Perfect Organism: The Alien Saga Podcast

"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.

Perfect Organism: The Alien Saga Podcast celebrates 200 episodes of what has been a rollercoaster of excitement and wonder. Join cohost and founder Jaime, Patrick, Christian, AndieGeekGirl, Perry, Maj, & Xander as they sit down to discuss the journey they've been on as a team, the road ahead, and the latest Alien tv show and film news. This was a wonderful episode to be a part of. This was a very special episode for everyone, 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.

Christian, Patrick, and Jaime were delighted to sit down with co-authors Philippa Ballantine and Clara Carija to discuss their new book, Alien: Inferno's Fall. As long time fans of the Alien saga and extended universe, Philippa and Clara discuss what the Alien universe means to them, and their propensity for creating rich and diverse worlds populated with multifaceted characters. This was a wonderful interview full of laughter and candid moments. 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.

Have you ever wondered what would've happened if Ripley's showdown with the creature onboard The Narcissus had ended differently? Chris Bissette is a game designer, writer, and musician who created an innovative RPG experience to explore that question—not only creating a theoretical fifth act to Alien, but putting players in Ripley's shoes as well. The Wretched is an original IP, but functions beautifully as an Alien analogue. In this minisode, Patrick and Christian chat with Chris about game design, the enduring power of Alien, and why single-player RPG experiences are having such a moment.  For more on Chris and their work (and to grab a copy of The Wretched for yourself!), visit https://loottheroom.itch.io/wretched. And be sure to give Chris a follow on Twitter @pangalactic while you're at it! An actual play of The Wretched will be coming to our Patreon feed in the near future if you'd like to hear the full audio experience. Happy gaming! // 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 this special crossover episode, hosts Patrick and Jaime are joined by contributing host Peter from the Midwest to discuss artificial intelligence as featured in Alien and Blade Runner. This is a bit of a crossover episode as we explore why the kinds of A.I. exist in both of these worlds and what's really behind the need for such technology. This was a fascinating and complicated discussion. We hope you enjoy! To listen to the rest of this Artificial Intelligence mini-series, go to www.bladerunnerpodcast.com  // 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.

Alien: Isolation is the sort of game that attracts a certain type of Alien obsessive: packed with lore, overflowing with aesthetic detail, and completely unrelenting in its difficulty and terror, Isolation is an extraordinary achievement in game design that continues to enthrall Alien fans eight years after its release. Andy Kelly is a video game journalist who has written extensively about Alien: Isolation from the very beginning. Along the way, he's amassed a wealth of interviews, behind-the-scenes insights, and level design knowledge that has culminated, finally, in his writing the definitive Alien: Isolation companion. In this episode, Andy takes Patrick and Christian behind the curtains for a deeper look at this incredible game, and lets us know what we can look forward to when the book is eventually published. To support the book's creation on Unbound, visit https://unbound.com/books/perfect-organism/. And be sure to follow Andy on Twitter @ultrabrilliant so you never miss an update along the way! // 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.

Charles Dance's portrayal of Dr. Jonathan Clemens in Alien 3 is a layered look at how substance abuse, grief, and loss function in the Alien universe. In this roundtable, Jaime, Patrick, Christian, and Andie are joined by first-time guest Forrest MacKnight for an in-depth examination of this fascinating character. // 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.