Most disturbing image in The Second Renaissance

This movie disturbed the hell out of me. (For those of us who enjoy Trek on occasion, these guys are what the Borg would be IRL.)

The whole movie was disturbing, but IMHO, the most disturbing parts are the experimentation sequences in part 2. I mean, we're cut up, *still alive*, and tested on. No longer is the fluid in my veins my life's blood, nor the brain in my head the repository for my hopes, dreams and immortal soul...no, I'm hardware. Fuel conduits and an organic computer system. That feels pain. No more or less programmable than the machines are. And that's all.

I mean, seriously, just try and *consider* what it would be like to be stripped naked, shaved, cut up, probably still conscious and having someone examine you like I examine my 2002 Cavalier.

I can't.

"You blew up the Kobayashi Maru?!" -Captain Picard
"It blocked my view of Venus." - Cadet Calhoun

from the start it was creepy. seeing all the robots doing man's work, made think not that we can become smart enough, but we can be lazy enough not to work and to take jobs away from people (I read some crazy scientists are trying to create robotic nannys!)

but then, the tank crushing the robot, the robot getting shot, the robot crushing the human, the soldier being ripped from the mecha, the tank crew, the robot woman being ripped to death, the robotic mass graves, the field hospital with the wounded.

the robot envoys getting rejected at the UN. it's not like they didn't give us a chance for making peace. they created their own society, and they did as they were supossed to do, be efficient, so they became a major economic power, beating humans on their own ground: not war, but capitalism.

those robots actually had feelings and concience. they resented humanity's treatment. they wanted to be free and live peacefully, and we coouldn't let them do it. it's not about your shape, or who made with and how, but it's the fact that you can think. if I destroy a coke machine I won't feel a thing. but the "robotic woman getting beaten" was disturbing because not only she looked like a human, she also acted like one.

garlic, crosses, sunlight, nothing works on you anymore (Al Bundy)

"For me though it would have to be the image where the human soldier has his arms and legs torn off as he was being pulled from his mech. Coupled with his cries of help and his scream makes a very disturbing scene"

Couldn't agree more! That scene gave me the creeps!

Obviously the guy-torn-from-mech scene is pretty disturbing, but what really got me was IIRC at the end of part 2; When the naked guy is plugged into the matrix, and he is lauging and crying.

When I Saw The Secong Renaissance I was nearly sick,They Scenes that stick in my mind the most where the following


1.Robot Crushing Man's Brain

2.Female Robot Being Battered

3.Human Experimentaions (That was just sick)

4.Little Kid Bit

5.Guy Being pulled Out Of Mech (Ouch!)

For me, it was the brain crushed out of that lady's head. I didn't find anything else disturbing other then that.

The Robot experimentation on humans was a twisted collage of imagery. The fact that we were opened up and still alive, conscious, and aware was just utmost shock. and later when i see these needly, insect-like machines crawling over them like spiders wrapping up and binding flys in thier web, it was a powerful sequence.

and as for people saying robot can't think, feel, or experiance emotion. That's current technology. If you forcast current stimulus/response algorythms for a future robot, then you're not getting a "self aware" thinking machine.

BUT

If you take a bunch of stupid things, like neural cells in our brain, and you link them together, you get what's called emergence. These dumb "cells" organize themselves and reallocate, redirect, and recognize patterns. basically it's like a colony of ants, a single ant cannot survive long on it's own, instead it's a part of a colony. the colony itself thrives and "thinks" when there is no central government, things just fall into place. Economies, societies, ecosystems are all emerged systems, being lifes forms of thier own.

A self conscious robot would be the same way, having small cells that are completely predictable in and of themselves, but when you try to map the dynamics of two or more of these "cells" you get random results and results of adaptation to random events. Hence free will, a non-preset choice. Adaptation and prediction is said to be "intelligence", while Self awareness is the next step, which implies "consciousness". There are currently studies on neural networks, which try to emulate the neural networks of the human brain, in a more simplistic form of course.

It's a grey area between philosophy and science. Machines reflect mankind, and humans are a reflection of God. Will machines one day make a creation of thier own that is a reflection of itself? "how deep will the rabbit hole go?"

2nd time I watched it, I fast forwarded past the mech soldier body ripping scene

but otherwise,hmm, for some reason I think the scene where they announce the plan for "Operation Dark Storm" was really disturbing. It's the look of fanatical/desperate/hysterical joy on their faces. Plus you know that it doesn't work out. All it does is completely screw EVERY ORGANIC LIFEFORM ON THE PLANET

i think what's so disturbing about 2nd Renaissance pt 2 in general is that it sort of traps the audience

on one hand we're horrified to see human lives/souls wasted doing battle with mere machines
but then you think, the machines have souls as well in this story. which just shows how we still consider other lifeforms inferior

the whole thing basically shows us our hypocrisy through our suffering