The real euphemism in my post was "Mace believed in the original mission". As a systems engineer, Mace was (bluntly put) the "mechanic" or "repair-man"; that was his main job on the Icarus. Repair-men don't generally laud impromptu decisions to deviate from an original and overseeable plan (even if those decisions are rational), because it opens up a precedence for a host of new, non-foreseeable and otherwise avoidable problems, which simply means unnecessary extra work for the repair-man.
Mace was not a true captain, but a true foot-soldier. Not any foot-soldier, but actually the best foot-soldier there can be. And as such, he reluctantly went along with the changed plan, did his best to put his skills and knowledge into service of the new situation, and eventually he did save the day in this movie and therefore can be considered a hero. [*]
The crew decided upon the new plan because they thought that they were capable enough (they were highly trained and skilled people, and also thought they were trained enough at rational thought) and that it was the rational thing to do. We can say it was irrational only because we have watched the movie and we have seen that their decision later led to multiple disasters; but hindsight is always 20/20.
As you wrote yourself, having nothing to do can make your mind go crazy. In Mace, who was a hands-on pragmatic-oriented guy, this manifested itself in playing the "alpha male game". In Searle, who was more of a cerebral "theoretic"-oriented guy, this manifested itself in "seeking a higher wisdom" and obsessing with the Sun. Searle can be compared to, say, a bored mathematician who, out of sheer boredom because nobody gives him any meaningful tasks, starts obsessing over insignificant topics such as the decimals of pi.
By the way, I don't think Pinbacker was necessarily real; arguably he can be considered a representation of the main characters' (i.e. Trey's, Cora's, Mace's, Capa's, Cassie's) doubts and insecurities about the mission. But that's a topic for a different thread.
[*] Provided that we assume that Pinbacker was real, and that Mace didn't sabotage the computer mainframe himself in a moment of weakness and anguish.
______
Joe Satriani - "Always With Me, Always With You"
http://youtu.be/VI57QHL6ge0
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Mr_Right_Now
9 years ago
I think you´re not completely off but you´re clearly underestimating Mace´s character/role or playing it down quite a bit.
On the other hand you´re cutting Searle some serious slack where I believe it doesn´t belong. You almost paint him as a dude who´s just a little interested in the sun when in reality he´s arguably starting to "do a Pinbacker". If Searle survived a little longer maybe he would´ve gone completely nuts and put the whole mission in danger. I was surprised that they didn´t take this road when I first watched the movie. Alot hinted at him or his obsession becoming a problem some time during the mission. Maybe he died before that could happen.
If I was a crew member on that ship and heard the psychologist - whos only function on board is to keep everyone normal - scream "WHAT DO YOU SEE!!!?" like an obsessed religious maniac when the ships captain is about to die, I would be like wtf and call a meeting as soon as possible and question him what´s going on. Anyone who´s acting that strange could potentially be a serious threat to the mission.
Maybe you´re religious yourself? Or an atheist? Serious question.
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seanfrederick206
8 years ago
Butting in here because this is a great discussion. Apologies if I missed anything already stated, I didn't quite read everything (ugh, millennials, amiright?).
I loved the Kaneda death scene, it's the point in the movie where I knew I was all in. The music, stakes and multiple crises playing out at the same time (Kaneda's death, Trey's guilt, Corazon's loss of the oxygen garden which was her purpose and only reason for being on the mission, etc.)made it one of my favorite scenes ever. But Searle's question to Kaneda at the end of it was fantastic and a welcome, unexpected deviation from typical human reaction to a crisis. Searle's position was not one that Icarus 1 had on board and adding a psychologist was a response to the possibility of mental deterioration from extended space flight derailing the first mission (I think that's what boylse mentioned...). Was he asking because he was starting to lose his mind from studying the sun's effects and the prospect of confirming a godlike presence/source (or God or whatever you choose) overshadowed the impending death of his captain or was it purely scientific and, knowing Kaneda was a goner, took the opportunity to pursue knowledge/answers given the rare opportunity to ask someone who will glimpse what sunlight looks like just before it kills you what they observe (reminds me of the blackhole portion of Interstellar to a degree). I don't know the answer. At first it struck me as insane and out of place but after multiple watches, I can see the other side of it.
Fantastic scene, brilliant movie.
I'll show myself out.
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