3 minute read

In my previous blog, I tried to break down Tenet scenes using hand-drawn diagrams. After overcoming the highest bar of Tenet, diving into Interstellar took much less time. The whole film fits into a single diagram. To be honest, at the moment of breaking down Interstellar, I’d already watched it several times but didn’t try to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Now let’s brief the film; you can find the diagram at the end.

So, what do we need to know about? Earth is becoming unsuitable for living due to a plant-eating plague that consumes nitrogen and destroys crops, decreasing the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere to a critical level. By the beginning of the film, NASA had already sent 12 astronauts to planets potentially suitable for life (the Lazarus mission).

The Endurance near the wormhole

Sending astronauts to these far galaxies (or worlds) became possible after a wormhole appeared near Saturn. It was put there by the “bulk beings” 48 years ago. According to the plan, those heroes were to send back priceless data about conditions on the planets so that further colonization missions could be sent to the most suitable ones. Three planets were chosen for the Endurance mission. The Endurance station itself was already in Earth’s orbit. By the time Cooper arrives at the secret NASA base, everything is ready for the mission. He is appointed as the pilot. There are four people in the crew.

Miller’s planet appeared unsuitable for life due to giant tidal waves and its proximity to the black hole

It takes approximately two years to reach the wormhole near Saturn. The first stop is Miller’s planet. The Ranger detaches from the Endurance and flies to the planet. This option fails; the crew loses Doyle, while Brand and Cooper lose 23 years due to time dilation. Miller’s planet is the closest to Gargantua.

The next stop is Mann’s planet. The journey takes some months, and Cooper has enough time to watch the video messages sent from Earth over the last 23 years. The planet appears unsuitable for life as well. Moreover, the crew learns that Dr. Mann faked his data, hoping that other people would arrive and save him. Mann kills Romilly, assaults Cooper, and tries to take over the Endurance.

Mann’s planet is uninhabitable as well, because it’s simply a cold desert

It becomes clear that flying to Mann’s planet was a mistake. The Endurance runs low on fuel, and Cooper directs the station toward the black hole’s orbit to launch a slingshot maneuver (lasting 51 years) to accelerate the station in the direction of Edmunds’ planet. Since Cooper and TARS detach from the station and fall into the black hole, Dr. Brand heads to the final planet alone (well, with CASE).

Almost there. Cooper finds himself in a tesseract opened by the “bulk beings” to save his life and provide him an opportunity to share quantum data with Murph. He is contacted by TARS, who has collected all the necessary data. Next, using his emotional bond, Cooper finds the appropriate snapshots of Murph’s room and sends the quantum data as Morse code via gravity. The data is transmitted through the second hand of his wristwatch. The tesseract closes, and Cooper and TARS are evacuated by the “bulk beings” through the wormhole, where the handshake happens.

Edmunds’ planet is what they were looking for

At the time of their rescue, Murph had already solved the equation, and the Cooper station had been built. Cooper takes TARS, steals a Ranger, and they head to Edmunds’ planet where Brand has founded a settlement.

Professor Brand didn’t live to see the mission’s success, but this success isn’t what he envisioned at the beginning. As we know, he faked plan A, knowing there was no chance to solve the equation of gravity without quantum data, which seemed impossible to obtain. But Cooper nailed it. By the time the “bulk beings” delivered him back to Saturn, Murph had already solved the equation and Plan A succeeded: humans were evacuated from Earth to O’Neill-designed space stations.

You can test your knowledge of Interstellar with this 50-question quiz.

You may also enjoy