MovieChat Forums > Ad Astra (2019) Discussion > Can someone explain

Can someone explain

posted 4 years ago by fooman (300)
6 replies | jump to latest

I can normally fill in the gaps but after watching I really don't think I have the answers to the following;

How was the Lima project searching for alien life?

What was the scope of the search the Universe?

Why would they need to be near Neptune, and not just anywhere?

Why would the search cause surges? And if the Lima project is the epicentre, not itself affected?

Why did a crew of professional astronauts go straight to grabbing guns and knives just because spacecom said they should stop Roy like they were trained killers?

Why did Roys dad wait until his son tried to rescue him to basically commit suicide?

How did the monkeys maintain health and super strength on an unmanned space station?

I don’t think I’ve got the energy to ask about space pirates or conventional rockets creating enough energy to accelerate/decelerate quickly between planets and make multiple surface landings and take offs. Maybe that's just nit picking though, like asking why bother with the journey in the first place.

[–] johnmiller (3889) 3 years ago

The movie is more about the father/son relationship, the challenges of deep space travel, etc. than it is about the science of the mission. But, I will try to answer your questions:

1.) How was the Lima project searching for alien life?

My guess is the project was trying to use high-energy transmissions to broadcast beyond the solar system.

2.) What was the scope of the search the Universe?

I would guess as far as they could reach. But, at the speed of light, you would have to wait for the transmission to get to where it was going, and to get a response. So, our closest star, Alpha Centauri, is 4.3 light years away. So, you would be looking at close to 9 years minimum, etc.

3.) Why would they need to be near Neptune, and not just anywhere?

Kind of the standard "Because the movie needed it." Roy had to go on this journey far beyond Earth to make it more treacherous. And, to me, to show us further the challenges of going so deep into space from Earth.

4.) Why would the search cause surges? And if the Lima project is the epicentre, not itself affected?

It sounded like the space madness that inflicted the crew turned to mutiny. And, in that struggle, the transmission device was damaged and the malfunction caused the surges. Roy's father was talking about how he was actually trying to stop the surges.

5.) Why did a crew of professional astronauts go straight to grabbing guns and knives just because spacecom said they should stop Roy like they were trained killers?

I think the idea was that the astronauts were programmed to the point that they would do whatever they were told to do. You see how Roy goes through the endless psychological testing, etc.

6.) Why did Roys dad wait until his son tried to rescue him to basically commit suicide?

I think it was the only way that he could get Roy to accept his dad wanting to die. Roy at that point was left no choice if he wanted to live and get his dad's data back to Earth.

[–] paokara777 (34) 3 years ago

>But, at the speed of light, you would have to wait for the transmission to get to where it was going, and to get a response. >So, our closest star, Alpha Centauri, is 4.3 light years away. So, you would be looking at close to 9 years minimum, etc.

Not necessarily, They might have been scanning for signs of life/signals that had reached the edge of our Solar System but too weak to be detected once inside. So a signal from Alpha Centauri that would prove there is life on Centauri might already be there when they begin searching. Its how we see the stars that are millions of light years away now. We dont have to wait millions of light years when we look up at the sky to see that stars light, it was already emitting light before we looked up

[–] paokara777 (34) 3 years ago

They said in the movie that Lima was sent to the "edge of the solar system" so that it would be more effective in finding any signs of life due to "no noise" from our solar system.

They basically went to the edge of the black and scanned from there.

[–] April-151-CT (10210) 2 years ago

fooman: 3.) Why would they need to be near Neptune, and not just anywhere?

johnmiller: Kind of the standard "Because the movie needed it." Roy had to go on this journey far beyond Earth to make it more treacherous. And, to me, to show us further the challenges of going so deep into space from Earth.

paokara777: They said in the movie that Lima was sent to the "edge of the solar system" so that it would be more effective in finding any signs of life due to "no noise" from our solar system.

They basically went to the edge of the black and scanned from there.

But why Neptune and not Uranus or Pluto or even better, Interstellar space? I mean wouldn't you be able to find out even more information if you were in Interstellar space?

fooman: 4.) Why would the search cause surges? And if the Lima project is the epicentre, not itself affected?

johnmiller: It sounded like the space madness that inflicted the crew turned to mutiny. And, in that struggle, the transmission device was damaged and the malfunction caused the surges. Roy's father was talking about how he was actually trying to stop the surges.

What about the nuclear blast? Wouldn't that cause a surge as well. And wouldn't it be an even bigger surge?

[–] Farfolomew (13) a year ago

I liked every one of your great questions. None are answerable, except perhaps for the suicide one. I like to think he regained a little bit of his humanity (and sanity) and realized the horrific things he did and could not live with it.

[–] Etherdave (175) 8 months ago

You might consider an alternate explanation for a film titled 'Ad Astra (to the stars)'. The film depicts the (rather spectacular) failure of the first mission TO THE STARS. The crew, which all appear to be married, or at least paired, couples (with the exception of the commander), were intended to be the first generation of a generational crew intended to die in space on the way to the stars (ever wonder why the medical bay seems so large?). The mission exploring the outer planets and near stars, was intended to select prospective destinations. The antimatter engine was intended to be a dependable power source for the unimaginable distances between stars (why would they have needed it otherwise? Wouldn't something like hydrogen fuel cells be much more practical?). The actual mission was kept secret by the program directors, known only to the commander. When the initial mission was completed and the destination planet selected, he told them. They didn't like it, and tried to turn the ship around. Mutiny. The commander, who had succeeded in completely de-conditioning himself against all he knew on Earth (knowing he would die in space on the way to another star), realised return meant his own demise, and so he put down the mutiny- but not before killing the paired crew, intended to produce, as offspring, the next generation of crew, and damaging the antimatter engine, thus destroying the mission itself. He had failed, and return to an Earth to whom he had already long since said farewell, was simply not an option. His son was sent to Mars only to flush him out, to let the 'Rescue Team' know what lay ahead of them.

'Ad Astra' is a film about failure. Failure of a mission. Failure of an understanding to what extent humans are linked to their homes, to their concept of home, and to their willingness to cling to that home, no matter what. If humans are to colonize the stars, these are the problems they must overcome, because once there, there will be no coming back.