••Warning! If you haven’t seen Valerian yet, major spoilers ahead!•• Through the vehicle of art, those who are spiritually liberated use deception to tell us the truth; war belongs on the big screen! And those who have become materially blinded, try to convince us real wars are like a fun movie, seeking to make lies out of the truth. Seeing Alpha as the best side of humanity, made me think of the best side of America. The technological computer revolution was born in California and eventually gave rise to the World Wide Web; a melting pot of Earth culture and sharing of ideas. The planet Mül has a perfect climate, covered in beach front property and inhabited by spiritually minded peoples using alternative energy and cutting edge technology to power their lives. Then a horrendous battle breaks open in the skies above them where massive shrapnel and broken ships crash into the atmosphere and tumble down into their oceans and beaches, wreaking havoc on their utopia. We find out it’s a war waged above their planet between humans they have nothing to do with. Unique to the Pearl species, at death, the soul of the Pearl travels across space and time to inhabit a being of their choosing, to help guide and expand their consciousness before a final exit of the universe. Lehoi’s soul travels 30 years into the future to inhabit the body of agent Valerian. He is a soldier in a relationship with the beautiful agent Laureline. We find out he is unable to win the entirety of her heart after asking her to marry him. There is something about his character Laureline finds untrustworthy. His self centered, arrogant, “pig headed” nature comes through when Laureline informs him he has forgotten her birthday. She also lets him know that nothing he can “get done in 3 minutes” can make it up to her, implying that she seeks something more than just sex. “I don’t want to be another name on your list of conquests.” It’s then we discover Valerian keeps a playlist (perhaps video or some kind of virtual representation) of all the sexual conquests of his life. Laureline makes it known to him, “My heart will belong to a man who will erase his playlist for me.” Valerian has Alex the ship’s computer, analyze the jewel he confiscated from a black market and discovers there is “ten times more power in that pearl” than in the entire ship. Pearl technology is beyond that of the federation, kind of like California and Washington technology is beyond that of most America. Agent Valerian and Laureline meet up with their command and learn there is a radioactive zone at the heart of Alpha. No signal of any kind can get through it. Meanwhile, the radioactive zone which is unbreathable, continues to “grow like a tumor”. Commander Filitt declares they must cut out the tumor before it keeps growing to destroy Alpha. “Commander, who would have any reason to destroy Alpha. Practically every living species is represented here.” “This is a weapon of mass destruction and behind every weapon there is a killer. It doesn’t matter who it is, it’s a threat to us all. It must be eliminated.” Reminds me of GOP talk about the need to preemptively take out North Korea’s government, who posses weapons of mass destruction. Even though there are North Koreans living in America along with every culture on Earth being represented here, many military brass see the situation like Filitt; that North Korea’s nukes are a threat to us all and must be eliminated. Commander Filitt enters a room where a government operative is torturing a Pearl. Filitt instructs him, “If he doesn’t talk, finish him off.” This brings to mind the torture instituted under the Bush administration and how the next president (person of color) tried to end torture and close down Guantanamo while Donald Trump is trying to reinstate water boarding. Laureline runs into 3 Doghan-Daguis and she finds out from them that Major Samk who was an expert on the Planet Mül, was murdered. We see an image of Samk getting shot. (a person of color) Laureline and Valerian continue on their mission to the heart of Alpha. Valerian - “…I know it sounds strange, but the princess, she’s guiding me. It’s hard to explain, it’s like she’s been with me the whole time.” Laureline - “Wait, you mean to tell me that you’ve had a woman inside of you since the beginning?” Valerian and Laureline meet a Pearl who invites them inside the shielded heart of Alpha. Emperor Haban-Limaï looks and sounds like an androgynous being, a perfect balance of yin and yang. Emperor Haban-Limaï - “My son sensed the presence of his sister in you. It seems she chose you.” Agent Valerian - “What do you mean?” Emperor Haban-Limaï - “Lehoi mina chose you to be the guardian of her soul. Our planet was a true paradise, in which we lived in harmony with the elements.” - Just like the spiritual side of humanity - choosing to live in peace rather than war.
