Tamal Kundu
In Richard Linklater’s ‘Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood’ or ‘Apollo 10½,’ the story takes place in the Houston area during the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing. The protagonist is an elementary school boy named Stan or Stanley (Milo Coy). The narrator of the story is his older version (Jack Black). Stan lives in the suburbs with his parents and five siblings. Stan’s father works as the head of the shipping and receiving at NASA.
Living in what is supposed to be the global capital of scientific advancements for all intent and purpose, Stan has the license to dream without any limit. As the day of the launch approaches, he creates an imaginary world where he is a young astronaut. The title of ‘Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood’ tells us much about the film’s narrative. Here is everything you need to know about it. SPOILERS AHEAD.
What Does the Meaning of Apollo 10½ Title?
To understand the meaning of the title, we must first understand the narrative. The Apollo 10½ Mission isn’t real. The entire thing — from meeting the two NASA agents to training for the mission itself — has been imagined by Stan. Because of his father’s job, he has more knowledge about what goes on in NASA than most children of his age in the world, even if he thinks his father’s job isn’t glamorous. Stan envisions that he has been selected to be the astronaut on the Apollo 10½ Mission.
During the Apollo 10 Mission, which was conducted between May 18, 1969, and May 26, 1969, the astronauts descended in their lunar module down to about 8.4 nautical miles (15.6 km) of the lunar surface. The Apollo 11 Mission, taking place from July 16, 1969, to July 24, 1969, was the historic mission that finally took humanity to the Moon, and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the surface. Stan envisions himself going to the Moon as the astronaut for the mission between Apollo 10 and Apollo 11.
What Does Apollo 10½ Title Signify?
The title of ‘Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood’ signifies that the entire film revolves around the imagination of an elementary-school boy. Richard Linklater, the film’s writer-director-co-producer, came up with the idea while making ‘Boyhood.’ The character of Stan is loosely inspired by Linklater’s own childhood in the Houston suburbs. The experiences of his siblings, friends, several other people residing in Houston at the time also play a crucial role in the development of the character.
Stan is told by the NASA Officials that recruit him that they have built a lunar module that is small than what is standard and can only be operated by someone of Stan’s age and built. Its smaller size of it also plays a role in the name. Half (½) has often been used for things involving children. For instance, in the film, Stan’s frugal father claims that some of his children are less than 12 years old when he doesn’t want to pay half of what he is supposed to at the tick counter of a drive-in theater. Similarly, the “half” part in the title refers to the fact that Stan is less than 12 years old.
Read More: Is the Apollo 10½ Mission Real? Did Stan Really Go to the Moon?
