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Science Fiction Critique - Arrival

I have recently come to the realization that Science Fiction is, in my own opinion, the most
insightful and philosophical of the popular culture genres. Literature, film, music, and visual art
that can be categorized as Science Fiction, allow us to look at ideas and situations that are
beyond our reality, but with the mindset of “what if?” Whether or not we may believe that these
ideas and stories are possible, science fiction broadens our thinking, and often requires that we
ask ourselves questions such as “What would I do if this was my reality?”

The 2016 film Arrival, directed by Denis Villeneuve and based on the short story by Ted Chiang,
is a perfect example of the diversity of the Science Fiction genre. While the films philosophical
attributes are the core foundation of the movie, there are a number of occurrences and objects
that can be examined from a scientific point of view

Arrival is a story that, like many other popular Science Fiction Films, is based on the sudden
appearance of extra-terrestrial beings on earth. The plot follows a linguist named Louise Banks
as she aides the US governments attempts to decipher the written and verbal language of these
alien creatures, all in an effort to understand the reason for their arrival. Throughout the film,
Louise communicates with, and even directly encounters these being which come to be known as
“Heptapods.”

The Heptapods arrived in vessels that appeared in twelve locations on earth. The appearance of
these ships resembles large stones balancing vertically on a tapered end, and are, by observation,
not affected by gravity. This conclusion is made due to the fact that the objects are top-heavy
without falling over, and hover above the ground. The laws of physics state that there must be an
outside force of energy that is keeping the object from falling to earth, possibly magnetic forces
or energy emitted by burning a fuel source. By the time Louise arrives at the site, scientist have
already determined that there is no detectible emission or measurable energy that is giving the
ship the ability to hover as it is.

It is mentioned that the vessel is likely made from a material that not only cannot be found on
earth, but also has not been previously known to exist. While the vastness of the universe means
the possibility of unknown elements is undeniable, our understanding of the way know elements
decay raises the question of how stable these materials would be. Modern scientists have created
a number of elements that cannot be found naturally on earth, and the periodic table contains
atomic numbers up to 118, which is held by the element Oganesson. The heavier an element
becomes, meaning the higher it’s atomic number, the greater the rate of radioactive decay, so
elements beyond what we have discovered would likely dissipate and extremely fast rates. For
the ships to be made from a material heavier than those that are known to us, it would,
theoretically need to be created in an environment that prevented radioactive decay, and
stabilized in some way so that it could make its journey to earth. (How Many More Chemical…,
2016)

On the other hand, if the matter that makes up the ship is not responsible for its lack of response
to gravity, then there would likely be a fuel source creating energy. Being that it is not
detectable, it would be a logical assumption that this could be an unknown element as well.
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Upon entering the ship to make contact with the Heptapods, the characters realize that while
inside the vessel, they are not affected by gravity in the usual sense either. They initially enter a
large shaft that appears to be running vertically up the center of the ship. They quickly hover
over the scissor lift that was their initial means of transport, and eventually are drawn up by some
force, with no help from the machine. Once they reach the top, where the Heptapods wait in an
unknown cloud of gas, the force shifts so that one of the sides of the shaft becomes the relative
ground. This entire process leads to the conclusion that there is some force of artificial gravity,
however the only known way we can currently produce this is through centrifugal force, which
would require the vessel to spin rapidly. Since the effect of this source shifts throughout the
journey in a way that could not be controlled in a spinning object, this is not likely what these
fictional aliens would use to achieve the effect.

While the vessels are a great example of the physical mysteries that the aliens bring, much of the
movie fixates on the subject of time, specifically how it is perceived. Louise eventually comes to
understand that, unlike the languages used by humans, the Heptapod writing is not laid out in a
linear fashion. There is no beginning or end, and all of the information is presented and
interpreted at the same time. As she learns to interpret the language, the way time is perceived
also begins to change.

Louise begins to see her life play out in a non-linear fashion. At first, she is aware of small
moments with a child who appears to be her own, yet she has never given birth. The more she
learns of the Heptapods, the more she is aware of her future. Eventually she uses information she
knows of what is to come in order to prevent the Chinese government from destroying the ship
that has landed in their country. An existing theory known as the Sapir Wharf Hypothesis states
that language can affect the way people think and perceive their environment, but the questions
begs to be asked, how can the future be perceived if it has not happened yet? (The Science of
Arrival… 2016)

This question brings Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity into play. According to this well-
known theory, time does not progress as we assume it does. There is no beginning or end, or
progression of any kind. All time essentially just exists, and our perspective of past, present, and
future is a completely subjective way of thinking. This idea, combined with the Sapir Wharf
hypothesis, means that Louise’s newfound non-linear perspective of time is not only fantastical
plot device, but a concept that is based on real scientific theory. (To Understand Your Past…,
2016)

The attributes of the vessel and the way the story handles the perception of time are all figments
of a fictional world, however they can be eye-opening to study and analyze. While it may not
currently be a believable reality, the science behind these ideas can help us theorize whether they
may be possible.
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Works Cited
Ball, Philip. “Earth - How Many More Chemical Elements Are There for Us to Find?” BBC
News, BBC, 15 Jan. 2016, www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160115-how-many-more-
chemical-elements-are-there-for-us-to-find.

O'Callaghan, Jonathan. “The Science of Arrival: What the Film Got Right (and
Wrong).” WIRED, WIRED UK, 12 Nov. 2016, www.wired.co.uk/article/arrival-science-
fact-fiction.

Wharton, Ken, and Huw Price. “To Understand Your Past, Look to Your Future - Issue 36:
Aging.” Nautilus, 19 May 2016, nautil.us/issue/36/aging/to-understand-your-past-look-to-
your-future.