reality is a social construct.

delicious in dungeon :3c

The whole reason it's such a big deal that she is so supported by the fandom is because she is a strong female character that does not act in a stereotypically feminine manner, and she isn't getting backlash for it. The fandom, rather than calling her a heartless bitch, is being sympathetic and understanding her point of view.

She did do things that most people would consider morally wrong. Moreso in the book than the movie but she did absolutely do wrong.

As one example: paving over the Sahara -and thus disrupting weather patterns and habitats globally- had massive negative consequences.

and that's the point. She's not supposed to be innocent and perfectly morally good. She operates in purely logical manner to give Project Hail Mary it's best Chance at success, which immediately lands her in morally grey territory. The long term survival of Earth was the number one priority at all times. Minimizing risk where possible is always ideal to ensure humanity had the best chances down the line, but she was willing to do what needed to be done.

If she let ethics and morality dictate her choices Earth would have died.

If you take nothing else away from this rambling I want that much to be remembered.

This doesn't mean she doesn't feel remorse. She does, the movie and the book convey it differently but they do both show it. She just manages to push it aside until after all is said and done.

I also feel like I have to specify that remorse and regret are different. She does not regret sending Grace on the mission against his will, she does not regret nuking Antarctica, she doesn't regret paving over The Sahara, she does not regret any of the hard calls she made as they are the reason there is still a planet to be saved by the time the Taumoeba reaches it. She would do it all again in a heartbeat. But she does absolutely feel remorse over the way certain things ended up having to play out.