‘Silo’: Five Fan Theories on Reddit That Will Blow Your Mind

Apple TV+’s Silo is one of the most famous dystopian series of 2023, as the mysteries surrounding the giant silo in post-apocalyptic world baffle fans. Despite the Wool Trilogy, on which the show is based, being so widely read, many fans still went onto Reddit to share their theories regarding Silo. Ignoring the books’ version of events, fans had lots of theories about what the Silo really is and where it is located.

From those who think it’s a giant spaceship en route to a planet far away to those who suggest it is in a terraform somewhere in the universe, the wild theories are amazing. While most fans agree that the founders don’t mean well for the Silo’s occupants, others had some wild theories that can’t be ignored. Here is a look at the five most mind-blowing fan theories about Silo on Reddit.

1. The silo is a spaceship to another planet

This is probably the wildest of all the fan theories on the thread, as it suggests that the Silo is not underground and that the images on the screens are just an illusion. “I also think the apocalyptic screen they see is an old recording of the planet they left (earth?), and the paradise screen is a CGI interpretation of either a habitable planet they are on their way to (earth?) or how they envision the planet will look…” Slimshadym80 said.

The theory further suggests that the steam in the generator is emitted from the spaceship’s powerful engine. Most contributors were critical of the theory, arguing that a spaceship would lose gravity at some point, forcing the occupants to float. The theory is obviously wrong since Juliette noticed a giant drilling machine in the silo.

2. The whole thing is a psychological experiment

“I remember there was that tv show about a generational ship on its way to some distant star. Turned out it was all being run from a hangar as a psychological experiment or something,” Another Redditor said while referring to the 2014 miniseries Ascension. If this theory turns out to be correct, it will be a huge disappointment to fans.

Starting such an interesting Sci-fi storyline and then shutting it all down as a psychological experiment is just lazy. Besides, the clues Allison, Holston, and Juliette have come across prove that The Silo has been underground for hundreds of years. It would be difficult to sustain a psychological experiment for such a long period.

It is still a practical theory because the books also suggest that the entire Silo program was part of a test controlled by a group of people in Silo 1. It is still hard to imagine that the people inside each silo are only being tested for their ability to stay obedient when there is a whole safe world out there that they could go to.

3. The outside world is not toxic

“Did anyone notice that when the power ran out, the screen on the dining room showed the “true” green landscape?” one Redditor said while insisting that the outside world is all green and safe. In their theory, they insist that the images displayed on the screens in the Silo are altered and, therefore, can’t be believed.

That would agree with the ending of Hugh Howey’s final book Dust which points to Juliette leading people to a safe patch of green land far away from the Silos. The big reveal that Juliette comes across in the sixth episode of the first season proves that a nuclear event actually happened, so the toxicity of the surface wasn’t entirely untrue.

4. The apocalyptic surface on the screen is just part of the silo

The main question here is how deep is the Silo from the earth’s surface? Secondly, is the surface that banished people walk into after leaving the airlock really the Earth’s surface? “I believe the airlock they go through is to another chamber that has no oxygen systems,” one Redditor commented in regard to the second question.

Many people in the thread believe that what people are shown on the screens cannot be relied upon. They believe that the so-called surface and the hill on which Allison and Holston dropped dead are just another chamber in The Silo that doesn’t have oxygen. Ultimately, nothing about the earth’s surface shown in the show so far reflects the true state of the earth.

6. The silo is on an alien planet

“They are on a planet but just not Earth. I think the silo was meant as a temporary (although quite long) habitat while the new planet was terraformed, but the terraforming failed,” Meegles, a Reddit user, suggests. Their theory is as wild as it gets since most of the clues from the first season heavily insist that The Silo is located on Earth.

According to their theory, terraforming has failed, and therefore, the occupants of The Silo will all die. That would mean that the authorities are justified to hide the truth from the occupants in the form of illegal relics and memories of the past because they would give people false hope. Despite the theory making a lot of sense, it is far-fetched from the events in the show and the books.