“Project Hail Mary” creator Andy Weir taught me something surprising about science fiction

Ryan Gosling Heading into space Hail Mary projecta big-budget sci-fi adventure film directed by the Oscar-winning duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Which hit theaters this weekend. Adapted from Andy Weir’s best-selling novel of the same name, the film finds school teacher Ryland Grace immersed in a top-secret government operation. The sun is dying, and he has been recruited to find out why and stop it.

If I didn’t mention the people involved in the film, this description could easily be linked to a variety of space disaster films that have come and gone. But that’s not a no Michael Bay movie. In fact, Project Hail Mary differs from most titles of its kind in that the story avoids the dark and desperate tone that comes with tales of survival in a race against time. And there’s an alien there, to boot.

When I settled in for the IMAX press screening, the person who pitched the Hail Mary project said it was ultimately a story about the power of friendship. I rolled my eyes at the thought, but ate my words as soon as the credits rolled. This is exactly what happens, and it shows how a simple emotional connection and a drive to solve a common problem can bring together people from different backgrounds, including a faceless rock spider alien.

“It’s an affair,” Weir told me over Zoom. “It’s a story of two people who become friends and then work together. So, collaboration, collaboration… I’m an optimist and I have these positive views about humanity and things, and so I project those views onto fictional aliens.”

I had the opportunity to chat with Weir earlier this week about the Hail Mary Project. I wanted to explore the hopeful and playful atmosphere of the story, and the famous sci-fi author taught me some of the things he learned when he first brought the story to life.

“I think humanity is so wonderful,” he began, “and I think we do great things, especially when we’re driven. So, I think we’re amazing beings, and we do amazing things.”

It is this perspective that makes the Hail Mary Project such a breath of fresh air. I told him so, acknowledging the “science is cool” message the film conveys early on, when Grace is seen teaching his students. In turn, he donned the proverbial teacher hat and taught me a deeper concept that underlies almost all science fiction space exploration stories.

“I wrote a list of everything I thought an alien species would need to get to the point where they could make a spaceship,” he said. “What do you need?”

(Insert my puzzled blink and shrug here.)

“You need to convey information, which means you need language,” he continued. “You should be able to communicate with each other, allowing knowledge to spread beyond a specific tribe member. It’s as if my grandfather told me how to weave this rope, and now I’ll tell my grandson how to weave a rope, and this knowledge stays in the hands of the tribe, right?”

Yes. But so far, this all seemed pretty basic. What does this have to do with spacecraft? I did my best not to interrupt.

“Then I thought about another really important aspect: having a tribe,” he continued. “You have compassion and concern for the other members of your tribe. You say, ‘I care about this man even though if he dies, it won’t affect me directly.’ That evolves so that the tribe as a whole cares about each other. So it’s almost like one multifamily entity, right?”

Well, not like Star Trek: The Next Generation Alien Species, the Borg. I was very proud of that statement, which I actually said out loud.

Without missing a beat, he corrected me: “The most compassionate thing a tower can do is accommodate people. Because then they are part of the tower, and it is the best thing you can be like.”

I suppose if Weir had not succeeded in becoming a writer, he could have, like Gosling’s Grace, carved out a solid career as a teacher. Anyway, back to the lesson..

“In order to get to the point where you create a spaceship, your species must have the concept of compassion and concern for each other,” he said, watching my mind explode in real time. “You’d never make a spaceship if you didn’t have that.”

What does all this have to do with the overall optimistic atmosphere of the film? Well, he told me, the emotional foundation of the film (which includes empathy, compassion, and concern) is built on the friendship between Ryland and his new alien friend, whom he calls Rocky.

“When Rocky and Ryland meet in space on spaceships that each other built, they are two entities that, by definition, must have a concept of empathy and concern for the other,” he said. “This concept of compassion and caring is essential to getting where we are. It’s the best part of humanity. And I think any intelligent alien race we meet should have it, too.”

I’ll be honest. I’ve been thinking about this conversation for days, putting this idea to the test against every sci-fi movie I’ve seen that involves space travel. Suddenly, I was seeing the genre in a whole new, optimistic light.

This led me to delve into the beautiful atmosphere of the film, which is also present in the book. Why did Weir decide to make this seemingly terrifying scenario so fun?

“It’s just a bump, a consequence of my worldview, I guess,” he said. While there are themes of teamwork, friendship, and hope throughout the film, Weir added that he created the Hail Mary project without a clearly defined agenda or lesson.

“All I want from any of my lyrics is entertainment. There’s no message, there’s no moral. I’m not trying to change any of your beliefs or motivate any of your beliefs. All I want when you leave the theater or when you put my book away is for you to think, ‘That was great.’ “I’m glad I tried it.”

Well, it was great. I am so glad I tried it. You win, Andy. I won.