Here is an expanded 2000+ word article on Apollo 20 from an avid gamer‘s point of view:
Unlocking the Greatest Easter Egg Hunt in History
As an ardent gamer and space enthusiast, few stories capture my imagination as profoundly as the legend of NASA‘s Apollo 20 mission. While official records state the crewed Apollo lunar program ended with Apollo 17, rumors run rampant in cosmic conspiracy circles claiming Apollo 18 through 20 were covertly commissioned. Of those, the mythical Apollo 20 particularly fascinates me due to its alleged connection to bonafide extraterrestrial life. What devoted gamer wouldn‘t relish the prospect of discovering and unraveling a colossal ancient alien crash site on the moon? Talk about the ultimate open-world RPG side quest!
Yet as is the case for even the most epic urban legends rooted in provable history, the closer one inspects the actual substance of Apollo 20’s accounts, the more elusive definitive answers become. Deconstructing side quest storylines to determine canonical fact from creative embellishment is familiar territory for anyone well-versed in the fantasy realms of videogames. Just as a game leverages secrets and mysteries to incentivize exploration, the controlled information gaps surrounding Apollo 20’s existence titillates public imagination while obscuring agendas. As virtual and real-world truth seeking converge, what fantastic revelations await should verifiable proof surface?
Analysis of an Alien Megalith
Had I stood alongside Apollo 20 commander Alexey Leonov or pilot William Rutledge suited up that day nearly 50 years ago, witnessing the sheer immensity of the wrecked spacecraft stretched across nearly two miles before me would surely elicit one immediate videogame comparison: stepping out of the bunker to behold the fallen alien Destroyer ship in 2020‘s Hades. As a fanatical gamer going back three console generations now, few alien vessels even from the most audacious sci-fi titles rival the crashed moon ship’s awe-inspiring yet unsettling enormity revealed in leaked Apollo 20 transcripts and debriefs.
Measuring well over 3000 meters in length alone, this mechanical beast lay broken yet still silently domineering its lunar landscape, hardly eroded by the airless void despite an estimated 1.5 billion years exposed. Like stumbling upon the handiwork of the mysterious Precursors in 2001’s Halo, such a colossal cosmic relic forces uneasy questions regarding who engineered its sublime yet robust design…and what violently catastrophic fate befell such presumed masters of advanced technology.
Even parked nonoperational, the gravitational distortions detected around the alien ship signal capabilities dwarfing humanity’s fledgling understanding of relativistic physics. Upon entering the behemoth through ruptures blown in its metallic segmented hull, the Apollo 20 crew noted intricately biomechanical internal structures still mysteriously functional, conjuring images of the almost organism-like engineering propagated by the extraterrestrial engineers in Prometheus. Frozen hydraulic vines lining portions of the passages evoke distant memories of the ubiquitous overgrowth slowly reclaiming ruins in franchises like Tomb Raider. What incredible secrets remain locked away behind vault doors not yet breached?
Dead Space Drama on the Lunar Stage
Poring over the leaked accounts, photos, and recovered samples from the Apollo 20 astronauts‘ extensive EVAs roaming inside that gargantuan grounded spacecraft, spectacular discovery follows enigma in rapid fire succession. The mind boggles imagining navigating those drifted yet liveable pressurized tunnels alone with only a flashlight slicing the darkness, potentially encountering the power still flowing through obscure alien conduits. Sections of the ruined ship likely took on foreboding atmosphere akin to the USG Ishimura’s haunting, dimly lit corridors in 2008’s survival horror classic Dead Space, replete with unnatural noises echoing in the void.
Yet most haunting and provocative of all Apollo 20’s extraordinary claims exists the mind-shattering holy grail of astrobiology itself: coming face to face with an essentially comatose extraterrestrial woman in a hidden cryo-chamber resembling a corrupted stasis pod. Even while likely encased in some mysterious protective wax substance as described, locking eyes with what appears for all intent and purposes as a humanoid alien sleeping right beside them had to instantly trigger immense sci-fi derived imaginings in the astronauts’ minds. Anything from Alien’s xenomorph life stages, to Mass Effect’s hyper-advanced Prothean data logs could manifest, if one suspends disbelief.
Naturally, Apollo 20 commander Leonov hesitated to even open his helmet so close to the perfectly preserved alien form, fearing contamination or some similarly nasty videogame-esque trap. His diary log contains no mincing of words, noting bluntly "She is not dead, nor is she alive. She looks human but to those who found her…she certainly is not.” How tantalizingly cryptic! Given she remains right beside you in reach yet her condition and nature stays unexplained, such a scene easily invokes recharging your health before an intimidating boss battle looms ahead. Just what extraordinary dialogue tree could branch from this unprecedented scenario should she awaken while under scientific quarantine back on Earth?
Decrypting the Trickiest Codes
Returning safely to terra firma with such cosmic trophies and astounding first contact narratives as Apollo 20 promises requires adhering to covert operational security protocols on par with Splinter Cell’s Sam Fischer. Alas, the public-facing documentation corroborating the full sensational scope of their clandestine sortie remains limited decades later. Conveniently, just enough evidence exists propagating hearsay and conjecture across subculture circles without fully declassifying the mission transparency.
Much like chasing every variable secondary ending path in a choose-your-own adventure title, I cannot help but feel compelled to connect inconclusive dots. Material proof of some of Apollo 20‘s monumental claims would utterly upend many pillars of traditional institutions—scientific, theological, or otherwise. Even in fantastic realms easily taken for granted as entertainment escapism, the videogame industry remains no stranger to themes exploring regulatory and social taboos. Rockstar Games can soundly attest maintaining order often makes for boring gameplay. Discovery of alien life—even long deceased—carries similar disruptive weight, however uplifting in the long arc of understanding existence.
The Search Goes On
Videogames excel at empowering otherwise ordinary people to transform into heroes who achieve the extraordinary. Likewise, our species‘ now decades-long quest to encounter beings utterly alien to terrestrial existence retains that aspirational theme of seeking the apex discovery to potentially unlock reality’s final mystery. Preposterous legends somehow made real often form gaming‘s most engaging hooks—what better template exists? Even as doubt, misinformation, and budgetary disputes muddy Apollo 20’s place in history, our shared longing as gamers to make contact with that alien female, or anyone out there Patiently listening continues unabated.
Someday, theScope may alight again on the lunar surface seeking clues, be they OR eager explorers or AI-piloted rovers decrypting enigmas NASA left behind long ago. Was Apollo 20 merely an ornate moon hoax piggybacking the Golden Age of space exploration? Perhaps so. Yet far grander off-planet revelations likely still await our discovery elsewhere, someday. As both a lifelong gamer and astronomy enthusiast, I eagerly chase any trail pointing toward that event horizon.
After all, a wise man once said: “The universe is a pretty big place. If it‘s just us, it seems like an awful waste of space…”