Kepler-22b: What's The Meaning Of The Mystery Planet In Pluribus Episode 1?

This article contains spoilers for "Pluribus" season 1, episode 1.

Vince Gilligan's new Apple TV show "Pluribus" brings the world together, and Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn, "Better Call Saul") wants none of it. After an RNA-altering, virus-like "psychic glue" agent inevitably escapes laboratory containment and becomes a full-on pandemic that turns the whole world (except Carol and a handful of others) into a serene hive mind, Carol finds that she's the only unaffected individual in the city of Albuquerque. As if this wasn't enough, she learns this from a White House representative Davis Taffler (Peter Bergman, "The Young and the Restless"), who's been waiting for her to turn the TV to C-SPAN and helpfully explains the nature of the situation. 

According to Taffler (and a surprisingly nifty graphic the hive mind had the time to whip up), the RNA-altering viral signal that provided the recipe for the hive mind "virus" is alien technology and hails from the planet Kepler-22b. For the astronomy-minded viewer, the mention of this particular planet might be interesting, because Gilligan didn't pick the planet by throwing a dart at the map of the Milky Way.

Discovered by the Kepler Space Telescope and verified in 2011, Kepler-22b is the first-ever planet the telescope discovered that not only revolves around a star that's relatively similar to our own sun, but is located in the habitable zone and could potentially support life. Scientist feel that Kepler-22b might not quite fit the bill for assorted reasons, but thanks to the extreme distance between the planet and ours (600 light years and change), much of the planet is in the "educated guess" ballpark ... and it's fair to say that "Pluribus" is happy to run with the narrative possibilities this creates. 

The "Pluribus" season 1 premiere is definitely not overplaying its hand when it comes to Kepler-22b, because even the hive mind doesn't really know much beyond the fact that the extraterrestrial signal originates from there. However, another major sci-fi show has explored the planet in far more detail. Creator Aaron Guzikowski and executive producer Ridley Scott's "Raised By Wolves" makes Kepler-22b its main setting: a strange new planet that the embryo/child colony overseen by androids Mother (Amanda Collin) and Father (Abubakar Salim) sets out to live on.

Apart from "Pluribus" and "Raised by Wolves," Kepler-22b is largely untouched by live-action science fiction, though it is also a part of "Star Trek" canon thanks to a brief name drop in the "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 1 episode "Spock Amok." So, wherever the "Breaking Bad" creator's accidental sci-fi project plans to take things with the planet, "Pluribus" can be safe in the knowledge that it's treading on reasonably pristine ground. 

"Pluribus" is streaming on Apple TV.