Arrival : What happens in 3000 years tho?

I just saw the movie like 30 min ago, I really liked it BUT there's one thing that buggs me.
What will happen in 3000 years? Why will they (aliens) need our help?

I know that people will say what they said in previous posts "does a movie really need to explain something that isn't that important" YES, that the least it could do yes not show us what will happen but at least tell us in a way.

Why do you think everything needs an explanation?

Clearly the Heptapods are VERY long-lived they'd have to be in order to see 3,000 years (or more) into their own futures. In those futures, they see (have seen) a situation occurring in which they need help from humanity and that humanity has knowledge of their language, among other things. Therefore, to make sure that the future plays out as they have seen, they come to Earth and give us the gift of their language possibly to help ensure our survival, possibly because it is required in order for us to be able to help them.

They don't have to be long lived. If everone can see their entire lives they could pass messages backwards just like we can pass messages forwards. A son could tell his father about something that happened the day he died, who could then tell his father, etc.

But help for what?
Its like leaving a major plothole open it bugss me so bad and ive seen many people comment about this .. its the only negative part of the movie, other than that, beatifull movie :)

I am glad they didn't tell why they need help. We got the information we needed. If they answered this, that would have raised more (and more) questions. And that would have been a whole other story.

Yeah I guess so ..

Is it possible for a sequel? Or would that just be a cash grab, cause yeah 3000 years from now (futuristic *beep* and that would *beep* up the premise of the main movie
It just a tought tho

That is exactly what I was thinking. Can you say sequel?

In the next 3000 years humans will have a Golden Age of peace, unity and science. We will develop space travel, inter-dimensional travel and time travel.

In 3000 years we visit the Heptapod planet in the past. Then it's a species very much like us now. With little of our strength and a lot of our weaknesses. Unsure, short-sighted, incapable and imprudent. On the Heptapod planet, lobbyists control the governments, the rich evade taxes and authoritarian demagogues get into power with the minority of votes.

We land on this *beep* Heptapod planet on the verge of extinction with our 12 inter-dimensional time ships. We begin teaching them the Universal Language. Their minds are opened to time and the universe and they can safe themselves, so that in 3000 years, they can help us by traveling into our past.

They helped us, so we can help them. We helped them, so they can help us.

That's why the sound of heptapods has no relation to the Universal Language, just like our human sounds have no relation to the Universal Language.

They taught us the Universal Language. We taught them the Universal Language.

This completes the stable time-loop of cooperation between our 2 planets.

The non-zero sum game is won. Everybody gets a benefit that emerges out of nothingness / the universe / the time paradox by playing together.

Mind blown

what he said

So we can expect a sequel that is the same movie, only *we* come to *them* in the year 5016?

Joking!

But seriously, this theory of yours, wow, that's that's actually not bad.

Genius.

Pretty darn good.

I just love your interpretation. Perfect!

You are awesome.

The only flaw with this theory is that this means they have time travelling powers which isn't what the universal language provides.

A Cosmic Experience:

I really hope that is not the case, the idea that a species is doomed unless somebody teaches them a specific language is condescending and pessimistic, Also a terrible message.

You did not understand what happened.
The aliens gave us the ability to see the consequences of our actions - i.e. if we persist being selfish and belligerent with one another this would spell the end of humanity.

I think aliens showing up and fixing us is condescending, Humans don't need a savior.

yes we do. what is condescending is us "helping" somebody else.
how many times have we helped each other in similar situations?
did Columbus and the conquistadors help the indians? did the english help the aborigines.

Did all of those people make peace with one another? The idea that we are inherently flawed and must self destruct is a self serving one. It's like saying people are stupid without realizing you just called yourself stupid, It's just another way to make yourself feel better than others.

No they didn't make peace. It ended with one party being defeated, their population decimated and their culture virtually obliterated.

I did send you a reply to your PM

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I think aliens showing up and fixing us is condescending, Humans don't need a savior.

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Is that a joke? lol
Oh yeah, don't worry aliens, we got this.

Like your sarcasm but it's not very believable prediction.
The heptapods were already space faring - they would hardly be confined to one planet and hence not one society. Once a society becomes space faring it by definition becomes decentralized (i.e. think about the wild west in the 19th century)

Yeah they are a space-faring multi-planet civilization - in 3000 years.

In 3000 years, the first contact could go like this:

Human ship meets Heptapod ship. Hailing Frequencies.

Humans are like "Omg it's the guys from 3000 years ago, we finally meet them again!" and say "Thank you for helping us out 3000 years ago!".

The Heptapods are like "Omg it's the guys from 3000 years ago, we finally m what?"

Humans: "What?!"

Heptapods: "You helped us 3000 years ago and taught us the Universal Language."

Humans: "No we didn't. You helped us!"

Heptapods: "WTF"

Humans: "WTF"

After exchange of historical data and analysis both civilization come to the only possible conclusion. Their existence is based on the foundation of a stable self-fulfilling time-loop. And there is 1 thing they both must do. Both need to travel into the past of each other and teach them the Universal Language in order to fulfill and complete the time-loop.

Well as far as I recall there was no indication that they traveled back in time to teach humanity the universal language. So they were already space faring.

I LOVE this explanation. It fits with the tone of the story, makes overall sense and leaves nothing else to be wished.
Thank you.

Jesusit's not a plothole! I'm so sick of everyone on the Internet labelling something they don't like as a plothole. A plothole means something specific. A plothole is when a film contradicts a rule previously established. Not knowing what the aliens wanted in 3,000 years is not a plothole. It's just something YOU personally wanted an answer too. Its a plot point made unanswered from the makers on purpose for thematic reasons. It's literally a nitpick on your part.

My question too. I didn't get that part about the 3000 future years.

A plot hole is something that can't be explained because it just doesn't make sense. Leaving such an unanswered/open question is not a plot hole.

The mystery is exactly what I love about this movie

Hamlet had a big plot hole, too, dammit. But sometimes you just have to live with it.

It is no plothole at all, it is just not explained. It could be anything that leads them to reach out to humans today. It is left up to your imagination.

It doesn't matter, because that's not what the story is about.

Well it kinda does tho But like Ipaczal said in the comment above, it would have raised more and more questions and that's not the point

No it's not what it was about.

No, that's definetely not what the movie is about. The "Why" doesn't matter at this point. Have you ever thought about that some movies want to get you thinking and not tell you everything? Because that's what defines a good movie. One that makes you think about it.

They need help that in order the Aliens to get it, they need Humans to know their secret 3000 prior. Why is it so important though?
The movie asks why they are here? It answers it.

What I meant was "Why do they need help?" But I guess it doesnt matter at this point

I guess the movie is about what do you do when you don't know. At the beginning, humans literally know essentially nothing. They very slowly learn something about the Heptapod language but even then they don't really know whether the Heptapods talk about a weapon or a tool.

In the end we end up like the humans in the movie. We still only know very little about the Heptapods. Even Louise probably knows not very much. The point is to make us feel like the humans after the Heptapods left.

It's a bunch of hooey.
I listened to a critic who loved this movie and said it was one of the best and I'm shaking my head WTH? This movie was good 3/4 of the way and then bam! it was a bunch of hooey.

There are lots of possibilities. Perhaps they will be attacked by another alien race and we will ally with them and help them survive. Perhaps their sun will explode and it will take all their space ships and all of ours to evacuate their people to safety. Perhaps their planet, which we can assume is at least mostly aquatic, will have some sort of environmental crisis and our world had a similar crisis and developed the technology to save it. Maybe there is a plague that threatens their population and a human doctor discovers the cure. Maybe both our species end up in a federation of planets and some human Captain Kirk or Picard type saves them from some great catastrophe. Use your imagination.

At least an answer I was originally expecting haha :D
Yeah, it's all about the imagination

That's my question. I saw it I didn't "get it". What the hell did the aliens come to earth for? To warn us about what?

About ourselves :)

The Psychlos attack. Jonny Goodboy Tyler is the heptapods' only hope.




I have meddled with the primal forces of nature and I will atone.

Possibilities:-

-Intergalactic War!

-Heptapods are fifth dimensional humans from the future! (Same as Interstellar, hah)

-Humans save them from extinction since their planet is dying, help in evacuation and all.

-They lied, the language they gave was just a way to mind control humans into submission.


A Cosmic Experience:

They'll be starving and need us as food. :)

we will see in the sequel