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Interstellar · 2014 — Chapter 6 of 13 · 2'53" · B2

The Cost of Time, Explained: pull it off

Miller's planet orbits so close to the black hole that every hour there costs seven years on Earth. They argue about whether that is worth it: someone says they have to "think of time as a resource," while another warns, "Plan A does not work if the people on Earth are dead by the time we pull it off."

What happens

On the Endurance, the crew go over the data from the lost signals. Miller's beacon is still pinging "thumbs up," but Edmunds' went dark. The real problem is time: Miller's planet is so near the black hole that an hour there equals seven years on Earth. Cooper argues they can't ignore the people they left behind, and the team works out a wider orbit that saves time.

MeetingsPersuasionExplainingPersuadingCoworkersB2fastamericanClean
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went darkpull it offthumbs upthink bigger

00:00 / 02:53
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Phrase of the scene

pull it off

to succeed at something difficult

库珀指出，就算计划A最终成功，如果地球上的人已经死光，那也是白费。

Nobody thought they could pull it off, but the launch worked.

Also in this scene

  • went dark

    to stop transmitting or operating

  • thumbs up

    a signal that everything is fine

  • think bigger

    to widen your perspective

Everything marked in this scene

21 notes across 56 lines

Phrase · B2come throughSo the lost communications came through.
Phrase · B2no real surprisesSo years of basic data. No real surprises.
Phrase · B2thumbs up

a signal that everything is fine

Miller's site has kept pinging thumbs up, as has Dr. Mann's. Um...
Soundkept pinging

elision

Miller's site has kept pinging thumbs up, as has Dr. Mann's. Um...
Phrase · C1go dark

to stop transmitting or operating

Maybe. He was sending the thumbs up right until it went dark.
Phrase · B2with one complicationWith one complication.
Phrase · B2closer than we thoughtThe planet is much closer to Gargantua than we thought.
Phrase · B2dangerously closeLanding there takes us dangerously close.
Phrase · B2swing around somethingLook, I could swing around that neutron star to decelerate.
Phrase · B2compared to somethingThe gravity on that planet will slow our clock compared to Earth's drastically.
Soundcompared to Earth's

weak form

The gravity on that planet will slow our clock compared to Earth's drastically.
Slang · B1folksWell, that's relativity, folks.
Phrase · B2think bigger

to widen your perspective

You can't just think about your family. Now you have to think bigger.
Phrase · C1pull something off

to succeed at something difficult

Plan A does not work if the people on Earth are dead by the time we pull it off.
Grammar · B2by the time we pull it off

by the time clause

Plan A does not work if the people on Earth are dead by the time we pull it off.
Phrase · B2think of something as somethingWe need to think of time as a resource, like oxygen and food. Going down will cost us.
Phrase · C1you don't find that every day- You don't find that every day. - No, you don't.
Phrase · B2how far off...how far off from Miller's planet do we have to be to stay out of the time shift?
Grammar · C1which would conserve fuel

non-restrictive which-clause

...which would conserve fuel, but we would lose a lot of time...
Soundwhat if we

liaison

...what if we take a wider orbit around Gargantua, parallel with Miller's planet...
Phrase · B1a whole lot of somethingWe lose a little fuel, but we save a whole lot of time.

The Cost of Time, explained

What's really going on

This is a scene about arithmetic, not adventure. The scare isn't the black hole; it's the price of a single visit. Someone spells it out - an hour on the surface, "seven years back on Earth" - and the room has to treat time like a finite supply. That is the argument behind the line "We need to think of time as a resource, like oxygen and food." Cooper pushes back against a colleague who tells him to "think bigger," insisting that a plan which saves humanity after everyone has starved is no plan at all. The resolution is quietly practical: a wider orbit, a little more fuel, a lot less lost time. The film keeps its stakes human - not whether the physics works, but whether the people left behind are still alive when you return.

Theme

DutyThe crew weigh a family on Earth against a mission meant to save everyone.
SurvivalTime itself becomes a resource they must ration to keep humanity alive.

What you'll learn

  • “Stay” is both a command and a plea.
  • Cooper explains science to soften goodbye.
  • Motive matters as much as action.

Listen for

  • kept pinging — elision
  • compared to Earth's — weak form
  • what if we — liaison
No, it's not that. It's time.

The obstacle isn't the physics of landing but the years it would cost.

Plan A does not work if the people on Earth are dead by the time we pull it off.

Success is meaningless if everyone it's meant to save has already died while they wait.

We need to think of time as a resource, like oxygen and food. Going down will cost us.

A framing that treats time as a consumable supply, so any trip carries a price.

You can't just think about your family. Now you have to think bigger.

A rebuke to self-interest, urging the group to weigh all of humanity instead.

Questions about this scene

Why is Miller's planet so dangerous?

It orbits extremely close to the black hole Gargantua, so its gravity drastically slows their clock. Every hour they spend on the surface equals seven years back on Earth.

What does "pull it off" mean here?

It means to succeed in completing something difficult. The warning is that Plan A only works if people on Earth are still alive when the crew finally manage to carry it out.

What do they decide to do about Miller's planet?

Instead of parking the Endurance in orbit, they take a wider path around Gargantua that keeps them out of the time shift. They burn a bit more fuel but lose far less time.

Why does Cooper care about the people on Earth?

He argues the mission exists to save the people still living on Earth, including his own family, so a plan that reaches them too late has failed them.

Interstellar · 13 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 7the stuff of lifeEscaping the Wave on Miller's Planet
Chapter 1follow in my footstepsThe Ghost in Murph's BookshelfChapter 2the best-kept secret in the worldCooper Stumbles Into Secret NASAChapter 3the ghost of your children's futureCooper Says Goodbye to MurphChapter 4Ninety percent it isCooper Leaves Earth with TARSChapter 5wasting your breathChoosing the Next Home for HumanityWatching · Chapter 6pull it offThe Cost of TimeChapter 7the stuff of lifeEscaping the Wave on Miller's PlanetChapter 8let goCooper Watches Years of MessagesChapter 9raise someone from the deadWaking Dr. Mann on a Frozen WorldChapter 10sorry for your lossThe Plan A Lie Is RevealedChapter 11one last crack atCooper Chooses Home Over the MissionChapter 12resist the temptationCooper Confronts Mann's LieChapter 13home sweet homeCooper Wakes on Cooper Station
Chapter 6 of 13 · about 30 min to go