Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the HBO movie Moonshot.
HBO's Moonshot thrust viewers into outer space, where humans are successfully colonizing Mars. Only those who are talented enough to get into the program or rich enough to afford tickets can go, though, which is bad news for Walt, whose lifelong dream has been to visit the red planet – everything changes for him when he meets Sophie.
Walt and Sophie are an unusual pair at first, but it soon becomes clear that they're perfect for each other. Through their conversations with each other (and with other characters in the movie), fans learn more about why they're the ideal match. The best lines on the show perfectly capture their personalities or reflect how their time together on Earth and on Mars has changed them for the better.
From the very start of the film with his 37th audition, it's clear that Walt's goal is to be in space, specifically on Mars where humans are learning how to terraform and inhabit the red planet. He explains how he's tired of the same old towns and new schools that just look like every other one, and he badly needs to "go up there" and see where he fits "in this crazy universe."
Walt hates being confined to one place and dreams of great adventures. Fans may recall how in his conversation with Ginny, he tells her how if he were born hundreds of years ago, he would've set sail to discover the world by now.
A seemingly throwaway line from Sophie during the first few moments viewers see her makes so much more sense in retrospect. When she's hiding in her room while a party is happening outside her door, Jan advises her"to have some new experiences," to which she promptly comments on how overrated "new" things are.
Fans now know that Sophie's passion is to preserve and repair old things back on Earth, and not to terraform Mars with Calvin. Her line about newness being overrated perfectly captures this passion and ultimate goal.
Walt and Ginny act out a romance movie trope in one scene, with Walt even calling it a "classic 'we-only-have-tonight' scenarios." Towards the end of their romantic walk, Walt asks Ginny what she really thinks of Mars, to which she responds with a mind-blowing quote by an astronomer before giving her own input.
Her line about looking "at something from this distance" reflects Walt's situation, as his obsession with Mars doesn't exactly line up with the reality of what it's really like up there. That said, it also highlights her own dilemma about being nervous to take that big step and move to the planet the following day.
Sophie never got the appeal nor understood Walt's obsession with Mars, as she sees things from a different perspective. When she asks Walt what her plans are with Ginny, he gives a vague and somewhat generic line about traveling "the stars" and going on an "adventure." Sophie brilliantly reminds him that he has "been on a spaceship" and "traveling through the stars" for his "entire life," referring to Earth as that "only spaceship."
It's obvious how much this subject means to her, as everything else falls away and she only sees Earth in the distance when she talks about how they will never "build or find anything quite like it." It's no wonder Walt fell in love with Sophie on that trip.
The film may portray Walt as silly and dim-witted, but he has shown that he's capable of improvising. A hilarious and awkward scene depicts him in a nerve-wracking situation, as he's asked (as Calvin) to give a lecture on his expertise, terraforming Mars. He stumbles through the presentation before deciding to just speak about Mars as if he were talking about Sophie.
It surprisingly works, not to mention inspires a marriage proposal. His line about finding someone who's willing to "cross the entire universe" obviously affects Sophie, as Walt is referring to her situation with Calvin.
The strange romance between Walt and Sophie becomes much easier to root for once fans learn more about each character. This is true for both of them as well, which is emphasized through Walt's line about how "getting closer always changes the view." He may only be referring to Mars at that moment, but it's a sentiment that's also representative of his relationship with Sophie.
They couldn't stand each other at first and couldn't wait to get away and go back to pursuing their individual goals. As they got closer, however, their views about one another changed and they fell in love.
A heartfelt moment in the film happens during Sophie's story about "an illegal dump site" she and her father used to go to. She fondly recalled how "it was so dangerous" and "it smelled terrible," but it was special to her because it reminded her about how she and her dad wanted to "save the world" through "one broken thing at a time."
With her father gone, Sophie never truly got to pursue this passion of hers, especially with Calvin always trying to convince her to be someone else and do something more exciting on Mars.
Everything finally seems to be going great for Walt towards the end of the film, as Leon Kovi himself offers the stowaway permanent residence on Mars. It's everything he ever dreamed of, but he admits to Captain Tarter that he thought "it would be different," and he's confused about why he feels the same.
Captain Tarter responds with a cheesy line that predictably works on Walt, who seems to be unfamiliar with common sayings. Despite being corny, she does make a good point, as Walt can't just go from one planet to another and expect to be suddenly satisfied and happy.
Jan is a crucial part of Sophie's found family in the movie. After her parents' deaths, it was Jan who took her in. This is why it's so difficult for Sophie to even consider breaking up with Calvin, as she's terrified of losing Jan and his brothers, too.
Jan, being the kind and compassionate person that she is, immediately recognizes that something's wrong. She knows that Sophie isn't happy on Mars and has a tear-jerking conversation with her about how it's okay to change, and that she'll always be her family.
Sophie couldn't believe that Walt would give everything up to follow her back to Earth, as she knows how important Mars is to him. Still in shock about him being right next to her, she asks if he's really going to give up "this whole Mars adventure thing" to be with her. He, of course, responds in a cheesy but sweet way through a line that goes with the film's happy ending.
Walt has thankfully realized that Sophie is more important than whatever wacky adventure he could have "flipping rocks on Mars alone." His journey to the red planet may have been fun, but it wasn't as exciting as meeting and hanging out with her.
