Fourth Wall Breach

I’ve always been a sci-fi film fan.

The best ones are really about the characters… and space is more of an alternative, albeit impressive and exciting, backdrop.

Star Wars (at least the OG George Lucas trilogy from the 70s, Episodes VI-VIII), has a fragmented family at the heart of the galaxy quest: Luke has long been separated from his sister, Princess Leia, and Big Boss Villain, Darth Vader, is revealed as their estranged father figure.

Draaaa-ma.

And Aliens, especially the ‘Special Edition Director’s Cut’ which has more footage that adds to the emotional weight of Ripley’s character, has a touching mother-daughter relationship that develops between Ripley and Newt… only to be annihilated at the beginning of Alien 3.

(FYI: I love Alien 3, despite the general reception and production hell David Fincher suffered through.)

You might have already guessed it from the title of this newsletter edition (and because you’re smart AF) that Project Hail Mary has all of this:

• Interstellar travel
• Extinction-level stakes
• Terrifying space microbes
• Ryan Gosling (need I say more?)

There’s also a human story about collaboration.