MovieChat Forums > Alien Nation (1989) Discussion > Another theoretical question...

Another theoretical question...

posted 15 years ago by zorbear
2 replies | jump to latest

From watching the movie, the series, and the TV movies, I feel like the Alien family structure on Earth (Father, Mother, Children) are copied from watching Earthlings and trying to fit into the local culture. On the ships they wouldn't have had ANY family structure, so this copied structure would be the only one they knew. UNLESS their bosses on the ship had family structures...

Anyway, what do you think would have been their "natural" structure? At first I thought it would have been a triad (since it takes three to procreate), but that would limit the amount of genetic diversity. (Yes, I know you could say the same thing about people, but for most of our history, mating was more casual, and children were raised by the tribe.)

They've stated that in their culture, the female is considered smarter, etc. Perhaps a single female would have a group of males to raise the children, etc.? Or several females with a group of males? A matriarchal tribe perhaps? Or maybe, like elephants, a group of females would live together, with the males living separately - only visiting when the females were ready procreate?

What do you think?

[Just because you said so doesn't make it true - the opposite applies to me, of course]

[–] Meushell 15 years ago

I think the basic is the same, and I think it was sort of like that on the slave ship...except the children were taken away when they were ten. There's repeated mention of only loving one. George got jealous (though he denied it) of other males liking Susan, and seemed to feel guilty when finding another female attractive. There is also a drug that can be taken where a man and woman are forever in love.

I don't think it'd be triad because there aren't enough of those second males for that to work. They're supposed to live by themselves in a group, servicing women as needed. They don't contribute to the DNA of the children, and they have nothing to do with raising them either.

I do think the household structure would be larger. There was a mention of where to put the uncle (forgot his name), and it'd be normal for him to be in the same room as George and Susan. I think it'd be like all grandmas, grandpas, their children, children's children, etc. all living in the same household, perhaps the same room. The eldest were in charge, regardless of sex.

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Don't give CPR to a Tok'ra.

[–] zorbear 15 years ago

Thank you - I'd forgotten all that...

[Just because you said so doesn't make it true - the opposite applies to me, of course]