Iāve been thinking about the flashback to Eden where we see young Simon and the last tree. We never see any mouths move, so itās unclear whether he was the one challenging The Father (āStop saying theyāre gone. We can all see them.ā), or he was just watching quietly. Iām really curious what your take on this is.
Father: The Stars Are Gone.
Simon: That's Bullshit.
It's implied Simon said it; he's held this belief all his life.
You don't center-focus a camera on a young boy, with a young boy's voice speaking, to imply that it is someone else. To the people out there who believe that this might not be Simon at all; this kid has the holster on his sleeve in the exact same spot. Go zoom in on that picture if the headband and general dead stare didn't make it obvious enough.
"Stop saying they're gone."
"Isn't it easier to believe they're still there?"
"No one on Eden wants to think this way."
These three dialogue lines are direct parallels of each other. In fact, they lead into each other seamlessly.
That's what made him the "head in the clouds" guy among a crowd of nihilists in Eden, and put a target on his back as the black sheep. It's always been this way.
It's why I extrapolated that Simon is a maladaptive daydreamer to psychologically soothe against the loss of all the stars and planets. Simon's always thinking about the things he lost; his mother included.
He's always thinking about Mars. He's up every night wondering if the people back home miss him. How everyone missed the chance to see him grow up. Wondering if they'd welcome him back or see him for the monster he had to become in order to live long enough to see the chance of the Quiet Rapture happening again.
He'd rather be given the chance to be rejected by his own people than never see them again.
Simon's deluded, but he's doing it to cope. Poor son of a bitch.
