Bobduh

Ooh man. Alright, I haven't seen Interstellar since I first saw it in theaters, meaning I'm about a year out from the actual specifics of the film, meaning I'm going to be taking my lingering impressions of the broad strokes of the film's thematics and applying them to do what I /do/ remember about Dr. Mann's character. So let's get analysisizing.

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First off, I love that Dr. Mann only appears two-thirds of the way into the film. He's a major character and lingering presence in the film's worldbuilding and then poof, there he is, he's a major actor and serious dramatic object for a whole act of the movie. Dark Knight and Inception were constructed more like massive puzzle boxes, where all the pieces fit into a definable pattern, but with Rises and Interstellar, it seems like Nolan might be moving towards classic "epics," with whole sea changes of tone and narrative baked into their winding stories. I am all for this - I really like him as a director, and I'd love to see a trusted, AAA director who's allowed to regularly get away with movies as winding and ambitious as Interstellar. Dr. Mann's presence reflects that nicely.

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That's the easy stuff. As for his character specifically within the narrative, Interstellar was consistently about two things, sometimes to the point of wincing "we get it, Nolan" - human connection and human ambition, specifically as it applies to the exploratory, scientific urge. These two forces push and pull across the film, with the protagonist's ambition eventually being validated and "redeemed" by human connection. Mann could very well just exist to be a cautionary tale offering some push against these ideals (since he sacrificed everything for science and was given nothing for it), or even just a narrative obstacle, but if we want to slot him into this framework, I'd say he was someone who had his human connection stolen from him, and because of that he lost his scientific ambition. I think the movie uses the terror of the loneliness of space to emphasize we need /both/ of these instincts, or we are lost as people.

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That sounds pretty good to me! Hopefully he doesn't have some major speech I'm forgetting that totally contradicts this interpretation, but based on my memories of the film, that's what I've got.

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[CONTINUED] Also do you believe that Homura’s actions undermine Madoka’s wish?

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To expand of it a bit more, in my opinion the largest reason that Homura made her decision was the conversation in the garden. However within that I think the reason Homura actually made the decision she did was about the character dynamics at the time. You see the Madoka that made her decision to become Madokami was one who had gone through all the hardship, suffering and struggle of the initial series. That Madoka is fundamentally different from the one in the maze who hasn't gone through all that and, most importantly for Homura (imo), is that the Madoka in the maze is closest to the Madoka that befriended her and the person who she initially wanted to save. That person isn't the character who grew up throughout the series and hasn't sorted out the perfect wish or any of the other things that made Madoka grow and eventually allowed Homura to save her. This makes Homura realise that whilst she saved Madoka not only did she not save her Madoka but the Madoka from the series (who she cares about just as much mind), whilst prepared for her fate, is not necessarily happy with it (just content and willing).

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Also would you agree that Homura’s actions undermines Madoka’s wish? As far as I’m aware regarding the mechanics of what she did, she pulled the Madoka from Madokami whilst leaving Madokami intact. Whilst she views this as the best option imo it completely removes the very purpose of Madokami (Madoka’s wish). Madokami doesn't exist to stop witches (imo), she exists to save the girls who are turning into witches, and that requires a fundamentally human touch which can't exist in Madokami without Madoka (who is pretty much the essence of compassion and understanding at this point). [END QUESTION]

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I included your whole block text because you essentially answered your own question - this is a full and coherent analysis of the film, in my opinion by far the most likely explanation of the text as-is. If the original Madoka series was about reaching a point where Madoka has grown so much from her experiences that she becomes the embodiment of "selfless love," Rebellion denies her that growth for the sake of Homura's "selfish love." Rebellion Madoka never got the chance to become the strong-willed person who told her mother she had to go save a friend, and so Madoka in the garden couldn't possibly tell Homura what her past self might desire. And yes, this choice undermines Madoka's original choice, denying the spirit of her sacrifice for the sake of creating a fabricated world of immediate happiness mirroring the very world the incubators created. If your decisions end up establishing a final result indistinguishable from the incubators' plans, you've probably made a couple wrong choices along the way!

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