The original post: /r/television by /u/CarlaChristine on 2025-12-06 04:51:12+00:00.
[Theory] The Joining Virus in Pluribus Might Be Preparing Earth for an Alien Arrival
The more I think about Pluribus, the less I believe The Joining is just some random alien virus that accidentally created a peaceful hive mind. The way it spreads, the way it “unifies” people, and the way it strips away individuality all feel way too intentional. It doesn’t behave like a natural outbreak — it feels like a setup.
I’m starting to wonder if the virus is actually preparing humanity for the arrival of the species that engineered it.
Think about it: if an advanced civilization were planning to come to Earth, dealing with billions of independent, unpredictable humans would be chaotic. But a population merged into a single consciousness would be incredibly easy to manage. No conflict, no rebellion, no language barriers, no resistance. Humanity becomes predictable and cooperative before the aliens even show up.
The “bliss” everyone experiences could be part of the strategy too. What looks like peace might actually be sedation — lowered survival instinct, dulled critical thinking, and emotional numbness disguised as happiness. It’s the same way predators calm their prey before the attack. The Joining creates a population that doesn’t fight back because it no longer wants to.
There’s also the possibility that the hive mind is designed to interface with a larger alien network. A lot of sci-fi depicts collective species that communicate mind-to-mind. If the invaders operate through a shared consciousness, humanity in its current state wouldn’t be compatible. The Joining could be Phase 1: convert humans into a unified mind, then sync that mind with the alien one once they arrive. Not forced assimilation — more like a software update.
Another angle is that this virus is a form of social terraforming. Instead of reshaping the environment, it reshapes the dominant species. It eliminates violence, stabilizes society, and reorganizes the human mind into something easier for outsiders to work with. It quietly clears the path long before any physical invasion happens.
So the real question is this: what if The Joining isn’t the actual threat? What if it’s just the preparation?
Maybe whatever created it hasn’t arrived yet.