i constantly think about pacific rim's "in order to fight monsters, we created monsters of our own". in science fiction you have two different approaches when it comes to monsters. you see, in order to destroy something, it has to be strange and different from what you are +

+ because that destruction can only be validated if it's something inferior, impossible to be understood and therefore inherently dangerous. in pacific rim, no one underestimates the power of kaijus and it's not even related to their size bc if it was, then arrival (2016) +

+ wouldn't have that discourse around the heptapods, as the us government wants to make clear that they can and will destroy them if the heptapods don't live up to their expectations (but then again... the us... lol anyways)

the main point is, in pacific rim when jaegers are created, they're not heroes (although they become idolized at some point, as raleigh says, but so do kaijus), they're another type of monster that humanity has created in order for there to be balance in between them and kaijus

in science fiction, there is also the relatable part. we create monsters in fiction because we want to name our fears, they help us understand what it is to be human. when you have a piece of media that compares a human to a monster in the same degree, you're setting +

equal conditions in which these two beings can meet. knowing del toro and knowing his work, i just know how important it is for him the understanding that we, humans, can be monsters too. and in pacific rim, jaegers are not just a tool made to destroy kaijus, they're an +

+ extension of the humans that pilot them, and the humans are too extensions of the jaeger. if kaijus are biological warfare made for destruction only, so are jaegers, and by extension humans as well. it's not black and white, stark differences between humans and monsters anymore

of course this is just my take on it based on what i think are the connections between us humans and the monsters we create, be it in science fiction or other types of media, and what del toro has said abt monsters before. end of thread thx for the attention!! x