"And I'm thinking about, oh what to think about."

For whatever reason, it's been a long time since I've gotten a full night's sleep without waking up at least once or twice during the night.  Sometimes I'm able to just go back to sleep, other times I will lie awake in bed for an hour or so while my mind chases its tail and I patiently wait to be tired enough to return to slumber.

This morning, I woke up at 4:38, wondering if the xenomorphs from the Alien franchise actually eat people.

I know, Canadians are supposed to be worrying about Donald J. Trump's tariffs and his threats to annex our country, but the heart knows what it wants, so here we are.

On first examination, the answer is no. Logic says that the Alien fetus should eat the host, as with digger wasps, which would provide them with the biomass that they need for the growth spurts that we see in all the movies, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Instead, chestburster host corpses (or soon to be corpses) are a standard element of Alien nest decor, held captive in the structure of the walls until the fetal Alien emerges, then left in place rather than consumed. 

But why not eat them?  The mimetic nature of the Alien DNA (or equivalent thereof) which apparently enables them to use any species as a host, would suggest that they would also be able to metabolize virtually anything, and as such, well, seems an awful waste, to quote Sweeney Todd's Mrs. Lovett.

This all leads to a bigger question: what DO the damn things eat?  In the second film, there's apparently a thriving Alien hive on LV-426, but there are only 158 colonists - even if the Aliens were eating them, that hardly seems like an adequate ongoing food supply, and the planet itself seems to have a limited biosphere for hunting and gathering.  Admittedly, LV-426 isn't really the ideal environment, if the ship carrying the eggs hadn't crashed there, there wouldn't have been an Alien hive*. It may well be that it really wasn't necessary to nuke the site from orbit, but rather to just let the hive starve itself to death - or at least to stop providing it with new hosts in the form of colonial marines. 

Actually, when you think about it, the whole Alien reproductive cycle seems to be oddly restrictive. It's all well and good to have the queen constantly producing all those eggs, but if the process is dependent on face huggers having hosts to impregnate*, the warriors must need to be constantly on the hunt for suitable subjects. It also posits that they evolved in an environment with an adequate supply of said hosts*, which, based on the nature of the facehuggers, must have something resembling the human head and digestive system.*

So, short answer: apparently no, but really, they should.  And back to peaceful sleep...

- Sid 

* This leads to the question of what the xenomorph homeworld ecology would look like, if there is such a thing, as opposed to the alternative theory that the Aliens are actually an engineered bioweapon. 

P.S. Recommended reading for this discussion would be Aliens: Labyrinth, the 1993 Dark Horse Comics miniseries written by Jim Woodring and disturbingly illustrated by artist Kilian Plunkett.

As part of its unsettling narrative, the story shows its villain, Dr. Paul Church, living in an alien hive for an extended period of time, during which he becomes an unwilling expert in the xenomorph life cycle. (It also drives him insane, but that’s neither here nor there for the purposes of this debate.)

The story adds quite a bit of horrifying depth to the ecosystem of the Alien hive: pools of digestive liquid that create a sort of biological slurry made up of dissolved victims; which is then fed to captives who have been crippled but kept alive; the possibility of being an Alien slave worker, rather like some kinds of ants, and so on.  It's fascinating stuff, but I can't speak to the canonicity of the original Dark Horse material.

 

"This is a time to support each other."

The following message from Seattle Worldcon regarding the current situation in the United States appeared in my mailbox this afternoon - I think it speaks for itself.  Sadly, my wife and I have already discussed the possibility that I might need to cancel my attendance if things change even more for the worse, and I'm pleased to see how the convention is responding.

- Sid

Dear Worldcon Community,

I am writing this statement in order to share the status of Seattle Worldcon’s current journey through living up to our theme of Building Yesterday's Future—For Everyone. We have received a number of concerns asking how the convention will respond to orders and actions of the U.S. government, which we condemn, that create hostile conditions and travel barriers for LGBTQ+ members and international members.

We appreciate everyone’s concerns as we navigate the current political landscape together. As I stated when we won the bid, our theme is an acknowledgment that we have not successfully built the future we have aspired to, but we are also inspired by optimism for a better future—including the movements that have existed throughout history pushing us to build communities and pushing us to recognize our shared humanity. The personal is political, and our fandom lives cannot and should not be separated from that reality. 

We are not going to get everything right, and I am explicitly asking for your grace as we move forward, do our best, listen to feedback, and correct our course as necessary. 

We do not have a list of all the steps we are going to take in light of the political landscape right now, as it continues to shift rapidly. We know this is not a particularly satisfying answer in light of the many concerns that we have heard from you about our members who need to enter the United States and what they might encounter trying to cross the border. We are not minimizing those concerns. The situation is frightening, and we encourage our members to make the best decisions for themselves even if that means that we will miss you at our convention. At the same time we are committed to not cancelling the in-person Worldcon as some have suggested because it is even more important than ever to gather with those who are able to do so to discuss our theme and celebrate the power of SFF to imagine different societies. 

We are investigating what concrete actions we can take and offer to our members. Our Code of Conduct, Diversity Commitment, and Anti-Racism Statement provide the guidelines we are using in making these determinations. We would also like to remind people about what we are already doing.  

First, we have in place a Virtual Membership for people who determine that they are no longer safe traveling to the U.S or cannot attend for other reasons. As part of our program, we are partnering with groups from around the world to bring virtual panels to the shoulder hours (before and after in-person programming) every day of the convention to broaden our streaming offerings and include members from other parts of the world. We are actively working on this part of our virtual event and more announcements will be forthcoming. You also can participate in the Hugo Awards online – voting on the final ballot, and discussing Finalists with each other on our social media or in your own bookclubs. There is also the on-line Business Meeting as has been previously announced.  

Second, building on the work of other Worldcons and conventions, we will be having Safer Spaces Lounges available for members of marginalized communities who attend the convention in person. These spaces will be marked on convention maps.

Third, we will be drafting a resource guide to collate many of the wonderful resources that local organizations have already put together. In the interim, the ACLU of Washington has several Know Your Rights publications available, as does Northwest Immigrants Rights Project for individuals concerned about their rights while traveling.  

Fourth, we will be fundraising for the following nonprofit organizations at the convention: Books to Prisoners, The Bureau of Fearless Ideas, and Hugo House. All of these organizations do important work to promote literacy education in the Seattle area and help build community resilience.  

Finally, the political landscape is changing daily and impacting all of us in differing, but profound ways. Our staff is not immune. Many of our staff are deeply, personally impacted by the actions of the U.S. president, as his bigoted and hateful orders target our shared humanity. Many of us are federal employees who are now navigating what is happening to the civil service, terminations from our careers, and extreme uncertainty about our livelihoods. Many of us are also still dealing with the impact of the Los Angeles fires, Hurricane Helene, tornadoes, and other recent severe weather events on our families, loved ones, and friends. As citizens in the U.S. and around the world, we have many concerns, which are probably similar to yours. We all care deeply about our community and about Worldcon and are working diligently to navigate all of the waters that surround us, but we are also human with all the fallibility, blind spots, and competing demands on our time that entails. 

This is a time to support each other. If you have questions about how we can support you in deciding about your Worldcon attendance, please reach out to chair@seattlein2025.org.  

In solidarity,
Kathy Bond
(she/her)
Chair Seattle Worldcon 2025 

Disney 2025: Lightyear

After investing in an X-wing pilot's helmet and a toy-grade lightsaber during our 2022 visit to Disneyland, I decided that I would take it easy this time in terms of souvenirs - both in terms of price and size, given the challenges of getting my previous purchases back to Canada. 

However, it's not a blanket boycott, I'm just restricting myself to something that will be an easier fit in my luggage, so I keep my eyes open as we make our way around the two parks.  It's a target rich environment, given that a lot of Disneyland rides exit their passengers into a themed gift shop - not a subtle tactic, but undoubtedly effective.   

One of our gift shop destinations is at the exit from Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, one of the few competitive rides at the park.  The shop's offerings are a combination of Toy Story and Lightyear items - personally, I enjoyed Lightyear, regardless of its mixed critical reception and relatively poor box office performance, and I decide to purchase a boxed set featuring three characters from the movie: Buzz himself, Izzy Hawthorne, and Mo Morrison.  (Darby Steel isn't in this box, and I'm fine with that - sorry, Darby was just not one of my favourite characters.) 

The figures are well molded and have good articulation, although I'm surprised that they don't have ankle joints, based on the poses from the box art. (There's probably a disclaimer someplace on the packaging indicating that the artwork isn't representative of the actual toys.) 

If you look closely, the painting is an odd combination of fine detail, such as Buzz's name tag, and general sloppiness.  But let's be fair, these are general toy grade figures, you're not intended to look at them with a magnifying glass. 

Buzz's handgun doesn't fit easily into his hand, but the hot water trick* quickly solves that, and the other characters have no problems holding onto their props - overall, a nice little addition to my collection of toys, although I have no plans to write my name on the soles of their feet. 

Oh, and I bought a Mickey Mouse mug as well - good size, comfortable grip, simple artwork.  I know, it's not science fiction, but it's probably time to pay tribute to the fact that, after all, it all started with a mouse.

 - Sid 

* If you’re not familiar with this solution, it is incredibly useful if you are having trouble getting a vinyl action figure to hold onto something: run hot tap water over the figure’s hand until it becomes flexible, shape it around the weapon or tool, then switch to cold water to set it.