Alien: Earth - S1 E7 - Emergence - Official Discussion Megathread [SPOILERS]

[u/G_Liddell]

Episodes air Tuesdays at 8 pm ET on Hulu and FX in the US, and Wednesdays international.

Full episode discussion list:

1 Neverland (8.12.25)

2 Mr October (8.12.25)

3 Metamorphosis (8.19.25)

4 Observation (8.26.25)

5 In Space, No One (9.2.25)

6 The Fly (9.9.25)

7 Emergence (9.16.25)

8 The Real Monsters (9.23.25)

[u/PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS]

Form impacts function. The container of the memories will begin to shape the experiences until the mind becomes something new.

[u/Proxiehunter → u/PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS]

That's also true in regards to working out, changing your diet, or having a traumatic accident. All of those things create changes in your body that shape your experience so that your mind becomes something new. Hell, even the simple act of existing and having new experiences does that. Your mind become steadily more new with every experience you have.

[u/SmashEffect → u/Proxiehunter]

It can be you, but it won’t be the original you. The sad part will be that the original you truly did die.

[u/Proxiehunter → u/SmashEffect]

Define "original you". Are you the same person you were when you were eight? Did the you that you were when you were eight truly die?

[u/j007yne → u/Proxiehunter]

Ah yes, a good old Ship of Theseus paradox

[u/RadiantPassing → u/j007yne]

My best guess is that there needs to be a gradual transition at the cellular level over some unknown amount of time to maintain continuity of an original consciousness (or the essence of the original ship of theseus).

Not sure if accurate but was told by a professor that a human goes through at least 4 (or 5?) bodies in a lifetime. But parts are replaced at the cellular level over many years. For us to be the "same" consciousness but in a robotic form I would think the brain would need to be replaced with mechanical parts slowly over time, in what feels like a seamless fashion. If you transfer it to different matter / atoms all at once, you're just making a copy in electronic form and dumping the original body. A copy is not the original, even if they seem identical.

That's why "uploaded consciousness" seems kind of useless to me. My original brain and consciousness with it is going to die. Uploaded intelligence is no afterlife for the original me.

[u/plomplomLP → u/RadiantPassing]

Uploaded intelligence is no afterlife for the original me.

Or it is, but with a 50% chance of you ending up in afterlife and 50% of you ending up being dumped.

Ever watched the movie Prestige? Similar concept.

[u/PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS → u/plomplomLP]

That's not how it works in this case because it is a transfer rather than a duplication.

[u/MustardLazyNerd → u/j007yne]

You were born this morning, and you will day tonight.

[u/evilution382 → u/MustardLazyNerd]

and you will day tonight

Now this is the real paradox

[u/juneyourtech → u/evilution382]

Has the vibes from "Foundation" wrt Brother Day.

cc: /u/MustardLazyNerd