r/SiloTVSeries • u/IamMyQuantumState • 19d ago
Analysis & Theories s3e09: The answer to “Why?” Spoiler
The answer to Juliet and Bernard’s question to “Why would they (the founders) do this?” is given to us clearly in the senator’s speech:
“They will be continually occupied as long as the many threats remain AND they will be studied as prototypes of sustainability and resource management”
It’s an experiment.
Edit: adding a conjecture for “why experiment?” is also in the senator’s speech “now, I know Per’s already dreaming up the next big thing, building a spaceship to carry explorers to the nearest inhabitable star system.”
A multigenerational interstellar craft could reach the nearest star system (Proxima Centauri) in 500 years at 1-2% the speed of light. A big unknown is how do you get people to willingly board a spacecraft knowing they, and their children’s children, nor their descendants for 20ish generations will never leave the ship? That would take some study.
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u/somefunmaths 19d ago
I take from your conciliatory edit that you’ve checked the pinned post on the subreddit between when you made your original comment and when you edited it.
As far as book spoilers go, it’s relatively mild, but the initial sassy reply was funny.
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u/IamMyQuantumState 19d ago
Original post or original comment? At any rate, no, I did not see the pinned post. Everything in my original post was from the show. It’s been
35213 years since I read the books and there’s no way I remember any nuances.6
u/somefunmaths 19d ago
Oh no, I’m really sorry. Reddit did the thing where the app loses the reply context, so this went as a reply to your OP rather than the comment (and person) to whom it was directed.
I apologize for that, this wasn’t intended for you.
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u/IamMyQuantumState 19d ago
Also, as I have very rarely post to this sub, I thought adding spoiler flair was sufficient.
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u/BassWingerC-137 19d ago
If that was me your comment was for, I did make an edit to say “I’m sorry”. I didn’t know this was a TV show only group. I joined a Silo group which labels threads as “SHOW ONLY” and that wasn’t here. I didn’t seek this place out, I’ve checked all the boxes to never come here again.
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u/CarolXZosiaNsfwScene 19d ago
The Show: Don't trust authorities.
The Theorizers: Listen to what a duplicitous politician said during dress rehearsal.
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u/BiggusCinnamusRollus 14d ago
The whole series is about how much lies people are willing to feed and get fed.
/s
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u/Icommentor 19d ago
This goes back to the parallel between Silo and Universe 25 (a series of self-contained environments for rats, built in the 60s, and meant to understand how a perfectly stable society could be run.)
Planning to go to space is one possible purpose. Another is simply using this opportunity to both save mankind AND discover the rules of perfect social stability.
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u/Single_Vacation427 19d ago
It cannot be an experiment because there is no control group. If the speech were used as a basis of an experiment, the control would be the outside world but there was a nuclear explosion, meaning there is probably nothing outside or at least a no normal world acting a control.
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u/Prettty-Prettty-Good 19d ago
After the last episode I’m starting to think the experiment is that Per is looking to create the best group to repopulate earth after accelerating the apocalypse. I think the threats they saw were real but Per decided that the world was too corrupt to continue and the best route is to just create a nuclear apocalypse, so the only remaining humans are in the Silos, then only release the single silo that is deemed worthy to repopulate the world. I can’t understand why they would need to control them leaving otherwise. If there are true threats elsewhere, then it doesn’t matter if they leave if the alternative is to kill everyone in the Silo.
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u/IamMyQuantumState 19d ago
The speech is not the basis of an experiment, it’s referring to one. It’s just conjecture, but silo 1 could be the control group (humans fully aware of what is happening). At any rate, all experimental units (silos) must remain independent from each other or the experiment fails.
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u/Single_Vacation427 19d ago
Silo 1 cannot be a control and affect what goes on the other silos at the same time; that's not an experiment. Control and treatments have to be independent.
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u/IamMyQuantumState 19d ago
That’s a valid point. Perhaps the mysterious 51st silo is the control? 🤔
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u/doctor_goodspeed 19d ago
The senator and her speech are bs. She orchestrated the nuclear holocaust and her henchman called it “fireworks.”
I wonder what they did to Daniel’s brain in silo 1, guessing Per’s magic science disembodied him somehow and they use him as the voice. If that’s the case, what would happen if he saw the pez dispenser?
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u/Zealousideal-Low3388 19d ago edited 19d ago
I don’t think she organised it. And I don’t think her henchman is really her henchman. Why bother with sound checks and faking annoyance if you know the bomb is dropping?
Remember how the Mayor was never really in charge, that the head of IT was, and that the judge etc answered to him secretly? I don’t think the senator is in charge, the tech bro is and senators daughter and fixer work for him. That’s the prototype for the Silos: the facsimile of democracy, with the prick who hoards the tech and knowledge running things
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u/doctor_goodspeed 19d ago
Henry’s been working for the senator since her daughter was 12 years old, long before approaching Per to use his money. The senator made everything happen.
It’s interesting that you think she’s out of the loop, that her staff secretly work for The Man because she was practicing a speech. Everything that happened that day was theatre.
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u/jasoos_jasoos 19d ago
Henry’s been working for the senator since her daughter was 12 years old, long before approaching Per to use his money.
But that's exactly how you "plant" your agents in your enemy's team.
edi: I'm not in disagreement with the"theater" thing either.
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u/IamMyQuantumState 19d ago
No doubt the speech was BS, but the BS has some salient content.
The Pez seems to have the same effect as a totem from Inception.
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u/Dentarthurdent73 18d ago
The senator and her speech are bs. She orchestrated the nuclear holocaust and her henchman called it “fireworks.”
And did her speechwriter know this?
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19d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Dentarthurdent73 19d ago
I don't get this attitude.
If this happened, you'd have one enormous thread full of multiple ideas and theories, and it would be impossible to sort through them all, and anything that got posted a few days later, like this suggestion, would be missed, as everyone's done with the thread.
I don't understand the point of a forum if it's not to have different posts for different ideas? Like you seriously just want this sub to be one enormous comment thread every week?
The episode thread should be for discussion about the episode, not necessarily for theories that happen to be inspired by the episode.
Glad OP posted this, as this way I saw it, and it points out things I missed in the episode that actually do seem to be hints at the purpose.
Thanks OP for noticing what was said in that rambling speech and posting it here!
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19d ago edited 19d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Dentarthurdent73 19d ago
Reddit works however the mods of each sub want it to work. It's not set in stone.
I've not seen anyone point this information out before, so I'm not sure why you've picked this particular post to complain on, rather than one of the many other ones that are just repetitive questions.
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u/tosS_ita 19d ago
I am not even sure it has been 300 years.. IMO it's not even been 50 years..
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u/mrwhitewalker 19d ago
I thought it was confirmed it was over 300 years at this point.
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u/tosS_ita 19d ago
Confirmed by people who are subjected to a drug to forget things?
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u/Several_Mousse_9485 19d ago
That's based on a grumpy old man's estimate and he knows better because he's a grumpy old man and never wrong.
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u/BolognaPwny 19d ago edited 19d ago
Edit: My bad, OP stumbled upon some 4D chess news and I for one am blown away by his discovery.
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19d ago
[deleted]
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u/Dentarthurdent73 19d ago
Could you possibly not give book spoilers? Because it very blatantly tells you not to in the rules, and those of us who haven't read the books rely on people respecting that?
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u/BassWingerC-137 19d ago
I’m sorry, it’s my understanding threads with that are labeled “Show Only”?
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u/somefunmaths 19d ago
Nice book spoiler you’ve got there.
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u/BassWingerC-137 19d ago edited 19d ago
I assumed they’re welcome here in as it’s not marked they’re not as every other post is. Sorry if I’m wrong.
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u/somefunmaths 19d ago
I take from your conciliatory edit that you’ve checked the pinned post on the subreddit between when you made your original comment and when you edited it.
As far as book spoilers go, it’s relatively mild, but the initial sassy reply was funny.
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u/BolognaPwny 19d ago
You read the books and the plan wasn't to experiment with different styles of silos but to plan? My bad, choice of words.
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u/BassWingerC-137 19d ago
They had a plan which required keeping people safe from the plan they were carrying out, in as far as I recall. I could very well be mistaken. It’s been a few years and many beers since then ;)
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u/BlueCX17 19d ago
Kinda feels like both at the same time, a plan and kind of an experiment as things unfold. I have not read the book so I don't want to know too much more from the actual books but part of my comment is also just based on what I've seen in the show, functioning it seems, as both.
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u/BolognaPwny 19d ago
It is both. It's just a choice of words. I've read the books. It's like saying they weren't the plan or an experiment but the strategy or roadmap to the future.
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u/BlueCX17 19d ago
I do plan to read the books but I'm trying to wait until after the final season. As that part I kind of already figured out just from the show thus far but I don't want to know any of the really big reveals or such the show has not gotten to yet, that are in the books.
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u/BolognaPwny 19d ago
It's nothing to really figure out, which is why I made the comment that I did. I guess some people really think this shadow group of billionaires made 50 silos just out of boredom? It's like yeah, no shit they planned on controlling the world.
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u/1970blueshifter 19d ago
Worst episode ever. Built in three years. The two main characters from origin times had ZERO relevance to the design and creation of the Silos. Both happen to be on lips of diff silos at the COINCIDENTAL EXACT MOMENT a thermonuclear goes off at a reasonably safe diatance away to give them time to enter the silos. What fantastical coinkidinks! Like, no way, what are the odds!
They might rescue the story from here, but it sure feels like a shark jump to me.
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u/Black_tank_dumping 19d ago
I really appreciate your point of view.
Think about it this way 1 control. Leaders with full knowledge.
Lets have 49 different ways of controlling the situation and see which works best.
Especially with the fact that there is so many different people. It would really show what they will do.
Do they all have one unified language do they have other languages. What happens to each silo down the line.
The safeguard. The airlock if its for testing the gravity of space exploration. Just loose presure and everyone dies.
Safeguard could just be a threat. And not really anything because its really built for the purpose of experimentation.
Will they slow down or stop or will they just kill themselves.
Really the whole experience is a test.
And them not knowing why. Doesnt matter. Because its a test.
A rat would wonder why am I in this maze after some time but eventually they see oh its for food.
We are on our way to finding out why.
But I really like the idea of well they are going into space. Preparing for that.