Among the most striking differences between the two versions of The Day the Earth Stood Still is the radically transformed relationship between the government and the scientific establishment. Whereas the 1951 film portrayed science and government as basically working together, by 2008, the Secretary of Defense (Kathy Bates) asserts total military control over information related to an alien invasion. A Microsoft Surface product placement provides a gratuitously futuristic platform for presenting evidence of alien genetic development.