Westworld theory: The show is directly connected to the original movie

HBO’s Westworld was described as a new take on the 1973 movie of the same name, but there was one scene in the premiere that perhaps they are set in the same continuity.

Note: This article contains spoilers from the Westworld series premiere, “The Original.”

Fictional continuity is something that generally only matters to superfans of a given property. For example, a lot of people might not even care that Warner Bros. is using a different Flash in movies and TV, while DC enthusiasts know and debate the merits of having two separate Barry Allens.

With that in mind, there’s no real reason to think the masses care that the Westworld they are seeing is different from the one from the Michael Crichton movie. It was sold as a “reimagining” from the start.

But what if it’s not?

In the series premiere, “The Original,” head programmer Bernard Lowe is notified of an issue with some of the hosts (the series’ artificial people) in cold storage. He accompanies Luke Hemsworth’s Ashley Stubbs and his security detail to B83, a sub-basement far below the main Westworld operating facility.

When they arrive, the place doesn’t look like a storage facility at all, but rather an abandoned office complex. It’s got multiple levels, escalators, and a large globe.

Fans of the movie might remember that Delos, the parent company of the original “West World,” used a globe as part of its logo. A visit to the official site for the new series declares that Westworld is “A Delos Destination.”

Follow along here. Bernard mentions in conversation with Theresa Cullen that it’s been 30 years since the park has had a “critical failure.” Even without considering the Westworld film, it’s easy to read that as an incident where the fake humans hurt the real ones.

But that remark takes on a whole new meaning if the series acts like the movie really happened. What if the critical failure was the robots of the movie running amok and killing the guests? Since we aren’t sure exactly when the movie or the series are set, it’s not hard to imagine 30 years have passed.

Surely, though, people would just stop visiting after the original West World tragedy, right? Not necessarily. The movie’s lesser loved sequel, Futureworld, had people continuing to visit the Delos theme parks after massive amounts of money were spent to ensure they were safer. Even if Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy and company jettison that movie and the Beyond Westworld series from their continuity (not a bad move, honestly), that same idea could apply here.

The control center for West World was also shown to be underground in the movie, something that may have played a part in the demise of the people at central control when they suffocate after shutting down the power. Critical failure? I’d say so. But B83 could definitely be a reference to that place.

(Also relevant: Jurassic World, another property based on Crichton’s ideas, is only possible because it assumes people would want to revisit the idea of a dinosaur theme park even after the events of Jurassic Park.)

Subsequent episodes should help disprove this theory if it’s wrong, and further hints in this direction could solidify it if it’s on the money. Just something to mind when you watch the rest of this first season of Westworld.