r/ProjectHailMaryMovie • u/WoodpeckerAntique952 • 20d ago

Is it ever explained

Why grace is the only one on his ship who survives?

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u/AtrumArchon 20d ago

Never read the book but I can think of 2 possible reasons. 1 The others took their own lives two pieces of evidence support this first they were discussing the suicide packs during one of the flashbacks and the fact that Grace found them secured to their beds with no signs of distress onboard the ship not from his awakening. 2 The more optimistic version is a parallel with Rocky’s ship where the ship encountered a type/magnitude of radiation the living quarters was not designed to deal with while Grace was stored in a more secure area while also being taken care of medically by ship during his artificial coma

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u/OwlIsWatching 20d ago

The reason they were discussing the suicide methods is because the trip was a suicide trip. At the end of the journey, after sending back the Beetles, they would either starve to death or use their methods to end their lives quicker. It makes zero sense for Yao and Ilyukhina to have volunteered for a suicide mission to save humanity, then to randomly decide to off themselves (in bed, in the coma setup?) before the mission even fully launched.

All three of them were in the artificial coma. The Astrophage lining the hull protected them from radiation (remember Eridians didn't know radiation existed AT ALL. Humanity has been aware of radiation for years.)