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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alien Planet | 2/2 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_Planet | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T11:11:17.440077+00:00 | kb-cron |
== Production == Alien Planet is based on Expedition (1990) by the American artist and writer Wayne Barlowe, a heavily illustrated book which aimed to explore and describe a fictional extraterrestrial ecosystem as if it was as real as that of Earth. Barlowe served as one of the executive producers of the adaptation. For the TV version, a broad team of scientists, and other figures, were assembled to comment on the life on Darwin IV, or to make general statements on life on Earth or out in the universe. Some of the people featured include physicists Michio Kaku and Stephen Hawking, paleontologist Jack Horner, NASA chief scientist James B. Garvin and director, screenwriter and producer George Lucas. Though the documentary gives the appearance of the featured scientists having designed Darwin IV and its animals, most of what is shown of the actual planet and its life follows what is described in Expedition. Though much of Darwin IV and its creatures is identical to what was presented in the book, Alien Planet diverges from Expedition in several ways. Unlike Expedition, which is set in the mid-24th century, Alien Planet is set at an unspecified point in the near future, and unlike in the book, when the expedition was a crewed mission, the planet is explored using sophisticated probes. The technology featured is more advanced than present-day technology, but is based on current trends and informed speculation. Technologies such as autonomous probes and controlled 'miniprobes' are similar to technologies proposed by, or under development, by modern militaries and space agencies.
== Reception == Writing in The Space Review, the space historian Dwayne A. Day gave the special a positive review and concluded that "the writers and producers of Alien Planet have managed to successfully transcend current definitions of biology and yet still remained within the realm of the possible". As also happened with the 1990 book, some criticism was leveled by reviewers at the strangeness of the creatures showcased in Alien Planet. In his review of the TV special, Dwayne A. Day stated that "the animals are bizarre and frequently border on the implausible" and that "they do not appear to have been developed with a single biological theory in mind". Day also noted, concerning the scientists who talk about the animals as if they were real, "clearly some of them think that the animals that they are supposed to report about are barely plausible". However, Day also stated that the Darwinian creatures are thought-provoking and that their strangeness is a good departure from the typical science fiction approach of making alien life look much like Earth life (such as using humanoid aliens). According to Day, the life of Darwin IV "makes the point that alien life, if it is detected, will challenge our abilities to understand and even comprehend it". A review in The Washington Post stated that "a few too many of the creatures seem like cartoonish monsters", though stated "but around almost every corner one encounters some sort of nutritious food for thought".
== See also == Speculative evolution Natural History of an Alien Extraterrestrial – similar 2005 National Geographic Channel / Channel 4 documentary program also known as Alien Worlds The Future Is Wild – documentary series on possible future evolution of life on planet Earth Alien Worlds – Similar 2020 Netflix documentary program Astrobiology Hypothetical types of biochemistry – hypothesized life based on molecules other than carbon Xenology – a hypothetical scientific field that would study alien life, discussed mostly in science fiction Exoplanetology
== References ==
== External links == Alien Planet at IMDb Alien Planet at the Wayback Machine (archived 2013-01-26) by Discovery Channel Alien Planet is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive (DVD Release)