While Ryland Grace and Rocky have the spotlight for most of Project Hail Mary, there's another character in the book-to-screen adaptation that fascinates me. Admittedly, I came to appreciate the complexity of Eva Stratt through rereads of Andy Weir's novel, but learning this bit of information about the character from the movie has me wishing for a spinoff -- either a film or a TV show -- that would focus on Sandra Hüller's character.
There's no way to talk about this without getting into major spoilers from Project Hail Mary (the film and the book). If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, I strongly suggest doing so, or consider yourself warned!
Eva Stratt's Role In Project Hail Mary
Stratt is at the center of the early part of Project Hail Mary, as she's the person coordinating the global effort to figure out how to save the sun from the star-devouring astrophage. It's made very clear in the book and fairly clear in the movie that she has carte blanche to make sure whoever is saving the world has whatever they need to do it -- and in the case of Ryland's fate, as we learn throughout the story, to make sure that the world has whoever it needs to save it. I'm not sure that the words "by any means necessary" are used by Eva Stratt, but that does seem to be her mindset as she moves from decision to decision without flinching.
Article continues belowStratt's Tattoo
At the end of Project Hail Mary (the film), we get a glimpse of an older-looking Eva Stratt on a boat somewhere cold. She's watching a video Ryland Grace sent her, introducing her to Rocky and giving her an Eridian farewell, along with instructions and everything else humanity needs to kill the astrophage that's eating the sun. She takes a moment to appreciate Grace's parting gifts, and then quickly gets to work. But apparently this scene tells a bit more about the character.
Based on what directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller told Slashfilm, Eva's tattoo is a subtle hint of what's been going on with her in the years since the Hail Mary left Earth. As Miller put it:
So in the final little scene that we added back on Earth, where she's getting the message that Grace sent her, she has a little tattoo that has a V with a line through it — meaning V as in life and then the line meaning without parole. So Andy thought that she had gone to prison without parole, but then had broken out of prison from her connections, and then was sort of on the lam trying to still trying to save the world.
Why was Stratt imprisoned? Lord's explanation there is that people on earth weren't cooperating, and at some point, the governments turned on Stratt and "dragged her before a criminal court," which resulted in her being sentenced to life in prison. So, the Stratt we're seeing at the end of the movie is a woman who's since escaped and is still trying to save the world. As alarming as that may sound, book-readers may remember that this was pretty much the outcome Stratt predicted aloud when talking to Grace.
In Weir's novel, she explains that her authority ends once the Hail Mary leaves Earth. When Grace questions whether or not she's concerned about that, she says:
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.
I need to see more from this character.
The Project Hail Mary Spinoff Movie Or TV Show I Want To See
I've written previously about how Stratt's final scene in the movie was not in the book. Because we're in Ryland Grace's POV in the novel, we don't get to see the beetles delivering his findings or Stratt's reaction to Ryland and Rocky. The movie gifts us that snippet as part of the conclusion, but there's so much the film doesn't reveal. Taking into account the film's evident acknowledgement that Stratt's been through it on earth, I really want to know and see more!
This is all just my wishful thinking at this point, but here are a few things I'd love to see a spinoff focus on, starting with Stratt's story.
Stratt's Story (And The Strattoo Origin Tale)
Let's start with what Lord and Miller say about Eva's tattoo -- the Strattoo, as I'm unashamedly calling it. I would love to see some or all of what she went through after the Hail Mary left Earth. From the sound of it, she was made to answer for the decisions she made to get the Hail Mary off the ground. Keeping in mind that it would be years before they even knew if anyone survived the trip, let alone found a solution to the problem, it'd be interesting to see the fallout on Stratt's end (especially considering we know that she would eventually be vindicated). I'd love to see how she gets broken out of prison and what she's been up to in the time since.
What's Going On Around Earth
We know things are going to go from bad to worse on Earth as the sun's light continues to dim. In addition to seeing what Stratt is dealing with, I think it would also make sense for part of the story to focus on the state of earth over the years. I realize we've seen plenty of apocalyptic stories in film and television, some better than others, but in the case of a Project Hail Mary spinoff, there's an actual light at the end of this tunnel. We know Grace's findings will make it back to Earth eventually, but over the course of years since he left, the people on Earth don't. A spinoff could show us the effects of Earth cooling and how humanity deals with it while desperately hoping something comes back from the Hail Mary.
Advancements In Astrophage
Once the Hail Mary leaves Earth, our understanding of Astrophage is limited to Grace's understanding of it. While he is able to figure out quite a few things, including discovering a Tau Cetian predator that can be used to destroy it en masse, we have no idea what the scientists on Earth have uncovered about the star-eating life-form. We know it can be used for energy, and there's undoubtedly potential there. If it's truly a sci-fi spinoff, I would love to see more of the science from the story explored. It would be interesting to see the use (or misuse) of astrophage as scientists and other organizations continue to study it, and what kind of impact that has on any number of things.
Like I said, this could all be wishful thinking, as there are no plans that we know of for any kind of PHM spinoff as of this writing, but I needed to put it out there. I want more Stratt! And the more I think about her side of the story, the more potential I can see in a spinoff. I loved Ryland Grace's story, and I'd love to see a sequel that brings him and Rocky together on page or screen again (and learn more about Eridians and their technology), but a spinoff focused on Stratt and humanity's efforts to survive a cooling planet could be amazing, and provide layers of new context to Stratt's final scene in the movie.
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