{"id":10568,"date":"2025-11-24T14:29:59","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T22:29:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/?p=10568"},"modified":"2025-11-24T14:31:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T22:31:53","slug":"does-humanity-need-an-intervention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/does-humanity-need-an-intervention\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Humanity Need an Intervention?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1170\" height=\"659\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UntxnIZoaio?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Space Admiral Kandas and Space Cadet Shane welcome visiting dignitary Patrick Lugo to discuss Steven Erikson&#8217;s standalone science fiction novel &#8220;Rejoice, A Knife to the Heart.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a mysterious alien AI arrives offering humanity a utopian paradise with no war, poverty, or disease, the biggest question becomes: Can we get out of our own way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Erikson, best known for his epic ten-book Malazan fantasy series, brings his background as an archaeologist and anthropologist to this character-driven first contact story. Published in 2018, the novel examines humanity through multiple perspectives across the globe, from science fiction writers and bank robbers to child soldiers and abusive spouses, all coping with an &#8220;intervention event&#8221; that changes everything overnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The conversation explores deep themes including the role of free time in human creativity, what happens when scarcity and profit margins disappear, religious versus spiritual responses to transformation, and whether this seemingly benevolent AI might actually be recruiting humanity as its attack force against the mysterious Grays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patrick Lugo shares insights into why Erikson&#8217;s work resonates with creators, discussing how removing constraints like marketability and survival needs could unleash human potential. The group debates whether the novel presents the origin story of Star Trek&#8217;s Federation or something far more sinister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite ending on a massive cliffhanger with ruins discovered on Mars and the Moon, Erikson never wrote a sequel, leaving readers to imagine their own continuation of humanity&#8217;s journey into space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Guest Patrick Lugo is a career artist, former art director for Kung Fu Magazine, and creator of the graphic novel series Tiger&#8217;s Tale. His upcoming comic book Undead Kung Fu Ghost Killer combines martial arts with zombie horror themes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Key Topics Discussed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>First contact scenarios and intervention events<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The human condition through an anthropological lens<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Character-driven storytelling across global perspectives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Utopian futures and their hidden costs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The relationship between free time and creativity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Religious and spiritual transformation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Media manipulation and corporate control<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The mysterious Grays as a recurring sci-fi antagonist<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why the book&#8217;s 2018 publication feels dated in 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Independent comic creation and storytelling<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hosts Kandas and Shane welcome Patrick Lugo to discuss Steven Erikson&#8217;s standalone science fiction novel &#8220;Rejoice, A Knife to the Heart.&#8221; Watch the Episode now! #scifi <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[513,21,34,15],"tags":[4,231,69,516,517],"class_list":["post-10568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-appearances","category-blog","category-interviews","category-reviews","tag-blogging","tag-podcast","tag-reviews","tag-science-fiction","tag-speculative-fiction","post_format-post-format-video"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/unnamed-4.png?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3egHU-2Ks","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8775,"url":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/the-comics-fu-show-returns-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":10568,"position":0},"title":"The Comics Fu Show returns!!!","author":"PLUGO","date":"October 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"After a brief mid-season break, THE COMICS FU SHOW comes back strong with two back-to-back episodes! Monday Oct. 16 & Tuesday Oct. 17th! Join us for deep dives ito Wuxia and Fantasy comics!","rel":"","context":"In &quot;crowd funding&quot;","block_context":{"text":"crowd funding","link":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/category\/crowd-funding\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/TCFS-OCT1617.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/TCFS-OCT1617.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/TCFS-OCT1617.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/TCFS-OCT1617.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/TCFS-OCT1617.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2012,"url":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/ximena-x\/","url_meta":{"origin":10568,"position":1},"title":"Ximena X","author":"PLUGO","date":"December 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Ximena-X Latinx-sci-fi-fantastical- character-cos-play. Cold-Fire Element Archer for the Society of the Feather Serpent.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"blog","link":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/XimenaXHeader-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/XimenaXHeader-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/XimenaXHeader-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/XimenaXHeader-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/XimenaXHeader-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6390,"url":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/contraband-in-speculative-fiction-for-dreamers\/","url_meta":{"origin":10568,"position":2},"title":"Contraband: in Speculative Fiction for Dreamers","author":"PLUGO","date":"September 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cContraband\u201d \u00a0by Patrick Lugo is the third graphic short story in Speculative Fiction \u00a0for Dreamers. Juan has been captured at the border and his sister, a \u00a0contraband runner named Cruise, is tasked with making his delivery of \u00a0something rare, something strangely organic in an inorganic \u00a0techno-world. \u201cCach ju lature\u201d says\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Patreon&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Patreon","link":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/category\/patreon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3156,"url":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/articles-ive-written\/","url_meta":{"origin":10568,"position":3},"title":"Articles I&#8217;ve written","author":"PLUGO","date":"October 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Included for your reading enjoyment, an expanding list of the articles I have written","rel":"","context":"In &quot;blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"blog","link":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/My-Articles.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/My-Articles.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/My-Articles.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/My-Articles.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/My-Articles.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10034,"url":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/live-on-comixlaunch\/","url_meta":{"origin":10568,"position":4},"title":"Live on ComixLaunch!","author":"PLUGO","date":"May 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Two members of our anthology team are live appearance on the\u00a0ComixLaunch Daily Livestream. If you've spent any time on Kickstarter you'll recognize ComixLaunch as the premiere learning community for Kickstarting a comic. They are currently promoting their\u00a0campaign planner\u00a0with daily live streams. 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Coming to Kickstarter Tuesday October 22, 2024.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"blog","link":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BoT-KS-Thumb.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BoT-KS-Thumb.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BoT-KS-Thumb.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BoT-KS-Thumb.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BoT-KS-Thumb.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10568"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10570,"href":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10568\/revisions\/10570"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plugoarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}