# Pluribus (New Vince Gilligan show on AppleTV) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, apple\ **Created:** [November 7, 2025, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659 "2025-11-07T12:10:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 60
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1181 "2026-01-20T23:06:57Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > But they were perfectly willing to have Zosia jump on a grenade to save Carol, from something Carol herself did. That, plus the starving, tells me their biological imperative to not harm living beings DOES NOT APPLY TO THEMSELVES Wait! Putting others’ wellbeing before your own means you don’t care about your own? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1182 "2026-01-20T23:34:39Z")
Throwing away their lives for no reason does. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1183 "2026-01-21T01:05:17Z")
You are correct that the do not have an imperative to preserve every body that belongs to the hive, however, that does not mean they throw their lives away for no reason. In the example you gave, the reason was to save Carol’s life. They can value saving one of the unconnected at a higher level than saving one of their own bodies without meaning that they don’t care about their own bodies or that they do it for no reason. You’re really not landing on a point here. The cases we’ve seen where the hive was willow to let its bodies die all had some sort of reason (one of their stated biological imperatives, or saving Carol’s life) ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1184 "2026-01-21T01:13:38Z")
When have we seen that? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1185 "2026-01-21T01:33:30Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Throwing away their lives for no reason does. I agree. I get why they would sacrifice one of themselves for Carol. As a hive mind losing one individual really is not a loss to them. Not that they’d be careless with any life but protecting the 13 at the cost of one of them makes sense. What I do not get is, assuming the hive mind can be reversed, why the hive will willingly let humanity die off rather than leave so humanity might live? The hive has this weird reverence for life to the point they will not even pick an apple to eat to survive but will also let themselves starve to death and wipe-out an entire species rather than undo the hive? Seems a mismatch to me. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1186 "2026-01-21T01:35:39Z")
Converting an unjoined is not considered killing them. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1187 "2026-01-21T01:36:32Z")
Would you let your family die (or even kill them) so that you might live? I think that is the situation they are in. They love _all_ life equally. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1188 "2026-01-21T01:39:16Z")
We could hypothesize that as this spread across the galaxy, it evolved or behaved differently with different intelligent species. What made sense eons ago manifested differently here. Evolution isn’t always logical. The Hive has no idea what happened back at that other planet ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1189 "2026-01-21T02:22:23Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > What I do not get is, assuming the hive mind can be reversed, why the hive will willingly let humanity die off rather than leave so humanity might live? The hive has this weird reverence for life to the point they will not even pick an apple to eat to survive but will also let themselves starve to death and wipe-out an entire species rather than undo the hive? Sure, weird reverence for life. Emphasis on “weird.” They possess the combined intellect and knowledge of the human race. So they know releasing domestic animals to fend for themselves is going to result in a massive death count as countless pets or livestock starve, sicken or are devoured by wild predators. They don’t care beyond the abstract ( they might think it’s a shame, but hey that’s life), because their biological imperative demands it. They also don’t care about restoring humanity - why would they undo perfect bliss? The biological imperative insists on spreading the Hive and the biological imperative may be politely regretful over the demise of humanity. But they are never, ever going to restore it anymore than they’re going to keep and shelter pets even if on some level they appreciate what a good boy they are. Through the Hive, humanity has achieved apotheosis. They haven’t eliminated a species, they have transcended it. “Restoring” them almost certainly = harming them from their POV. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1190 "2026-01-21T02:35:12Z")
There is no rationally consistent concern about any life: there are simply rules to hive must follow. They can milk cows. But they cannot eat fruit even though being eaten off the tree is more a natural part of the fruit tree life cycle is than having milk pumped and drunk by humans is for cows. And they release all pets and zoo animals many of whom will then, as a result, die horribly. They would passively let the human species wither to extinction if necessary rather than actively harvest. The hive is happy no matter what because it is in the state of bliss. It may try to avoid having situations that cause more loss of its component parts, but I heard no sadness or anger at the deaths of any of their numbers. Just wanting space. Its love is unconditional. Does it think and decide on a very large unit scale? It might but all we have seen is thought about how to execute its stated biological imperatives - to share the gift as fully and as widely as possible, to cater to and “love” the others left, and to not intentionally cause harm (as they see harm) to any other life form. But there is no apparent thought possible about the goals. That we have seen anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1191 "2026-01-21T03:42:18Z")
I wonder…is it possible for a species to exist which does not consume other living things (like plants)? I suppose plants do not necessarily “eat” other living things to survive. Hard to imagine and intelligent species of plants though. If so, the hive mind is really just a soft death sentence to any species subsumed by it. Maybe that is the point. It is an invasion meant to kill everyone but less painful…kinda. I can’t see how the hive mind ever improves a planet it gets to. Most likely to kill off those it takes over. We’ve never seen them reproduce (although given the inevitable death of the species they may have chosen to not reproduce). ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1192 "2026-01-21T04:14:13Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I wonder…is it possible for a species to exist which does not consume other living things (like plants)? Carrion feeders, earthworms, any bugs or fish that live off dead stuff on the forest or ocean floor. ---
**Author:** ![Hoops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoops/32/6408_2.png) [@Hoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoops)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1193 "2026-01-21T04:58:31Z")
It still remains to be seen what the ultimate nature of it/they/whatever-we-call-it is. Is it an individual? A hive? Does it have emotions like love or guilt? Or is it just a bundle of appendages that act with co-ordination but only according to instinct or “biological imperative” without any central self-awareness at all? That makes me think of science fiction writer Peter Watts’ novel Blindsight, which asks the question, is self-awareness even necessary for a technologically advanced species? Might self-awareness itself even be maladapive? (_Blindsight_ may be freely read or downloaded with Watts’ blessing at [his own website](https://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm).) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1194 "2026-01-21T10:46:52Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > They didn’t seem too happy about Carol killing millions of them; they left town even though it made coordinating things with her more challenging. > [@SenorBeef](#): > > They made quite an effort to save Zosia when Carol was killing her, To be specific, they left town when Carol drugged Zosia and tried to force her to tell the secret of undoing the Plurb. They made quite an effort to stop Carol from doing that. They did NOT leave town when Carol killed millions of them. If Carol had just been cutting pieces off Zosia for her own amusement, it’s less clear that they would have objected. That’s consistent with their desire to protect their unity, but not necessarily consistent with a desire to protect an individual. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1195 "2026-01-22T02:46:52Z")
And if Inrecall correctly, they asked Carol’s permission to save Zosia; if Carol had said no, Zosia would have died. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1196 "2026-01-22T08:47:46Z")
The weirdos have their reasons, although the weirdos’ reasons probably don’t make a lot of sense. What kind of life form works toward its own extinction? ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1197 "2026-01-22T14:03:56Z")
Possibly humans. TBD, I suppose, but the trend isn’t looking great lately. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1198 "2026-01-22T15:22:58Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > What kind of life form works toward its own extinction? They are working towards reproduction, the whole giant antenna thing. The death of the hosts seems irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1199 "2026-01-22T16:46:03Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > They are working towards reproduction, the whole giant antenna thing. The death of the hosts seems irrelevant. Right. By passing on the “space virus” to a new host they will have successfully reproduced. The causative organism of plague spreads because it forms a filmy mass in the mouth parts of infected fleas, preventing them from ingesting properly. The starving fleas then bite and bite desperately, repeatedly vomiting the bacteria clogging their mouth parts back into the wound. Eventually the flea starves to death. Plague don’t care. It’s already happily spreading in a ground squirrel and thence into more fleas. Mission accomplished. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1200 "2026-01-24T18:01:38Z")
I haven’t read all 1,199 posts, so maybe this has been discussed. Does the Pluribus “virus” infect and control animals other than humans? Does it link their consciousness, too? Because, the rat that started the infection sure behaved like it had a plan. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659.md?page=59) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659.md?page=61)