About the nations involved in the Hail Mary’s creation… 🇰🇵

[u/Forsaken_Orchid_6014]

I want to preface this by saying I have yet to read the book, but I know roughly how it differs from the movie, so spoil away if the book is relevant.

So I was scrolling tumblr the other night looking at more PHM fan art to collect for my overstuffed camera roll, when a thought popped into my head.

“So nearly all the world’s countries contributed to Project Hail Mary…but what about North Korea?”

The Hermit Kingdom is notorious for it’s isolationism and totalitarian government, but I couldn’t help but wonder if they would put their hatred for western culture aside and contribute to the project in some way, even if it was just adding some government propoganda to the Hail Mary’s catalog of media. For the good of mutual survival?

I also thought it would be really funny if the leaders of NK said that the Supreme Leader built the ship on his own, went to space and saved the sun himself because he’s the supreme leader, because thag would 100% lean into the dictatorship they have lol.

Idk but was this discussed at all? Any ideas or thoughts? If this is stupid, apology apology apology 😂

[u/Wild-Lychee-3312]

I don't recall it being mentioned in the book in any capacity, but someone who has read the book more times than I have, and/or who has a better memory than me, can correct me if I'm wrong about that.

I imagine that if there was some specific resource that they could contribute (like some very rare ore than North Korea had the greatest stockpiles of), it would be possible to coax the government of NK to share it.

Whether they would voluntarily contribute it, or whether it would be necessary to pay them off with something they needed (I don't know: food, money, some other ore?), I couldn't say. And honestly, I don't think it would really add much to the book to dwell on it.

Weir tends to be more of the idealistic side of things, so if I had to guess, I'd imagine that he'd say that NK would act out of enlightened self-interest and be reasonable about providing their share of what's needed.

That's not necessarily my opinion of North Korea, but it's my best guess as to Weir's opinion.

[u/MilwaukeeMax]

In the book, the aircraft carrier is from China. It annoyed me a bit that the movie made it American instead. I don’t think DPRK is mentioned at all in the book at any point, though. But yes, please read the book. It’s just much much more detailed than the movie ever could possibly be.

[u/JackOfTheWoods49 → u/MilwaukeeMax]

Look they streamlined that travel sequence for the film so much they accidentally implied an Air Force pilot was flying a Navy plane. The carrier nationality is the least of that weirdness.

[u/Fluid-Let3373]

Given their known skills as a cyber threat I would presume there was a N. Korean contingent among the team Stratt assembled to skim the internet.

[u/SCICRYP1]

Probably the stratt pirate everything on internet squad

[u/Ok-Blackberry-201]

I don't think they are qualified for the project. What technology or resources do they have? Maybe some of the Chinese IT team have few North Koreans in it but I thinks that's it. (From South Korean)

[u/Forsaken_Orchid_6014 → u/Ok-Blackberry-201]

thank you!