MovieChat Forums > Moon (2009) Discussion > Why was the rescue team coming at the en...

Why was the rescue team coming at the end?

posted 8 years ago by the_only_gendo
11 replies | jump to latest

If the whole point of using clones was to not have to send a new astronaut every 3 years, why were they sending another mission to the moon? I read something here about it being just to clean up the crash site and hide the body. This makes sense, but then what was the reason that they were telling Sam that they were coming? In other words, what did they tell Sam 7 when they got there about why they were there?

One other thing, what about all the other times that they were not sending a ship? Near the end of Sam 1, 2, 3, and 4's time there, there was no ship on the way. So how did those Sams thing they were going home? I know that they got into the cryo-tube, expecting to wake up at home. But was there a fake message about a ship being on its way during those times, and then during the end of Sam 5's time, it just happened to be a real ship instead?

[–] DethstruXioN 8 years ago

If the whole point of using clones was to not have to send a new astronaut every 3 years, why were they sending another mission to the moon?

Because this was an unprecedented situation, the other clones successfully completed their 3 years and got incinerated, but this time there was a prematurely awakened Sam on the base.
The Eliza crew comes in with guns, most likely to dispose of Sam, because if he finds out too much, he could jeopardize the whole operation, or obstruct the mission, they cant afford that, but they can afford to send a team for one time to reset the base and start with a new Sam clone.

Gerty seemed to be able to clean up too, because he wiped away all the smilies that Sam drew on the toilet wall, he can also refill the meals and repair a gas leak that Sam created, so i assume that Gerty usually cleans up the place alone himself.

what was the reason that they were telling Sam that they were coming? In other words, what did they tell Sam 7 when they got there about why they were there?

Lunar told Sam to sit tight and listen to whatever the Eliza team tells him to do, they showed a message on a screen that said something like "cooperate with the Eliza rescue unit, do not worry or question them, they are there to help you".
Which is a lie of course, since the first thing we see entering the base is the barrel of a gun, they probably expected Sam to be up and running as he should have, but they dont know that the Sam's woke up another clone instead, who is still asleep in the infirmary, so they probably will not kill that Sam, depending on how long they stick around and if they noticed that the live feed was working again.

Sam did not appreciate being treated like a child, which caused him to think up of a plan and escape.

was there a fake message about a ship being on its way during those times, and then during the end of Sam 5's time, it just happened to be a real ship instead?

That is correct, because the "cryo-tube" is in fact an incinerator, and it cremates the Sam's as soon as the recorded video message ends, which is that bright flash.
So it never mattered if there actually was a ship on its way or not, because Sam was already turned to dust.

I skip reading the bottom line, because it is usually some lame signature.

[–] the_only_gendo 8 years ago

Thanks. See I had thought that the team was only going to kill Sam if they found multiple Sams there together. So if Sam 6 had never gone out and found Sam 5, then the team wouldn't have harmed Sam 6 anyway; and I was confused as to what they would tell him. But you're saying that had Sam 6 never ventured out and found Sam 5, then Eliza would have killed Sam 6 upon arrival. I guess this makes sense.

[–] DethstruXioN 8 years ago

Well yeah, what you say could be true, had it not been that the crew came in with guns.
If Sam knew that the ship was coming and he had never met his clone or went out, then they could have spared Sam-6, but they came in with guns.

That in itself should not be a good sign, because Sam would have had no idea why they even packed guns, he might still not have liked being treated like a child, but he probably wouldnt be throwing a gun-worthy tantrum.

But i think if the crew found the new clone who is probably asleep or barely to his senses, they probably do spare that one, because he is more of a clean slate.

It still depends on Lunar and the crew, because Sam is disposable, i think they would rather waste a clone than revealing their secrets.

But we dont know how it really ended up there.
Because the radio lines we hear at the end are about the Sam that escaped to Earth.
But who knows, maybe the radio we hear is actually what the new Sam clone can hear in the base, using the new live feed.

I skip reading the bottom line, because it is usually some lame signature.

[–] phantom2-2 8 years ago

the eliza team is almost certainly going to kill any and all awake sams on sight and do their business fixing broken vehicles and then leave. gerty will clean up the mess, thaw out a new clone and restart the cycle of business as usual, as if nothing had every happened.

they may burn one clone more than they need to, but it's just simpler that way.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

".. gerty will clean up the mess, thaw out a new clone and restart the cycle of business as usual, as if nothing had every happened."

And how will the corporation explain the malfunction, or what happened?

It wasn't just an accident, Gerty messed up. Can they really afford to just trust Gerty to continue as if nothing happened?

They would most likely also 'fix' Gerty, or install an update to Gerty, or reprogram or replace something, etc. They surely wouldn't leave Gerty to just do its thing, without thorough investigation of what happened, and to try to fix the root problem.

[–] yurenchu 8 years ago

If the whole point of using clones was to not have to send a new astronaut every 3 years, why were they sending another mission to the moon?

Because there were two crashed Harvesters, one crashed Rover, and a presumably dead clone (Sam-5) in said Rover; and someone had to clean up that mess, or the next Sam-clone couldn't do his work correctly without discovering about the clones scheme. (Corporate managers and Eliza Team weren't aware that they were already a bit late for that, though, as Sam-6 had managed to retrieve Sam-5 and save him on his own.)

These problems weren't there with the previous four clones.

I read something here about it being just to clean up the crash site and hide the body.

Bingo.

This makes sense, but then what was the reason that they were telling Sam that they were coming?

Because they needed him to be cooperative. They couldn't just barge in and surprise/scare him, he might react erratically, in panic, or do something unexpected, which might mean harm to the Eliza Team or the company equipment/Moonbase.

In other words, what did they tell Sam 7 when they got there about why they were there?

Whatever they needed to get the situation at the "production plant" (because that was what it essentially was) back to "normal" again.

One other thing, what about all the other times that they were not sending a ship? Near the end of Sam 1, 2, 3, and 4's time there, there was no ship on the way.

The ship with the Eliza Team wasn't sent to make Sam-5 think that he would go home. The Eliza Team was sent to repair stuff that needed repairing or "maintenance". As far as Eliza Team and corporate managers knew, Sam-5 was dead in a crashed Rover. The Eliza Team wasn't sent until after GERTY had reported to HQ that Sam-5 had crashed in the Rover.

So how did those Sams thing they were going home? I know that they got into the cryo-tube, expecting to wake up at home. But was there a fake message about a ship being on its way during those times, and then during the end of Sam 5's time, it just happened to be a real ship instead?

The fake pod was supposedly an independent return pod. I don't know about any fake message about a ship being on its way; why would there be such a fake message?

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Joe Satriani - "Always With Me, Always With You"
http://youtu.be/VI57QHL6ge0

[–] mrjbaptist 8 years ago

The return to earth wass probably sold to the various Sams as usingt he lunar catapult that was used to deliver the H3 to Earth.

A message that the replacement operator was on his way might have been sent. They would have to have a way of making sure that the current operator didn't hold out for his relief to show up before "leaving".

[–] shubhangiojha-44500 7 years ago

This is how the movie goes...

1. Original sam was sent with all the hidden clones to the moon. So that they can save money in sending replacements.
2. After the original sam completed 3 years, he got incinerated in the fake return pod.
3. A new clone was woken up with the memory implant of original sam and he is told by gerty that there was an accident.
4. He will also come to know that live feed is disabled due to some solar flare. So he wouldn't be able to communicate with earth live and will only be motivated to work for next three years on the video messages which were received by the original sam.
5. This cycle went on for 5 sams. But the 5th sam due to some hallucinations crashes.
6. The new clone 6th sam, is locked up and eliza rescue team is being sent to clean after 5th sam and then the regular thing would go on.
7. But due to the headstrongness of 6th sam and programming error in gerty he's successful in finding a loophole and revealing the truth.

[–] yurenchu 7 years ago

2. After the original sam completed 3 years, he got incinerated in the fake return pod.

No, Original-Sam wasn't incinerated. After completing his 3 years, he went on to live this cozy life on Earth with his wife Tess and his daughter Eve. We can hear his voice in the background when Sam-5 is having this videophone call with Eve.

Eve Bell: "Dad! Someone on the phone is asking about Mom."
Original-Sam: "Who is asking about Mom?"
Sam-5 immediately breaks off the videophone call when he recognizes the voice as his own.

But except for that and a few other minor details, I agree with your outline.

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[–] shubhangiojha-44500 7 years ago

yeah, I was also considering that possibility..but then if he came back then how the company convinced the earth beings about the energy they are producing without the presence of an astronaut on the moon? Might be they told that whole system has been made automated...in that case, your explanation is right.

[–] yurenchu 7 years ago

It's not just a possibility, it's a fact in the movie that Original-Sam was still alive.

And why would the company need to convince the "earth beings" about anything? How many "earth beings" would actually care about the precise details of the mining operation, as long as they can enjoy the benefits of the energy that the company provides? Do you care about being aware of the precise details of how manufacturers obtain the resources for the clothes that you wear or the chocolate that you eat? Are people like you and me aware of which mine workers mined the Earth for the precious metals that are used in our smartphones and computers, or whether it's robots or people who assemble those devices? Is the average person in the street aware of which people are responsible for maintenance operations on the satellites that enable our daily phone and internet traffic, or which astronauts are currently manning the International Space Station?

The company in the movie could merely state in their annual reports that they are employing a workforce of X people (let's say: 100 people) who are "directly" involved with the mining operations; and that's all the information the public gets. Those X people would for example include employees such as the Eliza team, and plant workers who process the material that Sam sends to Earth, but I don't see why the company would see a need to specify such things in detail to the public.

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