A decade ago, HBO launched what was meant to be its next smash hit with Westworld. Westworld had all the ingredients for success: it was an update of the 1973 science fiction cult classic helmed by legendary author Michael Crichton, it was co-created by Jonathan Nolan, who previously developed the CBS sci-fi hit Person of Interest, and it boasted J.J. Abramsas a producer, back when he was on top of the world. It also had a compelling hook, as it took place inside a futuristic theme park with a Western setting that was populated by highly advanced robots. Over time, said robots start to develop sentience thanks to a new upgrade, and eventually start a violent uprising.
On top of a stellar collection of creatives, Westworld also boasts one of the most incredible ensemble casts in recent television history. Evan Rachel Wood, Anthony Hopkins, Thandiwe Newton, James Marsden, and Jeffrey Wright all gave plenty of depth to their characters, whether they were human or machine, and it’s what kept viewers coming back. But in the back half of its run, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy made a wild creative decision that no one was expecting as they set Seasons 3 and 4 entirely out of the Westworld park. While on paper this might have seemed like a bold decision, it took away one of the biggest advantages Westworld had as a series.
The Western Setting Helped Sell ‘Westworld’s Big Ideas
Dolores rides a black horse in ‘Westworld’ Season 2Image via HBO
The titular setting of Westworld wasn’t just a Western-themed backdrop where Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy could deliver big ideas about identity and choice. It was a part of the story itself, particularly when it came to robot “hosts” Dolores (Wood) and Maeve (Newton). Dolores, upon gaining sentience, starts to break the park’s “narrative” as she is able to commit violent acts, eventually shooting founder Robert Ford (Hopkins) in the head during the Season 1 finale. Maeve is able to manipulate Westworld’s technicians into altering her code, giving her greater autonomy over her actions. The story even grew to include the park’s workers and visitors, particularly programmer Bernard Lowe (Wright) and the mysterious “Man in Black” (Ed Harris), as the latter is trying to discover a maze hidden within Westworld. Even the different sections of the park, including the samurai-themed Shōgunworld, continue to build upon the theme of discovering one’s identity.
Season 3 stripped away these elements, and as a result, nothing in Westworld ever felt the same. Characters lost their layers, with Dolores becoming yet another artificial intelligence wreaking havoc upon humanity. Even the setting felt less special, as the idea of a sci-fi dystopia populated by machines had been done to death at this point. Season 4 took things even further, jumping to a future where machines reign supreme. At this point, calling the series Westworld felt laughable since it was far away from the blend of sci-fi and Western tropes that came to define the series. The fact that Westworld was canceled after Season 4, and then pulled off HBO Max in 2022, didn’t help matters.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
‘Westworld’ Never Finished Its Original Plan
Most fans felt that Westworld was unfairly cut down, as it seemed like Dolores was intending to use a virtual world known as the Sublime to recreate the original Westworld park. Those sentiments turned out to be correct, as Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy revealed that they had plans for at least one more season. When promoting his Prime Video series The Peripheralat New York Comic Con in 2022, Nolan had this to say:
“We always planned for a fifth and final season. We are still in conversations with the network. We very much hope to make them.”
While Nolan and Joy’s plans to conclude Westworld never came to fruition, Warner Bros. is gearing up for a reboot of the original movie with David Koepp attached; ironically, Koepp is no stranger to Michael Crichton’s work as he penned the screenplay for the original Jurassic Park. Time will tell if this new version of Westworld will stick to its unique mix of science fiction and Western trappings, but Nolan and Joy have made sure that their latest television project, Fallout, doesn’t stray from its path in the same way that Westworld did.
