8 story
At the outer reaches of the world, a team of scientists discover a new highly intelligent species of octopus, but its existence may endanger more than their research. Directed by: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead. Story by: Glen Morgan.
9 total · 1 choice · 3 major · 5 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| displacement by a rising new species | choice | The story ended with the sinister prediction that octopuses would evolve land walking abilities through a reverse gene flip (don't ask me) and wipe out humanity. |
| deep sea exploration | major | A group of scientists were searching out new life in the deep ocean. |
| human vs. beast | major | The team was decimated first by a shark and then by a super-intelligent octopus. |
| intelligent animal | major | An octopus had evolved to be super-intelligent. |
| covert military operation | minor | Ling was interested in the Octopus for military reasons it was suggested. |
| invisibility ability | minor | The super-intelligent octopus could become invisible and it was briefly entertained that humans could obtain the same ability through gene manipulation. |
| speculative genetic engineering | minor | Ling was accused of wanting to create human-octopus hybrids with deep-sea faring abilities. The super-intelligent octopus edited its genome to include certain human genes. |
| the theory of evolution | minor | Ling explained that a 700 million year old species of worm was the last common ancestor of humans and octopuses. |
| universal translation device | minor | The scientists were using a smart phone to directly translate Ling's Chinese into English. |