“This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.”
PERFECT ORGANISM is the premier Alien saga podcast on the internet. Cohosts JM Prater and Patrick Greene dive deeply into all aspects of the venerable franchise: the lore, the history, the cinematographic and technical achievements, the soundtracks, the characters, and much more.
You can listen to all past episodes of Perfect Organism here, and be sure to subscribe on any of the popular podcasting platforms!
“The perfect organism.
Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.”
196 // Interviewing Andy Kelly, Author of Perfect Organism: An Alien: Isolation Companion
Alien: Isolation is the sort of game that attracts a certain type of Alien obsessive: packed with lore, overflowing with aesthetic detail, and completely unrelenting in its difficulty and terror, Isolation is an extraordinary achievement in game design that continues to enthrall Alien fans eight years after its release.
Andy Kelly is a video game journalist who has written extensively about Alien: Isolation from the very beginning. Along the way, he's amassed a wealth of interviews, behind-the-scenes insights, and level design knowledge that has culminated, finally, in his writing the definitive Alien: Isolation companion.
In this episode, Andy takes Patrick and Christian behind the curtains for a deeper look at this incredible game, and lets us know what we can look forward to when the book is eventually published.
To support the book's creation on Unbound, visit https://unbound.com/books/perfect-organism/. And be sure to follow Andy on Twitter @ultrabrilliant so you never miss an update along the way!
// Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes
195 // A Man With a Future: Discussing Dr. Clemens
Charles Dance's portrayal of Dr. Jonathan Clemens in Alien 3 is a layered look at how substance abuse, grief, and loss function in the Alien universe. In this roundtable, Jaime, Patrick, Christian, and Andie are joined by first-time guest Forrest MacKnight for an in-depth examination of this fascinating character.
// Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes
194 // Interviewing Shiromi Arserio, Narrator of Alien: Colony War and Alien: Into Charybdis
Two recent Alien novels—Alien: Into Charybdis by Alex White and Alien: Colony War by David Barnett—share a common audiobook narrator. What you might not know about this narrator, though, is she's just as much an Alien nerd as you are!
Shiromi Arserio's website describes her as an "Accent Chameleon," and listening to her work on these recent novels is a masterclass on how to balance character, dialect, and storytelling tension in a way that's at once unobtrusive and yet utterly riveting.
Shiromi was kind enough to spend an evening goofing around with Patrick and Christian, spilling some trade secrets and geeking out about painting Alien miniatures along the way.
For more on Shiromi and her work, visit www.shiromispeaks.com.
// Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes
193 // Propstore & Perfect Organism Podcast presents: An Aliens Panel Discussion
Perfect Organism was honored to be asked by Propstore to host a panel discussion with ALIENS actors Ricco Ross, Mark Rolston, and ALIENS Visual Effects Supervisor Pat McClung. This event was hosted on top of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles and included industry players, fans and more. Please join us as we unveil this very special episode, hosted by Jaime Prater and Christian Matzke.
192 // Prometheus at Ten Years: A Roundtable Retrospective
On June 8, 2012, Prometheus ushered in a controversial—and wildly new—era in Alien history. How has Prometheus aged in the decade since it was released? What themes have stuck? How has it shown up across other works throughout the expanded Alien universe, and how do those works bring Prometheus in new directions?
In this roundtable, Jaime, Patrick, Perry, and Maj discuss Prometheus' past, present, and future.
// Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes
191 // The Promise of a Flower: Discussing Dillon
Charles S. Dutton's performance as Leonard Dillon in Alien 3 is one of those portrayals that seems almost star-crossed. With his thrilling speeches, deep humanity, and murky past, Dillon is a character who becomes more special the more time you spend with him—a character that makes us ask Big Questions, like what is redemption? Can you find it even after you've committed atrocities? Where do you search for hope at the Ass End of Space?
Dutton, with his own troubled past and remarkable acting journey, brings such force and depth to this character that it's no wonder many of his monologues—the burial sequence, his "let's fight it" speech—have become beloved touchstones of modern science fiction.
In this next installment in our ongoing 30th Anniversary of Alien 3 coverage, Jaime, Patrick, Christian, and Andie discuss this deeply complex character.
For some additional reading, here's a relatively recent interview with him that gets mentioned in the episode a few times: https://bit.ly/3wLsMK3
// Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes
190 // Charles de Lauzirika’s Alien 3 Assembly Cut Commentary
Art by Locusta
Charles de Lauzirika is the Restoration Producer of the Alien 3 Assembly Cut, as well as the director of Wreckage and Rage, the definitive behind-the-scenes account of Alien 3 (which you may have seen, in various forms, on both the Quadrilogy and Anthology boxsets). He reached out to us after our previous Assembly Cut commentary went live on Alien Day and asked if we'd like to watch it again, only this time with him on the commentary panel!
Jaime, Patrick, and Christian had the immense pleasure of learning the inside story of the Assembly Cut from the guy who actually put it together, and we're thrilled to share this exclusive experience with our listeners.
The commentary track gets started after a few minutes of intros and banter; we'll cue you when it's time to start playing the film.
// Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes
188 // Alien 3 | The Assembly Cut Commentary
Happy Alien Day! As is our tradition (and for as long as we can) Perfect Organism releases a commentary episode every 04.26. This year, in honor of the 30 year anniversary of Alien 3, Patrick, Maj, & Jaime sat down and recorded a commentary track for the assembly cut of Alien 3. We hope you enjoy!
189 // Interviewing Sarah Welch-Larson, Author of Becoming Alien
Sarah Welch-Larson's Becoming Alien is subtitled ... The Beginning and End of Evil in Science Fiction's Most Idiosyncratic Film Franchise, and that should tell you everything you need to know about why we were so thrilled to chat with her!
Becoming Alien is a philosophical examination of all six canonical films—an exploration of deep themes like the nature of evil and the things that make us human. Join Jaime, Patrick, Christian, Andie, and Sarah as they don their headlamps and venture into one of their deepest conversations yet.
Follow Sarah on Twitter (@dodgyboffin) and be sure to pick up Becoming Alienat http://cutt.ly/BecomingAlien!
// Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes
ALIEN: Abandon - A Brand New Audio Drama
Starring Liam Richards, Terry Cooper, & Perry Chicos as Elliot
From an original script by Jaime Prater * Directed by Jaime Prater
Original Score by Patrick Greene * Planet sound by Patrick Greene
Sound design by Jaime Prater * Additional sounds by Xander House
Produced by Perfect Organism: The Alien Saga Podcast * Edited by Jaime Prater
With Chase Cupo as the voice of Stratos & Micah Greene as the voice M.U.T.H.U.R.
*special thanks to Maj & Christian Matzke*
Alien Abandon was made possible in part by our amazing patrons.
// Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes
187 // Into The Abyss: 30 Years of Alien 3 | A Roundtable Discussion
As Perfect Organism Podcast dives into our celebration of the 30 year anniversary of Alien 3, we decided to start off our conversations about the nature of the film. How did you feel about the film going into it? Did you know that Hicks & Newt would meet their tragic fate before you saw it? Have you been able to get over their deaths? Is Alien 3 a film that's found its rightful place? The team at Perfect Organism sits down to talk about all of this, setting the stage for a series of episodes covering one of the most storied films in Hollywood history.
186 // Fandom Spotlight: Interviewing Alaric Hahn - Founder of Alien Day
We kick off Alien Day 2022 with an interview with its original founder, Alaric Hahn. Host Christian Matzke sits down for an in-depth and satisfying conversation covering the first Alien Day in 2015, the films, and so much more. Happy Alien Day, and enjoy!
// Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes
185 // Alien Day & Celebrating 30 Years of Alien 3
Ripley takes the lead. Alien 3. 1992.
In this brief episode, Jaime and Patrick get together to discuss Perfect Organism's content itinerary for Alien Day 2022. From our brand new full-length audio drama ALIEN: Abandon, to a very intimate and exhaustive Assembly Cut commentary, this year's Alien Day promises to be one for the ages.
184 // Meeting the Cast of Aliens: NYC WinterCon 2022
After a couple of years locked in the old freezerinos, fandoms are starting to reconnect in person again. Earlier this month, the New York City WinterCon provided a fantastic opportunity for Aliens fans to meet one another—and to meet many of the Colonial Marines themselves!
In this episode, Andie and Christian tell Jaime and Patrick all about their Con experience—Andie as a volunteer working with the cast, and Christian as a costumed attendee. Ever wonder if Mark Rolston is a tea guy or a coffee fiend? Or if Michael Biehn takes a lunch break? Or how much of a single Perfect Organism episode can be realistically devoted to talking about how attractive Ricco Ross is in person? Tune in!
// Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes
183 // There’s Movement: What Scares You? | A Roundtable Discussion
In this lively episode, the Perfect Organism team all sits down to discuss some of the scariest moments that have stuck with them in movies. From John Carpenter's The Thing, to Alex Garland's Annihilation, what has the capability to scare us can run the gamut. From the psychological and physical, to the emotional. Fear is a complex emotion, affecting all of us in very different ways. Join us as we explore them.
182 // There's Movement: The Legacy of Giger's Alien | Part Two
As we continue our miniseries investigating Giger's work and why it remains so impactful, we take a special look at how his designs were altered—and extrapolated from—in James Cameron's Aliens.
Join Jaime, Patrick, Christian, and Andie as they discuss nightmares, velociraptors, whether or not the Big Chap had cream cheese in its mouth, and much, much more.
// Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes
SUBLIME NOISE // INTERSTELLAR // HANS ZIMMER
This week, we are releasing our inaugural episode from our new Patreon-exclusive show, Sublime Noise. To attain access to our full repertoire of film and score reviews, go to www.perfectorganism.com/support. Patronage starts at $4 a month. All proceeds go directly back into
"What's the first film score or soundtrack that moved you? Was it when you were a child? When did you buy your first soundtrack? Patrick and Jaime sit down on this inaugural episode of Sublime Noise to answer these questions while discussing their mutual love of music, first memories and more leading into a thorough dissection of Hans Zimmer's masterwork, Interstellar. We hope you enjoy."
181 // There’s Movement: The Legacy of Giger’s Alien | Part One
This episode kicks off a miniseries where Jaime, Patrick, and the Perfect Organism team discuss the lasting legacy of H.R. Giger's Alien creature. From the psychology of its design, to its place in the creature hall of fame, Jaime and Patrick dive head first into discussing what is inarguably the most iconic and terrifying creature that's ever been put on screen.
180 // You Don’t Dare Kill It: The Alien Lifecycle | A Roundtable Discussion
In this roundtable discussion, the team at Perfect Organism sits down to discuss the processes of the Alien lifecycle. With six canonical films and two AvP films, does the traditional lifecycle continue to be effective? Should the new lifecycle as seen in Alien Covenant be the way forward as we approach the Noah Hawley produced Alien Series? We attempt to answer these questions and many more in this riveting hour and a half discussion.
179 // Plans for a New Year, and Gratitude for a Year Past
2021 is a year that will go down in Perfect Organism history as one of our favorites. We talked to our heroes, we reopened the marvelously fascinating wound that is Alien: Covenant, and we grew our team. We read new comics, played a new board game, devoured another Alex White novel. We spent another Alien Day with friends and family, and released another audio drama.
But just wait till you hear what we've got planned for 2022!
Join Jaime and Patrick as they capture this moment in time, and stick around to the end to hear the names of all the Patrons who've made it possible.
We are grateful for each and every one of you!
// Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/perfectorganismitunes