Interstellar

[Vanamonde]

Merged into the existing thread for this film.

[Quill037]

So a buddy of mine and I were talking about science fiction films last night and we got into a discussion about the ending of Interstellar. He said that one theory that was put forth by people was that when Cooper fell into Gargantua, he actually died.

The reasoning I've heard was that one of the film's major themes was Cooper's relationship with his children and that, during his brawl with Dr. Mann, a major point was Mann's comment on how before people die, the last thing they see is their children. I guess the theory was building off how the ending could appear as if Cooper is going through what his mind wants to see before he dies...his children and their survival.

It's not something I generally accept as an ending but I was just wondering if anyone else had any thoughts on the matter.

[Vanamonde]

Interstellar threads merged, to help keep the forum tidy.

[Superfluous J]

So a buddy of mine and I were talking about science fiction films last night and we got into a discussion about the ending of Interstellar. He said that one theory that was put forth by people was that when Cooper fell into Gargantua, he actually died.

I think in the original script he died, but Hollywood had to have a happy ending so he magically appeared in a conveniently findable place.

[vger]

The reasoning I've heard was that one of the film's major themes was Cooper's relationship with his children and that, during his brawl with Dr. Mann, a major point was Mann's comment on how before people die, the last thing they see is their children. I guess the theory was building off how the ending could appear as if Cooper is going through what his mind wants to see before he dies...his children and their survival.

Considering who wrote it, I could easily see this as being the intended result, even with the film as it is. Everything after the black hole is actually his perception of Heaven (life in space, like he always wanted), and he doesn't realize it.

[Cydonian Monk]

So a buddy of mine and I were talking about science fiction films last night and we got into a discussion about the ending of Interstellar. He said that one theory that was put forth by people was that when Cooper fell into Gargantua, he actually died.

That was my take on it. Even said it a few months back in that other thread that this thread just got merged into, which I guess makes it this thread. (Or maybe after I fell into a hole I fiddled with some threads and gave my past self the idea?) Anyway....

As for the ending.... As Mark Watney Dr. Mann said, "your last thoughts are of your children." Falling into a black hole might trigger some powerful hallucinations. Stretched out to infinity and divided again by zero. Or, given Coop is now communing with Murph using the magic of Gravity and Love..... None of the other "family" that were gathered around Murph's bed even remotely interacted with Coop. Y'know, their [great-]grandfather that flew into a wormhole to save the human race? They didn't even so much as look or nod at him. Like he wasn't there.

Like he was a ghost.

I'm still not a huge fan of the film. I think it's a very visually attractive film with a top-notch soundtrack, but in the end it has a rather flawed story. And it's still too long. And there's there huge plot hole of "Hey, this dude that just drove in out of he wilderness gets to fly this mission that's critical for the survival of the human race, even though he'll only get two or three days of training while the rest of the team have been spending ten years getting ready. Because, why not?"

[Spaceception]

This may, or may not be necroposting, but the last post is less than a year old, so whatever

Anyway, I'm a bit late to the party, but I saw Interstellar a few months ago, and I loved it, this is my favorite scene;

Thought experiment: If aliens were watching us do all of this, what do you think they'll think of this? Assuming, of course, this actually happened.

[cubinator]

3 minutes ago, Spaceception said:

If aliens were watching us do all of this, what do you think they'll think of this? Assuming, of course, this actually happened.

But it wasn't aliens, it was future humans! They knew all along, and they helped Cooper.

[Spaceception]

Just now, cubinator said:

But it wasn't aliens, it was future humans! They knew all along, and they helped Cooper.

I know! But they know it happened, but what if aliens stopped by and observed us, what would they think of that particular scene?

[kerbiloid]

They would have 3 thoughts:

"The strange circleship just has lost a big and heavy module. Why the axial docking node still is straight on the rotation axis?"

"Why they use such primitive fixed androgynous docking node when they already have a steerable one?"

"If we already know the secret of time and want to help the previous humans with necessary info, why to make a wormhole from a giant blackhole in another galaxy to a planet far beyond the usual human spaceflights, hoping that a girl will pay attention to a Morse code in her bedroom?"

Edited June 8, 2016 by kerbiloid

[Camacha]

I finally saw this movie and it was amazing. I have not enjoyed a movie like that in a long while. It certainly helped the resolution and quality of the specific version I was watching was up there, the best I have seen since Gravity, actually, but it surprises me this has not done better in the Academy Awards. Normally I quickly get annoyed by inconsistencies, but this film managed to keep the suspense alive all the way up to the end. For a moment, I feared some pan-dimensional beings would ruin it all, but then it turned out they were just herding the audience towards a conclusion I deemed desirable for a while. It obviously went for the grand scheme conclusion kind of thing, but it pulled through in visual splendour, without falling on its face in regards to the story, like the also visually very pleasing Gravity did. Yes, some liberty was taken with the gravity gradient, as was with a few other things, but nothing as basic as orbits being totally off but magically coinciding.

Now, if you will excuse me, I will leave before some ruins the whole thing for me

On 08/06/2016 at 1:51 PM, kerbiloid said:

"The strange circleship just has lost a big and heavy module. Why the axial docking node still is straight on the rotation axis?"

It was not. Check the footage. You see the scene being filmed from the ship, with the shuttle moving relative to it. You see there is an obvious wobble.

Edited June 18, 2016 by Camacha

[The Thyroid Man]

 

right near the ending, something flew into my eye so my eyes watered. definitely had nothing to do with the movie itself. 

[kerbiloid]

On 18.06.2016 at 11:55 AM, Camacha said:

It was not. Check the footage. You see the scene being filmed from the ship, with the shuttle moving relative to it. You see there is an obvious wobble.

Yes, I've checked.
From the outer view (Endurance and boat) — it wobbles.
From the inner view (Endurance's docking port through the pilot's window) — it doesn't.

OK, maybe the boat rotates excentrically, keeping engines on? Maybe, But then it must revolve round two docking nodes axes at once.
But look at the pilots and their seats. Instead of shaking their heads and seats left-right-left-right,  they sit motionlessly until the acceleration stops.
So, the boat revolves round only one axis, and that means that their docking nodes and rotation axes are coaxial.

[Camacha]

1 hour ago, kerbiloid said:

OK, maybe the boat rotates excentrically, keeping engines on? Maybe, But then it must revolve round two docking nodes axes at once.
But look at the pilots and their seats. Instead of shaking their heads and seats left-right-left-right,  they sit motionlessly until the acceleration stops.
So, the boat revolves round only one axis, and that means that their docking nodes and rotation axes are coaxial.

Who says the shuttle has a centre of gravity that is in the actual middle of the ship? Normally, things do not move, so you do not necessarily need an aligned CoM. Now that it is moving, there might or might not be a conveniently alternate CoM.

Also, if motion would be smooth enough, you would see no head shaking at all. A slight tug, perhaps, even though the previous scenario does not require a tug at all.

The only thing that remains is that the inside and outside views seem a bit out of sync, but you really need to be looking for trouble to get hung up on that. You could even have a bit of fun trying to explain that with the fourth wall intact.

[kerbiloid]

6 hours ago, Camacha said:

Who says the shuttle has a centre of gravity that is in the actual middle of the ship?

Center of mass/gravity doesn't matter here. Got what you mean. Eccentric rotation makes the node axis to revolve the CoM axis, yes.

To dock they must match their rotation speed and docking node axes.
To do this, the boat must first begin to revolve round the ship's docking node axis, and simultaneously — turning its own node to the correct angle.

I.e. it must both: set her rotation round its own axis to the same angular speed as the ship has, and imultaneously — to revolve her own round the ship's node axis with the same angular speed.
I.e. she must at once rotate with the same angular speed round two different axis, getting them closer and closer. When both axes match, it can dock.

So, it would look like a Ptolemeus orbit: large circle and small circle. And thei heads would move like pencils in a glass which you at once are rotating in wrist and in shoulder.
Some kind of cycloid.

6 hours ago, Camacha said:

if motion would be smooth enough

then they wouldn't be sitting pressed into the right side of chair,

Edited June 20, 2016 by kerbiloid

[Camacha]

1 hour ago, kerbiloid said:

So, it would look like a Ptolemeus orbit: large circle and small circle. And thei heads would move like pencils in a glass which you at once are rotating in wrist and in shoulder.

Some kind of cycloid.

You are complicating things needlessly. If the shuttle has an offset CoM, it can rotate off-centre. If that CoM happens to line up with the docking port, the ship can match the wobble of the gravity ship without trouble. If they are connected or docking slowly, the offset CoM is not an issue. For all that to work out you need a few coincidences to line up, but hey, it is a movie, not a history lesson. Stranger things have happened in real life.

Quote

then they wouldn't be sitting pressed into the right side of chair,

They are seated side by side, yet both lean to another side. She leans right, he leans left. For whatever reason they are leaning, it is apparent it is not gravity. Maybe they try to avert their heads from possible debris, maybe there is noise, maybe they instinctively cower within the constraints of their safety harnesses, maybe it is something else.

Though I must admit it bothers me to pick apart something like this. People need to understand that it is a work that is intended to evoke emotions, not to be a scientific documentary. They got a lot closer than most movies and took a few liberties to make it all tick. I am fine with that, both because I loathe to become the geek asking awkward questions at conventions, and that they did an awesome job painting a picture of technological hope for mankind in a fairly realistic setting.