SPOILER ALERT: the following article contains massive spoilers, including the ending. If you have not yet seen the movie, proceed at your own risk, or better, come back to this article later!
Set in the future, the film chronicles the odyssey of 30 young men and women who are sent deep into space on a multi-generational mission in search of a new home. The mission descends into madness, as the crew reverts to its most primal state, not knowing if the real threat they face is what’s outside the ship or who they’re becoming inside it.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Voyagers Plot Summary and Synopsis
In 2063 science finds a planet whose colonization should ensure the existence of mankind, which is threatened by climate change. The crew of the colonization spaceship Humanitas is intended to reproduce during the 86 year long journey so that their grandchildren will reach the target planet. For this purpose, 30 ARTs are bred from the genomes of intelligent people.
They grow up in complete isolation so that they will not miss Earth during their mission. For their later tasks on board the spaceship, they are trained by the scientist Richard, who decides to accompany the children on the flight with no return, in order to protect them from the dangers of the journey.
Ten years after the start of Humanitas, the children have grown into teenagers. Everyone has special tasks on board, which are monitored by Richard and which everyone does routinely and docilely. One day the botanist Christopher accidentally discovers that the blue drink everyone takes after meals contains an unknown substance. He hacks into the computer and learns that the substance is a drug that suppresses their personalities.
Christopher and his best friend Zac decide to stop taking the drink and experience emotions and desire for the first time. During a routine conversation with Richard, Christopher reveals that he has detected a secret chamber in the board plans. Richard explains that this is reserved for the third generation on board.
He informs mission control on Earth that the children are beginning to lose trust in him and that he wants to tell them the truth about everything, but the answer will take over two months because of the distance. This implies that the ship is now 1/10 of one light year (36 light days) away from Earth.
As Zac’s emotions are no longer suppressed, he begins to feel attracted to the ship’s doctor, Sela. He begins touching her inappropriately, but Richard prevents him from touching her further. When Zac watches Richard put his hand on Sela’s shoulder, he becomes jealous.
A short time later Richard dies, for an initially unknown reason, during maintenance of a communications unit that he was carrying out with Christopher. His face and upper body are covered with burn wounds. Shortly before, eerie noises could be heard on the ship’s hull again, which had always caused concern in the group, but which Richard had explained as harmless temperature fluctuations in the metal.
Now some are of the opinion that it is an extraterrestrial life form that also caused Richard’s death. As fire broke out after the incident, the surveillance records were destroyed, so the matter remains unsolved for the time being.
Zac offers to take over the leadership of the group from now on, but in a secret ballot Christopher is chosen as the new first officer. He orders that the damage caused by the fire be repaired first. Zac’s jealousy is awakened again when he realizes that Christopher and Sela have grown closer. He reveals to the others that the blue drink contains a drug and instigates them to refuse to take it. The previously orderly life on board begins to fall into chaos. Christopher’s authority wanes, and finally Zac usurps power.
He claims that the alien life form that killed Richard is hiding in the archive room. When he and Kai are examining the archive, they are apparently attacked and flee, with further archive data being destroyed. The group is in fear – only Christopher, Sela, Anda, Alex and Phoebe suspect that there is no alien and that Zac just wanted to destroy more evidence. They find a data store with footage from the monitoring center that shows Zac killed Richard by an electrical surge while he was outside, and then stirred up the fear of the alleged alien for his purposes in order to secure the group’s allegiance.
Sela cautions the group not to mention this to anyone until they all come to a decision. Christopher accompanies Sela to her chambers where she safely stows away the data storage. Christopher wants to leave Sela alone but she cajoles him to stay and the two have sex.
Christopher shows the footage of Zac’s betrayal to the group. The others are shocked and seem to turn away from Zac. He then reveals that his goal was to protect the group, since the alien had taken possession of Richard and now apparently had jumped over to another. He manages to direct the group’s hatred towards Peter, who had been noticed in the past for his aggressiveness. Out of control, Zac’s followers chase Peter across the ship and eventually beat him to death.
Christopher tries to open the secret chamber, suspecting weapons are there, but Zac’s group succeeds first. Now armed, they chase the five “renegades” through the ship. Anda and Alex overrun and Phoebe is killed by Kai. Christopher and Sela try to kill Zac, but they have to flee.
They are attacked by Kai, but they fight and kill him. Pursued by Zac shooting around unhindered, they hide in the airlock, put on space suits and open the outer bulkhead. When Zac shoots open the inner door, the pressurization and Christopher’s and Sela’s help throw him into space.
After Zac’s death, Sela and Christopher get the group to put their weapons down. Sela is appointed as the new first officer. From now on, the group wants to renounce the inhibiting drug and vote on decisions together. Sela is shown pregnant and gives birth to a boy.
Voyagers Ending
Jumps in time show the aging of the crew members and the beginning of a new generation of children. Finally, 86 years after launch, the descendants reach the target planet.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0).