Love, Death + Robots: Swarm Explained

ByNelson Acosta Published on
Love, Death + Robots

Swarm is one of those controversial Love, Death + Robots episodes, and it belongs to the third season of the show now available on Netflix. The short film uses amazing 3D animation to take us on a journey inside the Swarm, a complex and filled with life environment in space. The Swarm ends up being more than meets the eye when the human race puts its eyes on it. The short film quality is undeniable, but its ending can be a bit confusing.

The short film is directed by Tim Miller himself, and it is an adaptation of the short story written by Bruce Sterling. The short film is produced by Blur Studio, and it is one of the longest episodes in this third season. The short film presents fascinating concepts and characters that make it one of those episodes that keep thinking about it when the credits roll.

Love, Death + Robots: Swarm Plot Summary

We are introduced to Simon Afriel, a scientist, as he is taken by an alien race into the Swarm. The Swarm is a complex star system that is inhabited by such a variety of fauna that it is impressive even by these future standards. The alien race regards the Swarms as only organized animals, but Simon believes there is more to them. He gets inside the Swarm, and he is met by Galina Mirny, another scientist who has lived years inside the Swarm.

Galina takes Simon on a tour, showing him the complexity of the environment. The Swarm is composed of countless races that have been absorbed by the swarm through the ages, and they all perform a specific function in its maintenance. It is all very impressive, but Simon reveals his true motives, he and many other humans plan to seize the power of the Swarm and transform them into a slave race in service of the humans. An army of workers and soldiers. Galina looks horrified at the idea, but Simon convinces her to help.

Love, Death + Robots

The two scientists start experimenting inside the Swarm to see how they can harness its power. In the process, the two become a couple. However, one day Simon is attacked by the Swarm’s soldiers, she looks for Galina but when she finds her she has been murdered and the Swarm uses her corpse to communicate with Simon.

The Swarm reveals that many of the races that have been absorbed by the swarm once tried to take the swarm as slaves or tried to destroy the swarm, and they all failed. Now, these races are the slaves, as they were assimilated into the Swarm. Simon is defiant and says that humans are different. The Swarm takes on the challenge as the episode comes to a close.

Love, Death + Robots: Swarm Plot Explained

The ending of the short film leaves some questions in the air. The ending itself feels very abrupt, but some things are very clear. The Swarm is more than just organized animals. It is a complex hive mind that thinks and acts on its own. The Swarm has also lived millions of years and has faced many enemies throughout its existence. The Swarm has won over every single enemy, and it has enslaved them to its cause.

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The ending also implies that humans will fight the Swarm for control of its power. The war might mean the end of the human race as we know it and its continuing existence as part of the swarm, as just one more slave race in service of the queen and its brood. It is a very dark ending, and without an answer as to who could win this war, the audience can only do but speculate and create their own conclusion to the story.

Nelson Acosta is a professional writer and translator based in Caracas, Venezuela. He is also a member of the Caracas Circle of Cinematographic Critics, a film critic association in Venezuela that aims to preserve and educate audiences on worldwide and Venezuelan cinema. He studied to be a translator at the Central University of Venezuela. Nelson is passionate about storytelling, and this road has made him a massive fan of film as a medium. He counts David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Akira Kurosawa, Wes Anderson, and Denis Villeneuve among his favorite directors. He is also a massive fan of video games, making an effort to be up-to-date with all the latest releases and analyzing the game and the surrounding industry. Nelson counts Skies of Arcadia, Bloodborne, The Wonderful 101, The Like A Dragon series, and Resident Evil 4 among his favorite video games. Nelson’s ability to analyze themes and characters and go beyond what films and video games show on the surface has allowed him to work doing script covering for several production companies and even being part of the Golden Script Competition. He recently joined Fiction Horizon as a review writer, and he has been able to cover everything from all the latest TV shows like Andor and House of the Dragon to more independent films and shows. He has also covered excellent anime shows like Chainsaw Man, Vinland Saga, and even some independent comics here and there. Nelson writes with passion and knowledge about film and television. He tries to allow all aspects of a film to get into his reviews: from the actors, the direction, the storytelling, and its mechanics, the sound, music, and the cinematography. He understands that in film and video games, all these elements are incredibly important, and if just one of them feels off, it can ruin the entire experience.