rest of Boy Kavalier’s stuff is just evil and uncaring.
Fed up of Scalpers? But still want your Exclusives? Why not join us?
Looking at the later films and the lack of hybrids (or cyborgs), doesn't this mean the grand experiment will be a failure?
BorderCountess wrote: Just because you're doing something right doesn't necessarily mean you know what you're doing...
"Vulkan: There will be no Rad or Phosphex in my legion. We shall fight wars humanely. Some things should be left in the dark age." "Ferrus: Oh cool, when are you going to stop burning people to death?" "Vulkan: I do not understand the question."
– A conversation between the X and XVIII Primarchs
[DCM]
Chief Deputy Sub Assistant Trainee Squig Handling Intern
That’s true.
Spoiler:
Or end up “outlawed” depending on just how horribly it all goes wrong on Boy Kavalier’s creepy little island.
I mean, I can fully see Weyland-Yutani just scuttling off with the info. After all, eternal life, after a fashion, sounds lovely. Even more lovely if it’s just you with access to it.
Fed up of Scalpers? But still want your Exclusives? Why not join us?
TBH, there is one thing that I don't like about A:E, and it's something that I didn't like in Prometheus or the 2 AvP films:
They humanize W-T, by giving us a face of the company.
I love Alien/Aliens/Romulus because W-T is just a faceless evil that you cannot win against. You can shake your fist at them, but that's all you can do. You can't directly attack the Company.
BorderCountess wrote: Just because you're doing something right doesn't necessarily mean you know what you're doing...
"Vulkan: There will be no Rad or Phosphex in my legion. We shall fight wars humanely. Some things should be left in the dark age." "Ferrus: Oh cool, when are you going to stop burning people to death?" "Vulkan: I do not understand the question."
– A conversation between the X and XVIII Primarchs
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: Actually kinda sad that in probably around 12 hours, I’ll have no new Alien Earth to look forward to.
I have to wait until Sunday to see it.
BorderCountess wrote: Just because you're doing something right doesn't necessarily mean you know what you're doing...
"Vulkan: There will be no Rad or Phosphex in my legion. We shall fight wars humanely. Some things should be left in the dark age." "Ferrus: Oh cool, when are you going to stop burning people to death?" "Vulkan: I do not understand the question."
– A conversation between the X and XVIII Primarchs
Yes, I'm joking. Still waiting for the missus to get home to watch the final episode.
Grrrr...
BorderCountess wrote: Just because you're doing something right doesn't necessarily mean you know what you're doing...
"Vulkan: There will be no Rad or Phosphex in my legion. We shall fight wars humanely. Some things should be left in the dark age." "Ferrus: Oh cool, when are you going to stop burning people to death?" "Vulkan: I do not understand the question."
– A conversation between the X and XVIII Primarchs
Alright, now that I've watched it, I think the only thing I said that was remotely predictive was the bit about finding it harder to decide who would die than who would live. As far as I could tell, Siberian was the lone named casualty in this relatively bloodless (aside from redshirts) conclusion.
I'm a little disappointed that my mold sprayer / eyeball creature prediction didn't come true. Instead, we got a surprise - the eyeball can use dead bodies, too - resurrection. Which leaves the purpose of the recurring mold sprayers limited to background ambiance and producers of jump scare sounds. Having Arthur give birth to an Alien creature AND play host to the eyeball feels a little like some sadistic version of having cake and eating it too. The show's nicest guy gets doubly violated for having a conscience.
Overall I can't say it was a great ending. It felt too much like an "I want to make another season" ending, with too much kept intact and too little sacrificed. Boy K is fun, but I don't really see the point of keeping Dame around. Morrow and Kersh got their throwdown, but (I think?) both survived, so it wasn't climactic. The plant finally got a moment, but it behaved like a mobile venus fly trap in the most unimaginative way possible. Fizzle on that.
And Wendy and co. are now set "to rule," backed up by xenomorph muscle. Whatever.
Honestly, if I were Disney / Hulu, based on this conclusion I'd now be rethinking my intent to commission another season. Episodes 1 through 6 were stellar. 7 was OK. 8 was kind of "eh."
Sorry, guys. I really loved most of this series, but this last episode just doesn't inspire my confidence in the show's future.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2025/09/24 01:35:11
Dakkadakka: Bringing wargamers together, one smile at a time.™
Great show. The ending had good parts, and dumb parts. Overall though? gakky as gak finale. What a fething waste.
Spoiler:
Wendy suddenly being able to hack anything and everything came out of nowhere, seemingly solely to explain how they got out of the cage and things fell apart? Nothing ever came of Kirsh's odd behavior that seemed to be constantly hinting at his own agenda. The kids escaping with a Xenomorph is a continuity snarl in my eyes, and one that makes for plot holes with any future season and an unsatisfying ending to this season? If there was more content I'd rather it be about the eye honestly. IDK. I feel like they had built a good 8 episode series and instead of sticking to their guns on it being a good 8 episode season, they threw the finale into begging for a second season, and one I can't say intrigues me with how it was set up.
What a damned waste that resolved absolutely nothing without 8 more episodes in what feels like a total cheat.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2025/09/24 02:27:59
Wendy suddenly being able to hack anything and everything came out of nowhere, seemingly solely to explain how they got out of the cage and things fell apart? Nothing ever came of Kirsh's odd behavior that seemed to be constantly hinting at his own agenda. The kids escaping with a Xenomorph is a continuity snarl in my eyes, and one that makes for plot holes with any future season and an unsatisfying ending to this season? If there was more content I'd rather it be about the eye honestly. IDK. I feel like they had built a good 8 episode series and instead of sticking to their guns on it being a good 8 episode season, they threw the finale into begging for a second season, and one I can't say intrigues me with how it was set up.
What a damned waste that resolved absolutely nothing without 8 more episodes in what feels like a total cheat.
Spoiler:
They've been building on Wendy's hacking cred for the entire season, so that wasn't really out of nowhere. And there's no evidence that the kids escape with a xenomorph. They've set it up for season two to start with WY assaulting the island, so the kids are going to be dealing with that before they can go anywhere. I still strongly suspect that they're all ultimately doomed, as that's the only way to keep continuity intact... but nothing that has happened so far is a problem for that. It's all down to how they choose to eventually resolve it.
But, yes, that was disappointing, being way too focused on setting up next season rather than concluding this one.
Great show. The ending had good parts, and dumb parts. Overall though? gakky as gak finale. What a fething waste.
Spoiler:
Wendy suddenly being able to hack anything and everything came out of nowhere, seemingly solely to explain how they got out of the cage and things fell apart? Nothing ever came of Kirsh's odd behavior that seemed to be constantly hinting at his own agenda. The kids escaping with a Xenomorph is a continuity snarl in my eyes, and one that makes for plot holes with any future season and an unsatisfying ending to this season? If there was more content I'd rather it be about the eye honestly. IDK. I feel like they had built a good 8 episode series and instead of sticking to their guns on it being a good 8 episode season, they threw the finale into begging for a second season, and one I can't say intrigues me with how it was set up.
What a damned waste that resolved absolutely nothing without 8 more episodes in what feels like a total cheat.
I am so happy to see someone else say this.
IT feels like they slapped another Sci-fi show with the alien IP.
Great show. The ending had good parts, and dumb parts. Overall though? gakky as gak finale. What a fething waste.
I am so happy to see someone else say this.
IT feels like they slapped another Sci-fi show with the alien IP.
Add me to the list.
Spoiler:
The extent of her control of the system was new but it had been showin earlier that she had some connection to the network. My gripe is that there is no answer, or even guesses, as for why her, and only her, can do that as well as the ability to the communicate with xenomorphs, even at long distance.
For all the really good things the showrunners did it ended up coming across as another Lost style mystery box where it is all questions and no answers, which usually means that the answers , when they finally come up with them, will be disappointing. It was an ending with no resolution and was very unsatisfying. If they say season two will wrap everything up and have a real ending I might consider watching it, but outside of that they killed my interest. Which is a shame because they did so many things very well just to waste it at the end.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2025/09/24 04:15:49
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
Great show. The ending had good parts, and dumb parts. Overall though? gakky as gak finale. What a fething waste.
I am so happy to see someone else say this.
IT feels like they slapped another Sci-fi show with the alien IP.
Add me to the list.
Spoiler:
The extent of her control of the system was new but it had been showin earlier that she had some connection to the network. My gripe is that there is no answer, or even guesses, as for why her, and only her, can do that as well as the ability to the communicate with xenomorphs, even at long distance.
For all the really good things the showrunners did it ended up coming across as another Lost style mystery box where it is all questions and no answers, which usually means that the answers , when they finally come up with them, will be disappointing. It was an ending with no resolution and was very unsatisfying. If they say season two will wrap everything up and have a real ending I might consider watching it, but outside of that they killed my interest. Which is a shame because they did so many things very well just to waste it at the end.
Spoiler:
She had more than some connection. One of her first actions was to hack the system and prevent her brother leaving. That's a pretty complicated action, more than just watching the security cameras. That was episode 2 I think. She was hacking systems from the getgo - even the cameras were restricted, she had to hack into them to manipulate them in the first place.
Kavalier said earlier that he granted her additional abilities so he could speak to someone smarter than him. Her hacking and high frequency communications with the xenomorph came from that. The ability to send sound over long distances is possible for organic life, so a robot with the ability to produce electrical waves as well as sound waves could do a whole lot more than that.
What I liked least was the close up scenes of the xenomorph in daylight, especially when you saw it on all fours. It just looked too much like a man in a suit, who was a lot more stocky than the original 7 foot guy. Scott still managed to avoid shooting the alien in poses that showed it to be a dude in a suit, while Cameron managed highly acrobatic aliens that looked really good because he knew how to use shadow to hide the bits that were no good, and almost never showed a full body in a pose that a human could do. Alien 3 used the puppet for the (admittedly poorly lit) composited full body shots which was completely inhuman in shape. The one good thing about Alien 4 is the CGI allowed completely inhuman body shapes and movements.
I think they needed to keep the alien better hidden in the shots they used, especially during full daylight where the harsh light prevented flaws from being hidden.
Hellebore wrote: Kavalier said earlier that he granted her additional abilities so he could speak to someone smarter than him. Her hacking and high frequency communications with the xenomorph came from that. The ability to send sound over long distances is possible for organic life, so a robot with the ability to produce electrical waves as well as sound waves could do a whole lot more than that.
I recall BK saying the entire project was for that purpose, not just specifically Wendy. If BK said she had been granted those additional abilities then why were they all surprised by them and wondering how she was doing it? It doesn't make sense for them to give her those functions then in turn be flummoxed by how she was doing it. How would they have created a program that allowed her to telepathically communicate and understand a species they had no real knowledge of?
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
[DCM]
Chief Deputy Sub Assistant Trainee Squig Handling Intern
Well now.
Spoiler:
I’m a bit split.
I do agree the “and next, season 2” feel of the ending left it not entirely satisfactory. But, lets face it we’re almost certainly getting a second season now.
What I think the whole show did do well was the overall storytelling. We of course get the odd Chekhov’s Gun, but things like Boy Kavalier’s early days isn’t explained until it makes sense to. And it makes the whole show about the sins of the father.
The Companies have of course built a dystopia. We don’t need much in-series evidence of that for Weyland-Yutani, and we get plenty for Prodigy’s role in that.
And so, we see kids forced to become adults, decide “your game and its rules are stupid, Our World Now”. Which is a nice subtext threaded throughout in retrospect. BK wanting to supplant WY, the alien reproduction cycle, the kids’ fates and the parents not being told and so on.
But, it seems a second season isn’t yet confirmed. So, right now? I’m braced for disappointment. This is streaming after all. And whilst Disney isn’t as moronic as Netflix when it comes to cancelling solid shows after a single highly successful season? The chance is still there.
If we get that currently fabled second season? I’ll be a happy camper. If we don’t? The ending to season 1 is just going to be super frustrating.
Fed up of Scalpers? But still want your Exclusives? Why not join us?
To me, I'm not too bothered by Wendy's hacking. Her instinctive control of even systems vaguely connected to her world, like security cameras on the mainland, implied higher control of her home system. Especially once she got dissatisfied with the company and started seeing what she was capable of.
As to her additional abilities, my impression is that she was the first, and was made to showcase what all the technology could do. She's stronger, faster, smarter, able to perceive things no one else can see- and likely 3 or 4 times as expensive as a baseline production hybrid body. First you make an insanely expensive prototype with all the bells and whistles, then you compromise to what you can afford to make and what the market can afford to purchase. Nibs is a good example of this. She has superhuman strength, but not jump down from a 50 foot cliff or drag a resisting alien warrior strength. I can see the market value in giving a hybrid body a direct network interface to your computer system- WY and BK would adore that connectivity. The increased auditory range is probably a hedonistic luxury feature- you can enjoy music no one else can. Although it's not mentioned, there's also the possibility that Wendy is messing around with her own software, which might be unlocking capabilities she is not supposed to have. Similar to the memories being selectively dumped, and the trackers able to be activated and deactivated, we've seen that the hybrid bodies have more functionality than is being used at any given time.
Overall though, yeah, not a great finale. It reminds me more of a mid-season break episode, to get you to come back for more after christmas. I did absolutely love the nod to crabs being nature's perfect organism with it's face to face with the xenomorph. Absolutely hilarious.
Klawz-Ramming is a subset of citrus fruit?
Gwar- "And everyone wants a bigger Spleen!"
Mercurial wrote:
I admire your aplomb and instate you as Baron of the Seas and Lord Marshall of Privateers.
Orkeosaurus wrote:Star Trek also said we'd have X-Wings by now. We all see how that prediction turned out.
Orkeosaurus, on homophobia, the nature of homosexuality, and the greatness of George Takei.
English doesn't borrow from other languages. It follows them down dark alleyways and mugs them for loose grammar.
Disappointed about the whole thing in hindsight. What started as a moody and promising thing, that seemed to follow the tone of some of the Alien franchise comics, turned out the be some Disney Peter Pan re-enactment crap. I expected more from the Fargo dude to be honest.
Oh well
"The larger point though, is that as players, we have more control over what the game looks and feels like than most of us are willing to use in order to solve our own problems"
How would they have created a program that allowed her to telepathically communicate and understand a species they had no real knowledge of?
Spoiler:
Just for clarity, there is no suggestion in the show that she is telepathic. The communication with the alien just uses frequencies beyond the human auditory range.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2025/09/24 09:40:11
How would they have created a program that allowed her to telepathically communicate and understand a species they had no real knowledge of?
Spoiler:
Just for clarity, there is no suggestion in the show that she is telepathic. The communication with the alien just uses frequencies beyond the human auditory range.
Spoiler:
I didn't mean it literally, in that she is somehow supernatural, but in how it is presented; the whole advanced tech being indistinguishable from magic concept.
Wendy is an advanced prototype but usually the people who create advanced prototypes know what they built, and the creators aren't certain how she is doing some of the things she is doing, especially in regards to a creature they barely knew existed and pretty much nothing else. It bet it all goes back to David tinkering with the xenomorphs Covenant, that cheeky bastard.
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
[DCM]
Chief Deputy Sub Assistant Trainee Squig Handling Intern
To be fair?
Spoiler:
The idiots intent on foisting AI upon us? They’re not entirely sure how it does what it now does. So the whole “we don’t know how Wendy is able to do that” feels about right to me.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2025/09/24 18:10:31
Fed up of Scalpers? But still want your Exclusives? Why not join us?
The idiots intent on foisting AI upon us as it they’re not entirely sure how it does what it now does. So the whole “we don’t know how Wendy is able to do that” feels about right to me.
Spoiler:
From a narrative perspective it still comes across as "it's magic, I ain't gotta explain gak". Things don't need to be explicitly spelled out but if something is so vague that you can get ten different answers from ten different people that isn't a mystery it is just bad writing, which brings us back to the Lost style puzzle box of creating questions with no answers. Maybe they'll clear things up in season two but I'm not going to hold my breath, mostly because:
Season 2 will center around Eye Ball Paul in Arthur's body getting of the island and blending in to society where he accidentally gets caught up in murder mystery leading to him becoming a reluctant PI: Alien Earth Season 2: Private Eye.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2025/09/24 18:13:37
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
I'm still waiting for the Blade Runner/Soldier TV series that can be used as a precursor to this series... which will end with the Maginot going on a deep space mission.
BorderCountess wrote: Just because you're doing something right doesn't necessarily mean you know what you're doing...
"Vulkan: There will be no Rad or Phosphex in my legion. We shall fight wars humanely. Some things should be left in the dark age." "Ferrus: Oh cool, when are you going to stop burning people to death?" "Vulkan: I do not understand the question."
– A conversation between the X and XVIII Primarchs