Project Hail Mary

“Look, I was in a bad place when I wrote that, okay? I’d had enough of the research world and that was sort of a ‘kiss-my-butt’ goodbye. I’m much happier now as a teacher.”

Confronted by Stratt in his junior high school classroom, Grace disavows his former life as a scientist. His rejection is equally false and truthful, however. He remains passionate about scientific research but feels insecure about participating in a field that rejected him and embarrassed by the immature tone of his controversial paper. Still, Grace legitimately loves teaching, and this moment foreshadows the happiness he attains as a teacher on Erid, even when he has the option to return to Earth.

“As serious as Yáo was, Ilyukhina was casual. They butted heads from time to time, but even Yáo couldn’t resist her charms. I remember when he finally broke down and laughed at one of her jokes. You can’t be a hundred percent serious forever.” 

As he prepares to give his deceased crewmates a space burial, Grace is flooded with memories of their personalities. Grace’s depth of feeling for his would-be companions emphasizes the importance of friendship to survival and highlights how lonely Grace feels at the beginning of the novel. Grace’s appreciation of Ilyukhina’s sense of humor also helps to develop Grace’s own use of humor as a way of connecting more closely with Rocky as their relationship develops.

“Astrophage research was a free-for-all where researchers posted their findings immediately and without proof. It let to misunderstandings and mistakes, but we just didn’t have time to do things the right way.”

Much of the scientific experimentation in the novel is highly theoretical and progresses at a much faster pace than is conventional. Here, Weir acknowledges that the scientific work in the book is unusual but justifies what might be considered unsafe experimentation by highlighting the stakes. Ultimately, to Weir and to Grace, creative thinking outweighs caution when the stakes are life and death. Grace and Rocky take a similar approach to their experiments aboard the Hail Mary, committing fully to wild hypotheses, sometime without evidence, but afraid that slowing down for safety will doom their entire enterprise.

“Science and morality both give the same answer here, and you know it.” 

Grace advises Stratt to choose only coma-resistant crew members for the Hail Mary, unknowingly dooming himself to be one of the crew. Crucially, Stratt allows Grace to become her confidant in this moment, trusting him to advise her and see her in the vulnerable position of deliberation, indicating Grace’s true influence over Stratt and Project Hail Mary as a whole. Additionally, this quote indicates that Grace, at heart, is unwilling to privilege either science or morality over the other and prioritizes solutions that are both ethically sound and scientifically promising.

“Human brains are amazing things. We can get used to just about anything.” 

As Grace enters zero gravity for the first time, he adjusts more quickly than he expects to the strange physical sensations. Throughout the novel, Grace will continue to use logic and scientific knowledge to resist feelings of panic; understanding the forces at work helps him to adjust. Weir justifies Grace’s competence in the face of extreme adversity not only through Grace’s individual talents, but also by engaging the human capability for adaptation, which enables Grace to perform extraordinary feats in both zero- and higher-than-usual gravity.

“This is it! First Contact! I’m the guy! I’m the guy who meets aliens for the first time!” 

Even though Grace has already encountered alien life, the discovery of the Blip-A marks the profound difference to Grace between intelligent extraterrestrials and the single-celled Astrophage. Grace’s sheer excitement is crucially not tied to fame or notoriety for being the first human to encounter intelligent life in space, but a pure scientific delight. Grace, first and foremost, sees himself as an explorer—perhaps even more so than as a teacher.

“As hundreds of astronauts have done before, I place my faith and my life in the hands of the engineers who designed the system.” 

Grace directly acknowledges his relative powerlessness aboard the Hail Mary, as at this point he neither remembers nor knows very much about operating the complex ship. Emphasizing themes of the interconnectedness of survival and dependence on community, as well as foreshadowing Grace’s explicit trust in Rocky’s engineering prowess, this moment serves to humble Grace, as he has no option but to trust others with his well-being.

“No more pantomime. It’s time to learn Eridianese. Yes, I just made up that word. No, I don’t feel bad about it. I’m doing a lot of things for the first time in human history and there’s a lot of stuff that needs naming.” 

Grace, in his typical flippant and sarcastic tone, nonetheless acknowledges the sheer scale of discovery he has had thrust upon him. It is thrilling, but also overwhelming, reminding the reader that even the most exciting moments in Grace’s journey can also be a source of stress.

“In short, the human brain is a mess. Everything about evolution is messy. So, I assume Eridians are also a mess of random mutations.” 

Even more astounding to Grace than the differences between humans and Eridians are the many similarities between the two intelligent life forms. Grace attributes what could be seen as a stroke of luck to evolutionary biology, however, demonstrating that even his boldest assumptions remain grounded in accepted scientific fact. Evolution, as a random force with limitless variables, is devoid of any moral reasoning, creating a world in which everything has an explanation, if not always a purpose.

“Sometimes, the stuff we all hate ends up being the only way to do things.” 

Grace is referencing his hatred of Project Hail Mary staff meetings in this moment, yet it serves to foreshadow the morally complicated tactics Stratt forces everyone involved to be complicit in. In an example of profound understatement, this seemingly throwaway line also hints at the sacrifices that are required from all characters in the novel and suggests that there are no easy options when it comes to survival. Weir is careful to offset this line from the surrounding text, inviting the reader to consider its hidden significance.

“We’re part of the ecology […] We’re not outside it. The plants we eat, the animals we ranch, the air we breathe—it’s all part of the tapestry. It’s all connected.” 

Leclerc rebukes Stratt for prioritizing human life over all other life on Earth, in a rare moment of exposing the potential weaknesses in Stratt’s approach. If the planet is saved but the methods to save it render Earth uninhabitable, then all of Stratt’s, and everyone’s, sacrifices will have been in vain. Leclerc presents a stark warning that there are indeed costs that may be too high to pay for survival and reminds all that the Astrophage predicament exists exactly because humans exist within ecology, not outside of it. Years of thinking that Earth’s climate was unchangeable, and a refusal to accept responsibility for climate change, have left humanity vulnerable to shifts in the interstellar ecology as well.

“We all have to make sacrifices. If I have to be the world’s whipping boy to secure our salvation, then that’s my sacrifice to make. […] When the alternative is death to your entire species, things are very easy. No moral dilemmas, no weighing what’s best for whom. Just a single-minded focus on getting this project working.” 

Stratt offers this poor consolation to Leclerc, who is devastated at turning his back on climate science, and in doing so reveals her entire ethos. Stratt is unapologetic about what others may consider unfeeling or even unethical behavior. Her certainty that she is doing everything for the right reasons enables her to make difficult decisions quickly and efficiently, revealing her to be the perfect choice for leading Project Hail Mary, as she is even willing to sacrifice herself.

“My own survival is a problem for later. But it’s a problem, not a hopeless guarantee of death.” 

As Grace is relieved of the psychological burden of certain death, he is able to devote more intellectual resources to the scientific task ahead of him. This moment marks a turning point in Grace’s sense of humor, as well; as he begins to feel more hopeful about his chances of survival, his humor becomes less sarcastic and more jovial. This moment also reveals that Grace is becoming less motivated by ego, able to prioritize the safety of others, even when his own safety is not guaranteed.

“It’s a simple idea, but also stupid. The thing is, when stupid ideas work, they become genius ideas. We’ll see which way this one falls.” 

Grace knows that the maneuver to fish for Astrophage is extremely risky but also knows that there is no zero-risk solution. Accepting the possibility of failure is the only way to create the possibility of success. Although competence mitigates risk, it cannot account for all variables, and Grace entrusts the entire mission to a combination of skill and luck, never taking success for granted. Being motivated by ego, Grace is simultaneously confident in his own extraordinary abilities and constantly aware of the possibility of failure.

“Yeah, I know, he’s a good guy and he saved my life, but this isn’t about us. He has a planet to save. Why risk his life and his whole mission for me?” 

When Rocky risks death to save Grace, Grace is finally able to become the kind of hero he hopes he is. Deceptively dismissive, Grace expresses his profound gratitude through disbelief and is awakened to the profound meaning of his and Rocky’s joint mission. Grace begins to understand that he is playing a larger role, like it or not, and that he must handle his sacred responsibility with greater respect.

“‘You and me both willing to die for our people. Why question? Evolution hate death.’

‘It’s good for the species,’ I say. ‘A self-sacrifice instinct makes the species as a whole more likely to continue.’

‘Not all Eridians willing to die for others.’

I chuckle. ‘Not all humans either.’

‘You and me are good people,’ Rocky says.

‘Yeah.’ I smile. ‘I suppose we are.’” 

Grace enjoys a brief moment of pride, as he will soon learn that unlike Rocky, he is not a willing participant on the mission. Grace’s moral values are not in alignment with his refusal to join the mission, but in this exchange, Grace feels as if they are. This realization of his own character allows Grace to self-actualize and make the right decision when he must choose between saving himself or saving all Eridians, a choice that has nothing to do with evolution, as Grace is human, and everything to do with friendship and compassion.

“I missed my kids. Dozens of them. Hundreds, really, over the course of a school year. They didn’t swear at me or wake me up in the middle of the night. Their squabbles were usually resolved within a few minutes, either by a teacher-enforced handshake or detention. And, somewhat selfish, but here it is: They looked up to me. I missed being that respected.”

In the past, shortly before DuBois and Shapiro are killed and Grace learns he will be their replacement, Grace indulges in a moment of self-pity. He longs for things to be easy and to have his ego stroked. Contradictorily, Grace finds no consolation in the idea of being a hero if it means he must give up his life on Earth. This moment showcases the difference between the Grace of the past and the Grace who saves Rocky, ready to pay the ultimate price and without any promise of reward. Underneath Grace’s egotistical reasoning, however, is a real love for teaching and mentorship and an appreciation for the next generation.

“Believe it or not, Dr. Grace, I kind of like you. I don’t respect you very much, but I do think you’re a fundamentally good man.” 

As Stratt has Grace hauled to a jail cell at Baikonur, she appeals to Grace’s underlying sense of right and wrong, which she believes will be activated as soon as the mission is actually underway. Her belief that Grace can grow into a brave man and rise to the challenge despite his resistance ultimately saves humanity. As Grace often does, Stratt risks everything on her hypothesis that beneath his fear, Grace has a desire to do the right thing.

“‘Just think of the kids, Grace,’ she said from the doorway. ‘All those kids you’ll be saving. Think of them.’”

Just moments after expressing her belief in Grace’s innate goodness, Stratt throws his initial excuse for not volunteering to join the Hail Mary crew back in his face. This tactic is particularly painful for Grace, who genuinely feels motivated to protect his students. Stratt, however, unlike Grace, never loses sight of the fact that everything she does is in the name of protecting both current and future generations and is disgusted by Grace’s attempt to disguise his instinct for self-preservation behind a concern for others.

“Why you say ‘real food’ question? What is non-real food, question?” 

Rocky has no concept of food as a pleasurable experience. At first, this difference creates misunderstanding of Grace’s psychological distress at eating merely for nutritional purposes, and Rocky is entirely unsympathetic to Grace’s predicament. However, Rocky’s non-human approach to eating allows him to imagine that the Taumoeba may be eaten, a thought that saves Grace’s life, illustrating the importance of diverse perspectives, even non-human perspectives.

“Modifying an alien life-form. What could possibly go wrong?” 

The rapid breeding success of Grace’s nitrogen-resistant Taumoeba dooms Rocky, as Grace does not account for unintended traits that the Taumoeba may be developing. After so many experiments and risky maneuvers, and even after several near-lethal mistakes, Grace finally makes an irrecoverable error in spite of his better judgment that threatens to leave Erid without help. He again expresses his fear through sarcasm as a means of distancing himself from the enormous responsibility he has. Grace, however, is prepared to take responsibility for his reckless experimentation and personally shepherd the dangerous Taumoeba, and Rocky, to Erid.

“Leclerc’s estimate assumes all the nations of the world work together to share resources and ration food. But do you think that will happen? Do you think the United States—the most powerful military force of all time—is going to sit idly by while half their population starves?”

For the first and only time in the novel, Stratt offers an explanation of her motivation, beyond a general desire to save humanity. Not only does Stratt wish to save humanity from the Astrophage, but she also hopes to save humans from themselves. Stratt fears human nature and loves humanity equally, and unlike Hatch and the other scientists, she has no confidence that, given a choice, humans will work together. This deeply cynical admission reveals Stratt’s hidden vulnerability and explains why she believes Hail Mary is truly the last hope for humanity.

“I drift off to sleep. It feels wrong to sleep without someone watching.” 

After weeks of working with Rocky, Grace has grown accustomed not just to Rocky’s presence on the ship, but also to the Eridian custom of watching over one another during rest. Grace and Rocky’s relationship has deepened beyond a utilitarian need for each other’s skills and expertise. It is a rare moment of Grace, typically flippant and dismissive, recognizing his true feelings.