Perfect Organism: The Alien Saga Podcast

As we close out (for now) our miniseries on Lovecraft's cosmic horror in the Alien universe, we come to the most recent film in the saga: the ever-controversial, ever-interesting, ever-bizarre Alien: Covenant. Is Covenant Lovecraftian? Is it Gothic horror? Is it something in the middle? Jaime, Patrick, and resident Lovecraft expert Christian ponder these (and many more) questions on this wide-ranging and impassioned episode. They also address recent listener feedback about whether the prequel saga should continue—and, if so, what a successful third prequel might look like. Artwork by Matt Hatton. // Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.perfectorganism.com. // If you’d like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Building Better Worlds // To support the show, please consider visiting www.perfectorganism.com/support. We’ve got some great perks available! // And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can’t tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.

In what was our final recording for the calendar year 2022, Jaime, Patrick, Christian and Perry come together to discuss the working title news of the Fede Alvarez-directed Alien film as well as go on to discuss the merits of the theatrical edition of Alien 3 versus the Assembly Cut. From chest-bursting, to creature effects, we leave no stone unturned as we share our ideas on why one version of Alien 3 may work better than another. We hope you enjoy and thank you for celebrating the 30 year anniversary of Alien 3 with us.  // Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.perfectorganism.com. // If you’d like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Building Better Worlds // To support the show, please consider visiting www.perfectorganism.com/support. We’ve got some great perks available! // And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can’t tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.

The costumes of Alien have long been praised for adding to the verisimilitude of the film's "Truckers in Space" aesthetic. Fans have sought out replicas of these items right from the start with hats, patches, and pins filling the back pages of Starlog magazine. In this episode we sit down with Adam Ezekiel, a fan who has turned his love for the Nostromo crew uniforms (and his keen eye for detail) into a prospering business. Make sure to stop by Adam's website, www.nostromocrew.com, to see his work for yourself! Use discount code PERFECT10 for 10% (expires March 1, 2023).  // Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.perfectorganism.com. // If you’d like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Building Better Worlds // To support the show, please consider visiting www.perfectorganism.com/support. We’ve got some great perks available! // And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can’t tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.

We are happy to release our coverage of the Disney+ series Andor as a bonus episode this holiday season. In this special roundtable, your hosts Jaime, Patrick, Christian, AndieGeekGirl, and special guest Micah Greene discuss what some of us agree is the best Star Wars product since the original trilogy. As always this was a lively and in-depth conversation that we hope you enjoy.  // Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.perfectorganism.com. // If you’d like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Building Better Worlds // To support the show, please consider visiting www.perfectorganism.com/support. We’ve got some great perks available! // And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can’t tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.

Some call it the Pilot. Some call an Engineer. Many of us call it the Space Jockey. Call it what you will, this mysterious figure inside the Derelict has haunted and intrigued fans for decades. But why? What is it about this silent, seemingly ancient figure that makes it so unforgettable? For years, a major part of the Jockey's lasting appeal was its unknowability. But now that we have the prequels—and with them, the Engineers—is the Jockey no longer a mystery? Or has the mystery just shifted? In this roundtable, Jaime, Patrick, Maj, and Perry ponder these questions and come to some unexpected conclusions. They also explore the history of the Pilot from script to screen, and examine its life in the Expanded Universe of Dark Horse comics, etc. // Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.perfectorganism.com. // If you’d like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Building Better Worlds // To support the show, please consider visiting www.perfectorganism.com/support. We’ve got some great perks available! // And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can’t tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.  

A decade ago, Guillermo del Toro famously stopped his work on an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness because he felt Ridley Scott's Prometheus had beaten him to the punch. Scott himself was mum on the issue, but when Prometheus premiered in theaters it was clearly connected to ATMOM, whether Ridley (or Spaihts, or Lindelof) were public about it. So what exactly is Prometheus' connection to Lovecraft's 1931 novella? Do they share story beats, or are there deeper philosophical connections between the two?  In this second installment of our investigation into cosmic horror and the Alien franchise, we mount an expedition to look for answers to questions we might not've known we were asking in the first place. Art by François Baranger. // Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.perfectorganism.com. // If you’d like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Building Better Worlds // To support the show, please consider visiting www.perfectorganism.com/support. We’ve got some great perks available! // And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can’t tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.

"Lovecraftian" gets thrown around a lot these days, but what does it actually mean? When people say Alien is a Lovecraftian film, what are they getting at? We're launching a miniseries to explore those questions (and a whole lot more), and on this first installment we're looking at H.P. Lovecraft himself and how his themes speak to the themes in Alien. How does Giger's reverence for HPL show up in the film? What are we actually afraid of, long after the credits roll? Join Jaime, Patrick, and bona fide Lovecraft scholar Christian as they wade into the strange depths in search of answers. To support Christian's Necronomicon project, head over to his Patreon page! // Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.perfectorganism.com. // If you’d like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Building Better Worlds // To support the show, please consider visiting www.perfectorganism.com/support. We’ve got some great perks available! // And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can’t tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.

David Fincher's involvement with Alien 3 does not have a storybook ending. Unlike his predecessors Ridley Scott, and James Cameron, Fincher's work on Alien 3 would be remembered as one of the most troubled productions in cinema history. In this episode, Christian, Patrick, and Jaime discuss the issues surrounding Fincher's involvement and the merits of his continuing disassociation from the film. This was a interesting and challenging conversation. We hope you enjoy.    // Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.perfectorganism.com. // If you’d like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Building Better Worlds // To support the show, please consider visiting www.perfectorganism.com/support. We’ve got some great perks available! // And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can’t tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.

Feminism is a word that's long been linked to the Alien franchise, and it continues to be an incendiary term in our current social climate. In this episode, special guest Sarah Welch-Larson joins Patrick, Andie, and Jaime to break down what that actually term means and if it's faithful to the spirit of the original four Alien films. This was an informative and educational episode that might surprise you. We hope you enjoy.    // Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.perfectorganism.com. // If you’d like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Building Better Worlds // To support the show, please consider visiting www.perfectorganism.com/support. We’ve got some great perks available! // And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can’t tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.

Patrick and Jaime were delighted to sit down with writer/director Ian Nathan, and executive producer Robin Block as they discussed their new documentary Aliens Expanded. If Alien fandom has a bedrock, it would be none-other than James Cameron's Aliens. Aliens is the film everyone gathers around, the main course at a cinematic feast. Ian, and Robin discuss why they believe that's the case, and how they want to capture the love and celebration in a documentary that's certain to ignite our love for the film even more. We hope you enjoy.    // Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.perfectorganism.com. // If you’d like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Building Better Worlds // To support the show, please consider visiting www.perfectorganism.com/support. We’ve got some great perks available! // And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can’t tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.