PROJECT HAIL MARY (2026) SENTENCE STARTERS
β Yeah, where, um, are the living people? β
β Well, jokeβs on them because I donβt even care. β
β Youβre running away because youβre scared. β
β I ride a bike to work, and itβs not for exercise. β
β The sunβs really dying, isnβt it? β
β Itβs almost like you donβt care if I die. β
β The consensus here is that it would be preferable if you did not die. β
β Youβre not gonna believe this. Nothing happened. β
β Just, uh, realizing I was wrong about the only original idea I ever had. β
β Thank you for your help. Iβm glad you didnβt die. β
β I need people who think theyβre right when everyone else thinks theyβre wrong. β
β The world is counting on you. β
β Been a long time since Iβve taken a pill from a stranger without knowing what it was. β
β So you wanna build a near-light speed spaceship, have it travel further than any human-made object has ever traveled, and visit a star just to βsee whatβs upβ? β
β And the astronauts die in space? β
β There are infinite possibilities for this to go wrong. It almost certainly wonβt work. β
β The alternative is to just do nothing and to starve and to kill each other and watch everything on this planet go extinct, including us. β
β Thatβs a long time to be in space. β
β Nothing about this is safe. β
β I must have known you, but I just donβt remember. β
β First, I owe you three bags of vodka. β
β You deserve much more than this. β
β Iβll do my best. β
β It could be a message. It could be a bomb. β
β Well, I guess thereβs egg on both our faces, huh? β
β Iβm wrong about everything and everythingβs wrong. β
β Youβre a long way from home. Iβm a long way from home too. β
β I like what youβve done with the gravity. β
β Thank you for what I hope is not handcuffs. β
β Weβre here for the same reason. β
β If weβre gonna save our planets, we have to learn how to communicate. β
β You know, they say math is the universal language. β
β Jazz hands means βgoodβ? β
β Iβm sorry Iβm talking so much. Itβs just, I havenβt been around anyone in a long time. β
β So, I met an alien. β
β I like to keep a wall up in my relationships anyways. β
β Heβs kinda growing on me. At least heβs not growing in me, you know? Which was a concern for a little while. β
β So maybe we can help each other. β
β βFist my bumpβ? No. Itβs fist bump. β
β Hey, look, Iβm seeing so many sides of you lately, and itβs great. Right now Iβm seeing the underside of you. β
β So, we watch each other sleep. β
β Someone has to keep you safe. β
β I donβt have the bravery gene that you all have. β
β You just need to find someone to be brave for. β
β Dirty, dirty, dirty. Why room so messy, question? β
β Well, I wasnβt expecting company, was I? β
β That is the disco ball. That makes me happy. β
β We canβt just show up in a space ball unannounced and move into someone elseβs spaceship. Right? β
β There has to be boundaries. β
β So I have a new roommate now. β
β He tells me what to do, he tells me why to do it, he tells me how to do it, he tells me when to do it. And then when I do it, heβs like, βWhat are you doing?β β
β Grumpy, angry, stupid. How long since last sleep, question? β
β Personal space is at a premium. β
β Thereβs no way you can hear me right now. β
β Too fast. Do puppet show. β
β Thereβs no harm in pretending for a little while. β
β What do you miss most about home? β
β Youβre very mysterious. β
β Camaraderie helps them do their job, you know. Not so much me. β
β You think youβre gonna pull it off? β
β If ship not at precise angle and speed, we die! β
β This is a one-way ticket for me, pal. β
β Yeah, once weβre done, Iβm β¦ Iβm gonna die. β
β Iβve made peace with it. β
β I didnβt mean any of that. Thatβs just something you say. β
β How do you know when the hug is done? β
β They have a great teacher. β
β Can you take a compliment please? β
β Oh, humor. Confusing. β
β Words of encouragement. β
β I donβt think there is gonna be a later. β
β I have an idea. First, no crash. Then, not explode. Deal? β
β Iβm not an astronaut! I put the βnotβ in astronaut. β
β Iβm not heroic in any way. β
β Youβre smart. Youβll figure it out. β
β This might be very hard for you to understand, but some people are failures. Some people donβt rise to the challenge. β
β Youβre missing out on an important part of the mission, which is the suicide part. β
β So, just so Iβm clear, youβre asking me right now to give up my life. β
β Iβll watch you sleep, pal. But, uh you gotta wake up. β
β No pressure, but we did make a deal. β
β Is special clothing for celebration. β
β I understand that you think Iβm the right person for this mission. But I canβt do it. β
β Iβm sorry, but you just canβt talk me into it. β
β Iβm not trying to talk you into anything. I am trying to make you understand what Iβm about to do next. β
β You will be remembered as a hero. β
β This may seem like me betraying you, but itβs actually me believing in you. β
β Sure feels like youβre betraying me. β
β You know who you are. Youβre gonna do great. β
β You are very brave. β
β At least I never have to hear you say, βI told you so.β Even though you were right. β
