Fangirling over the Science on Rick and Morty

Wubbalubbadubdub! Happy Friday! Meta-analysis mode activated just for giggles though.

I am not a biophysicist or astrophysicist, I'm an absolute noob but I like the subject. Rick and Morty is the most meta sci-fi show ever created. The show's exaggerated use of obscure scientific concepts and futuristic technology always reaches for the hard hitting truth. The dark sarcastic humour makes the show pretty unique in its dialogue. Laughing while thinking? Right from the get go, I thought the show was a masterpiece. It's just one of those shows with repeat value. Every repeat viewing, you notice details and layers you didn't before. For those that are unfamiliar with the show, Rick and Morty is an animated show about a boozy apathetic genius scientist Rick and his wimpy grandson Morty. When season 6 aired, fans thought the schedule would be pretty straightforward but the show went on a mid-season break.

Since the show has a huge cult following, I felt a need for a thorough speculation of the multiverse theory explored in the show. Dan Harmon, the creator of the show reveals some of the most interesting and engaging models for exploring the meaning of life at the intersection of technology and society. He harps on our obsession with the meaning of life.

The Multiverse Theory and Nested Infinity Loops

Endless narrative possibilities? Check. The characters go on adventures to infinite universes they also have inter-dimensional cable TV. Morty at some point says sitting in front of the TV, "Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. We’re all going to die. Come watch TV." This nihilistic line is Morty’s counter-argument to all of those people who say that to watch TV is to waste your life. Should you really be out there, living life to the full? Well, nihilism is just one of the concepts explored thoroughly by the show. But this morbid line also refers to the infinite Mortys and infinite Ricks. On some intergalactic trips, they encounter a version of themself living in that dimension where they're constantly subjected to seeing through themselves on every adventure and become nihilistic as a consequence of an onslaught of realisations of highly existential nature.

• The Central Finite Curve

Rick being the smartest person alive, has a whole planet that is a factory of Ricks and Mortys. As explained by a redditor, "The Central Finite Curve is a defined portion of the multiverse, where most, if not all, Ricks present in the series reside. Imagine infinity as a straight line. Point A on the line marks where Ricks start. Point B marks where they end. Nowhere else in all infinity do Ricks exist. This makes this segment of the line of infinity, finite. The "Curve" in " Central Finite Curve" refers to the Gaussian function , which is essential in calculating the diffusion of Ricks in the universe; and when graphed produces a bell shaped curve. It is only central in the sense that it is central to the perspective of Ricks that exist. Or maybe the writers thought it sounded like something a smart dude would say. It could also be a dick joke ."

• Nested Infinite Universes

Nested loops are a popular concept in the world of coding, for the purpose of iterating over innermost elements. Nested universes were a mind boggling twist, especially in the Season 2, Episode 6, The Ricks must be Crazy when Rick's car breaks down, he and Morty go inside its battery. Morty discovers that Rick has created a miniature universe inside the battery. And inside the miniature universe were a series of nested infinite universes, each nested inside the other with its own Rick. The show also explored the microbiome universe of a dead human body. There really are infinite narrative possibilities to the show.

I can barely scratch the surface with the exploration of just one theory from the show. This show is the ultimate guide into discovering more about our complicated and fascinating universe.