I briefly mentioned in another post about the butterfly drones in Cimini’s The City in the Sky. In the film these are presented in an ominous fashion, almost like trackers for the android or for the clone hiding from his “master”. As we discussed in class, there is tremendous irony here since in many cultures butterflies symbolize life and the soul (http://www.gardenswithwings.com/butterfly-stories/butterfly-symbolism.html). Furthermore, the butterfly’s beauty (especially swallowtail butterflies) remind people of the magnificence of nature. By creating artificial butterflies in a dark, metallic world, we see a glimmer of hope that is instantly extinguished when we see they are likely to help track down beings considered as “property”.

I do not think the butterflies in this story are necessarily a warning from Cimini against using insects as drones, since I see it as merely a way to artistically enhance the desperate environment of the story. That said, it is still an example of the permeation of invertebrates within works of SF.

(Screenshot from City in the Sky)

URLs:

http://www.gardenswithwings.com/butterfly-stories/butterfly-symbolism.html