Alien Worlds | |
---|---|
Genre |
Docufiction Science fiction Speculative evolution |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 4 |
Production | |
Production company | Wall to Wall Media |
Original release | |
Network | Netflix |
Release | 2 December 2020 |
Alien Worlds is a British sci-fi nature docufiction narrated by Sophie Okonedo. The 4-part miniseries, depicted by using CGI techniques, blends fact with science fiction and conceptualizes what alien life might be like by applying the laws of life on Earth to imagined exoplanets. [1] [2] The series was released on Netflix on 2 December 2020. [3]
No. | Title | Original release date | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Atlas" | 2 December 2020 | |
Atlas is a larger planet than Earth, with higher gravity and a thicker atmosphere leading to an airborne ecosystem. Astronomer
Didier Queloz makes an appearance to discuss the discoveries of
exoplanets and how they are analyzed in the real world. In explaining the aliens of Atlas, the episode also explores the
handicap principle in insects, and shows a rehabilitative form of
falconry as captive falcons are trained to live in the wild. | |||
2 | "Janus" | 2 December 2020 | |
Janus orbits a
red dwarf star. Because it is close enough to the star to become
tidally locked, Janus is separated into three main environments: the hemisphere facing the sun where it is always day, the opposite hemisphere which is always night, and a region of twilight on the boundary between them. Life has evolved to adapt to conditions on both hemispheres and to exploit the strong convective wind at the twilight zone for distributing larvae. The episode examines life in the
Danakil Depression with exobiologist
Kennda Lynch,
polymorphism in
leafcutter ants,
scorpion venom,
snottites, and
bioluminescence in
fireflies (including
aggressive mimicry in
Photuris), as inspiration for the five-legged "pentapods" on Janus. | |||
3 | "Eden" | 2 December 2020 | |
On the planet Eden, in a
binary star system, the atmosphere is rich in oxygen, creating ideal conditions for life. A
cactus-like
parasitic fungus causes white
rabbit/
moth-like grazing creatures to lose their sense of fear. They are eaten by
gremlin/
tarsier-like predators, which the fungus kills as part of its life cycle. Ecologist
Thomas Crowther talks about the role
mycelial networks play in the
Rothiemurchus Forest in
Scotland. The episode also discusses the effect of
predation on
reproductive strategies, specifically among
guppies in the
Arima Valley in
Trinidad; cooperation between humans (
Hadza hunters in
Tanzania) and
honeyguide birds in finding and collecting honey; and the
mayfly life cycle. | |||
4 | "Terra" | 2 December 2020 | |
Episode 4 imagines a planet called Terra, whose extremely advanced
alien civilization is
terraforming and
colonizing another planet in its star system. The episode features
Noor Power Station in its examination of how civilizations use
energy, as well as
RASSOR, a
robot being developed by
NASA. Astrophysicist
Adam Frank talks about
Area 51, explains why alien life has not yet been discovered, and discusses the possibility of extraterrestrial civilizations elsewhere in the Universe. Astronaut
Michael Foale talks about a collision on the
Mir space station and the hazard of
space radiation to astronauts. Astrobiologist
Doug Vakoch talks about the
Arecibo message and the possibility of
communication with extraterrestrial intelligence. |
The weekend after the series' release, it was one of Netflix's top 10 shows in the UK. [2]
Sheena Scott of Forbes called the series "entertaining and very informative science fiction" and said that the most interesting part of the series was the non-fiction sections about planet Earth, which show "the breadth of knowledge scientists have accumulated about our planet". [2] Likewise, Emma Stefansky of Thrillist said the alien creatures were fun, but "it's the Earth-bound science that ends up being the most interesting part". [4]
Alien Worlds | |
---|---|
Genre |
Docufiction Science fiction Speculative evolution |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 4 |
Production | |
Production company | Wall to Wall Media |
Original release | |
Network | Netflix |
Release | 2 December 2020 |
Alien Worlds is a British sci-fi nature docufiction narrated by Sophie Okonedo. The 4-part miniseries, depicted by using CGI techniques, blends fact with science fiction and conceptualizes what alien life might be like by applying the laws of life on Earth to imagined exoplanets. [1] [2] The series was released on Netflix on 2 December 2020. [3]
No. | Title | Original release date | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Atlas" | 2 December 2020 | |
Atlas is a larger planet than Earth, with higher gravity and a thicker atmosphere leading to an airborne ecosystem. Astronomer
Didier Queloz makes an appearance to discuss the discoveries of
exoplanets and how they are analyzed in the real world. In explaining the aliens of Atlas, the episode also explores the
handicap principle in insects, and shows a rehabilitative form of
falconry as captive falcons are trained to live in the wild. | |||
2 | "Janus" | 2 December 2020 | |
Janus orbits a
red dwarf star. Because it is close enough to the star to become
tidally locked, Janus is separated into three main environments: the hemisphere facing the sun where it is always day, the opposite hemisphere which is always night, and a region of twilight on the boundary between them. Life has evolved to adapt to conditions on both hemispheres and to exploit the strong convective wind at the twilight zone for distributing larvae. The episode examines life in the
Danakil Depression with exobiologist
Kennda Lynch,
polymorphism in
leafcutter ants,
scorpion venom,
snottites, and
bioluminescence in
fireflies (including
aggressive mimicry in
Photuris), as inspiration for the five-legged "pentapods" on Janus. | |||
3 | "Eden" | 2 December 2020 | |
On the planet Eden, in a
binary star system, the atmosphere is rich in oxygen, creating ideal conditions for life. A
cactus-like
parasitic fungus causes white
rabbit/
moth-like grazing creatures to lose their sense of fear. They are eaten by
gremlin/
tarsier-like predators, which the fungus kills as part of its life cycle. Ecologist
Thomas Crowther talks about the role
mycelial networks play in the
Rothiemurchus Forest in
Scotland. The episode also discusses the effect of
predation on
reproductive strategies, specifically among
guppies in the
Arima Valley in
Trinidad; cooperation between humans (
Hadza hunters in
Tanzania) and
honeyguide birds in finding and collecting honey; and the
mayfly life cycle. | |||
4 | "Terra" | 2 December 2020 | |
Episode 4 imagines a planet called Terra, whose extremely advanced
alien civilization is
terraforming and
colonizing another planet in its star system. The episode features
Noor Power Station in its examination of how civilizations use
energy, as well as
RASSOR, a
robot being developed by
NASA. Astrophysicist
Adam Frank talks about
Area 51, explains why alien life has not yet been discovered, and discusses the possibility of extraterrestrial civilizations elsewhere in the Universe. Astronaut
Michael Foale talks about a collision on the
Mir space station and the hazard of
space radiation to astronauts. Astrobiologist
Doug Vakoch talks about the
Arecibo message and the possibility of
communication with extraterrestrial intelligence. |
The weekend after the series' release, it was one of Netflix's top 10 shows in the UK. [2]
Sheena Scott of Forbes called the series "entertaining and very informative science fiction" and said that the most interesting part of the series was the non-fiction sections about planet Earth, which show "the breadth of knowledge scientists have accumulated about our planet". [2] Likewise, Emma Stefansky of Thrillist said the alien creatures were fun, but "it's the Earth-bound science that ends up being the most interesting part". [4]