New Conformitygate Question:
What if aliens discovered either of two identical Voyager Golden Record time capsules we shot into space in 1977, learned about humans, and decided to "beam up" ( or recreate) subjects for a human zoo, Jurassic Park, and/or Westworld-like experience?
Or what if, after accidentally coming across a human subject (maybe a little Henry, Brenner, or Will?), and the aliens were like, "let's get our dog's dog's dog a dog."
It's so weird. This past week (or so), I gave my brain a break on my main theories, and let myself learn about and ponder fusion & fission, historical science figures/events, black holes & vacuum decay, quantum computers, and even humans-as-pets as a Sixth Sense-style twist for Stranger Things.
It's all kind of B-team stuff I've been curious about, but then yesterday I saw this, and I was so damn tickled.
Plus, check these parallels out:
There's a lot more that I'm too lazy to put together pics of atm, including:
Things mysteriously changing (her bedside tables and the clock switch sides)
Stars on purple backgrounds
Spying through others' eyes (or at least eyes on posters)
An industrial area with a machine that someone dies on, meat grinder-style
I'd half-assed considered the possibility of alien researchers after learning that Jane was named after Jane Goodall. And guess-fucking-what! Jane Goodall is included in the 116 images that were encoded into the record.
Plus - In the Tomb of Ybwen comic series, Bob's hidden treasure chest is kind of like a time capsule.
Sometimes I've wondered if Bob could be an alien, or different "species." It's also interesting to note how the name "Newby" implies a new settlement or farmstead:
I might even be open to a "cloning" possibility, of sorts, at this point. Realistically, this golden record could be floating out into space for much longer than our species or planet might exist. Who knows how advanced other beings' tech could be.
So, back to the show...There's a lot of recurring dialogue/themes around:
Befriending dangerous creatures/beings
Artificial environments for dangerous pets (e.g., spiders in jars)
Natural / Natural Order vs. Unnatural
Just off the top of my head, I'm surprised how many things seem to be "clicking" into place:
Murray's butt-probing aliens stories being dismissed.
Maybe Will's rubber fake-out body was perhaps made by aliens?
The elaborate DNA-drawings in Brenner's apparent office (in UD HNL)
The "Warn Eleven!" note I found in my Dr. Brenner flashlight last year
"Hotel California"-esque quips about not being able to leave Hawkins across the show, the MS Flight Simulator collab.
That hot girl (in pink!) was making moves on Will in S4 could've been an alien? Then, maybe the stewards of whatever Lenora is could’ve thought, like, “let’s bring him that boy he likes. Maybe he won’t turn into a Vecna, like when we got it wrong last time we had one quarantined.”
Time dilation (if our characters are in a very fast moving alien ship, they'd age a lot slower than we have on Earth)
Signal delays could also potentially (partly) explain why the IRL WSQK broadcast through the Global Player app was as if it was broadcasting from the 80s.
Why Lucas describes Tina as a villian.
Creepy vibes from some of these posters from official art/designs associated with the show & play (here), and also some of the vibes I get from the Fun Fair/Gravitron scenes.
Karen seemed more than a standard deviation of friendly here, you know?
Plus, the Wheelers' banter could mean a lot more now.
Feels very Noah’s arc + Coraline + patriotism.
I fell down this rabbit hole a couple months ago, and this may be another reason I'm kind of taking this theory seriously now. Check this out:
This Dec. '85 edition of the Boys' Life Magazine had a lot of Stranger Things-related topics in it, but something I found really interesting was this page of an ongoing series that ran in the Magazine, that was a comic book adaptation from a book series called The Tripods Trilogy by John Christopher. If you're curious about it, this person's blog has done a great job compiling all of the comic strips for the series (here, here, & here).
I'd definitely recommend flipping through the Boys Life magazine. MAYBE the comics if you're curious, can handle weird dystopian slavery media, and can tell apart drawings of little white boys.
That reminds me...I used to not be able to tell Will and Mike apart when I was a casual watcher during S1-S3. Funny!
Sure...there's a LOT I haven't figured out how to reconcile with this, like:
That time I realized that "Vecna's Curse" might be a Palm Springs-y timeloop, with videogame aspects (e.g., save points & NPCs), and seasons/episodes might actually be out of order for us.
That time I spiraled out about a lot of things I thought were dumb (like the nesting dolls, and the 2026 ST "Annual" book) that I reluctantly accepted had a web of connections with each other and the ST Experience.
Also, a lot of cool, quantum-shit I've been learning, like about the Higgs Bozon & "vacuum decay."
But, I think I'm finally making some progress on the "Forever Clock" piece of the puzzle and will report back if/when I figure that out (and if it connects.
Anyway, if you're interested in this concept and want to get in the headspace to try it on, here's a few:
Original Star Trek's pilot episode "The Cage"
Steven Universe's "The Zoo"
Fantastic Planet (1973) - Perhaps trippiest of all and NOT something I'd recommend as something you show to small children
Do we like this maybe being #bugpeopleplanetgate or #humanzoogate?
Out of all the questions I can't wait to ponder, now I want to know SO BADLY...what could be underneath Lucas's bed.
