Two Astronauts stand looking out at Earth from space. They stand in a line, with the one in front seeing the big blue marble as it is, as it has been manipulated to be, for the first time. The other stands behind the first one with a gun pointed at their head. These two astronauts tell a story with one image. Sometimes the image is peppered with more information, more context. Flags on their spacesuits denoting their country of origin. But never is their whole story illustrated. We never see their faces, we never know they’re names. We have only the final word spoken between these two. Always has been.
I can show you the world. Shining..... shimmering.... splendid
Space. The final frontier. All the secrets we keep from each other on Earth, exposed. No lies to be told when you can see it all laid out before you. You realize that despite what you have been told you cannot in fact see the great wall of China from space. But what you can see, what is revealed to you is so much more telling.
I can open your eyes, take you wonder by wonder
Astronauts with guns. Can guns even fire in space? If you needed to execute someone in space, state sanctioned or not, isn’t there a better way? Cleaner? Safer? Nothing more violent though. Nothing more bound to Earth. We may be in space but we are still creatures from Earth and the most efficient way to kill someone is with a gun. Though we evolve and grow and try to become celestial beings, we are still from Earth. The sins of our fathers still weigh us down.
But when I’m way up here, it’s crystal clear
But it’s not just the murder that we know comes next that illustrates our story, It’s the very scene laid out before us. You have to show him the secret you always knew, before you kill him. The execution is Of Mice and Men style. Lenny looks at the vista in front of him and George fires from behind so he doesn’t have to see his face as he goes. However our Lenny is presented with the truth of the world. No more lies. No more rabbits. Our George curses him with knowledge and for that he must die.
Tell me, spaceman, when did you last let your heart decide
This gun is their honor among thieves, among astronauts. The astronaut must kill the other astronaut. He has been shown the new world. The secret revealed. Whatever country he represents, whatever oath the first astronaut took, he must honor it. He must show the first astronaut the world as it is. This true new world. Then he must kill him. However, It’s not enough to kill him, you must tell him why you’re doing it. There is no ceremonial induction into of the brotherhood of the knowing, only the firing of the gun.
Unbelievable sights, indescribable feelings
I like to imagine that this astronaut is not the founder of this brotherhood. That he is not the only person who keeps this secret, but the one who must prevent the others from knowing. The phrase Always has been, has been passed down for centuries. Always has been, always will be, no one will know. He is not the leader or the creator of big Ohio, or whatever the earth is manipulated to show us. He just must prevent the others from learning about it. He’s a salaryman with a gun who must do the bidding of the men who finance these missions to space. He’s also maybe grown fond of the second spacemen. He was naive about the ways of the world but he sure knew how to fix parts of the space station. He kept him company in space. In the long vast expanse of the universe, having someone by your side can be the only thing keeping you going. But as you get closer to returning to Earth, the days get long and a task must be accomplished. Before you go home you have to earn your keep, do the only job you’re really qualified for. You have to share your secret, just as you shared your time, your...space. Once the realization has been made, the gun goes off and you return to earth. You were just doing your job.
No one to tell us no, or where to go Or Say we’re only dreaming
We never see him firing the gun. We can lie to ourselves. If we never see the explosion, we never hear the bang, we can pretend it doesn’t happen. For all we know the first spaceman turns around and fires back at the one behind him. A fight ensues. The ultimate victor unknown. We can also pretend there is no fight. That the first spaceman turns around and the second spaceman has a change of heart. There is no reason to kill him, can’t they live in this world together. Their new world where they both keep the secrets, they both know the truth. Of course, if all we have is one image we are free to imagine what happens next.
I'll chase them anywhere, there's time to spare
This meme, this image adds to our internet cannon. We have our rotating cast of guest stars, our ever changing settings, and of course our stock characters. Very few have such a fleshed out environment. There’s the one dimensional relics that are Rage faces and we have a few cartoons with backgrounds. These two however have it all. Purely fictional, with a robust outline. A high quality image with no predetermined ending. There is no larger canon with one author they have been removed from. They are ours, this scene belongs to the internet. They have setting, they have character, they have conflict, what they lack is catharsis. What we give them, what we know comes next but never see, is catharsis.
A thrilling chase, a wondrous place, A whole new world