He was ostracized from his academic field and his girlfriend left him because he’s not “realistic” because he is tenacious enough to stick to his idea at great personal cost but he does not want to die. They tell him he has no family, not even a dog, implying he doesn’t have much to live for anyway, but that means he doesn’t have much to die for, either. When you’ve accomplished a lot, like being an astronaut, and have people you love maybe you can feel like you’ve had a good enough life and the sacrifice might feel more worthy but Dr. Ryland Grace doesn’t have that. He does seem to like teaching middle school but he’s not so fulfilled because after all it was something he resorted to after losing his career. The government, all of them, drug him and put him in that spaceship anyway and when he wakes up he is the only one left alive.
The Eridians fully planned for the crew to return alive. Rocky has a mate of 186+ years back home and is the only hope the planet has left. They already had the sample and Rocky theoretically could have manipulated the spacecraft enough to get back without Grace at a much lower risk. Yet Rocky chooses to risk it all to drag Grace to the medicine bot. At least the suicide mission crew had heroin to go out painlessly when they’re done; Rocky made every step with searing pain throughout the entire body.
Grace is a bit aloof, he even said himself that he likes having walls up. But making a connection is rude.
I put myself in a ball so I can come to you and I’m moving in. Damn bitch you live like this. Build my room. I can echolocate through the walls and hear every under the breath whisper. We are going to figure out Astrophage and then go home. No fuel for go home? You are going home, statement. I’ll just go home more slowly.
Of course he chose Rocky over Earth, because home is where he’s not alone.
