Warlords rule the citizens of the Incorporated with an omnipresent iron fist, thanks to constant surveillance measures. With the world split into Red Zones and Green Zones, governance is dramatically different depending on whether you are designated a “have” or a “have not.” But both tactics boil down to a common element: Fear.
In a new video from Syfy, we get some new info on how, exactly, he people of the future are kept in line in the red and green zones. The Red Zones, which is lawless and chaotic, is controlled by warlords and the will to survive. It’s a harsh place that demands ruthlessness from its inhabitants.
The Green Zone, by way of contrast, is the very symbol of luxury. It’s the land of plenty, and residents never experience the strain or stress that comes with scarcity, so long as they remain loyal to the company. And corporations go to great lengths to ensure that loyalty, effectively turning the Green Zone into a surveillance state. The company’s always listening and watching for dissenters to punish, so the only guarantee of safety is obedience.
Though the different zones have different ways for inspiring and enforcing obedience and loyalty, what they both have in common is fear. Fear of death, fear of excommunication, fear of losing what luxury they have, be it a suburban house with a white picket fence and a self-driving car or a tent set up in the middle of a Red Zone slum.
This governance by fear is a common theme in science fiction, from the Capitol in The Hunger Games to RoboCop’s OmniCorp and even Mass Effect’s Cerberus. There is no more powerful motivator than fear. Whether that fear comes from constant surveillance or a warlord with neck tats, it’s going to lead people to do extreme, dangerous, and amoral things in the name of survival.
Incorporated arrives on Syfy on November 30.