So I have seen discourse on Andy Weir saying his books don't have politics. And a lot of people pointing out political themes in Project Hail Mary. I agree that Project Hail Mary has political themes and I also have a... take on the political/apolitical debate. I think the reason why Andy Weir wants Phm to be non political and many people feel the same as him is because many people want Phm to be a wholesome story of two alien friends saving their planets with cool science. And politics, in their hard and pragmatic nature, get in the way of the wholesomeness and optimism of the story. I understand that need of people, I really do. I get why in an age filled with political crisis and also quite depressing media people would need a pure optimistic and almost apolitical story.
But the reason why I don't really agree with that interpretation of project hail mary is because even in-universe the two universes were saved, yes by the power of love and friendship BUT ALSO by the hard and very much political choices of a woman who actually had to put friendship and love outside to save the project. Eva Stratt and everything abt her character is politics. Not just bcs she occupies a political role in the story but because her character begs questions abt utilitarian morals, sacrifcing individuals for a greater good etc. Now here is what I find super interesting: Canonically, inside the phm universe there are also efforts to keep the mission an apolitical wholesome story. To not look too deep into the hard and ugly decisions of nuked Antarcticas or coercion. It is why Eva Stratt is sent to jail. The world doesn't want to remember the ugly parts of how they were saved. Ryland Grace on the other hand can be their clean, apolitical wholesome hero. So bottom line: Project Hail Mary is political but I would dare say all the politics get concentrated in the person of Eva Stratt. And she acts as a shame container/scapegoat for all the ''dirty political'' parts of the story both in a meta and in a in-universe way
