Netflix Sci-Fi ROUNDUP

Let's check in on what Netflix can teach us about morality

Image source: me

With my demanding twitter and blog posting career, I rarely have time for Netflix and chill. Last time I indulged, I watched a couple of sci-fi films, both of which happened to have climate change themes. This time around I went over to BAP’s house, ordered a pizza “with the works”, and then selected two Netflix sci-fi originals at random.

What we ended up witnessing from the streaming titan owned by Marc Randolph (Edward Bernays’s grandnephew), and featuring the Obamas as producers, shed light on how our opinion-makers conceive of public morality.

Stowaway

Stowaway is a science fiction film in the style of Gravity centering on a mission to Mars, which is supported by plausible technology like centrifugal force-based artificial gravity and algae CO2 scrubbing. The plot is similar to Alien in that it involves a group of space professionals dealing with the destruction caused by a dark interloper and the difficult moral compromises they confront in their quest to survive and preserve their mission. The main difference is that instead of a ruthless xenomorph that drops from the ceiling to slaughter the crew, an unconscious Black man falls from the ceiling, breaks the commander’s arm, and damages CO2 scrubbers.