(Full Spoilers) What is Detritus?

[Forest Nymphomaniac]

I just finished the audiobook, and after taking a moment to gather my thoughts, and most importantly my emotions, I have this lingering thought, almost a theory.

 

At first, when they all reached the final portal in the oath of elders, I started to think Detritus was Earth, but quickly discarded the idea.

 

However, something in the epilogue made me go back to the spirit of that idea.

 

Detritus was orbiting another planet.

 

It's a moon. What are the odds that this whole time, they've been seeking their home planet and it's... right there?

 

From reading defending Elysium, we know humanity had the resources early on to create huge platforms within our native solar system. Is Detritus a moon from the Milky Way, perhaps even the Earth's moon?

 

thoughts?

[Squirrelwatcher he/him]

It's certainly possible, though they'd have to undergo significant terraforming in order to get it to be habitable. One thing that does support your theory is that somewhere in Skyward (I don't recall where) Spensa mentions that Detritus is smaller than Earth, which would make sense if it's a moon.

That said, my pet theory is that something happened in Evershore that involved teleportation on a massive scale that resulted in all of Detritus being relocated near another planet.

[Forest Nymphomaniac]

8 hours ago, Squirrelwatcher said:

It's certainly possible, though they'd have to undergo significant terraforming in order to get it to be habitable. One thing that does support your theory is that somewhere in Skyward (I don't recall where) Spensa mentions that Detritus is smaller than Earth, which would make sense if it's a moon.

That said, my pet theory is that something happened in Evershore that involved teleportation on a massive scale that resulted in all of Detritus being relocated near another planet.

That was my second thought as well, but I don't know, something about the allusions to Earth slowly piling up in the nowhere makes me think that there's an intentional crumb trail towards Earth/Milky Way.

 

I mean, they would have had no way of knowing they were orbiting another planet until they got whatever part of the platforms working that showed that analysis. 

Of course, you also think they would have maybe noticed the other planet while they were in space fighting, so I'm liking your idea also. I feel like Evershore is gonna have something juicy to add to the solving of this mystery. 

[+Harrycrapper]

I think the star in the Detritus system has a different description than our sun. While it's possible the moon could have been terraformed to the point that it has an atmosphere and can support life, I don't think humans in the Cytoverse were advanced enough to alter the sun in a significant enough way. 

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

I don’t think this is the case. The way that Spensa describes Detritus’s new orbit (“that was new”) implies that it wasn’t that way before. Personally, I think something big happened in Evershore that knocked Detritus’s orbit off-course. Since much of the Skyward Flight novellas’ plot revolves around the taynix, I’d imagine that it might have something to do with teleportation, but we’ll just have to wait and see. It’s not like we have long to wait

Edit: Hey @Thaidakar the Cool Ookla!

Edited November 29, 2021 by Ookla the Confused

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood he/him]

2 hours ago, Ookla the Confused said:

I don’t think this is the case. The way that Spensa describes Detritus’s new orbit (“that was new”) implies that it wasn’t that way before. Personally, I think something big happened in Evershore that knocked Detritus’s orbit off-course. Since much of the Skyward Flight novellas’ plot revolves around the taynix, I’d imagine that it might have something to do with teleportation, but we’ll just have to wait and see. It’s not like we have long to wait

Edit: Hey @Thaidakar the Cool Ookla!

what @Ookla the Confused?

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

39 minutes ago, Thaidakar the Cool Ookla said:

what @Ookla the Confused?

Oh I just saw you in the “Recently Browsing” and wanted to say hi (haven’t seen you on the Shard in a while)

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood he/him]

18 hours ago, Ookla the Confused said:

Oh I just saw you in the “Recently Browsing” and wanted to say hi (haven’t seen you on the Shard in a while)

yeah I have been on vacation for 2 weeks, and even before I have not been active for a while, will try to be more.

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

1 minute ago, Thaidakar the Cool Ookla said:

yeah I have been on vacation for 2 weeks, and even before I have not been active for a while, will try to be more.

Cool :))))

[thecaptain01]

My gut feeling is saying that Jorgen found out that Detritus was always able to be teleported just like Wandering Leaf was and then brought it to Redawn in order to help their new allies in the war against the Superiority. Like others are saying we'll probably found this all out in Evershore.

[Govir]

On 12/5/2021 at 3:04 AM, The Unfallen One said:

My gut feeling is saying that Jorgen found out that Detritus was always able to be teleported just like Wandering Leaf was and then brought it to Redawn in order to help their new allies in the war against the Superiority. Like others are saying we'll probably found this all out in Evershore.

Agreed. I think either Detritus or Redawn was teleported close to each other (seems super dangerous though). The other option could be that the as of yet unknown location of Evershore is involved.

[king of nowhere]

i doubt detritus can be our moon. first, just like they said it wasn't old earth because they had maps, so they'd have maps of the moon. second, the moon has such low gravity, people can't walk on it, they bounce around and jump like kangaroos.

brandon has more scientific consistency than that.

unless they completely terraformed the surface, increased the size, and installed higher artificial gravity. which would be a huge stretch, for a reveal that wouldn't be worth much.

[Szeth Pancakes he/they]

The trailer essentially confirms the Detritus teleportation theory.