BIO 101 Extra Credit - Harry

BIO101

Gattaca

In the near future, discrimination is based on genetics, not race or class. Parents at the time went to see their geneticist to filter out undesirable traits in their future child. Vincent's parents decided to go trust mother nature and conceive naturally. Vincent was born as an unhealthy baby. Vincent is seen as genetically inferior and had a 99% chance of heart disease. His parents wanted to have a second child and chose to consult a geneticist. Anton, their second child had the best of both parents’ genes. Vincent is treated as if he's fragile and will die any moment. No childcare center would provide him service because of the possible risk of premature death. However all that changed when he one day beat his brother in the game of chicken where both of them would swim out to the sea as far as they could knowing “each stroke was another [they’d] have to take back”.

Vincent dreams of going into space but he is seen as unfit. He was known as an invalid in his society, those who are unfit. He uses Jerome’s “valid” genetics to deceive Gattaca to let him train to go to space. Jerome was known as an elite. He decides to use one of the genetically elites identities to get into the space program. It's a complex procedure, in which he uses the donor’s body fluids to fool gene testing machines.
He completes his training successfully regardless of what the science told him. The science at birth told him that he would have a 99% chance of heart disease and that he would never be qualified for space. But despite that, science was wrong about him or maybe luck was on his side. He beats the odds and finally is launched to the planet Titan.