Ars Technicast, Episode 4 – The science and the fiction of Prometheus

This week we devote the show to science fiction, and in particular Ridley Scott’s new film Prometheus. Warning: This show is extremely spoiler heavy, so if you don’t want to know details about the film, wait until you see it first, since we give away major plot points.  Ridley’ Scott’s loose prequel to his 1979 film Alien provides fertile ground to discuss the fiction and storytelling used in the film, but the movie has very little science that can be compared to science in the real world. We also discuss how the scientists aboard the Prometheus don’t behave like actual scientists. No discussion of this series of films is complete without talking about the monsters. Does the creature design of Prometheus work with previous films in the Alien series? Tune in to find out. Host Senior Apple Editor Jacqui Cheng is joined by Open Source Editor Ryan Paul, Social Editor Cesar Torres and Ars Contributor Casey Johnston. Links Science gets burned by Prometheus Adrian Bott, Prometheus Unbound: What The Movie Was Actually About H.R. Giger Alien Trilogy  Alien Resurrection Alien vs. Predator 2001: A Space Odyssey Wikipedia entry on the alien creature (xenomorph) Books  Good Omens Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell Kindred Sandman Stranger in a Strange Land Starship Troopers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices