„Osmi putnik“ i pripovedanje u antropocenu: evolucionizam, kreacionizam i pseudoarheologija u naučnoj fantastici Cover Image

Alien and Storytelling in the Anthropocene: Evolutionism, Creationism and Pseudoarchaeology in Science Fiction
„Osmi putnik“ i pripovedanje u antropocenu: evolucionizam, kreacionizam i pseudoarheologija u naučnoj fantastici

Author(s): Uroš Matić, Sonja Žakula
Subject(s): Anthropology, Archaeology
Published by: Филозофски факултет, Универзитет у Београду
Keywords: Alien; science fiction; anthropocene; storytelling; evolutionism; creationism; pseudoarchaeology

Summary/Abstract: This paper analyses the change in the metanarrative of the Alien franchise initiated by the movie Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, and continued with a series of three sequels. The franchise was revived in 2012 with the prequel Prometheus. The story of the first four movies is set at the end of the anthropocene, and it deals with the horror of alien life forms, offering an evolutionist approach to the development of the human species. However, the revival of the franchise with the movie Prometheus changed the metanarrative from evolutionism to a creationist and pseudo-archaeological metanarrative with Biblical motifs. This paper points to the dangers of popularizing creationist and pseudo-archaeological narratives in science fiction. Responsibility for life on Earth and in outer space, lacking evidence to the contrary, remains in the hands of humans collectively and not alien Others.

  • Issue Year: 16/2021
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 677-698
  • Page Count: 22
  • Language: English