Project Hail Mary

The Astrophage are not an intelligent life form intentionally threatening terrestrial life but merely an organism following its biological imperative. Survival in Weir’s novel is thus primarily a technological problem for humans, rather than a moral one, yet the research preparations for Project Hail Mary are defined by the tension between what can be done through scientific progress and what should be done according to moral values, which are variable across cultures and individuals. Often, Weir presents his characters with no clear option for what is right, such as when the climatologist Leclerc agonizes over causing global warming on purpose to buy more time for the mission. The solution is scientifically possible, but Leclerc struggles to justify the long-term environmental effects, which will be catastrophic even if Earth is saved, and is devastated to bear the responsibility for destroying entire ecosystems. Stratt has no such qualms, and Weir’s point of view seems to align most closely with hers: Any scientific endeavor is justified in the name of saving humanity. As she tells Grace, “When the alternative is death to your entire species, things are very easy. No moral dilemmas, no weighing what’s best for whom. Just single-minded focus of getting this project working” (244).

Still, Weir does complicate this position: Grace and Stratt are particularly hostile to Redell, whose scientific exploits in solar energy were motivated by profit and enabled by his lack of concern for human life. Redell refuses to take responsibility for the way his scientific inventions are used by others, to Stratt’s distaste, yet Stratt has no qualms about sacrificing human life on purpose for the greater good. From another perspective, Dr. Lamai’s coma technology was developed to reduce suffering in cancer patients but will now be used to shepherd three people safely to their deaths. Eridians do not seem to navigate these tensions, as Eridian society develops all technology for mutual benefit and makes civilization-scale decisions via hive mind, resulting in no variation of moral values.

When Grace finally calls Stratt a murderer for forcing him onto the Hail Mary, Weir directly opposes the reader’s sympathies for the protagonist with the knowledge that Grace’s refusal to go jeopardizes the entire human race. In the hands of the French police, the amnesia-inducing drug may seem like an immoral attempt to cover up violent coercion. When the drug is administered to Grace, however, Weir posits that right and wrong are not so clear and suggests Stratt must use every technological and scientific mechanism available to protect the mission. Grace’s shame at having had to be forced against his will to save humanity supports the notion that Stratt’s actions, though questionable, are justified. Ultimately, Weir presents scientific progress merely as a tool; it is only the purpose to which those tools are put that carries moral weight, and all scientific achievements have the potential to be used for good or evil.

Grace’s controversial academic paper provides a bold statement on the novel’s attitude toward speculative science. Grace is dismissive and frustrated by the unwillingness of established scientists to think more creatively, and he time and again dreams up wild scientific possibilities that prove to be right, yet his own central hypothesis remains unproven at the end of the novel; there is no evidence for life that is not water based. Weir fluctuates between highlighting the danger of assumptions, such as when Grace nearly kills Rocky while trying to save him, and the necessity of speculation to scientific progress. As Grace observes, “Thing is, when stupid ideas work, they become genius ideas” (299).

Grace’s ability to think like an outsider both ensures his success and creates dangerous challenges. Weir contrasts Grace’s out-of-the-box thinking with Martin DuBois’s risk-averse planning. In the end, it is DuBois’s attempt to prepare for every possible situation that causes the fatal explosion at the Baikonur research center. Weir admires scientific rigor but acknowledges that it is not always possible to control for all variables at all times, and this uncertainty necessitates speculation and unorthodox solutions. In nearly every case from the flashback scenes on Earth, Weir chooses to attribute radical scientific discoveries to fringe organizations and rebel personalities. Lamai ran a failed medical company, Redell is ethically dubious but technically brilliant, Hatch is disturbingly optimistic, and Dmitri Komorov is portrayed as a mad scientist. In this way, Weir draws an equivalence between rejection of norms and opportunities for breakthrough. Even Stratt, whose ruthlessness is guided by ensuring the success of Project Hail Mary, understands that conventional approaches may not always be applicable to unprecedented problems.

Weir allows Grace to be aware of his own speculative tendencies and often highlights Grace’s most outlandish or reckless ideas with sarcastic humor. For example, Grace muses while breeding the nitrogen-resistant Astrophage, “Modifying an alien life-form. What could possibly go wrong?” (412). Of course, the rushed modification of a species Grace does not fully understand later imperils Rocky’s entire home planet. Despite an often irreverent tone, Weir allows for real pathos underneath Grace’s self-deprecating humor. Although Grace is not afraid to experiment wildly, he is also aware of the risks inherent in his approach.