Destination for "Passenger" ships?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Noisy Rhysling
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Ships
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the science fiction movie "Passengers," specifically focusing on the hypothetical star systems the ship, Homestead II, might be traveling to, as well as various plot elements and character motivations. Participants explore the implications of the journey's duration, speed, and the ethical considerations surrounding the characters' actions. The conversation includes both technical calculations related to the journey and subjective opinions on the film's themes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the specific star system the ship is heading to, noting that it is not explicitly named in the film.
  • Calculations are presented regarding the ship's speed (0.5C) and the distance to the destination, suggesting it is approximately 60 light years away, although a later reply refines this to around 69.3 light years considering relativistic effects.
  • Concerns are raised about the feasibility of long-duration space travel, particularly regarding the reliability of stasis pods over a 120-year journey.
  • Participants express skepticism about the motivations for colonization given the long communication delays with Earth, describing the journey as potentially a "suicide mission."
  • Some discuss the ethical implications of one character waking another from stasis for companionship, with varying opinions on whether this act is selfish or understandable given the circumstances.
  • References are made to other works of science fiction, such as "Starlost," to draw parallels with the film's themes and narrative structure.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of agreement and disagreement on various aspects of the film, including its scientific plausibility, ethical considerations, and character motivations. There is no consensus on the implications of the journey or the characters' actions.

Contextual Notes

Some calculations presented are contingent on assumptions about relativistic effects and the specifics of the journey, which remain unresolved. The discussion also reflects differing interpretations of character motivations and ethical dilemmas without reaching a definitive conclusion.

Noisy Rhysling
Messages
999
Reaction score
345
Just wondering if anybody had a clue as to candidate stars for the ship, Homestead II, in this movie.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I saw the movie and loved it but can't remember if they ever specifically name the star system they're going to. I'm pretty sure they didn't bother. However I did a quick calculation in my head when Chris Pratt sends a message back to Earth (and is informed by the console that at the speed of light it will take a few decades to get a reply) and IIRC they were traveling at 0.5C. It was a 120 year journey so where ever they were going was ~60 light years away from Earth.
 
Ryan_m_b said:
I saw the movie and loved it but can't remember if they ever specifically name the star system they're going to. I'm pretty sure they didn't bother. However I did a quick calculation in my head when Chris Pratt sends a message back to Earth (and is informed by the console that at the speed of light it will take a few decades to get a reply) and IIRC they were traveling at 0.5C. It was a 120 year journey so where ever they were going was ~60 light years away from Earth.
The fuzzy part would be how quickly they got to .5 C?
 
Another question would be "How much do tickets cost?" That's a big ship...
 
I also saw the movie, and while it was interesting, I doubt they seriously thought through all the details. This was definitely "soft" science fiction.

How the hell can you just gamble on the stasis pods not malfunctioning?

If each trip takes 100+ years, then how frequently do they send such ships out? I forget how many passengers were being carried - was it ~5000? That seems small for a colony 60 light years away.

How would you convince anyone to go out there when it takes decades to even get a help message back to Earth? It's like a suicide mission.

This movie definitely reminded me of Starlost by Harlan Ellison and Ben Bova

 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: hsdrop
But it sure were pretty!
 
Ryan_m_b said:
I saw the movie and loved it

I missed this when it came out (short half life?). I just read some reviews & apparently a lot of critics were turned off by the man waking up the woman just for company, saying it was a grossly selfish act, akin to violation or stalking. One critic seemed to think it was at least believable, given the guy was going crazy with loneliness on board a huge ship on a very long voyage. I'm a huge fan of spaceship movies; would you recommend renting this when it becomes available? I should add that personally I don't like misogynistic characters as such.
 
UsableThought said:
I missed this when it came out (short half life?). I just read some reviews & apparently a lot of critics were turned off by the man waking up the woman just for company, saying it was a grossly selfish act, akin to violation or stalking. One critic seemed to think it was at least believable. I'm a huge fan of spaceship movies; would you recommend renting this when it becomes available?
Well, the thing is that if the roles had been gender-swapped, then it wouldn't have come across as the creepy male stalker thing.

Lawrence Fishburne's character put it in perspective, when he said that a drowning man will try to pull another swimmer down with him - it's not ethical, but that's what he'll try to do.
 
sanman said:
Lawrence Fishburne's character put it in perspective,

Lawrence Fishburne is in this?! Then I have to rent it when it comes time. He is becoming the king of offbeat spaceship movies by now - he was captain of the Nebuchadnezzar in "The Matrix" (well OK that ship was a hovercraft, but it looked like a spaceship); captain of the doomed Lewis & Clarke rescue ship in "Event Horizon"; and now he's, well, he's Chief Deck Officer on the Avalon. Anytime you have a flimsily plotted space movie, just add Fishburne for some badly needed gravitas.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: krater
  • #10
UsableThought said:
I missed this when it came out (short half life?). I just read some reviews & apparently a lot of critics were turned off by the man waking up the woman just for company, saying it was a grossly selfish act, akin to violation or stalking. One critic seemed to think it was at least believable, given the guy was going crazy with loneliness on board a huge ship on a very long voyage. I'm a huge fan of spaceship movies; would you recommend renting this when it becomes available? I should add that personally I don't like misogynistic characters as such.
We saw it yesterday in the theaters.
 
  • #11
Noisy Rhysling said:
We saw it yesterday in the theaters.

Thanks. I thought a Dec. release date might have meant it was done already. I see it listed near us, alongside Monster Trucks and the latest Underworld.

I also see Hidden Figures is showing; and right now that sounds like the most appealing space-related movie out. We'll probably see that first. And hey it's about mathematicians!
 
  • #12
UsableThought said:
I missed this when it came out (short half life?). I just read some reviews & apparently a lot of critics were turned off by the man waking up the woman just for company, saying it was a grossly selfish act, akin to violation or stalking. One critic seemed to think it was at least believable, given the guy was going crazy with loneliness on board a huge ship on a very long voyage. I'm a huge fan of spaceship movies; would you recommend renting this when it becomes available? I should add that personally I don't like misogynistic characters as such.

I didn't get any sort of misogynist vibe from it. It's much more of a castaway story IMO. I would definitely advise seeing it, one of the best SF films that came out last year. It was tight, very visually impressive and a good all round story. It didn't spend too much time or effort trying to justify things it didn't need to and the acting was spot on.
 
Last edited:
  • #13
2001, The Shining plus Titanic with a happy ending, done very well.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Ryan_m_b
  • #14
UsableThought said:
I missed this when it came out (short half life?). I just read some reviews & apparently a lot of critics were turned off by the man waking up the woman just for company, saying it was a grossly selfish act, akin to violation or stalking. One critic seemed to think it was at least believable, given the guy was going crazy with loneliness on board a huge ship on a very long voyage. I'm a huge fan of spaceship movies; would you recommend renting this when it becomes available? I should add that personally I don't like misogynistic characters as such.
Lonely person becomes obsessed with not being alone. Not so very strange.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Hilmy atha and Logical Dog
  • #15
Ryan_m_b said:
I saw the movie and loved it but can't remember if they ever specifically name the star system they're going to. I'm pretty sure they didn't bother. However I did a quick calculation in my head when Chris Pratt sends a message back to Earth (and is informed by the console that at the speed of light it will take a few decades to get a reply) and IIRC they were traveling at 0.5C. It was a 120 year journey so where ever they were going was ~60 light years away from Earth.
Well, not quite. if it is a 120 year long trip by ship time at 0.5c, then relativistic effects become significant and the distance to the star as measured from the Earth would be ~69.3 light years.
By the plot line, they awake 90 years too soon, so this should place them ~15 light years from Earth (by their measure). If he sends a message to Earth at c, in his frame, Earth is receding at .05 c, and it will take the message 30 years to "catch up" to it, meaning it will be 30 light years away when it gets the message. Plus another 30 years for the return message makes for 60 years for an answer. Used right, this could have set up an interesting situation. Let's say that they had woken up 80 years too early. Then the return message would have taken 80 years to get back to them, the same length of time as the remaining trip. So if they awoke just a bit after 40 years into the trip, any answer wouldn't arrive until after they reached their destination.
 
  • #16
sanman said:
This movie definitely reminded me of Starlost by Harlan Ellison and Ben Bova

Except that Passengers is a sleeper ship, while Starlost used the trope of a generation ship, right?
 

Similar threads

Physics of ISV (Interstellar Vehicle) in Avatar Series
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
The Cloaking Device from Star Trek
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
Why Did Activating the Propulsion Safety System Injure Cruise Ship Passengers?
  • · Replies 49 ·
2
Replies
49
Views
7K
Is there any way to send instantaneous signals w/o breaking causality?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
4K
High School A question about warp bubbles and navigation
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
2K
Writing: Input Wanted Turning an interstellar ship around before reaching coasting speed?
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
4K
Is the Aurora the Same Ship That Sailed to Helgoland in 1972?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
1K
Warp Drive = Artificial Gravity?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
4K
Writing: Input Wanted Captain's choices on colony ships
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
How Do You Calculate Travel Time Between Orbiting Planets?
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
5K