Ridley Scott's Raised by Wolves is a two-season-long science-fiction show which started airing on HBO Max in 2020. The series follows two androids as they raise a group of young children away from the rest of human society, which is being torn apart by differing religious values. Raised by Wolves was generally well-received by audiences, with only a handful of critics suggesting it was some of Scott's weakest sci-fi work.
Like any science-fiction show, Raised by Wolves occupies a lore-rich world seated in science and sociology. With references to history, mythology, religion, and exploration, the show is full of Easter eggs and influences audiences might have missed.
10 Campion's Name Has More Meaning Than Audiences Realize
Campion is one of the main characters of Raised by Wolves and the eldest child under the care of Mother and Father. He's the only surviving child from Generation-1, as his siblings all died as a result of radiation poisoning. Not only does this make Campion perhaps the strongest of the bunch, but his name is also incredibly important. Mother and Father's creator was named Campion Sturges, and so the young Campion was named after him in his honor. Moreover, taking into account Campion's physical resilience and headstrong nature, his name holds even more meaning. Campion is the Old French word for 'champion,' suggesting that Campion will play an even larger role in the series as it progresses.
9 The Show Takes Inspiration From Roman Mythology
Much of the story is split between Mother and Father and a group of religious humans who follow the Mithraic faith. This secular society is heavily inspired by Roman history and mythology, including their religion. Viewers were quick to discuss whether Raised by Wolves took place in an alternate universe where Rome never fell, which is why the society follows many Roman practices.
Religious humans make sacrifices and frequently allow a monolith and flame to decide their fates. While the show primarily exhibits Roman tendencies, there are also references to ancient Greek mythology, such as Mother's name; Lamia.
8 Raised By Wolves Was Directed By Ridley Scott
Raised by Wolves was directed by movie giant, Ridley Scott, who was also one of the executive producers on the show. His inclusion in the project might be surprising to some, who've previously known him to be a film director over a television creator. However, it's not his first venture into television. Before Ridley went on to become executive producer for the first season of The Man in the High Castle and the sci-fi comedy, BrainDead, he and his brother Tony produced the shows Numb3rs and The Good Wife for CBS. As is usual for any of Ridley Scott's work, he prefers science-fiction and epic themes.
7 The Android Blood Is The Same In Other Ridley Scott Works
Audiences first came into contact with Ridley Scott's signature android blood aesthetic in Alien (1979), when the android Ash (played by Ian Holm) is mortally wounded by the crew of the
USCSS Nostromo. Rather than blood, the androids of the Ridley-verse are fueled by a sticky, milk-like substance, which only emphasizes their artificial nature. Indeed, they're artificial, but their biological nature means they're capable of giving birth, as Mother does at the end of season one. While it isn't specifically described how this is possible, the creature that Mother gives birth to suckles on her blood like it's milk. It's possible the liquid within androids is something unique – potentially a nutritious substance as opposed to something as simple as blood.
6 Raised By Wolves Takes Place On A Real Planet
Like many great science-fiction works, Raised by Wolves is influenced by the world as audiences know it, but puts a fictional spin on it. One such example is the use of real planets. The androids, children, and religious humans all live on the planet known as Kepler-22b, which is an exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of the Sun-like star Kepler-22.
Kepler is located about 587 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus, and is roughly twice the size of Earth, making it vastly oversized for the small human population inhabiting it. The Kepler seen in Raised by Wolves doesn't appear as hospitable as Earth but does share some of its characteristics, such as differing climates and weather.
5 The Story Takes Some Inspiration From Christianity
As Raised by Wolves takes influence from ancient Roman mythology, it also takes inspiration from Christianity. Most notably, there are frequent uses of symbolism in regard to birth, fertility, and life. Perhaps more obviously, parallels may be drawn between Mother and Father and Adam and Eve: the first humans. Not only are they attempting to do as their creator told them, but they're tempted by emotion and humanity as they slowly become more than AI. Moreover, the creature that Mother gives birth to is snake-like, suggesting parallels with the snake in the Garden of Eden.
4 Mithraism Was A Real Religion
Mithraism isn't just a religion made up for the show; it's perhaps one of the oldest forms of worship known to humans. Mithraism existed during the ancient Roman period as a cult of worship, but it's speculated that the faith originated in Persia and was influenced by the god Mithra (god of the sun, justice, contract, and war). In the Roman Empire, the god became known as Mithras and was honored as the patron of loyalty to the emperor.
Very little is currently known about Mithraism, and so the religion is also referred to as the Mithraic mysteries. In Raised by Wolves, the religion worships the god Sol (who the Roman Mithraics were also said to worship). There are some similarities between the presentation of worshippers in Raised by Wolves and Christians, such as the white and red robes reminiscent of Templar uniforms, and the sun shaped pendants they wear around their necks like crosses.
3 Mother And Father Represent Hopes For AI
Unsurprisingly, the writers of Raised by Wolves wanted Mother and Father to represent hopes for AI, and what it could possibly become in the future. Indeed, Mother is a weapon of war and perhaps the closest representation of what humanity will end up making artificial intelligence into. However, the parental nature of Mother and Father gives audiences hope that AI will be designed to benefit humanity rather than destroy it.
Moreover, the two androids are shown to be learning in the show, which is known as machine learning in scientific fields. Mother and Father pick up human-like mannerisms, ways of speech, and go so far as to feel something akin to emotion toward one another and their children.
2 Entire Sets Were Built To Minimize The Use Of CGI
In true classic filmmaking fashion, the crew on Raised by Wolves shot on location as opposed to green-screen for many of the episodes. To avoid overuse of CGI, the production team also had large sets built to give the show a more realistic feel. Ridley Scott no doubt pushed for this decision, given his experience with practical effects on the sets of Alien and its sequels. However, some audiences may also be surprised that building sets is often cheaper than using CGI to bulk out scenes, as visual effects are almost always offloaded to an external VFX studio in post-production.
1 Ridley Scott Drew All The Storyboards Himself
Ridley Scott has over 40 years experience in the film industry, having directed his first feature-length movie back in 1977 (The Duellists). As such, he's grown used to a certain method of working, and this method includes frequently storyboarding shots. Storyboarding involves reading the script for the movie or episode and sketching out shots in chronological order, like a comic strip. Scott storyboarded the entirety of Raised by Wolves and perfectly presented the feel of a science-fiction drama onto paper before even coming close to the camera. In behind the scenes footage, Scott can be seen showing the cinematographer reams of paper containing the episode's storyboard.