7

Maybe it isn't meant to be known. At the end of Interstellar we see a colony off Saturn. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, it appears at least some of the population of Earth was able to be saved.

Also not explained explicitly in the movie, "The Gravity Problem" seemed to have been solved.

Is there any discourse that explains what Murph figured out to be able to get to what we see in the end? (colony off Saturn)

Improve this question
2

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
7

Not explicitely, but it is implied that Cooper's diving into the black hole with the ship enables him to gather the missing data needed for "the equation" to be completed. Script:

DR MANN: Amelia, your father solved his equation before I even left.
BRAND: Then why wouldn’t he use it?!
DR MANN: The equation couldn’t reconcile relativity with quantum mechanics. You need more -
COOPER: More what?!
DR MANN: More data. You need to see inside a black hole. And the laws of nature prohibit a naked singularity.
COOPER (to Romilly): Is that true?
ROMILLY: If a black hole is an oyster, the singularity is the pearl inside. Its gravity is so strong, it’s always hidden in darkness, behind the horizon. That’s why we call it a black hole.
COOPER: If we could look beyond the horizon

And then,in the end, all we get is this hint:

MURPH: People didn’t believe me, they thought I’d done it all myself ... (Taps watch.)

Where "it" is "solving the gravity problem" or "saving Earth". After all, it's just a macguffin for all we are concerned. More details on how the communication is achieved are already in this excellent answer, so I won't repeat them here.

Improve this answer
5
  • That is an excellent answer, but really only explains how Coop communicated with Murph from inside the Tesseract.
    – Jason P Sallinger
    Oct 13 at 14:07
  • 2
    Yes; I only focus here on your specific question, as to whether the nature/workings of that "quantum data" are fleshed out in more detail. And the answer to that question is: no. I just fleshed it out with some references to show where this "no" occurs.
    – ojdo
    Oct 13 at 14:10
  • 1
    @JasonPSallinger I now clarified as to what the linked answer elaborates upon, and how it does (not) directly relate to your question. I hope that makes this answer more self-contained.
    – ojdo
    Oct 13 at 15:48
  • You may want to frame the hyperlink to the screenplay better. As put, the clicker expects he will be brought to the content explaining the quote. You might want to explain the link is to the entire screenplay.
    – Jason P Sallinger
    Oct 13 at 16:31
  • 1
    I'm going to slightly counter the notion that this is a macguffin, because the "gravity problem" is rooted in the core premise of the narrative: how to leave the planet in an energy-efficient enough way that maximizes everyone being able to leave the planet in time. This is a very complex operation in terms of everything you need to bring along in order for everyone to leave the planet, survive in space, and get to the new destination (or stay living in space forever). The movie handwaves explaining the specific logistical challenges but it's more than just a macguffin.
    – Flater
    Oct 17 at 3:32

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .