Killer Earth is defined by the stark contrast between the technologically advanced ships that carried the crew and the harsh, unforgiving, post nuclear environment of the new planet, Thrae.
The planet is the large scale setting, which fails to live up to its name and becomes a reflection of the crew’s despair.
The Sandy Terrain: The landscape is primarily made up of sandy terrain and a desert, establishing a desolate environment that immediately introduces a survival challenge.
The Deceptive Flora: A specific tree with extraordinary fruits that shrivels and wilts symbolizes the planet’s hostility and rejection of the crew’s mission.
The Name: The planet is officially named Thrae, an approximate spelling of “Earth” backward, chosen by Jenny to signify their desire for a complete break from the mistakes of the old world.
These settings introduce the agents of decay that corrupt the utopian mission.
The Rusted Metal Boxes: Four abandoned, rusted boxes discovered in a swampy area. They contain the relics of the past, including electronics, books, stapled papers, and most significantly, magazines and tapes. This location is the catalyst for the crew’s moral corruption.
The Half Built Cabin: The initial, rudimentary shelter built by the crew. It represents the attempt to establish the new society before the influence of the Old Earth relics begins to take hold.
The ships define the beginning of the mission’s failure.
The First Ship Craft/Pod: This ship lands safely, though haphazardly. It is the source of the young crew members and the leader, Jenny, and where Robert is found dead.
The Twin Ship Craft: This ship crashes and burns, its lower part flattened and half aflame. Its immediate destruction sets a tone of failure and doom for the entire mission.
