Sumith Prasad
In Netflix’s science fiction film ‘Spaceman,’ Jakub Procházka travels to the outskirts of Jupiter in a spacecraft named Jan Hus 1. The vessel becomes his home for around six months until he leaves the same in search of his new companion, an extraterrestrial spider named Hanuš. Even though he is millions of miles away from his wife Lenka and his colleagues Peter and Tuma, the cosmonaut can communicate with them using a device named “CzechConnect Quantum.” Using the system, the man near Jupiter talks to his fellow human beings on Earth without any delays. Although director Johan Renck presents these entities with utmost authenticity, they do not have real-life counterparts!
The Inspiration Behind Jan Hus 1
“Jan Hus 1” is a fictional spacecraft. The vessel is named after Jan Hus, a Czech theologian and an integral predecessor to Protestantism. He eventually became the “master” of the Hussites, who followed his teachings to fight Catholicism. After opposing the Catholic Church in Bohemia, he was arrested and asked to recant his views, only for him to refuse. In 1415, Hus was burned at the stake for heresy against Catholicism. Like Hus, Jakub aims to extend the realm of human knowledge, by traveling to Jupiter in a spaceship named after the former.
In Jaroslav Kalfař’s ‘Spaceman of Bohemia,’ the source novel of the film, Jakub, the narrator, states that Hus tried to free Bohemia from tyranny. “Hus does not speak with hatred, but with the soothing composure of a prophet — a man who knows. And the people listen. Students gather with quills in hand and their hearts are moved. Bohemia must be freed from the tyranny of religious institutions,” reads the book. Likewise, the Czech Republic is trying to free itself from the limitations of the Communist regime by making progress in space research through the spaceship named after the reformist.
The Fictional CzechConnect Quantum
CzechConnect Quantum is not a real communication device. It is impossible to communicate with someone from the outskirts of Jupiter without any delays. “The real-time communication technology we have in the film, where Jakob can speak with people on Earth in real-time, that’s impossible. If you spoke to Jupiter, you’d have to wait like eight hours for the answer to come back to you. So, it’s already science fiction,” Johan Renck told The Hollywood Reporter. In the film, the communication device plays a significant role as far as the narrative is concerned.
The Czech government and Euro Space Program use CzechConnect Quantum to make Jakub feel that he is closer to his wife than he really is. The government wants Jakub to become the first astronaut to collect samples of the Chopra Cloud. For such a mission to succeed, it is important for him, the chosen astronaut, to remain mentally stable. Talking to other humans using the device seemingly helps him remain sane and feel less lonely.
