Suggestions for metamorphosis images

Gregory Sullivan (sullivan@blaze.cs.jhu.edu)
Mon, 2 Mar 1998 11:46:47 -0500 (EST)


>Can you think of short scenes from movies or TV that would illustrate
>humans transforming? (Or images good for other sections such as on
>cryonics, nano, AI, uploading, etc.)

I believe there is a scene in the movie Star Wars in which a character's
hand is cut off with a light saber. (Luke Skywalker might be the
character.) In a later scene the character is depicted exercising a new
biomechanical prosthesis which replaces the hand. I have not seen this
movie in years so I do not recall the details.

The title character in the movie Robocop might be considered a sympathetic
portrayal of a transformed human. The transformation was involuntary and
it is not depicted as entirely positive, but the character is presented
with affirmation, and he clearly has enhanced capabilities.

The Lawnmower Man has interesting imagery. Unfortunately, it is a horror
film with an unsympathetic main character. Also, the imagery is largely
metaphorical and might compound confusion. However, there is one scene of
abstract "lovemaking" that might illustrate uploads communing in a
constructed reality.

There was a PBS special with Jeff Goldblum that treated nanotechnology
which contained a variety of imagery some of which might be useful.
Gregory Sullivan