Earth

Okay here is how sci-fi movies helped us realize current future. remember movies before 2005 where they shown touch screen computers? they are reality now. remember how they shows privacy invasion with ads and politics? it is reality now. :D weyland and umbrella corporations do good things for profit... so maybe there is world government in the background?

Just check the way Vickers speaks towards the expedition crew...superior towards inferior, upper class - lower class, i dont see how high technology helped to reshape society into a healthier form!its late 21st century and corporate staff is still like Sigourney from ''Working girl''!

Interesting. Your question is determined on what can be gathered from the trailers and the TED talk? From what I can gather from the trailers and the TED talk, I can't judge that much of real significance in terms of the Human condition seems to have changed - which I think would be accurate: not much of real signifcance in terms of the Human condition [i]would[/i] be likely to change by only 2079-83. If Weyland Industries have cured many diseases and environmental problems and if people are able to live longer due to new technologies and advancements in medicine and science, good for them: and so what? That won't make it Utopian society - not by a [u]long[/u] stretch: we know this because the fact applies, [i]today.[/i] Those conditions of relative progress apply [i]today[/i], relative to 1979; and they applied in 1979 relative to [i]1879[/i]; and they applied in 1879 relative to 1779....the Societies of those eras were progressively, "better", than those that preceded them - but did we, as a Species, change? At all? That is the Human Condition. As long as Humans are of that Condition and as long as Society is built on some kind of Corporate/Capitalist structure depedant on the privatisation of and scarcity of Resources, our future will play out in a certain manner - regardless of the comparatively insignificant matters such as the date. Only names, language, fashion and the nature of our technology will change. The real issues that affect us as a Species will remain, as they must remain, in one shape or other. Things will be different - but not [i]that[/i] different... I believe it is our Destiny.

With two huge superpowers which a few synopsis have mentioned leads me to believe things are tough. Population has obviously increased and water/food and other resources are a hot comodity, much like they are today, only worse. I mean heck, were going to space to find minerals and resources. I would bet the gap between rich and poor is larger in this movie than it is now judging by how far some of the individuals are willing to go to find their answers or maybe bring back a lifeform to be reimbursed by the bio weapons division aka Weyland Industries.

Goes back to a quote from Alien 4 too - "Earth. What a shit hole." Sad.

Allinamberclad, Capitalism has been the most powerful force for good in the history of this planet. One of the biggest examples is the Victory of the capitalistic west over the Nazi's and Japan in WWII. There is so much good that has been generated, in terms of quality of life, health and our ability to help those less fortunate the world over, as a result of capitalism, that the mind boggles! Only an ignorant fool would posit that such repressive, life sucking, mind numbing experiments such as socialism or communism (God forbid a dictatorship), would be preferrable.

@Dave_b How amusing. I didn't make a value judgement on Capitalism. Neither, did I make any kind of representation [i]for[/i] Socialism - so I have, literally, no idea what you're actually talking about and - on the basis of the facts preceding - I can't help wonder whether even you have more of a grasp of it. I'm going to try and help you by suggesting that, (before you make free with quite unnecessary and embarrassingly juvenile personal attacks such as, "ignorant fool" - that are themselves self-evidently rooted in a basis of poor comprehension and invalid assumption), that you learn to read and interpret the words that are actually there - not your imaginings: and that, only when you've achieved that level of expertise - you read it again.

I didn't post my question about a "movie" to instigate attacks on other people's thoughts. Theorize and debate elsewhere please.

Dave b, you seem to be confusing communism with socialism. Go read a book. it's not the same, and if you were to understand the first thing about capitalism you would realise its existence creates social elite classes, and also being so clever as you are, this separation/segregation will always grow, until we either revolt or come up with a new form of society. Also, the uk wasn't really capitalist until the 1980s, due to Thatcher, before that we had the Establishment, social classes. Bad form mate, you have brought up the war, but as you have...WWII had nothing to do with capitalism verses facism, infact a lot of the british rulling classes (because thats what they were as we were not really capitalist) were in agreement with many facist principles (as depressing as that is) it was to do with a dictator invading Europe much like Naepoleon, we brits dont like people to have bigger empires than us,the USA didn't bother to enter the war till after the sinking of the Lusitania, about 3 years too late, also the only reason we defeated nazi Germany was due to the communist Russians declaring war on Germany. So to say its western capitalism verses nazism is wrong. Completely wrong I don't know where your getting your information from, but all I can assume is you are American(if so what the funk do they teach you at school? Do you just watch american made war movies, patting yourself on the back) Read a few books, before you 1. Bring up WWII 2. Talk about socialism as if it's a dirty word I think back to the original question, I think the future will be the same, the rich living it up off the back of the poor, I'd like to think a Peter weyland would ultimately invent things to bridge the gap, but I can't see that happening until some kind of revolution/a world catastrophe happens Also I'd like to make it clear I'm not a Red Flag waving loon. It just riles me when someone brings up the war, who obviously knows sweet funk all.

@jvicha; This is an open forum, debates happen. :)

Gotta agree with Svanya there.

And if you keep analyzing capitalism, its just another form of control; without being physically oppressive, but economically. The richer or the 1% mantain control the masses while we the lower working class focus on making money to either survive or aspire to be like that 1%, instead of focusing on the improvement of humanity as a whole. Yes it brings advances, but the ulterior motive is not the improvement of life or society, its the enrichment of companies and their owners. The term is cash cow products. It is why Alien and Blade Runner depict societies run/governed by corporations. That is why I believe some sort of democratic socialism would be the best society, which I think some form is depicted in the Star Trek Universe.

I agree tutelo. The majority of the people truly effected by the wests form of capitalism live in Africa and make our sneakers/trainers for a pittance. Most political writers agree long term capitalism won't work and will probably but not neccesarily lead to a revolt, tho most writers when comprehending this don't take into consideration the possibility of colonisation of extra solar planets etc. If this were to happen capitalism will rule forever. I think a star trek society would be great, but it wont happen. I think our future as is now will be run be mega corporation government hybrids, in the UK there is talk about privatising our police force/roads and the conservative party is trying to underhandedly privatise our health service (which is all they ever try to do, sell everything to their mates) as time goes on it will probably get worse. Until recently look at the power Rupert Murdock had who I think has many parralels with Peter Weyland. A unelected person so rich he can change the world and bend it to his will.

I think sneaker making people mostly live in Indonesia and China. Africa is more people producing chocolate and rare earth metals for iPads etc. It's generally the people that benefit most from capitalism (bored children of the rich in the West) that moan about it the most.

I understood what was posted and I stand by my comments. This particular thread was uniquely ripe for such an exchange of perspectives. I did not bring up the Hunam Condition and capitalism's influence upon it....someone else did! My feelings run deep for very real and personal reasons. If I have offended anyone I am sorry.

I took no offence, I thought its a great little discussion, we are all entitled to opinions, I was hoping you would have come back fighting more Dave_b Chthon, you catch my drift, but your wrong, the middle class may write the books that get published about this, but go and speak to any working class Brit and ask them is capiltalism fair, go to Liverpool/Manchester/Glasgow, and the gap is getting bigger by the day. In the UK theres a lot of talk about bankers bonus, and how we should cap the large sums of money(or create a bankers tax). The bankers have caused an international recession, which only effects the working class, millions unemployed, people loosing their homes. These criminals are still being rewarded with million pound bonus' while the rest suffer. So no it's not the views of just the middle class children. A new phrase has been bounded about, "responsible capiltalism" which many have said is a form of socialism.