"The basic premise of this is that, yes, people have learned to clone each other, but that cloning is illegal. Not that it's bad, just that the law as it is now, is that if you die, you're dead"
About this Quote
The subtext is about control. If cloning exists, then “death” becomes negotiable, and anything negotiable becomes governable. Making cloning illegal isn’t about protecting nature; it’s about protecting the social order built on scarcity, inheritance, and accountability. One body per life keeps property tidy, identities stable, punishments enforceable. A clone is a loophole with a heartbeat.
As a director, Spottiswoode also signals a particular kind of sci-fi: less starships, more bureaucracy. The menace isn’t the lab; it’s the statute. That choice gives the premise its bite because it feels contemporary. We already live in a world where technology outpaces legislation, and the lag is where power hides. When he says “as it is now,” he smuggles in inevitability: laws can change, and when they do, so does the definition of being alive.
Quote Details
| Topic | Mortality |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Spottiswoode, Roger. (2026, January 16). The basic premise of this is that, yes, people have learned to clone each other, but that cloning is illegal. Not that it's bad, just that the law as it is now, is that if you die, you're dead. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-basic-premise-of-this-is-that-yes-people-have-88606/
Chicago Style
Spottiswoode, Roger. "The basic premise of this is that, yes, people have learned to clone each other, but that cloning is illegal. Not that it's bad, just that the law as it is now, is that if you die, you're dead." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-basic-premise-of-this-is-that-yes-people-have-88606/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The basic premise of this is that, yes, people have learned to clone each other, but that cloning is illegal. Not that it's bad, just that the law as it is now, is that if you die, you're dead." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-basic-premise-of-this-is-that-yes-people-have-88606/. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
