the YES or NO game

[kaliszewski]

admin said:

I'm forming my retort to your BLAME-O-RAMA comment, but while I do, I have a correction for your lead-in to the next question. The Icarus Project was a joint American-Asian venture; Kaneda is Japanese, Trey is Chinese, and Corazon is Filipino.

I just felt oddly offended by that Chinese comment...

I'm sorry, chero. I swear I read in an interview or a synopsis that it was an American/Chinese venture-- which is why I always found it odd that the crew ended up as you just indicated. Honestly, I meant no offense. I'll see if I can find the quote: I think it might even have been Danny Boyle saying that by that point in history China and the United States would be the top sources of financial power in the world.

Okay: here's a quote from over at Sunshine DNA:

“The film has an American/Asian crew because we felt that in 50 years time the Chinese and American space programs would be the most developed and that they would have the economic power to bankroll such an endeavor,” says Boyle. “But ideally we were looking for actors from all around the world.”

But if it's gonna make things bad, just go ahead and pull my response to the question. Wasn't looking for a fight: Kaneda only makes those calls because that's how he's written. As a writer, I would have had him make other choices. Sorry for the mess.

Actually-- I'll do it. DO-OVER on the last question, folks.

Man, I have GOTTA steer clear of the opinion threads...!

[chero]

You are completely in the green, Kali. You just made me blink twice. I have no hard feelings whatsoever. Promise. The quote you provided puzzled me. In the character backstories, it states that Kaneda, Trey, and Corazon worked under a Pan-Asian space program and not strictly a "Chinese space program." That's all. You have a right to your own opinions though, Kali. Don't feel threatened in any way. When I get strong feelings about a topic, I tend to get "blind" to opposing evidence.

Well now that everyone knows which team I'm on... ;D

[nimue]

I love that Corazon is Filipino. Makes me proud. By the way... what happened to the YES or NO game?

[Starshine]

"The Chinese and American space programm would be the most developed..." The NASA would be probably the best space agency, but the china? The european space agency (ESA) and Russia have much more know-how and experience than China and that won't change durnig the next 50 years as far as we know today. So it dosen't makes sense to me why Boyle/Garland picked up this idea. I bet they wanted just a muli-culture-crew.

But a Asian/US-venture would be logical, the best space programs would be included.

[chero]

If you were asked to manually detonate the bomb like Capa did in the movie, would you do it?

[timpsi]

YES! If saving the future of mankind by that way is the only option, then I would do it.

Would you dare to start laughing at mace because that he couldn't send his message home?

[chero]

timpsi said:

Would you dare to start laughing at mace because that he couldn't send his message home?

That's a big NO. I would be sad at the thought of not being able to say goodbye to my loved ones back home, especially in a chance mission to save mankind. Mace, I believe, fought Capa to keep from crying. In this case, I'll cry for him.


Would you have voiced Icarus better?

[massiefan]

Nope. Chipo Chung has the perfect tones for it, IMHO. I do GREAT movie impersonations, but I'm not THAT good.

Here's a sensitive one that I don't think we've had yet (I may be wrong):

If you were Cassie, would you have had the abortion?

[kaliszewski]

Since the father was just some faceless, nameless guy that Alex Garland didn't bother to identify-- i.e., because the pregnancy was just a character trait that Mr. Garland selected for Cassie totally at random and utterly without explanation-- then, for purposes of the film, the mission, and Cassie's inalienable right to choose what goes on with her body, absolutely. Yes.

_{(Of course, for purposes of speculation and fic, the debate can-- and, I'm sure, will-- go on... and on... and on.... Have I mentioned in the last few weeks how much I detest the "abortion issue"...? Should never have been revealed to the viewing public; should never, in fact, have been an issue in the first place. Backstory? I'll write my own, Alex, thanks.)}


After Capa made the "big decision" regarding two payloads being somehow better than one, should Cassie have been allowed to present the other side-- that is to say, the argument against docking with the Icarus I, an unrehearsed and very likely unplanned-for procedure the difficulties and dangers (not to mention the sheer ill-advisability) of which might not be immediately clear to a civilian like Capa (or, for that matter, to any non-pilot)?


(Even though it would tarnish Cassie and Capa's "united front" image, I think it would have made for a great scene for Rose Byrne.... )

[chero]

kaliszewski said:

After Capa made the "big decision" regarding two payloads being somehow better than one, should Cassie have been allowed to present the other side-- that is to say, the argument against docking with the Icarus I, an unrehearsed and very likely unplanned-for procedure the difficulties and dangers (not to mention the sheer ill-advisability) of which might not be immediately clear to a civilian like Capa (or, for that matter, to any non-pilot)?

No. In my horrible and slanted view of Cassie, I believe that such an act would go against the grain of how Cassie is portrayed in the film. First off, she has a very emotional and manipulative persona. When I say "manipulative" I mean that she is so wrapped up in her bonds with fellow crew members, namely Capa and Trey, that it leads her to say some shady dialogue.

[/b] In the scene in Capa's bedroom she states that she whole-heartedly supports Capa's decision to go off-course. Since what you say about the docking is true, Kali, Cassie is being completely irrational in her role as pilot.

Instance #2: In a deleted scene, Cassie blatantly says that she blames Kaneda for the predicament they are in. She says this when Capa joins her in the Medical Bay. Of course, all she has been looking at for some time is the sedated Trey. Her words against Kaneda are focused more on Trey's personal pain/guilt and not on the reality that Kaneda (like all the rest) is prone to human error. He had to make a risky decision either way. No one knew whether or not one payload would be enough to complete the mission. So, Cassie: even though Kaneda may look godly, he isn't one.[/ul]ANYWAYS...

If you were an Icarus 2 crew member who knew the outcome of the movie already, would you ever visit the Observation Room?

[massiefan]

Yeah, I would. May as well enjoy the view before you died horribly.

Was Mace's idea of getting himself, Capa and Harvey back into Icarus II a good one?

(I think so, but I'd like to know what you guys reckon)

[chero]

massiefan said:

Was Mace's idea of getting himself, Capa and Harvey back into Icarus II a good one?

For cinematic purposes: Yes. The airlock jump was amazing to see. It also made me nervous and dying to see the outcome.

For reality purposes: No. I wouldn't want to jettison myself into outer space with barely any protection on. I'd rather die in the arms of with Searle.


Now pretend you are an Icarus I crew member: If you had a choice between transforming like Pinbacker or dying (of starvation, burn, cutting, etc), would you pick the first option?

[Starry_MelC]

No... Pinbacker strikes me as a confused character (thanks to that look he had when he found out he stabbed-or-was-it-grabbed Trey instead of Cassie in the Earth Room). I think he suffered the most among all characters. I'd rather die (like the rest of the Icarus I crew - btw, did I mentioned I love the poses left in the Observation Room in Icarus I?) than suffer for such a long time...

If you're Searle, would you agree to letting Cassie on board with the crew when you know about her abortion?

[kaliszewski]

Yes. It would be inefficient, unprofessional, and sexist to bar her from the mission on the basis of a painful personal misadventure with which the film's writer saw fit arbitrarily to saddle her. Assuming that she's stuck for eternity with this character detail (that is, assuming that no beneficent miracle of retconning will make said detail go away [and I would pay a moderate amount of good money to see such a miracle come to pass]), her having had an abortion has nothing to do with Cassie's ability to do her job. (For the millionth time, I wish Garland had never brought this up. The abortion was a truly uncomfortable, unnecessary bit of fiction, and it had nothing overt to do with the character, the film's plot, or the script.) As Searle, I would have become concerned only if Cassie were displaying signs of clinical depression or lasting physical impairment as a result of the procedure.


For comparison purposes, and to drag a slightly fresher skeleton from the backstory closet....

Should Trey have been barred from participating in the mission on the basis that he was a convicted criminal? (Sure, his hacking showed his "potential." But the mission's coordinators would have had their pick of dozens or hundreds of equally brilliant programmers who hadn't made their mark by destabilizing a sixth of the world's computers....)

[massiefan]

Nah. I mean, destabilizing a sixth of the world's computers PROVES how good he is. It also proves he's got spirit/guts/balls. Cause jeez, who else would have the gall to do something like that?

Okay, next question...

With Harvey slowly losing his cool during the later stages of the mission, should the Icarus II team have appointed another crew member (ie. Mace, Corazon etc) to the position of Captain after Kaneda's death?