What the F did I just watch?
I just felt like there was only one thing screaming through the screen during all of the episodes, GOD.
Sure it was exciting to watch what was gonna happend etc, but why did they have to make it in to a bible-seller.
Have I just missed something, or was the point not to sell god?
And the devil-aliens.. No words.
I just had to post something. I am so confused.
In the original novel, all of the old religions - apart from some aspects of Buddhism - are swept away with the arrival of the Overlords. Their dissolution had already been quite advanced due to the steady advancement of science.
Unfortunately, I have not seen the TV mini-series. However, considering what I have heard about it, perhaps that's for the best.
ant-mac
Ok.
So what you are saying is that it was supposed to be like there were no religion at all?
Because the end its quite obviously telling us that there is ONE ruling all.
The over mind does not rule and was not the creator. You clearly did not get it.
Defender of the weak, and enemy of the weak minded.
Ok, I see.
Well, the devil-people said that they "work" for some higher being, (not their exact words), and that the end of earth was decided long ago, and the higher being tells them where/what planet to go to and "help" them end the world.
So, what am I supposed to understand from that, other than that the higher being is some kind of god who rules all?
the evolution was going to happen no matter what. The Overlords are just cosmic midwives. There are already 40 threads explaining all of this.
Defender of the weak, and enemy of the weak minded.
It's not spelled out well in the short time given for the mini-series, but the Overmind is said to be "one and many" in one scene. It's a hint that the Overmind is the linked consciousness of all the people of all the civilizations that have ever ascended. It's a hive mind consciousness made of all those who have evolved past their physical form to a higher state of being. It's not a god, but it is a powerful, vast intelligence. There's nothing to indicate that the Overmind creates or directs life -- or even has anything to do with which worlds ascend. It just knows which will, so it sends its servants to help when the time is right.
The Overlords came to Earth because they knew it was time for humans to evolve and join the Overmind consciousness. They didn't make this happen, they just came to oversee it and help ease the transition. The reason they look like Devils or Demons is b/c humans have a racial premonition that this day would come, and they fear the change.
The Overlords didn't come to end the world, they came to help humanity be birthed into the next evolution of mankind -- like midwives. They knew that soon children worldwide would be evolved enough to transcend, but doing so is scary... they have these new powers like telekinesis and they don't understand them or how to control them well. They're also merging into a group consciousness that will soon merge with the Overmind.
The novel explains this in more detail... but, basically it's the children that destroy the earth with their powers. At first, unintentionally by throwing the moon out of orbit, but eventually the planet fades away entirely along with everything on it as the children ascend. The Overlords have seen this play out again and again on numerous worlds, so they were wise enough to stay away during the final phase as it's quite dangerous.
It's not well fleshed out, but the Overlords are to be pitied because they cannot ascend. They've reached an evolutionary dead-end. So, they serve the Overmind and study it -- recording everything they can so they can understand why and how others transcend in the hopes that one day they will also be able to transcend. That's why it was such a big deal to them that a human stayed behind to record and relay the final phase for them.
It's not spelled out well in the short time given for the mini-series, but the Overmind is said to be "one and many" in one scene. It's a hint that the Overmind is the linked consciousness of all the people of all the civilizations that have ever ascended.
This is how the script went in the movie:
"Devil Alien: Everything that is happen on Earth was planned long ago.Is natural, is the cosmos, is the Overmind.
Milo: Overmind?
Devil Alien: Overmind of all Creation.
Milo: Are you talking about God?
Devil alien: We have talked to the Overmind, for 100,000 year. We go where it sends.We change worlds. We change Earth.
Milo: The Overmind, can you show it to me?
Devil Alien: You really want this?
Milo: I want to know everything.
Devil Alien: It connects to the Overmind. Step in.
Milo: You're the Overmind.
Overmind: A faint reflection of it. I am all, divisible and indivisible. I am the collective consciousness of this universe.
Milo: So we are God?
Overmind: No, the children are God."
I haven't read the book, but the statements in the movie seem quite clear cut. This was my problem with this show. The Aliens kill religion on Earth, torture Perrieta, and never tell the people what is happening. And then there's what can only be defined as testimony to religion (pretty much at a point where most Earthly religions just happen to intersect) at the very end. Not sure what this shows intentions are (probably befuddled between Author C Clarke's solo vision and that of the consortium of producers, screen writers, director, the viewing public and even advertisers).
It reminds me of the current skirmish between science and religion, seeing how the earliest days of monotheism, which lead to Judaism, God was literally an unspeakable word, that meant in a general conceptualized format "All that was, is, and shall be", Which seems quite similar to the Unified Field Theory, and especially how the solution seems to be hiding almost on purpose (Based on the latest LHC research)
"what is your major malfunction, numbnuts?!!"
It's the opposite to a bible seller. It was written by an atheist who despised religion, Arthur C. Clarke.
It's been 30 years since I read the book, but the point of the devil aliens was that deep-down Humanity had always known what would happen to them at the end, that they'd end, and that the devil aliens would be there, so Humanity blamed them and hence had a deep fear of them. I.e. Humanity "created" the idea of the devil based upon the aliens.
So at the start the aliens couldn't reveal themselves until humanity had "evolved" to throw away religion.
The Overmind wasn't God, just a more evolved life. The irony being that the Overlords were of course just servants of the Overmind (i.e. the thing that humanity became part of) and not "Overlords" at all.
This was all in the book, and it's a pity the series didn't dwell on it more, though I still enjoyed it. Gotta love Charles Dance.
It's somewhat ironic that Clarke didn't realise that many readers (and viewers of the series) would mistake the Overmind for God. In the end the Overmind has all the aspects necessary to be classed as God... Total power, immortality, energy and transference without instrumentalities.
I wonder if Clarke ever watched "Forbidden Planet"? Perhaps the lesson learned by the Krell might have offset his story somewhat.
I was about to point out the same.. the Overmind has all the functionalities of a godhead and acts as such (with little to no regard for human free will and self-determination ). in "2001" he at least left humans free will and a choice in their future.
Nevermind that the whole ascenscion imagery was basically a reimagining of religious "ascend to heaven" art from the last 2 millenia.
Just because it says "Arthur C Clark" on the tin does not make it science fiction
Well, perhaps it was Clarke's attempt to give a "scientific" explanation for some religious beliefs.
I think it was Carl Sagan's son who said Sagan was using aliens as a God substitute (all powerful benevolent aliens), so the idea is quite prevalent (and in books goes all the way back to Olaf Stapledon's Star Maker).
The point is that in a book, I think you can get away with an Overmind, but in a film, the religious aspects become undeniable. "Knowing" is an even more extreme example.
The concept of an advanced alien race being perceived as gods pops up repeatedly in Clarkes work ("The Sentinel" which evolved into "2001", Clarkes Third Law), he knew perfectly well how the Overmind might be seen.
"Childhoods End" was published 3 yrs before "Forbidden Planet" was released.
I was not overly fond of this adaptation. Materially it follows the novel relatively well, I don't think it captures the mood of the novel at all. It is however overflowing with drop-dead gorgeous actresses.
In the end the Overmind has all the aspects necessary to be classed as God... Total power, immortality, energy and transference without instrumentalities.
Seriously! Charles Dance is absolutely EPIC! And I loved the show!
shareI felt the book highlighted our over dependence upon an oppressively controlled society simply for greed & arrogance.
I understand how a benevolent, extremely advanced omniscient being could be mistaken for "godlike", but I also wonder if that was Clarkes point.
From the book I get the feeling that with such an enforcement of logic & self awareness, subsequent generations could evolve rapidly beyond our comprehension & leave our current understanding of the here & now behind
Not unlike humanity has evolved these last 1 million years compared to other primates.
The series worked well for me. Perhaps some people need to get away from the video and see a play or read a book sometime, because begging to be spoon fed every *beep* plot is not conducive to thinking for yourself.
Could we consider what happened to the kids as similar to Stargate's ascended beings?
shareChildhood's end is a purely atheistic story.
Evolution happens. This is a fact. We may evolve into some higher organisms. Call them gods or whatever. doesn't matter.
I find it strange, and almost hypocritical, that someone would invent a powerful being with godlike powers to create a world without God.
It reminds me of Mel Brooks' line from A History of the World Part 1.
Those Jews are so poor, they only have one god.
There are too many parallels between Childhood's End and the Bible to just be an unintended coincidence: ascending into heaven, suffering of the messenger, an all-knowing being who listens to all of our thoughts, just to name a few.
I think it was Ellie Stormgren who said something like, "God gave us suffering and disease, but the Ooverlords gave us peace and prosperity." Then they made everyone sterile, took the children away, and blew up the world. Some improvement!
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A dope trailer is no place for a kitty.
The Overlords didn't take the children away and they didn't blow up the planet. I am not sure if they sterilized the adults (apart from Ricky but that was a special case) or just stated the fact that no more children would be born.
shareWhen they said that inmediatly i was saying ok... now all humans get to work before die, start cloning ourselves and created true Artificial Intelligence's and get out of the planet as soon as possible, if we can not, make a fleet of machines with AI and send them to Mars, our civilization would survive somehow.
I do not accept to us for end, i do not believe in gods, but i believe in our great destiny of conquer the space to reach the starts. If this was going to happen, then make the machines think, and let humanity live in our own next evolution a cyber civilization.
Then gatter trhought time all the knownledge possible and defy the higher mind.
You missed the point entirely. Arthur C Clarke doesn't do religion and fantasy, he writes hard Sci Fi...stories baseed on scientific facts and hypothesis.
It is basically saying that we may have misinterpreted and misrepresented 'God', thanks to Bronze Age Man.
That the angels are in fact an alien race that live on a planet that, to us, would seem like hell.
And that 'God' is a higher power, or hyper-evolved being/mind.
Bronze Age man in their ignorance couldn't comprehend it.
It wasn't promoting Christianity at all, if anything it dismantled Christianity.
It does not really dismantle Christianity either, mainly because Childhood's End is fiction. If anything, it reinterprets Christianity.
People used to think the Sun revolved around the Earth, because it does look like that.
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A dope trailer is no place for a kitty.
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Well, I watched the series, I don't want to read the book.
And what I get from the series is my way of seeing it, it is not for anyone to correct, it may not be intended to be seen the way I see it, but it is what I saw.
Therefore I discuss, not to change what I see, but to explore other peoples minds.
Thank you all for your interesting thoughts.
If anything it is a hermetism-seller and Christianity is shunt. But not many people know it even exists, especially Christians.
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