[Radio static]
[Newscaster #1] ...about the upcoming launch of the
Samsara International mission to Mars.
Sources within the European space agency, speaking off the record,
have confirmed that the upcoming International mission to Mars
could be in jeopardy, after last week's assassination
of Chinese President Tzang Wanzhou.
[Newscaster #2] When NASA defunded its extra-planetary projects
as part of the 2024 agency restructuring,
China's national Space administration
stepped into a leadership role in the Samsara mission,
amid rumors that the PRC's involvement
is a cover for its military ambitions.
[Newscaster #1] NASA's Samsara liaison continues to deny
that the mission has been compromised,
insisting that the Samsara mission's International crew
is united in their goals and focus.
[Barack Obama] I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars
and return them safely to earth.
And a landing on Mars will follow.
And I expect to be around to see it.
[Newscaster #3] Like the scientific missions based in Antarctica,
Samsara exists outside of politics.
As the world mourns the death of madame Zhang,
mission commander Robert Liu has met with all the agencies involved
to reassure them that the fight will go on.
Man will step foot on Mars before the end of the year.
[Man speaks indistinctly over PA]
[Elevator dings]
- Where is she? - In the lab.
- You left her there alone? - She's fine.
Bianca's doing the blood work.
- She likes Bianca? - Yeah.
Yeah, she does.
Okay, let's go.
Kat... Kat.
What... What?
- Doctor wants to talk to us. - No!
- Without Amelia. - No!
Kat... We need to hear what he has to say.
I'm sorry.
You said it was gone.
What I said was that it was in remission.
We always knew that there was a chance...
You said it was gone.
It's never that simple.
Explain it then, huh?
Feel free to use short words.
- The tumors have spread... - Tumors?
As in more than one?
What are our options?
Chemo, surgery, radiation, what?
- I'm afraid... - None of the above!
I'm gonna be in the lab with Amelia.
[Man on PA] All available personnel to the ER.
Kathryn's been under a lot of pressure.
The mission coming up.
I can imagine.
And now this.
It must be very frustrating
to come so close and then have to step aside,
to hand over your place in history to someone else.
She's not stepping aside.
We all agree. Kathryn's going to Mars.
How long?
There's no way of telling, you know.
In cases like this...
Amelia. Her name is Amelia!
So this is where the party is.
Daddy!
We're all done here,
but you may want to swing by the cafeteria to get some juice, okay?
'Cause I took a lot of blood.
Mm. Juice sounds good.
Cras-ras? Oh, I know, I know, I know.
Pickle juice and strained Sauerkraut!
Sound good?
No. I want to go home.
I'm tired.
Oh, baby.
Piggyback ride, hmm?
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Come on. Oh, yeah!
- Bye, Bianca. - Bye.
Thank you.
Before I met you,
the only constellation I could name was the big dipper.
Everybody starts with the big dipper, and Orion.
Amelia asked me for a telescope for Christmas,
so she could see you on Mars.
I'm thinking maybe you should get it for her birthday instead.
Doctor said...
Doctor said that we should appreciate the time we have with her,
whether it's three weeks or three years.
Three years? He said three years?
He was that specific?
- He said three years? - It could be longer.
I won't be back for three years.
It could be longer, he said.
Amelia's strong. She's a fighter.
- She's like you! - Like me.
I mean, what kind of mother abandons her dying child?
You are the greatest mother a little girl could ask for.
And the greatest wife.
You don't just belong to us.
What you're doing,
it's gonna make the world a better place.
Not just for me and you and Amelia but for everyone.
If there's even a mission.
You don't think the Chinese will pull out?
No, but the guy who shot the president, he was American.
That's not on the news.
Yeah, they're trying to embargo it.
The PRC intelligence agents tracked him down to Hong Kong,
and took him into custody this morning.
He claims he's part of a group
that doesn't want humanity to leave earth.
[Scoffs] If God wanted man to fly,
- he would have given him wings. - Exactly.
What a mess.
It's all a mess.
And all we're going to do is bring our problems with us.
Man's greatest export to the universe.
My grandad once told me,
that when he was 15, it was the worst year he's ever lived through.
Robert Kennedy was just assassinated,
and Martin Luther King.
The My Lai Massacre happened.
Russian tanks were rolling into Czechoslovakia.
It was just one God-awful thing after another,
and there was no reason to believe that 1969
would be any better.
And then Apollo 11 made it to the moon.
And Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong,
they left their footprints in the moon dust.
And my grandad said that when he saw those footprints,
he felt like crying, because he knew that
everything was gonna be okay.
You need to leave your footprints in the Mars dust,
so that everyone will know it's gonna be okay,
that no matter what's happening right now,
there's something bigger out there.
You need to give people hope.
[Woman] I'm going to enhance these beautiful cheekbones.
You all right, sweetie?
I don't feel so good.
You don't?
Oh.
It's okay, baby. It's all right.
Oh, thanks.
[Amelia whimpering]
Oh, don't cry, sweetheart. Do you need the bathroom?
It's just out the door to the right.
I'm so sorry.
You know, the meds she's on, it's...
My son had a bad stomach.
Cancer.
He had cancer.
My baby.
[Woman] You need some roses on your cheeks.
Sit.
All right, roses coming up.
[Chuckles] It tickles.
[Knocking on door]
Sissy!
How are you, my lovely girl?
- Oh my. - Safari Njema.
- Oh. - Did I say it right?
Perfectly, my dear. I'll see you out there.
Constance, can I speak to you for a second?
Oh.
You look beautiful.
Safari nem...
- Njema. - Njema? What?
It means "bon voyage" in Swahili.
Ahh.
Well, look at you.
Constance gave me roses.
Roses in her cheeks.
Constance felt that she was looking a little pale.
I threw up in front of Constance.
Was this before or after she gave you the roses?
- Before. - [Chuckles]
I'm thirsty.
Yeah, why don't you guys go grab something from the snack cart?
Yeah? Even if the press conference starts on time,
you've got about half an hour.
- You want anything? - No.
I know you didn't eat breakfast.
- What's breakfast? - The most important meal of the day.
That's right.
Get you a muffin. Come on.
[Unearthly voices]
[Applause]
[Mic feedback, man clears throat]
[Man] Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome
the Samsara international space team.
Jeff Taylor, Toronto globe and mail.
My question's for Dr. Liu.
You have a long history in heterogeneous catalyst and surface science.
You've pioneered work with nanotubes,
nanomaterials and nanostructures.
How will your work be integrated into the mission?
It is the mission.
Without nanotechnology and nanomaterials,
there is no Mars colony.
Without me, there is no mission.
So wait, you mean I can stay home and watch the world cup?
[Laughter]
Hello, Elvis.
Hi, Myra. Nice to see you again.
[Clears throat] Mira Morganthau.
Io9.Com.
You'll be in charge of communications
for the Samsara mission, is that correct?
That is the word on the street.
[Mira] So essentially you'll be wiring Mars.
Designing the colony's communication infrastructure, yes.
And once I'm done,
you'll never be able to say in space
no one can hear you scream.
[Laughter]
Hiroko Okamura, NHK. Dr. Voss.
You've said that you will be conducting studies
into the nature of the dark matter principle.
Yes, and expanding on the groundbreaking work
conducted by David Klein.
[Hiroko] Can you explain to my viewers
exactly what dark matter is?
Well, if I knew that, hiroko,
I wouldn't have to go to Mars.
[Laughter]
Amina Labibi, Al Jazeera.
My question is for you, Dr. Biira.
Yes.
Your role on this mission is...
More observational, less action, is it not?
Are you asking me if I'm with the band?
[Laughter]
Forgive me my little joke.
I understand that my function may not seem as important
as those of my colleagues.
I won't be conducting atmospheric studies like Kathryn
or doing biomedical research like Lucien,
but I'd like to think my work on group dynamics
could prove useful in the future.
I'll be expanding on the Mars 500 experiments
from 2009 to 2011,
and on the year-long hi-seas project of 2015,
which focused on crew member cohesion and performance.
Mars is a long way away,
and the quarters we'll be sharing are rather small.
It's not like we can send someone back to earth
for a time-out if they get cranky.
Speaking of that, don't you think,
given the considerable cost of this mission,
that we should be focusing on colonization,
not simply exploring.
I think you should consider us
more as a landing party
rather than an invading army.
Our goals are no less ambitious.
Our commitment is total
but our scope is more focused.
We are there to prepare the way.
Hmm.
Was the failure of the Mars first initiative
forcing a re-evaluation of this mission?
- Did science fail us? - Suzanne, s'il te plait.
Um, the Mars first disaster
was not a failure of science.
It was a failure of trust.
And you, you trust this mission?
I do.
We'll be back.
[Laughter]
Are you really going to leave your dying child
to go off on this adventure?
[Unearthly whooshing]
I'm sorry, you're with...?
Dr. Liu.
Perhaps you'd like to comment on the allegations
that your agency plans to plant the Chinese flag on Mars
and claim all the resources for the PRC alone?
You know about the Antarctica treaty of 1959.
It prohibits military activities, mineral mining,
and detonating nuclear explosions in Antarctica.
To date, 71 nations have signed it.
The Mars treaty is fashioned on the very same principles.
This is a scientific mission
being conducted by an international team
for the benefit of all mankind.
You mean humankind.
Have I answered your question?
Yeah, but, um...
Just one thing...
As far back as 2015,
the international academy of astronautics proclaimed
that mineral resources found in space are actually game changers.
They even went on to recommend as how we can further leverage these resources.
Are you familiar with the study?
I believe one of the co-editors
was your mentor at the Beijing institute of technology.
What is your question?
Just what does Antarctica have that anyone would want?
Penguins?
But Mars? It'll be an intergalactic gold rush.
Gonna be hard to stay high-minded.
This is what's wrong with capitalism.
My parents have come to watch the launch.
My mother is cooking tonight. All my favorites.
Will you come?
You and John and Amelia.
[Knocks on door]
I have to go now, baby.
I know.
I made this for you.
That's Mars.
I was gonna draw sissy and Elvis and Dr. Liu,
and Lucien-Pascal but I didn't have room.
Oh, that's okay.
We can pretend they're visiting the other side of the planet.
Okay.
I wish I could go with you.
I want to float through space.
I'll make you a deal.
When I come home, we'll float together.
- Really? - I promise.
Daddy's sad you're going away.
He says he's happy, but I can tell.
You are just gonna take care of him while I'm gone, all right?
Make sure he doesn't eat ice cream.
And that he smiles at least once a day.
- He really likes ice cream. - I know.
But it's not good for him, so remind him.
Okay.
And if I'm not here, grandma will remind him.
Grandma?
If I'm not here.
Don't be sad if I'm not here when you come back.
I'll make you lots of pictures.
Mom? You're squishing me.
Sorry, sorry.
- Sorry, baby. - It's okay.
[Chime]
My ride's here.
Mommy's gotta go, sweetie.
- Okay. - Okay.
- Promise you'll come home? - I promise.
Nothing's gonna stop me from coming home to you.
[Man] Ignition sequence starts.
Six, five, four,
three, two, one.
[Loud boom]
[Man #2] Prepare for separation. One.
[Man #3] Call to Samsara.
[Men talk indistinctly over radio]
[Man #4] Crew be advised,
we are ready to initiate the docking sequence.
[Men talk indistinctly over radio]
[Elvis] All I'm saying is,
we need to think about it.
For 70 years we've been stuck with
"one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Where is the poetry in that?
Why are you worried?
You're not gonna be the first one out the door anyway.
Okay. So what are you gonna say?
I'll think of something.
Yeah, see, that's what I'm afraid of.
Remember Yuri Gagarin.
The first words a human ever spoke in space.
He said, "orbiting earth in this spaceship,
I saw how beautiful our planet is.
People, let's preserve and increase its beauty, not destroy it."
He also said,
"I looked and looked, but I didn't see God."
Yeah, well, he was a godless communist.
- No offense. - None taken.
Actually, he was a Russian orthodox,
and he never said those words.
That quote came from a speech Kruschev made.
Now he was a godless communist.
Amen, brother.
[Whispering voices]
[Explosions]
[Man] My controller's here,
looking very carefully at the situation.
Obviously a major malfunction.
We have a report from the flight dynamics officer
that the vehicle has exploded.
Flight director confirms that.
We are looking at checking with the recovery forces
to see what can be done at this point.
[Newscaster] If you're just joining us, here's what we know so far.
At 2:57pm, the Samsara Spacecraft,
returning from its three-year Mars mission
suffered what NASA is calling "a catastrophic event."
The craft suffered an in-flight breakdown
as it entered the atmosphere,
leaving debris stretching across three states.
NASA officials have confirmed
the accident was not survivable.
[Reporters] Mr. Voss!
[Reporter] Mr. Voss! Do you know anything about...
The cable went out. I went online
and none of the news stations say anything about the accident.
Maybe it was a mistake,
some sort of a freak meteor shower, you know,
and then some yahoo at a news desk panicked
and then he went on the air.
They just don't want us to know!
She promised she'd come home.
She said nothing on earth could stop her from coming home.
I stayed here for her.
It hurt so much, but I stayed here.
I know, honey, I know you did.
Stop it!
Take a deep breath, Amelia.
Remember what the doctor said?
- Deep breaths. - I don't care what the doctor said.
- Honey... - I want mom!
Amelia! Amelia!
Amelia, honey? Amelia?
Oh, my God.
Look. What is this?
Check it out.
Hey, come here! Hurry up!
Oh, my God.
[Phone ringing]
Was it a missile?
A meteorite? A goddamn lightning bolt from heaven?
I need some answers right now.
Yes, right now!
Sir, you need to see this.
- Where'd you get this image? - The satellite feed.
There's a satellite above the debris field?
- Blind it. - We can't do that.
- Do it! - [Phone ringing]
Sky news is calling.
Ignore it, I said.
[Phone ringing]
- No one talks to the press! - It's Google.
No one talks to Google.
Elvis... Dr. price-Johnson worked for them.
No one talks to Google, no one talks to the families,
no one talks to no one.
This never happened.
Are we clear?
- Are we clear? - Yes, sir.
[Phone ringing]
Where are you?
I need you in Nevada, now.
Good morning.
You missed breakfast, but it didn't look very tasty.
Poached egg and grits.
Thirsty?
My name is Wyatt Roberts.
I work for the director of national intelligence.
You've never heard of us.
We're the guys who brief the president
when there are incidents like yours.
[Coughs]
[Whispers] Incidents?
- I don't... - Amnesia.
Seriously? That's your play?
Why are you dressed like that?
You're in quarantine.
Do I have Ebola?
We're not sure what's going on with you.
Let's just say you're in quarantine
until we can figure out why you're still alive.
It's kind of a miracle.
[Hissing]
Ha! Aah.
Oh, yeah.
Elvis was looking for you.
Uh...
You missed the morning news dump today.
Let me guess. Terrorist attacks in London,
world currency in free-fall,
mass graves found in Mexico.
Actually, it was terrorist attacks in Paris.
You know, it's the same every day.
I don't even know why they go through the trouble.
How's Amelia?
She's alive.
I don't know how, but she's alive.
You know, there are all sorts of studies
showing that people can stave off death
when there's something they're willing to stay alive for.
She's waiting for me.
It won't be long now.
- It won't be long! Oh! - We're going home.
- Yeah.
- We're going home. - We're going home!
We're going home. We're going home.
Yes.
[Wyatt] What's the last thing you remember?
I was in my daughter's room,
and I was looking at the stars.
I have a daughter.
You were looking at the stars.
Out the window?
On the walls.
She has posters.
My daughter, Amelia, she must be worried about me.
I need to go see her.
I have to go see her.
You're not going anywhere.
- What... - I told you.
You're in quarantine.
We have some more tests to run on you before you can be released.
I need to see my little girl.
And John.
I need to see John.
I need to see my husband and my little girl.
And you will.
Just as soon as we know it's safe.
Is that why the door is locked?
Is the door locked to keep me safe?
No, Dr. Voss.
It's locked to keep us safe.
You want to run some tests, right?
Let's do it.
Where are my clothes?
You don't have any clothes.
We found you naked.
Found me...
Now you listen to me, you son of a bitch.
The only thing that's kept my daughter alive
these past three years is the thought of seeing her mother again,
and this afternoon, she saw her blow up on television.
I've got a dead wife and a kid in the hospital,
and the phone number of CNN's science reporter on my speed dial.
Now if I don't get some answers pretty damn quick,
I'm gonna start making some noise.
Oh, national security?
Don't pull that homeland security crap on me.
If you don't have the clearance to give me some answers,
you'd better find me somebody who does!
We're gonna be measuring the electrical activity of your brain
using these electrodes.
Yeah, I'm familiar with the EEG technology.
Okay. And this afternoon we're gonna be doing a pet scan
and establishing baselines,
and compare what we get to the tests NASA has on file.
[Bell chimes]
What are you doing?
Mapping the pleasure centers of my brain.
We already know where they are.
True.
But there's nothing like... Ooh.
Primary research.
Perv.
[Man] Okay, let's begin.
State your name.
Dr. Kathryn Voss.
Whoa.
Can you tell from the brain activity
if she's faking amnesia?
- Huh. - What?
This is off-the-charts weird.
Weird how?
Weird as in impossible.
What kind of questions were you asking her?
We ran the scan three times with the same results.
- And?/ - Every time she showed the same pattern of activity.
It's like she has complete control of her subconscious mind.
Then she's faking the amnesia.
Faking? No.
Post-traumatic amnesia's very common.
But forget about the bizarre brain waves.
Her blood work is what's really strange.
We tested her blood and found 71 amino acids.
71?
Can you just tell me what that means?
Two weeks before she went to Mars,
Kathryn Voss had only 21 amino acids in her body.
So? - What I mean...
Amino acids, they're... They don't...
Human beings only have 21.
You're saying she's not human.
Not anymore.
Plus sign.
Star.
Square.
Star.
Wavy lines.
Star, star, star, star, star!
Star!
[Grunts]
[Muffled music]
[Music playing]
[Clears throat]
How are the oxygen levels?
Down to 19%.
And, um, how's the night vision?
Won't be a problem unless it goes below 17%.
But the sooner you get those oxygen generators online, the better.
Mm-hmm.
You know, I keep thinking...
If I look at those plants long enough,
one of them is going to morph into a cigarette.
You smoke?
I'm French. Of course I smoke.
Well, not for years, but I still remember the taste.
Maybe you can ask Robert to have his nanites
whip up some cigarettes.
Cigarettes, huh?
And what would you ask him to whip up?
- Hmm? - Mm-hmm.
Um...
Chocolate.
Mm, I like that.
[Whispering voices]
Amelia, I'm waiting for you.
[Whispering voices]
Amelia, It hurts so much!
No! No!
Mom!
Kathryn.
Calm down, calm down.
I'm okay. Just dizzy.
Oh, no. You've got a fever.
- I'm fine. - Robert.
Can you come to the greenhouse?
Kathryn is not well.
Calm down, calm down.
[Beep, whirring]
Hello, agent Roberts.
[Roberts] How did you know it was me?
Your, uh, scent is distinctive.
You hesitated. You were gonna say something else.
I was gonna say "your aura" but I thought
that might be too woo-woo for you.
You're right.
What does my aura look like?
It's pink and sparkly, like a unicorn's.
That's what I thought.
You're not wearing your gear.
Does that mean I'm not contagious?
I want to see my daughter.
What lesson have you brought back to her?
What did you learn that you couldn't have learned on earth?
I want to see my daughter.
I'd like world peace, but it isn't going to happen today.
You know what else isn't gonna happen today?
Me playing Guinea pig.
I want to see my daughter.
Above my pay grade.
Then get out!
I'm not the only one with questions, Dr. Voss.
And some of those people with questions,
they're not as nice as I am.
Well, are they the ones that blew the Samsara?
Who said it blew up?
What do you remember?
Everything was normal aboard the craft.
Everyone was excited.
Elvis? Elvis was taking selfies.
And then we saw this streak of light
coming right at us.
I thought it was a UFO.
It's not what I remember, agent Roberts.
It's what I'm learning now.
You've kept me pretty sequestered,
but I can hear the people talking.
I can hear the fear in their voices.
There weren't supposed to be survivors, were there?
You thought you could claim catastrophic vehicle failure
and all would be fine?
But now the Chinese diplomats are demanding to know
what really happened.
I want to see my daughter.
I'll make a call.
You do that. Yeah.
[Beep, whirring]
Sir, we've got a problem.
She remembers the missile.
That's unfortunate.
We have the contingency covered.
- Activate Shan. - Sir, are you sure...
Oh, you have such a good heart, Wyatt.
But you have to remember
that this... this woman is an abomination.
The whole mission is an abomination,
an act of global hubris.
An insult to the creator!
The whole issue is the whole dominion over this life!
This earth!
Nowhere is it written that we must
spread our seed across this universe!
Activate Shan...
Or do it yourself!
What the hell are you looking at?
Good evening, Dr. Voss.
Looks like we're in for a treat tonight.
Chicken teriyaki and some rice.
But I'm a vegetarian.
Oh, darn.
Well, looks like somebody screwed up the meal orders.
What are you doing?
Would have been a lot easier had you cooperated.
What's in that needle?
It's a little something to help with those memories.
Ah, the missile.
This is about the missile.
Who shot that missile?
Wrong question, Kathryn.
[Grunts]
Aah!
[Straining]
- Why? - You wouldn't understand why.
Too filled with your faith in technology,
worshiping a false God.
Why can't you die?
Because I am supposed to do something.
It's not my time.
[Wheezing]
[Man] Stop!
You've been lying to me!
You're never gonna let me see my family again!
You're never gonna let me go!
If you leave, you will be putting lives into danger!
Your husband's, your daughter's!
They don't even know I'm alive, do they?
No, they don't.
Now do you really want your little girl to know
that her mommy went to Mars and came back a monster?
Stay, and we can answer your questions together.
[Bell dings]
I don't think so.
[Yells]
[Panting]
[Doorbell rings]
Yes?
John Voss? Wyatt Roberts.
I got it.
I want to see a warrant.
Call your lawyer if you want,
but we're taking the laptop with us.
- I want a receipt. - Of course. Pope?
You want to tell me why you're taking my computer?
Because we have records of transmissions
your wife sent to your daughter
that mention something strange and wonderful going on.
Do you have any idea what that meant?
Strange and wonderful?
You mean her dreams?
Dreams?
What dreams?
Kat told Amelia she was having these dreams,
that she was swimming in a river of stars and galaxies.
- Is that code? - Code?
You gotta be kidding me.
You think my wife was sending messages in code.
What's going on here?
How come no one will tell me what happened to the Samsara?
There was that one special report and then nothing.
Special report. I don't know what you're talking about.
You're lying.
And you have been lying all along.
I have.
Yeah, you, the government,
for all I know the damn Illuminati!
Someone has a vested interest in keeping the truth from us.
If you're looking to technology to save you, John,
you're looking in the wrong direction.
Why are the Chinese suddenly rattling sabers?
Why have our diplomats been expelled from Beijing?
Why are pundits suddenly rethinking the whole space program?
Because it's an obscene waste of money
when people right here on earth are going hungry,
and children are dying of cancer.
[Grunts]
Get out of my house.
Don't try to leave.
Pope?
- Hey, girl! - Hi.
- It's good to see you./ - Good to see you. How are you doing?
- I'm doing fine. - Good.
- See you went shopping. - Yes.
- What'd you get? - Check this out.
Is this real leather?
- I know, right? - Yeah, it's so good.
Oh, and then...
So this material is super, super soft, right?
Very soft.
Well, you didn't buy me one.
Hey!
- God, look what you did! - Please.
Forgive me.
[Winds blowing]
[Voices whispering]
[Winds blowing]
- Oh, my God, are you okay? - Sorry, are you?
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm fine.
I'm sorry.
Hey, she just took your stuff!
It's just stuff.
She obviously needed it more than I did.
Should we order?
[Chuckles]
[Debris falling]
You know, you shouldn't be touching that with your bare hands.
Afraid it's a martian virus?
I'll take my chances.
Ooh.
Huh.
Looks like something you could pick up in the Arizona desert.
Like a little bit like home.
Did you ever read William Blake in school?
Sure.
"Tyger, tyger, burning bright.
In the forests of the night."
I never liked that one much.
But "auguries of innocence,"
"to see a world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wildflower,
hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
That's beautiful.
My wife translated all of William Blake's work.
You didn't tell me you were married.
My ex-wife.
She was politically unreliable
and I wanted to go to Mars.
And now here I am, quoting poetry
by a 19th century English mystic.
When I was a kid,
my mother won a cruise to Australia for four.
It was one of those contests where you fill out a form,
and you forget about it, because no one ever wins.
- Somebody has to win. - Right?
My mom won.
It was a trip for four, so it was me, my parents,
and my mother's best friend, joy,
who was always up for an adventure.
And the first night we were at sea,
I went out on the deck to look at the stars.
Even then I knew I wanted to be an astronaut.
And I realized, I didn't recognize any of the stars.
I'd never been in the Southern hemisphere before.
I knew the constellations were different,
but to look up at the sky and not recognize
- any of the stars was... - Disorienting?
More of a reminder
that you can't see all sides of the universe
looking at it from one perspective.
And if we saw earth from space...
That would change everything.
I wonder what Newton would have thought of this,
you know, of us being here.
Building a habitat on Mars is proof
that humanity can life on another planet?
He would have been first in line to buy a ticket.
And he wouldn't have minded not coming back.
You betcha. You betcha.
[Debris falling]
[Homeless woman] You need help, hon?
Oh, no, I'm...
Yes.
Yes, I do.
Do you have any shoes?
Oh, let me think.
These look to be about your size.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
I can't pay you for anything.
Did I ask you for money?
I'm sorry. I... I...
I'm just not good at being the one asking for help.
I'm sorry.
It's just... I just feel out of control.
[Laughs]
You think you're in control?
The more tightly you hold onto things,
the more they slip through your fingers.
It's like trying to stop time,
and hold off death.
Amelia.
No, hon, my name is Evangeline.
Evangeline, like the poem.
Thank you.
You said that already.
We are all in this together.
And God knows none of us will make it out of here alive.
We're all in this... Together.
Again, thanks, everyone, for sharing tonight. It was good.
You look familiar.
Have you been here before?
No, it's my first time.
Anything to share?
Not tonight. Just not ready.
Well, take your time.
Thank you.
Hang out.
Enjoy the cake and coffee.
- The coffee is really good. - Oh, really?
The cakes are kind of stale.
Hmm.
[Lucien] Chocolate and caffeine.
You've picked up some bad habits, since you've got back.
Lucien.
How are you feeling?
I feel great.
You're relieved?
Yeah, I though I'd become a monster.
Because you survived?
Now I can sense things. I can do things.
I can do everything I want to do,
except the thing I want to do the most.
See Amelia again.
You'll see Amelia again.
Maybe not in your time frame, but in time.
Sounds like something sissy would say.
I know I'll see Amelia again. I know it.
And I know that's the reason why I'm still here.
But why else?
Why? "Why" is the most useless question in the universe.
And yet, it is the question we are born asking.
And it's only answered when we die.
So you know the answer,
now that you're dead?
I know that we should not fear this.
As for the rest,
your guess is as good as mine.
Remember what we saw when we flew away from earth?
Remember how even Robert was moved to poetry?
Yeah, and Elvis said that he felt like he overdosed on ecstasy.
Yeah, well, Elvis...
So if a spiritual experience can cause a cognitive shift,
why can't it cause a physical evolution, as well?
[Camera snapping]
Someone just took your picture.
Go now.
Lucien.
I'm just not sure, man.
Yeah, remains to be seen.
Target's been spotted, headed West.
West.
She's headed to her house.
We'll get there first.
Let's hit it!
Come on. Let's go. What are you waiting on?
Let's hit it!
Oh God.
What have I done?
[Crying]
[Man] Lost?
Seems kind of silly that you can find your way home from Mars,
and then get lost in your own hometown.
Lost.
That's a good word to describe how I feel. I'm lost.
You heard what they're saying about our mission,
that it was all for nothing,
that it cost a fortune and everybody died.
Except I didn't.
An inconvenient truth.
You have to tell people why we went to Mars.
People think that it was to find humanity a new home.
It wasn't?
What do you think?
I think... I think the real purpose
was to look back at our world and see it.
Really see it, you know?
The home of all humanity. No borders. No barriers. Just us.
That's what I think.
Exactly,
and you can share that message.
I can't preach to anyone.
I'm not Jesus, or Mohammad, or Buddha.
Or Neo.
But who's talking about preaching?
I'm talking about showing, not telling.
You already know what you can do.
You've already felt it.
We've come so far as a species,
but sometimes, we get lost.
And every so often, someone special comes along
to help us get back on our path,
someone who can see the bigger picture
that we're all one, under the sun.
That's kind of abstract.
Not sure people would think a hallmark card sentiment
was worth the bazillion dollars that it took us to go to Mars
and get us back.
Well, me back.
Mm.
But why me? I'm not special.
Oh, come on. You don't believe that.
I know how hard you worked to put yourself through school.
I know what you sacrificed to train for this mission.
If you weren't special, you would have quit a long time ago.
But here's the question...
What would humanity pay for peace?
Peace of mind.
No. Peace.
As in the absence of aggression,
the cessation of hostilities, the end of conflict.
Would that be worth the bazillion dollars
it took to take us to Mars and bring you back?
You know it would.
You can reveal that.
- All by yourself in one hour. - What?
You're not just dead, you're crazy.
- [Sighs] - One hour?
Kathryn, I'm a communications guy, right?
I know networks.
Right now, humanity is one big mess of individuals
acting as if they're the only ones on the planet,
acting with no regard to how their actions affect other people.
They're disconnected.
You can change that.
Well, if I can...
I can tap into this power,
then I can save Amelia.
Right?
I can't?
I can save humanity, but I can't save my little girl?
Who made that rule?
You have to let go of your anger.
Well I have a right to my anger.
You know, I am angry because my little girl is dying.
And I've got 71 amino acids fizzing in my body,
and I can mind meld seven billion people,
but I can't save my little girl?
No!
Amelia's already made her choice.
Now you have to choose.
What's it going to be?
It's too hard.
When has anything been too hard for you?
I'm on my way to the hospital
to grieve with my dying daughter
over the death of her mother,
so I suggest you get the hell out of here
Mr. Voss, I understand how you must feel.
I don't think you do.
Your family's in danger.
I need you to back inside, until we assess the situation.
- No. - Sir, I must insist.
Hey, I served in Iraq.
I survived the Battle of Fallujah,
you think you can stop me from seeing my dying daughter?
Not on your best day.
Sir, what do you want us to do?
Stay here and wait for the wife,
and if she comes back, take her into custody.
I'll be back at the hospital.
Okay.
- [Car door opens, closes] - [Car starts]
[Car accelerates]
[Line ringing]
Agent pope, I believe you've been looking for me.
[Kathryn] I need help.
I'm Kathryn Voss.
How do you know my name?
I honestly don't know.
So what, is that one of your new abilities?
You're psychic?
I guess so. Don't be scared.
I need a ride to the hospital to see my little girl.
[Kathryn] I'm not going to hurt you.
You don't want to kill me, Eli.
You're not angry at me.
You're mad because your wife wants a divorce and you don't.
You think she's sleeping with your neighbor,
but she isn't.
And you love her so much, you're afraid to tell her
how angry you are, because then she might never speak to you again.
So you're angry at me.
But I forgive you.
Will you forgive me?
I forgive you.
We need to go now, Eli.
There's something I need to do, and I don't have much time.
[Gun shot]
[Gasping]
[Yelling]
You know...
The reason why you can't remember what happened on Mars,
is because what happened, didn't happen on Mars.
It happened on the way there.
I was wondering when you were going to show up.
Time is a river.
What did I see?
What did I see that caused all this?
You've already remembered.
I don't know what you're talking about.
We were talking about what we were going to say when
we stepped out on Mars for the very first time.
And you quoted Yuri Gagarin, "the earth is so beautiful."
Yeah.
The planet is so beautiful.
We saw the earth.
Out the starboard window.
It is so beautiful.
So blue, so peaceful.
And you thought?
And I thought, "we're all one on this small blue planet.
There are no boundaries. There are no nations.
It's just us...
Under the sun."
I am no astrophysicist like some people I know,
but I once heard someone say that the unifying principle
in all the universe, the glue that puts it all together,
is love.
Love makes the world go round?
Time is running out, Kathryn.
A lunatic named Creighton Bowe has claimed responsibility
for the explosion on the Samsara,
and has admitted killing the Chinese president three years ago.
Why?
He left a manifesto.
I did my thesis on the manifesto of mad men
and it never really matters why they do things.
Left.
Stirred up a hornet's nest and then disappeared,
to avoid getting stung.
The PRC has nukes, Kathryn.
Go away. You're a figment of my imagination, go.
Albert Einstein said that imagination is
more important than knowledge.
I know. I used to have a T-shirt with that quote printed on it.
A world without war.
You can make it happen.
But if you wait, you will be too late.
I am a figment of my own imagination,
a ghost walking aimlessly amongst the living.
How can I save the world?
I can't even save my daughter.
Our greatest fear is not that we are powerless,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.
You sound like a fortune cookie.
You're deflecting.
You know what you have to do.
You know why you were given this task
and the power to complete it.
Power? Power has only led me to pain.
This universe has made a mistake.
There are no mistakes, only reminders.
It's easy to give up, to fall into despair.
It is only when we endure, that we find it in ourselves to achieve greatness.
But I am all alone. I have no one left.
You are not alone.
John. Oh my God.
John?
You guys don't have that much time.
Roberts will be back.
John.
Oh my God, John.
I thought I'd never see you again.
They told me you were dead.
They told me that it wasn't safe for me to be with you,
that I would contaminate you or infect you.
We saw the Samsara blow up.
We saw it on TV.
And then NASA officials said there were no survivors.
Then they pulled every scrap of footage off the air,
they said that it never happened,
that it was a mistake, that we must have imagined it.
I'm so sorry.
I didn't want to believe it, but we saw it blow up.
We saw it!
John, there's something I have to do.
That's the reason I survived this accident.
If you're here, there has to be a reason.
I know you're part of something bigger than my own understanding.
- I missed you. - I missed you, too.
Every hour you were gone.
If you hadn't gone, you wouldn't be the woman I fell in love with,
and that I love.
John.
I'm not strong. I'm not strong at all.
When Amelia got sick,
I felt like my whole world was falling apart.
I felt so selfish for leaving,
but I just couldn't sit here and watch her die.
So I ran and I ran all the way to Mars.
I cannot forgive myself for that.
But I forgive you Kathryn.
Amelia forgives you.
You need to forgive yourself.
Oh, Amelia.
Now go,
say goodbye to Amelia,
and go do what you have to do.
Why'd you have to survive?
If you'd just died, everything would have been fine.
But no, you had to give the people a miracle
so they'd keep putting their faith in technology.
We don't have to save ourselves. Science will save us.
We don't have to clean up our oceans,
because we can just move on to another planet.
You survived,
and that was a miracle.
Well, I don't believe in miracles.
Look at me when I'm talking to you!
I'm sorry.
Were you having a moment there?
Is it really you?
Yes, beautiful.
It's me.
You came home from Mars.
I did. I promised, didn't I?
I had a dream.
You took me to a river of stars and we dived in and swam,
and there was galaxies floating past us like rainbow fish.
We caught them and petted them,
and then we threw them back
and then we danced in the middle of a cloud of stars.
It was so beautiful.
You're so beautiful.
You're crying.
Why are you crying?
Sometimes you see something so precious,
you just want to hold onto it for as long as you can.
[Roberts] Is she in there?
Yes, Dr. Voss is inside.
She what? Just showed up here and waltzed in?
She wanted to speak to her daughter.
I found John Voss in her room.
You have something to do with that?
There's a reason she's alive, sir.
She got to you.
What if she's not crazy? What if we're the crazy ones?
What if what we're doing is wrong?
You're in my way.
I don't want to hurt you, sir.
Shame.
I can't say the same about you.
[Amelia] Don't be sad.
I wish...
What, baby? What do you wish?
I heard the nurses talking.
Yeah?
They're scared there's going to be a war,
because the Chinese astronaut burned up.
So, I wish for there not to be a war.
I wish that tomorrow, everyone would wake up and be happy.
- And not be mad any more. - Yeah?
And what about getting well? Wouldn't you wish for that?
No.
- I think you only get one wish. - Yeah?
And you'd give up your wish for everybody else?
I'd give my life for them.
Yeah?
Isn't that what you're doing?
What? Come here.
[Music playing]
[Roberts] It's beautiful.
[Kathryn] Help me show it to everyone.
[Roberts] How?
[Amelia] Just hold on. It won't hurt.
[Kathryn] We are all one.