Extra-Terrestrial Ecologies (Retroflectors: the astronaut, the robot, the alien)

What new things can we learn about ecology from science fiction? According to this video essay by artist Ralo Mayer, quite a lot. A flow of thoughts and analogies inspired not only by such sci-fi films as The Martian, E. T. the Extraterrestrial, and Silent Running, but also by Biosphere 2, a project simulating an enclosed ecosystem located far away in outer space, have led the artist to reevaluate the way in which ecology is currently considered.  For his new view of things, which relies more on a cosmic rather than an earthly perspective, the key concepts consist of humans as space travelers, robotic technologies, and extraterrestrials as apparitions whom we suspect exist in distant star systems. (Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival)