Since the very first episode of Pluribus, we’ve known the alien virus that hit planet Earth came from Kepler-22b, but Episode 8 gives us further insight into the hive mind’s source – and it has terrifying implications.
Vince Gilligan’s masterful new series begins with a group of scientists discovering a deep space signal that turns out to be an alien-sent RNA sequence. When researchers attempt to recreate the sequence, an outbreak unfolds and spreads like wildfire.
Soon enough, everyone on the planet has transformed into a peaceful, perma-happy hive mind – well, everyone except for 13 inexplicably immune humans, including our protagonist, Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn).
In Pluribus Episode 7, after weeks of isolation, Carol cracked and begged for the hive mind to return, and soon enough Zosia (Karolina Wydra) showed up at her house. Now, she’s taking a different approach to how she interacts with the Others. Warning: spoilers ahead!
What is Kepler-22b?
Kepler-22b is a real, confirmed exoplanet (a planet outside of the solar system) that was discovered in 2011 by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope, making it one of the earliest planets found orbiting within the habitable zone of its Sun-like star (Kepler-22).
It’s located around 640 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. What makes this such a big deal is the fact that the planet sits in the so-called “Goldilocks zone,” meaning it orbits at a distance where temperatures could allow liquid water to exist on its surface.
While that doesn’t confirm life, it does make it possible – not to mention, scientifically interesting. Kepler-22b completes one orbit every 290 days and is around 2.4 times the radius of Earth, placing it in the “super-Earth” category.
Despite its promising position, a lot about Kepler-22b remains unknown. Scientists don’t know whether it’s ocean-covered or wrapped in a thick atmosphere of gas. Because of its distance, current telescopes can’t directly analyze its surface or composition in detail.
Estimates suggest surface temperatures could range from Earth-like to far hotter, depending on its atmosphere, with experts debating whether it could be habitable or not.
Either way, due to its mix of mystery and proven science, Kepler-22b has been utilized in sci-fi stories. The most notable example is that it served as the destination planet in HBO’s Raised by Wolves, where humanity attempts to restart civilization far from Earth.
Pluribus Episode 8 exposes the hive mind’s true goal
In Episode 8, ‘Charm Offensive’, Carol finds out from Zosia that the Others are building a “giant antenna” – no doubt the size of Africa or bigger – in order to spread the virus to the next planet.
Not only does this add a sinister spin to their motives (as altruistic as their intentions, their number one goal is and always has been to spread), but Carol and Zosia’s conversation suggests that this virus chain might have started long before humanity ever knew it existed.
You see, the pair embark on a series of activities, culminating with Zosia showing Carol Kepler-22b through a telescope. Naturally, Carol has questions.
“So, what are the people like on Kepler-22b?” she asks, to which Zosia admits, “We’ll probably never learn the first thing about them. They’re too far away. But we know we love them and we’re grateful to them.”
“We’ll pay it forward, however long that may take,” she adds. When Carol asks what that means, Zosia replies, “We have to share their gift with whoever else might be out there.”
Carol asks how they’ll do that, then the scene cuts to her back at home filling up her whiteboard with new information about the hive mind.
Alongside the Kepler-22b information, she’s written that they’re “building a giant antenna” and “using up all the power in the world to send signal to space.”
If Kepler-22b once received the same “gift” before passing it on, Earth may simply be the latest link in a chain that stretches back thousands (or even millions) of years. Each civilization becomes the hive mind, builds the means to transmit it, and then pays it forward.
Yes, that means the Others aren’t evil, but their kindness isn’t natural; it’s purely a means to an end. Individual cultures, identities, and even entire species could have been erased in the same way Earth’s have.
The question remains: will Carol and Manousos be able to collectively find a solution? With the finale approaching, Episode 9 may reveal whether they can disrupt the signal – or perhaps humanity is already too far along the chain to stop what’s coming next.
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