Shat Crew:
I really enjoyed your recent Deep Dive about the latest episode of Westworld, episode 4. In particular, I thought your conversation about how a twin or an exact copy of yourself may not act or react the same way as you was FASCINATING. Identity and self-awareness are thematic touchstones the show writers seem to really enjoy. From Charlotte asking, “Who am I” – to William basically asking, “What am I” – to last season’s Bernard even wondering, “When am I” – the writers are examining every facet of what it is to be “me.” Gene: I think I remember you saying that you are a fan of Star Trek: TNG (and if I’m wrong, please forgive me). When Big D was talking about twins, it made me think back to an episode from TNG when Riker discovers he has a duplicate version of himself. I couldn’t remember the title, so I went back and did some digging. The episode is called, Second Chances (season 6, episode 24). Here’s the first half of the synopsis that I ripped from Wikipedia: The Federation starship Enterprise is sent to the inhospitable planet Nervala IV to retrieve data from a Federation research base that was abandoned about eight years earlier due to the onset of a disruption field that prevented transporter use. Commander Riker is chosen to lead the team, having been part of the rescue team that helped to evacuate the base; Riker notes that during that mission he was the last person to be beamed out to the Potemkin, where he was then serving. Using a break in the disruption field, the away team beams down and discovers a man who appears exactly like Riker. He says that he is Riker, and has been living alone on the base for eight years ever since the Potemkin was unable to transport him back aboard, under the assumption the Potemkin crew presumed him lost. He is a Starfleet Lieutenant, Senior Grade. This was Commander Riker’s rank before he was promoted as a result of this mission. Returning to the Enterprise, Dr. Crusher determines that this person is truly a second Riker; Chief Engineer La Forge postulates that years before, when Riker was being beamed off the planet, the Potemkin had split the transporter beam to cut through the distortions, but one beam was reflected back to the base, so that Riker materialized in both places. Cdr. Riker suggests that Lt. Riker join them on a second attempt to recover the data. At the base, their personality styles conflict, and the attempt ends in failure when Lt. Riker refuses to follow Cdr. Riker’s orders. Lt. Cdr. Data postulates that the two men are resentful towards each other due to the loss of their sense of uniqueness. Lt. Worf suggests another reason: each one sees in the other something of himself he does not like. It’s the last bit that I recalled: that Data thought they were resentful because of the loss of uniqueness and Worf’s assertion that they saw traits they did not like in each other. Even though Lt. Riker is an exact copy of Cdr. Riker (down to his DNA), they end up being quite different. I think this could be something that the show explores with the various “copies” of Delores. This assumes that an AI consciousness would react the same way a human consciousness would upon realizing they are no longer unique. As humans, we operate on a belief that there has never been, is not now, nor will there ever be another “me.” I’m not sure how I’d feel if I discovered I was a copy or another version of someone/something else. Maybe the copies of Delores (the non-prime versions), will go through some of these same resentments or realizations. Maybe they’ll fight to regain their uniqueness by trying to eliminate or remove the other versions of themselves (similar to what Big D was talking about: maybe each says, “hey…why can’t I be the one who comes out on top?”) Delores vs. Delores would be something few expected. The other thought that came to my mind was a musical one. I’m a professor of music and conducting at a private university here in Chicago. In music theory, there is a compositional concept called serialism, which is long and complicated but in sum: composers construct 12-tone rows (there are 12 different pitches within an octave; rows are just a series of notes) by creating what’s called a matrix. You begin with the Prime Row, the original from which all the other rows are made. The other rows are made by way of inversions, retrogrades, and retrograde-inversions. Even though each row is constructed of the same materials, the way they are ordered makes them different. It could be a stretch, but I like to think that even though the Charlotte/Delores consciousness is made of the same material as Delores Prime, how that material is organized in her head could manifest of deviations or variations.
One last thought…
Where are all the people (the residents of Neo LA, for one)? This is a BIG city with lots of buildings, roads, etc. Yet, you don’t see many people out and about like you would expect in a major city. Even in broad daylight when Delores and Caleb go to have breakfast, there aren’t many people around. It seems like the city is not only very clean and beautiful, but almost sterile. Either the show runners didn’t want to pay for extras, didn’t want to pay for digital extras, OR they are giving us a portrait of a society that is much different from the hustle and bustle we are accustomed to in our time (at least pre-coronavirus). I’m interested in what you think.
Sorry for the long email. I can’t say enough how much your work makes those of us who listen feel a little more “normal” in these strange days. Love to you all and stay the fuck at home.
– Shawn V. in Chicago
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I have been thinking the same thing! Where is everyone??