Similarities : Pluribus - Rick&Morty - Black Mirror - Blade Runner - Perfect order, or flawed but free individuals?
Perfect order, or flawed but free individuals?
I recently started watching Pluribus. While watching, I noticed that the overall idea felt very similar to some Rick and Morty episodes. That made me do a small search today. Turns out, these kinds of stories have been discussed for a long time. Thanks to AI, I ended up with a small list. I’m sharing it below in case some of you might want to watch or read them.
Have a great weekend!
🎬 Rick and Morty
Collective consciousness / loss of individuality
S02E03 – Auto Erotic Assimilation
The Unity episode. People are connected to a single mind “for their own good,” and free will disappears.
S04E02 – The Old Man and the Seat
Absolute control, loneliness, and how power slowly breaks the individual.
S05E10 – Rickmurai Jack
Identity loses its meaning across infinite realities.
📺 Pluribus
(One-season show with a central idea)
Pilot episode
The system is introduced: decisions are taken away from individuals.
Middle episodes (especially 3–5)
The conflict between social benefit and personal freedom becomes clear.
Season finale
The true cost of “order” is fully revealed.
In Pluribus, it’s not about one specific episode, but how the idea slowly becomes normal.
🖥️ Black Mirror
Technology + consent + control
S01E03 – The Entire History of You
Recorded memory: freedom or prison?
S03E01 – Nosedive
People reduced to scores by social systems.
S03E04 – San Junipero
Consciousness uploaded into a digital collective (the more positive-looking version).
S04E01 – USS Callister
God complex, control, and digital existence.
S05E03 – Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too
Copying consciousness and turning it into a tool.
📚 Philip K. Dick (PKD) – books & adaptations
Philosophical roots
Minority Report
Free will cancelled in the name of preventing future crimes.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Blade Runner)
The meaning of being human becomes unclear.
Ubik
Reality, consciousness, and personal perception start to collapse.
A Scanner Darkly
Identity breaks apart inside the system.
Total Recall
A fake self built on artificial memories.
Posted Dec 13, 2025, 10:22 AM UTC