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In my view, the sixth episode presents intriguing perspectives and meanings, whether it's the protagonist's final interaction with the Swarm or the dialogue between the two alien races at the beginning and end, "I will definitely cherish this conversation with you."
First, let's discuss the differences between the short film and the original story. Interestingly, just this morning, I happened to read the original short story "Swarm" by Bruce Sterling from 1982. The short film naturally had to condense some parts due to its runtime, which might make certain aspects harder to comprehend.
The story is set in a time when humans have made contact with extraterrestrial civilizations but haven't yet mastered long-distance interstellar travel. Society is divided into two factions: the Morphs, who possess advanced biotechnology, and the Mechanos, who excel in mechanical technology. The protagonist of the episode, a scientist, undergoes body modifications thanks to the Morphs' technological prowess. There's a competitive dynamic between these two human factions.
In this context, humanity encounters the Investors, the sophisticated beings seen at the beginning of the episode. They hail from a highly advanced race in the galaxy. To humans, they are like infants compared to the Investors. The Investors emphasize trade and enjoy extravagant attire, which is why the protagonist dons lavish clothing during their meeting. The Investors inform humans about several yet undiscovered species in the galaxy. To gain an advantage over the Mechanos, the Morphs expend significant energy and resources to acquire help from the Investors. They dispatch research teams to explore various species. The female protagonist is part of the first team to encounter the Swarm and learn about pheromones. The male protagonist, a scientist and secret agent, is sent to the Swarm's location to find ways to manipulate them into a biotechnological factory for the Morphs. This aims to close the gap between the Mechanos' mechanical factories and the Morphs' advancements.
The swarm is considered a collective of non-sentient organisms, residing within the Betelgeuse star system of the Orion constellation. Instead of planets, there are millions of shattered asteroids, and the insect swarm lives within these asteroids. Aside from emitting reproductive pheromones to communicate and propagate among other asteroid-based insect swarms, they have no material exchanges with the outside world. Their interior forms a perfect self-sustaining ecosystem. Within, they continuously test various pheromones' functionalities. They later hijacked many laborers using these pheromones, establishing a private domain and even abducting the airlock worm from the opening scene to serve as a sentry.
Simultaneously, they created a breeding factory for cultivating eggs. One morning, the female protagonist mentioned a peculiar egg that seemed to give rise to a new species, and she went to investigate it. Eventually, she was abducted. Upon detecting the intrusion by outsiders exploiting their pheromones, the queen insect, to counter these intruders, gave birth to an intelligent individual with a lifespan limited to a thousand years. This intelligent being's role was to confront species like humans, who intended to manipulate the insect swarm, and to counter them by fostering an improved human species using the male and female protagonists as Adam and Eve, against the humans that would arrive in the star system in the future.
The swarm's theory is that intelligence is necessary for organisms, but an excess of intelligence would instead lead the organisms to their demise. Humanity's pursuit of intelligence would eventually cause the species to vanish from the galaxy. The survival strategy of the insect swarm has allowed them to endure for millions of years and has defeated numerous species like humanity that pursued intelligence.
"Intelligence is a double-edged sword, Doctor. A certain level of intelligence enhances a species' survival capabilities. Excessive intelligence, however, hinders the continuity of a species. Survival and intelligence cannot seamlessly coexist. They are not as closely intertwined as you might imagine."
The most captivating and central aspect of the entire story, in my opinion, is that the insect swarm is not a non-sentient, self-sustaining biological system. Quite the contrary, after developing intelligence, the insect swarm deliberately abandoned it. Only when the external world interferes and probes their domain do they produce an intelligent entity, storing millions of years' worth of memories, to provide wisdom to the swarm. However, this intelligent entity is strictly controlled, with a limited lifespan of a thousand years and minimal intervention in the nest's affairs.
In the story's climax, the protagonist's conversation with the Mind reveals his two options: to be assimilated like his colleague, becoming an unconscious breeding machine, or to retain consciousness and intelligence, even educating the future human generations within the hive. Despite either choice, the Swarm plans to cultivate superior human beings to combat potential future arrivals. The protagonist, however, remains confident and proud of humanity.
The protagonist accepts the Swarm's challenge to their stance on intelligence, which refers to his struggle within the hive. He believes that humans within the hive will remain unchanged for a millennium and won't be reduced to low-intelligence parasites. The mind's lifespan is limited, and it will eventually die after a thousand years. Even if the hive's humans become enslaved parasites loyal to the Swarm, they won't be defeated by humans cultivated by the Swarm in the future.
Both races, the Investors and the Swarm, express the sentiment, "I will definitely cherish this conversation with you." To the Investors, humans are an infantile race without the capability for interstellar travel. To the Swarm, humans are just another ordinary species destined for extinction in their million-year history. However, the protagonist, representing a new and confident race, elicits intrigue and amusement from these ancient species. His youthful ambitions and confidence remind them of the optimism of youth, a blend of naivety and hopeful prospects. This conversation intrigues both races, prompting them to cherish the interaction.
The author of this story is Bruce Sterling, who co-authored "The Difference Engine" with William Gibson, pioneering the steampunk and cyberpunk genres. Sterling also introduced terms like "wexelblat," describing the second decline of human technological civilization due to natural disasters, and "buckyjunk," which illustrates the difficulty of recycling consumer carbon nanotube waste caused by future nanotechnology trends. Sterling's cyberpunk movement is characterized by a pessimistic view of future technology, believing that technological development and humanity's ceaseless pursuit of knowledge won't necessarily lead to better lives, resulting in a future of "high tech, low life."
Through the voice of the Swarm, this story possibly reveals whether the relentless pursuit of intelligence and technology truly represents hope and progress. Yet, amidst the protagonist's confidence and the assessment of other species, one can infer a glimmer of hope and expectation arising from the quest for intelligence.
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