Project Hail Mary Part I (REPOST)

About this episode

The episode revisits a discussion on Andy Weir's 'Project Hail Mary', exploring its themes of friendship and emotional depth within a science fiction context.

We go all the way back to episode 17, in honor of the release of the major motion picture, starring Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace. Our part 1 was originally titled Bromancing the Stone Carapace, perhaps the single greatest podcast title in history. Many many many many writers take on “hard” science fiction, and get lost in the science, leaving behind such niceties as plot, character development, human insight, or deep emotional stakes. Somehow, Andy Weir imagines a thrilling and scientifically plausible adventure, that’s really just about friendship in space. Amidst the ammonia, burritos, and penis blood, sits a tale that brings both Dukes and Bagg to occasional tears. So much so that Bagg wonders if this is the “perfect novel” for our time.

People in this episode

Host: Upper Middlebrow

Topics covered

• science fiction
• friendship
• emotional stakes
• character development
• plot

Keywords

• Project Hail Mary
• Andy Weir
• science fiction
• friendship
• emotional stakes
• Bromancing the Stone Carapace

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Project Hail Mary, Bromancing the Stone Carapace

More episodes of Upper Middlebrow

• Episode 101: ‘What Thrums Below,’ or Herman Melville’s Billy Budd · May 18, 2026 · 59 min
• Episode 100: “Dutiful Dreams,” or Project Hail Mary 2026 Film · May 4, 2026 · 54 min
• Episode 99: More Robot Friends!: Isaac Asimov’s ‘Robot Visions’ Part 1 with Justin Reich. · December 1, 2025 · 54 min
• Episode 98: ‘Minor League Stew,’ or John Feinstein’s Where Nobody Knows Your Name, Part II · November 17, 2025 · 52 min
• Episode 97: “Baseball’s Ballast,” or John Feinstein’s Where Nobody Knows Your Name: Life in The Minor Leagues of Baseball · November 4, 2025 · 59 min
• Episode 96: “The Clustercus,” or David Halberstam’s The Amateurs, Part II · October 23, 2025 · 1h 22m