144 // Alien: The Original Screenplay - An Interview with Cristiano Seixas, Writer

A lifetime ago—January 2020, to be exact—Dark Horse issued one of the most exciting press releases in Alien expanded universe history: Dan O'Bannon's original screenplay was getting a comic adaptation.

The creative team tasked with this extraordinary challenge was more than up to it. Writer Cristiano Seixas has been an integral part of the Brazilian comics scene for decades. Active in writing, illustrating, animation, and more, he's also the Creative Director of Ghost Jack Entertainment (a game studio) and the founder of Casa dos Quadrinhos School of Visual Arts in Brazil.

Along with his friend/longtime collaborator, the artist Guilherme Balbi, Seixas brings O'Bannon's script to luminous new life in this five-issue Dark Horse run.

Join Jaime and Patrick as they chat with Cristiano about art, Alien, adaptation, and much more. For more on Cristiano and his work—including Calango, the groundbreaking comic book/mobile app about a girl and her desert lizard—visit cristianoseixas.com.

iTunes: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // Google Play: bit.ly/perfectorganismgoogleplay

141 // You Have My Sympathies: Ash, Artificial Intelligence on Film, and the Legacy of Sir Ian Holm (The Forbidden Planet Part 10)

As fandom continues to process the loss of Sir Ian Holm, Jaime and Patrick return to The Forbidden Planet for an installment dedicated to his immortal portrayal of Ash. The conversation takes some extraordinary turns along the way—inspired in no small part by your comments and insights in Building Better Worlds and live on the air.

Holm's portrayal of Ash was a watershed in how AI was represented on screen. This conversation—which we feel might be one of our best yet—is our tiny way of trying to do some justice to his legacy.

iTunes: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // Google Play: bit.ly/perfectorganismgoogleplay

125 // Looking Back on an Unforgettable Year in Fandom

As we close 2019, we wanted to take a moment to appreciate how much fun we've had this year. With this show, with each other, with our podcast family, and with all of you listening out there, wherever you are.

Thank you for making 2019—Alien's 40th anniversary—completely unforgettable.

We'll see you in the new year after a short break!

iTunes: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // Google Play: bit.ly/perfectorganismgoogleplay

122 // Finding Ellen Ripley: Part 1 (The Forbidden Planet Part 8)

In this heartfelt, free-ranging episode, Jaime and Patrick discuss one of the most important film characters in their lives: Ellen Ripley. Anchoring the conversation to Ripley's role in Alien, they branch into a larger conversation on gender, class, race, and representation in this classic film—and how Sigourney Weaver's performance broke every mold imaginable. 

Join us as we enter the final month of Alien's fortieth anniversary year recognizing the woman who's been with us since the very beginning: our Space Mom, Ellen Ripley.

iTunes: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // Google Play: bit.ly/perfectorganismgoogleplay

120 // Open the Door: Alien and the Cinema of the 1970s (The Forbidden Planet Part 7)

The 1970s was a decade of astounding creative leaps in Hollywood. In this special episode, Jaime and Patrick welcome first-time guest Mike Denis to talk about this unique period in the history of film—and how Alien, that dark masterpiece we love so dearly, might just be the decade's crowning achievement.

iTunes: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // Google Play: bit.ly/perfectorganismgoogleplay

119 // Perfect Organism Reviews Memory: The Origins of Alien

In this special review episode, Jaime and Patrick review Alexandre O. Philippe's recently released (and long-awaited) documentary on Alien. It's an in-depth discussion, so we recommend you watch the film before listening to this episode.

Do you agree with our thoughts? Did you see the film differently? Let us know over on Building Better Worlds!

iTunes: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // Google Play: bit.ly/perfectorganismgoogleplay

116 // A Nightmare, Revisted: Signs of Life

Join us as we take a brief hiatus from our Forbidden Planet series to talk current events! A recent short film, which you can see here, has given us another glimpse into David's lab—and presented some fascinating implications for Alien canon. In this catch-up episode, Jaime and Patrick are joined by the always wonderful MUTHUR9000 (yutani.studio) to talk about this short film, current events in the Expanded Universe, and much more!

iTunes: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // Google Play: bit.ly/perfectorganismgoogleplay

114 // I Don't Ever Blink: Ridley Scott and the Nature of Genius (The Forbidden Planet: Part 4)

As we continue our year-long celebration of the 40th anniversary of Alien, we've finally arrived at the man behind the camera: Sir Ridley Scott.

To say Scott was a bizarre choice to helm Alien would be putting it mildly. Virtually unknown outside of commercials and television—with just one feature film (an epic about Napoleonic War-era swordplay) to his name—Scott ended up being an almost impossibly good pick to direct this groundbreaking movie.

Jaime and Patrick explore Scott's roots—his youth in northern England, his years coming out of art school, his work for the BBC—and discuss how those life experiences helped shape him into the perfect director for one of the great films ever made. They also talk about the shoot itself, and how Scott's idiosyncrasies worked in his favor as he overcame the limitations of the studio system to craft a blockbuster that felt like an art film.

iTunes: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // Google Play: bit.ly/perfectorganismgoogleplay

113 // The Fantastic Dark: HR Giger and the Poetics of Fear (The Forbidden Planet: Part 3)

It's impossible to overstate just how revolutionary—and how brilliant—HR Giger's work on Alien was. But why? Why does his work continue to enthrall and haunt us? Why has it gone on to define the look of "horror in space" for the past four decades?

On this next installment into our Forbidden Planet series, hosts JM Prater and Patrick Greene welcome a special guest: Majid Shanaa, longtime listener and eloquent xeno-fan. Join the guys as they explore Giger's life, art, and his endlessly fascinating influence on us all.

iTunes: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // Google Play: bit.ly/perfectorganismgoogleplay

109 // Memory: An Interview with Diane O'Bannon (The Forbidden Planet: Part 2)

Patrick and Jaime were delighted to sit down with Diane O'Bannon—wife of Dan O'Bannon, the original writer and screenwriter on Alien. In this interview, Diane speaks about the origins of Alien, her meeting Dan, his dreams and hopes, and the legacy he's left behind.

Alien would not be possible without Dan O'Bannon. Let’s pay tribute to the man who discovered our Forbidden Planet forty years ago.

iTunes: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // Google Play: bit.ly/perfectorganismgoogleplay

108 // It Looks Like a Warning (The Forbidden Planet: Part 1)

Welcome to The Forbidden Planet—our long-awaited full series on Alien! On this kickoff episode, hosts Jaime and Patrick unpack Alien's importance in film history, in their lives, and in global popular culture. Why does it still haunt us? Why does it still inspire us? How does it fit in the continuum of science fiction—and how did it alter that continuum forever?

We're celebrating the fortieth anniversary of this landmark film with a year full of interviews, research pieces, roundtables, debates, video segments, and more.

Strap into those pressure suits. Let's get out there.

iTunes: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // Google Play: bit.ly/perfectorganismgoogleplay

103 // Alien: Blackout - The Perfect Organism Review

Join hosts Jaime and Patrick on this extended look at Alien: Blackout, the brand-new Amanda Ripley-centric mobile game! Patrick's been playing it for nearly two weeks, and offers some extensive thoughts on the design, gameplay, replayability, and more.

For an even deeper review, check out our blog post!

iTunes: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // Google Play: bit.ly/perfectorganismgoogleplay

83 // ALIEN: Supporting Characters

Contributing Host (and Xenomorphing.com blogger) Dave Gogel brought up the idea of discussing the supporting characters of each Alien film, beginning with Alien. JM and Patrick sat down with Dave to begin what will be a series of long conversations about the lesser discussed characters in the Alien universe. It was a great time.

iTunes: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // Google Play: bit.ly/perfectorganismgoogleplay

80 // An ALIEN Commentary [ALIEN DAY 2018]

JM and Patrick sit down and share their first formal viewing of Ridley Scott's seminal film, ALIEN. This was a really wonderful couple of hours to spend together. We hope that this commentary is as special for all of you, as it was recording it. Pay no attention to the Covenant argument slash discussion that broke out. We couldn't help ourselves. You guys n' gals are amazing people. Without you, there would be no Perfect Organism Podcast.

iTunes: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes // Google Play: bit.ly/perfectorganismgoogleplay

76 // Nerdgasm

After months of infighting, confusion, and generalized crankiness, the Alien fan community rejoiced as one this past week in the wake of two big announcements: a new video game and a new comic!

In this episode, Ryan, Patrick, Dave, and Mykal have an especially raucous roundtable discussion about the big news. Along the way, they go deep into their personal histories with in-universe video games—the good ones, the bad ones, the weird ones, the ones that got seized as evidence by the FBI when they were children, and much more.

It was great fun to record this episode; we hope it’s just as fun to listen to.

Proximity: Last Stand at Hadley's Hope (Chapter 1)

Perfect Organism is proud to present a groundbreaking new audio drama set in the Alien universe. The culmination of nearly a year of work, Proximity is a character-driven glimpse into the nightmare that erupted in the Hadley's Hope colony on Acheron in June of 2179.

Written and directed by JM Prater, Proximity is the story of Anne and Aaron Andrews, two young colonists trying to hold it together while the world around them falls apart. With immersive sound design, an orchestral score, and a talented cast of voice actors from around the world, Proximity is a love letter to the Alien Saga created by people who love it madly and truly.

This is for you. We hope you enjoy it.

CAST (in order of appearance)
Introduction: Richard 'Spanners' Ready of Missed Apex Podcast
Narrator: Kevin Kordis
Aaron Andrews: Patrick Greene
Anne Andrews: Micah Greene
Radio: JM Prater
Brad Lydecker: Bradford Eckhart
Woman on Transmission: JoAnne Greene
Child on Transmission: Jude Greene
Medlab Voices: Ryan Zeid
Radio Commercial: Ryan Zeid
Ooge: Mykal McCulloch
Robbie: Kevin Duffield

SOUND DESIGN
JM Prater and Patrick Greene

MUSIC
Patrick Greene (see patrickgreenemusic.com for full list of performers)

TELEPLAY
JM Prater

DIRECTOR
JM Prater

Based on original characters by Dan O'Bannon, Ron Shusett, and James Cameron

www.perfectorganism.com

73 // Disney and the Alien

With the news of the recent acquisition of 20th Century Fox by Disney, Jaimeand Ryan convene to discuss the implications of the sale, and what it means for the series. They go on to discuss Ridley Scott's role in the franchise and whether or not Alien should leave the creature behind and explore artificial intelligence. We hope you enjoy this episode.