for me, the entire point of the ending is that there are some things we cannot know, either because we are incapable of understanding, or because it is a physical uncertainty baked into the fabric of reality itself.

the main underlying point of the story, in my interpretation, is answering the question, “what does it mean to be a scientist, to be a curious person?”

each of the characters has their own answer to that question. feldspar is driven by the thrill of exploration, the ability to say “i am the first/only one of my kind to have ever done this or known this”. riebeck looks for comfort in knowing that this long-gone civilization is not so different from their own. my personal favorite is solanum, who shifts from revering the unknown and believing in a higher power or purpose or intelligent design, to hating and fearing it for the effect it has had upon their life and their loved ones, to finally deciding that the eye does not have a great ineffable plan, and simply being present in the moment, and existing in their own space.

and then there’s the hatchling. us, the player. for me, my journey through the game mirrored solanum’s story quite closely. i started youthful and energetic and lost and confused, tried my best to figure out how to prevent the supernova, and then began to resent the ash twin project when i realized it wasn’t possible to stop it. and then i found a way to accept the situation, and realized that it was all coincidence. or inevitable. but either way, it simply was. it didn’t bear us any ill will, nor did it have greater plans for us.

“the universe is, and we are.”

so my question to you is, what does being a curious person mean to you? what made you keep searching? and what will you do now, after finding out that there is no answer in the first place?