Guillermo Del Toro Based Pacific Rim On Real-Life Technology
In 2013, Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim was one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It was gearing up to be one of the best science fiction movies of the year, and largely delivered on the promise from the director. The was a spectacle with a plot surrounding fierce and ferocious battles between sea monsters and giant freakin’ robots.
At the time, Guillermo del Toro did an interview talking about the origins of the giant Pacific Rim robots, called Jaegers, and the real-life technology behind their construction and makeup.
Although Pacific Rim takes place in the distant future, it would make sense if the obsolete Jaegers were based on today’s technological advances. Guillermo Del Toro explained:
The Jaegers were based on existing Robotic / DARPA (US military research agency) Jet-fighter neural links. The very first engines used to create the ‘muscle strands’ on the Jaeger limbs were Husqvarna (Swedish engine makers) engines and the first assembly line was an amalgam between Germany and US. Those were the MARK I.
Pacific Rim really deserved to be watched on the biggest movie screen imaginable with its giant robots, sea monsters, and heavy-duty oceanic battle sequences. The film seemed almost a direct response, at the time, to be the exciting science fiction aquatic action movie that Peter Berg’s Battleship was supposed to be.
Pacific Rim follows a pair of fighter pilots (Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi) who control giant robots called Jaegers. At the helm of the giant ‘bots, they are the only line of defense left against hideous sea monsters that enter our dimension through a rift in space over the Pacific Ocean. Earth’s final chance to survive these vicious attacks rests with these two heroes.
It’s worth noting that while Guillermo del Toro did claim to base the Pacific Rim technology on stuff that was happening out in the real scientific community, we still don’t have anything like the Jaegers out there patrolling our land or seas. DARPA is still a functioning agency within the United States government, working on experimental pieces of warfare.
They have been behind the ANCILLARY program and the LongShot program as well, both of which are working on drone technology to aid soldiers and the military in certain arenas. Whether it’s taking off in smaller spaces or having drones assists manned aircraft, this appears to be where their primary focus is these days.
Pacific Rim neuralink technology seems to be another area where we are drawing closer to reality. The company Neuralink (founded originally by Elon Musk and others), is working on fully implemented wireless systems that aim to enable people with paralysis to use their neural activity directly to operate computers and mobile devices.
They’ve trialed with humans, mostly playing video and other games. But the tech is coming along fast. We might not be far from having giant hunks of metal fight our battles for us. We just need those Kaiju to begin coming from the sea so we have a worthy opponent.
