Why Mars?

When you contrast humanity’s greatest gifts with a planet that seems so barren and desolate, you get to see these traits in a contrasted perspective. Gifts such as kindness and innocence are emphasized against a devastated environment. I chose the backdrop of Mars not only because I’m fascinated with the science behind the exploration of our sister planet, but also because I wanted to underscore the idea that when it comes to the phenomenon of human nature in a universe based upon the cold equation of life vs death, survival vs destruction, we come to see just how important and rare qualities such as gentleness and compassion actually are. From this standpoint, an introspective individual can see just how singular these virtues are, and how out of all of the idiosyncrasies of human existence, these features are what define the anomaly of our existence.

And so I transported myself and my dearest non-human companion to a devastated world: Our adventures are those of the everyday. Jaws and V have the chance to reimagine the world without the influence of the deep inset habits and complications of human society. In a world that offers absolutely nothing, they bring what I personally consider the most important endowments of emotional and intellectual life with them to redefine their environment. Through the characters, Mars becomes a welcoming place–a terrain that is open to the best of intentions. And through these two simple characters, a new world is ready to be born. The blank environment of Mars mirrors the possibilities that we, as humans, can create in a complex world. On a harsh, red and rusted planet, Jaws and V bring the peaceful, calming qualities of blue. Weighed against this kind of background, their love and friendship appear stronger, their hope seems more true, and their faith that the world is not a scary place allows the environment to produce indigenous characters that are not the fearsome Martians of 20th century science fiction. This difference is supposed to communicate to the audience that with these qualities and with one’s certainty in the ability of their imagination, an idyllic world for every person is possible, one without the restraints of history, one without the restrictions of bias created by generations of emotional, intellectual, and social oppression. Mars becomes a world free of cynicism.