Only four episodes have aired, and people are already obsessed with Apple TV+’s newest science fiction show,Murderbot. Whether it’sAlexander Skarsgård’s casting as the lead cyborg or the perfect mix of black comedy and heartfelt characters, this book series adaptation is hitting all the right notes with streaming fans. Let us not forget about the most interesting part of the show, though — Murderbot’s sudden and deep dive into independence, as well as finding its place among other human beings. That may seem like a lot to unpack, but show creators Paul and Chris Weitz have found a way to convey this journey of self-discovery through Murderbot’s favorite show,The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon.
When it’s not securing the perimeter or rescuing our team of researchers from giant centipedes, this space-set soap opera teaches our main protagonist all about life. From how to realistically converse with humans to providing comfort when its anxiety becomes too much to handle, Murderbot has found an essential outlet. Let’s be real — Gurathin is more than enough for anyone. But what if we could introduce Murderbot to another super-relatable Hollywood production? It says that it’s already consumed so many hours of content, but has it seen this award-winning action movie starringMatt Damon? It might just help with its “identity” problem.The Bourne Identitywould be the kind of film that is right up Murderbot’s alley.
Matt Damon’s Character Would Mean the World to Murderbot
The Bourne Identity
Following an ex-operative from the CIA’s Operation Treadstone program, director Doug Liman’s film from 2002,The Bourne Identity, closely adapted author Robert Ludlum’s novel series. Damonplays Jason Bourne, a once lifeless body dumped somewhere in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. A couple of gracious fishermen rescue him and discover that he has two gunshot wounds in his back and that someone surgically implanted a miniature projection tool inside him.
20 minutes into the movie, and you can already see how tormented Jason is —he has a breakdown about not remembering what has happened to him or even who he is. The same goes for Skarsgård’s character with the traumatic, momentary flashbacks. As for Bourne, the real trouble seems to start the moment he sets foot on land. With some supplies gathered from a safe deposit box and a female companion by his side, he has to overcome assassins, the CIA trying to hunt him down,and the fog surrounding his memory.
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In comparing the two pieces of media, Murderbot’s favorite show is admittedly somewhat different.The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moonis an outer space soap opera that involves interplanetary travel andromance among different human-like species. However,Matt Damon’s first entry in the Bourne franchise would immensely help show our older model security cyborg that feeling displaced does not mean the end of the world. Jason first came to be and had to suffice on a ship that was no bigger than a van for two weeks. He then discovered that his face was associated with many different names. Jason Bourne is trying to put his life’s puzzle back together — and live — but is being pursued by the CIA’s operatives at every turn. This would instill a sense of real bravery in Murderbot, given that it would be turned into salvageable parts if it ever revealed its true self to anyone.
Murderbot Would Change Its Mind About Humans
The two characters’ bond could even be made stronger by acknowledging thatthey are both anti-heroes(even though it would hate to admit this fact, Murderbot is more heroic than not). Jason Bourne is undoubtedly a trained killer who will become violent in pursuit of finding out who he was and is personably cold when he feels the need to be — and this is all in the first movie. Murderbot’s tendency to avoid interacting with humans (often calling them idiots) while still being the first to defend them from hideous monsters easily places it in the same category.
No one can argue that it’s just following its programming — it disabled its own governing chip. Witnessing Jason Bourne’s character arc for itself (especially the scene where he refuses to kill Nykwana Wombosi) might help it realize that humans are not appalling after all — they are just complex. Even more so, Murderbot will see that, although Jason can be lethally damaging, he puts his skills to good use against those who put him in this position. There is no shame in having some semblance of a human being… if only the people around it would see that too.
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Finally,the biggest reason as to why Murderbot would haveThe Bourne Identityat the top of its watchlist would be Jason’s struggleagainst a towering corporation. No matter what obstacles the three agents throw at it, it continues on its quest to separate itself from the giant entity that created it. Even though it’s apparent that Bourne worked for the shady Treadstone initiative (a branch of the CIA), they want to eliminate any trace of him, and that means killing him.
Murderbot would find peace in knowing it’s not alone. It would most likely seek out the sequels to see how the foreign service officer’s action saga continues. This is all dependent on the possibility that Jason Bourne even exists in Murderbot’s universe, of course. But that’s a question for another day.The first four episodes ofMurderbotare available onApple TV+.The Bourne Identityis currently available to rent onApple TV+,YouTube, andPrime Video.
