How scientifically accurate is Apple TV’s Pluribus?

This article contains spoilers for the season premiere of “Pluribus.”

Can the human race share consciousness? While this is certainly possible from a metaphorical perspective, the scientific legitimacy of such a concept is difficult to discern. Consider science fiction author Peter Watts’s view of hive consciousness, where he posits that it could be possible to create collective networks based on human stimuli or to read someone else’s dreams in the future. Concrete research into hive consciousness already exists – while it is easier to study such behavior in animals or insects, human consciousness is a completely different ball game. After all, what East consciousness, and how are self-awareness and identity factored into hive mentality? The answers are complicated, and Vince Gilligan’s latest sci-fi offering, “Pluribus,” isn’t afraid to flesh out these implications, albeit on a quasi-realistic level.

The premise of the series initially seems deceptively simple. Scientists discover an RNA sequence that quickly breaks containment and unites humanity with a kind of “psychic glue” within days. In other words, an alien invasion kills nearly a billion people on Earth and leaves behind a hive mind with a complex view of morality. Some, like the easily irritable Carol (Rhea Seehorn), are immune, creating an unlikely status quo between a flawed, assertive individual and a collective mind that seems both terrifyingly efficient and strangely benevolent.

Zosia (Karolina Wydra), who acts as Carol’s chaperone, verbalizes the will of the collective, which (apparently) never experiences negative emotions. Wydra spoke to Polygon to shed some light on this hive mindset:

“Vince would say that they are just very content, happy, peaceful, serene, unfazed human beings, and they are just pure goodness in the world. […] They are constantly in a state of serenity. No matter what is thrown at them, they don’t have a negative reaction. »

The implications of the hive never having a negative reaction to Nothing are disastrous. The series explores this in episode 2, where an enraged Carol screams and inadvertently kills 11 million hive members, and does so as well. second time despite remorse. The hive’s reaction to this is devoid of any strong feelings: they claim that while these deaths are unfortunate, Carol had no intention of murdering anyone, so there is little reason to be angry or resentful. This can hardly be considered a peaceful state of mind – on the contrary, this type of docile benevolence leaves the hive wide open to exploitative manipulation (and very real harm).

However, this does not mean that the hive is powerless. We see them mobilizing in a perfectly organized way, where they infect millions of people without being detected. This complicates their moral compass, as they are capable of deceptive infiltration and ruthless mass murder under the guise of fulfilling biological compulsion. Gilligan based the physical movements of the hive on an underwater experiment, where he observed a school of fish moving as one:

“I used to dive a little bit, and I was lucky enough to go to the Caribbean or something. It fascinated me: these beautiful fish, they’re all lined up, and then all of a sudden the lead fish turns a corner, like those light cycles in ‘Tron.’ The fish would all be together, and then they’d go away kchhand then they leave kchh. You can’t even see this happening. It’s faster than the human eye. »

Gilligan also thanked stuntman Nito Larioza for overseeing the hive choreography, while joking that humans can never move as gracefully as a school of tropical fish. Touch.

Can an alien RNA sequence infect our minds and merge us into a single entity overnight? Maybe not, but the principle of this science fiction concept is based on real instances of collective consciousness, notably among insects and animals. While herd mentality has always existed among migratory birds, bees, or swarms of insects, the term “hive mind” was popularized in the 1950s by science fiction author James H. Schmitz. Additionally, hive minds generally do not have positive connotations as a science fiction concept, as they are used as metaphors for the inertia of groupthink and the erosion of individuality. But as a scientific concept, the basic principles of hive consciousness are already used in swarm intelligence (a stream of robotics), where small robots are trained to perform tasks in coordination.

But what about extending it to the elusive human consciousness? We are currently taking steps to insert prototypical chips into our brains to synchronize them with technological commands, or even create artificially encoded memories to see if they are compatible with rat brains. Although the distant future may offer us the opportunity to simulate hive consciousness, is it a wise idea to merge our minds? An essential characteristic of a hive is identity fusion, which completely erases personal hopes and dreams in favor of a common goal. Who decides on these ideals, and what happens when someone wants to defect?

“Pluribus” has yet to reveal its trump card, but it appears to be a cautionary tale against reckless assimilation. Conflict is an undesirable trait, but it is undoubtedly important for a functional society that values ​​diversity. Dissent and autonomy are crucial to avoiding power imbalances and protecting vulnerable groups, and the hive’s inability to understand this in “Pluribus” may soon spell doom.