TV & Movies

Rick and Morty: What is a Kuato?

Daisy Phillipson
Still from Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 7Adult Swim

Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 7 focuses on Summer and her Kuato – but what exactly is it? 

If there’s one thing Rick and Morty is known for, it’s easter eggs and pop culture references. In Season 7 alone, we’ve seen nods to Jeffrey Dahmer, canonical events of earlier episodes, and a sinister sci-fi tale. 

Sometimes they’re well hidden, while others become the narrative focus. Episode 7, ‘Wet Kuat Amortican Summer’, falls into the latter camp, raising the question: just what is a Kuato?

With the episode out now, here’s what you need to know about the character. Warning: spoilers ahead!

Rick and Morty: What is a Kuato?

Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 7 sees Morty become fused to Summer’s stomach, making her a “Kuat”. In the 1990 sci-fi classic Total Recall, Kuato is a humanoid mutant conjoined to his twin George’s abdomen, with both characters played by Marshall Bell.

Kuato is a character who represents the mystique of the Martian resistance against its tyrannical governance. He seeks to overthrow the oppressive regime led by Vilos Cohaagen, the administrator of the Mars colony, who monopolizes the production and distribution of air. 

Still from Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 7Adult Swim

Cohaagen’s control over the air supply allows him to keep the population in check, and Kuato aims to disrupt this by activating an ancient alien reactor. He believes that this device can create a breathable atmosphere on Mars, liberating the people from Cohaagen’s grip. 

Kuato’s vision is one of freedom and equality, where the exploitation of the workers and the pervasive inequality are brought to an end. One of the film’s most famous scenes arrives when Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) meets Kuato, who repeatedly tells him: “Open your mind.”

Rick and Morty parodies this moment to great effect. In ‘Wet Kuat Amortican Summer’, after Morty becomes Summer’s Kuato, all he can say is, “Open your mind.” Eventually, she finds an interdimensional nightclub filled with people like her named “Kuats”. And just like Morty, the Kuatos can only say those iconic three words. 

But this is far from the only time Total Recall has been referenced in Rick and Morty. Season 2 Episode 4 did so with its title, ‘Total Rickall’. What’s more, the recently released Season 7 Episode 5 features a fight between Rick C-137 and Rick Prime. During their battle, a Kuato Rick Prime emerges from the antagonist’s stomach with a gun and shoots at Evil Morty. 

Still from Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 5Adult Swim

Considering Rick Prime was eventually killed and Kuatos became such an integral component of the latest episode, there’s all the chance we might see a Kuato Rick Prime appear at some point down the line. When it comes to Rick and Morty, anything is possible. 

Rick and Morty Season 7 Episodes 1-7 are available on Adult Swim now. You can check out more of our coverage below:

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