Órbita 9 is a Spanish foreign language film starring Spanish
actress Claro Lago.
The film follows the
narrative of a lone astronaut travelling through space after a catastrophe left the earth uninhabitable.
With only the company of an on-board computer, she voyages through the galaxy searching for other living beings.
With only the company of an on-board computer, she voyages through the galaxy searching for other living beings.
However, a rude
awakening is imminent as she uncovers some unsettling secrets concerning the universe around her.
Órbita 9 touches on many themes revolving around the future of
space exploration, advancements in AI technology and the ethics behind large companies
in the space industry
Synopsis
Órbita 9 follows the story of Helena (Clara Lago) who has lived
her whole life in a pod traveling through the universe. She was born in the pod by two scientists who had escaped earth before a space disaster ruined
the planet.
She grows up in the pod having never experienced life on
earth with the knowledge that she could potentially be the last human child to
be born in the universe.
Years pass and the situation in the pod worsens. Largely because of damages the pod takes from space debris as well as the slow depletion of oxygen reserves.
Due to these factors, Helena’s parents make the decision to use the pod’s last escape capsule so their daughter can stand a live chance at reaching a space maintenance station far away in the galaxy.
This leaves her an orphan in the middle of space, traveling to an Ai-ran maintenance station.
Years pass and the situation in the pod worsens. Largely because of damages the pod takes from space debris as well as the slow depletion of oxygen reserves.
Due to these factors, Helena’s parents make the decision to use the pod’s last escape capsule so their daughter can stand a live chance at reaching a space maintenance station far away in the galaxy.
This leaves her an orphan in the middle of space, traveling to an Ai-ran maintenance station.
We next see Helena as a young adult as her pod is nearing
the station. In all of her years of travel, she has stuck to a very strict
regiment. Comprising of scheduled daily workouts, eating and class time paired with psychological tests.
However, while her pod continues on its journey, the pod suffers a serious accident. An accident, which damages the pod’s navigation, communications, Ai and chemical systems.
In an attempt to save herself, she shouts out a mayday signal which is received by another human (a man) at the maintenance station. He jets out to her pod and gets to work on her pod.
However, while her pod continues on its journey, the pod suffers a serious accident. An accident, which damages the pod’s navigation, communications, Ai and chemical systems.
In an attempt to save herself, she shouts out a mayday signal which is received by another human (a man) at the maintenance station. He jets out to her pod and gets to work on her pod.
Having had no human contact since her parents left her, she
has no idea how to react and many questions. The mechanic (named Alex)
docks with her pod, gets to work and attempts to salvage the pod.
However, Alex’s appearance changes everything for Helena. She
begins to doubt parts of the story she has been told by her parents and her Ai companion.
Which leads to some startling revelations being uncovered. What are they you ask? Well, I’m not going to spoil it for you! That’s for you to find out.
Which leads to some startling revelations being uncovered. What are they you ask? Well, I’m not going to spoil it for you! That’s for you to find out.
Important Themes
Órbita 9 can be classified as both a sci-fi and thriller film.
By putting space exploration at the forefront of the film, most of the
real-world themes in this film revolve around current, prospective and future
issues facing the space industry as a whole.
Today, the space industry is dominated by a select few companies.
The largest of them being SpaceX, Boeing, Orbital Sciences, Virgin Galactic,
The Sierra Nevada Corporation and XCOR Space. Each of these companies are worth
billions of dollars and seek to make space tourism a sure thing in the near
future.
A 2015 estimate holds that the space
industry is worth more than $323 billion globally. Said number has almost definitely
increased over the past few years. Leaving many economists to estimate the industry will be worth over $11 trillion come the year 2040.
Seeing the space industry is still in its infancy, it hard
to visualize how far things will go. As well as how fast developments will
happen.
We are already launching ships into space that look like they belong in an expensive sci-fi film. Just watch this launch of a SpaceX ship that happened only days ago (at the time of writing) in Los Angeles.
We are already launching ships into space that look like they belong in an expensive sci-fi film. Just watch this launch of a SpaceX ship that happened only days ago (at the time of writing) in Los Angeles.
The limits
seem to be as endless as the universe itself. No one really knows how far we
can push technologies and our own human limits.
Some dream of futures where space travel will become the norm, while others have even loftier ambitions of making travelling through solar systems their main goal.
Some dream of futures where space travel will become the norm, while others have even loftier ambitions of making travelling through solar systems their main goal.
As space exploration is becoming such more of a reality,
ethics surrounding the practice will soon become a hot issue. With space
exploration comes the need for more astronauts literally devoting their entire lives
to missions.
And with that, a line must be drawn somewhere in the sand to define what is right and wrong; and what companies
should be allowed to do and what is illegal. Which is an important theme explored in Órbita 9 through its main
character, Helena.
Conclusion
Órbita 9 is a film that touches on important themes of space
exploration in the near future. It challenges you to think how far companies
will go to make it a reality and at what cost it may take.
The film goes forward to tell a unique story fit for many a
literary sci-fi fan. So if that is your kind of thing, you’ll enjoy Órbita
9.
Not often do you get to watch a Spanish sci-fi film based in
space. So be sure to leap at the chance to watch it. You know like “that's one small step for a man, one giant
leap for mankind”. Get it, cause it’s in spa... Okay, I’ll go now.
