Space Cadet Ending Explained

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Space Cadet (2024).

Summary

• The romantic comedy Space Cadet followed the story of Rex, a woman who dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Rex faced various challenges and obstacles throughout the movie but taught others the importance of believing in themselves and their dreams.
• Rex’s optimism and belief in energy and stardust helped set her apart from the other Ascans, or astronaut candidates, and succeed.
• Space Cadet could be classified as a women’s empowerment film, with Rex’s story touching on feminist ideals and the symbolism of the crescent moon reminding herself and viewers of a woman’s power.

The 2024 romantic comedy movie Space Cadet followed the most unlikely (and unqualified) astronaut, Rex Simpson, and her unconventional journey to space. Space Cadet had a happy ending, but Rex and the other Ascans (astronaut candidates) experienced many ups and downs throughout the movie. Emma Roberts led the Space Cadet cast as Rex, and the large ensemble included an odd group that bonded through astronaut training to become a team and family.

The Amazon Prime Video original movie hit some typical romantic comedy beats viewers have become familiar with. Yet, it had a somewhat surprising number of emotional moments and a great deal of heart behind the story and its message. The Space Cadet ending reinforced this important message and reminded viewers what the movie was truly about. With its endearing main character, funny and heartfelt story, and talented cast, Space Cadet does its best to impress.

Who Is Rex Talking To Throughout Space Cadet?

Space Cadet Features Voiceovers From Rex

Rex narrated Space Cadet from its opening scene to the moment the end credits began to roll. She frequently provided background information about herself and those around her while commenting on the story’s events. Rex’s narration helped move Space Cadet along and filled in any potential gaps in the story, as the film just brushed under a 2-hour runtime. Yet, Space Cadet never fully revealed who Rex’s narration was addressed to until the movie’s final moments.

Rex appeared to be addressing the viewer, though multiple theories could have been created to explain who Rex was talking to. Space Cadet established early on that Rex promised her mother before she died that she’d keep talking to her after she passed away. However, this wasn’t why Space Cadet included narration. Animated journal entries provided Rex’s backstory in the title sequence, and they appeared again at the end.

Space Cadet’s ending revealed that Rex’s narrations were her journal entries. This is why they weren’t addressed to anyone specifically, and it was a clever way to end the movie and tie everything together. The journal entry framing device helped Space Cadet bring the story full circle, highlighting Rex’s growth and the growth of those around her.

Why Did Violet Marie Get Cut From Training In Space Cadet?

Space Cadet Never Explicitly Says Why Violet Marie Was Cut

By the end of Space Cadet, only four Ascans passed the difficult training and made it to space–though in a twist of fate, Rex and Violet Marie got to join them and save the day. Violet Marie felt like she would never make it all through the end of training and the naming of the final team due to her physical limitations. Unfortunately, she was one of the last Ascans cut, but it was never explicitly said why, especially since she’d been doing well.

Violet Marie getting cut from the astronaut training program in Space Cadet was a plot twist for viewers and for Rex, who couldn’t understand why her roommate hadn’t made it. Despite Space Cadet never providing a clear answer, there are many potential reasons Violet Marie, also known as Vi, was cut. The most obvious answer would be what Vi feared: she wasn’t physically strong enough and had too many conditions that held her back from becoming an astronaut.

However, the more logical answer is related to her mental strength or lack thereof. With Rex’s help, Vi, who already had the necessary experience and knowledge, passed all the physical tests. However, Vi struggled with her confidence and often relied on motivation from Rex and the main character of her self-published romance novels. Vi’s lack of confidence and tendency towards panicking could have caused issues in space. Fortunately, Violet Marie proved them wrong by the end of Space Cadet and became a successful astronaut with Rex.

Why Rex Hallucinated Another Version Of Herself In Space Cadet

NASA Tested The Ascans’ Mental & Physical Strength

The Ascans were put through multiple tests that pushed them to their physical, mental, and emotional limits in Space Cadet. The NASA team wanted to ensure only the best, most capable Ascans would make it to space, though as aforementioned, they didn’t always make the right choice. One of these tests involved the Ascans being trapped in hot tents with just themselves and a gallon of water for an indeterminate time to see how long they could last before “breaking.”

The NASA training facility was in Houston, Texas, so it didn’t take long for the temperature to rise and the Ascans to experience heat exhaustion. This, combined with the isolation meant to test them psychologically, led many of them to hallucinate. After 8 hours, Rex saw another version of herself in space dressed as an astronaut. Hallucination Rex told her,

“
Everything is made of stardust, that’s how all life began
…
you’re made of the same stuff they are … you can do this dude.
”

Immediately after, it was revealed that Rex passed the test. A major reason for Rex’s success in Space Cadet was her optimistic personality and self-belief, even when all the odds were stacked against her. While others’ hallucinations may have been more akin to “torture,” as one of the trainers joked, Rex’s was positive and motivational. From there, she improved even more and became one of the top Ascans in her class. This attitude helped Rex from Space Cadet draw easy comparisons to Elle from Legally Blonde.

Rex’s Energy Theory In Space Cadet Explained

Energy Is Neither Created Nor Destroyed

Rex’s positivity was displayed again in Space Cadet through a later conversation with Logan. Rex told him about her energy theory and how it related to people’s dreams coming true as they sat in the planetarium. When Logan talked about what it was like being in space, Rex asked if he ever felt like people envision things for themselves, like achieving a dream, because they’ve already done it.

Though the concept sounded strange, Rex was following the law of conservation of energy, which says that energy cannot be created or destroyed. Rex’s example for Logan was that because his dream of becoming an astronaut came true, it was bouncing back to them to then make the Ascans’ dreams come true. It’s the idea that everyone’s energy is connected, building on her stardust revelation.

Again, it’s Rex’s optimism and outside-of-the-box thinking that helped her make her dream a reality in Space Cadet. She not only believed in herself, but she believed in the larger power of the universe and energy. Rex also believed she was meant to be an astronaut (even though she wasn’t remotely qualified) because she had her late mother’s belief. As she told Logan,

“Maybe it’s just when a mom wants something for her kid so badly, she can bend the laws of physics to make it happen.”

The Symbolism Of The Crescent Moon In Space Cadet Explained

The Crescent Moon Inspired Rex In Space Cadet

At the beginning of Space Cadet, a crescent moon in Florida excited Rex. She was so passionate about it that she left her shift as a bartender early to dance underneath it with her friends. As Rex told her boss, “It means good luck.” During a not-so-great 10-year high school reunion, Rex reunited with Toddrick Spencer, who ran a space tourism business, and revealed she inspired him during his college years.

Rex took their conversation as her own inspiration to return to her dream of becoming an astronaut, but she didn’t have anywhere close to the necessary qualifications. When it seemed like Rex was about to give up, she saw the crescent moon outside her window and pointed at it. She told the moon, “I see you girl,” representing the popular spiritual and astrological belief that the moon is feminine, and the sun is masculine.

Space Cadet can be considered a women’s empowerment movie, with its story about a woman defying odds and stereotypes to make her dreams come true and the soundtrack’s girl-power anthems. Rex was partially inspired by the crescent moon because it reminded her of her power as a woman. It also might have reminded her of the woman who believed in her most: her mother. In many religions, the crescent moon symbolizes fertility, life, and death, which could help further explain Rex’s special connection to it.

The Real Meaning Of Space Cadet’s Ending Explained

Space Cadet Was About The Power Of Believing In Yourself & Your Dreams

On the surface, Space Cadet may seem like a silly, unrealistic romantic comedy, and it is in some ways. However, the women’s empowerment throughline and the message about believing in yourself and your dreams makes it more than just that. What made Space Cadet work where it does was Roberts’ genuine performance, adding heart to the stereotypical party girl. The film’s best scenes were the quiet moments when Rex reflected on her dreams and journey.

Though the actual space story is unrealistic, that isn’t the point of Space Cadet. How Rex got to space is far more important than whether her story is reasonable, which it isn’t. The fact that her story is unrealistic is what is meant to make it inspiring. Logically, Rex should never have made it to space, but it didn’t mean she didn’t belong there.

Rex’s story was about returning to your dreams regardless of whether they seem achievable. Rex was on the right track to making her dreams come true when her mom died, and she turned down her college offer. Though it took her 10 years to go back to her dream, Space Cadet showed that all it takes, outside of talent, is believing in yourself and your dreams, no matter what, to make them come true.