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Timeline

Passengers (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2016 · 116 min · English
Directed by
Morten Tyldum
Starring
Andy Garcia, Chris Pratt, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Sheen, Jennifer Lawrence
Budget
$110M

Aboard a spacecraft carrying colonists to a distant planet, a system malfunction prematurely awakens passengers Aurora and Jim from their cryogenic sleep. Stranded and with no clear explanation for the incident, they face unexpected challenges as they work to uncover the cause of the disruption. As they navigate the ensuing chaos and the ship's precarious condition, an unlikely romance blossoms between them, complicated by the dangers surrounding their survival and the mysteries they must resolve.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (14)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Passengers
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Passengers (2016)

Where can you watch Passengers? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Xumo Play, Amazon Video and Apple TV Store: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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14 events in order · contains spoilers

Passengers Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Passengers (2016) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Launch of the Avalon

    The starship Avalon embarks on its monumental journey to relocate over 5,000 colonists and 238 crew members to the planet Homestead II. This mass exodus is a response to the devastating consequences of Ecocide and Earth's biospheric collapse, spanning an astonishing 120 years in transit.

  2. Catastrophic Event

    While aboard, a critical malfunction occurs when the Avalon navigates an asteroid field. A barrage of space debris severely damages the ship's energy shield, resulting in an event that triggers the premature awakening of Jim Preston, a mechanical engineer, who finds himself alone 90 years ahead of schedule.

    Where
    Asteroid field
  3. Isolation Begins

    Realizing he is the only one awake, Jim struggles with his isolated existence. With limited access to the ship's facilities and delayed communication with Earth, which takes 19 years for messages to arrive, he grapples with despair while attempting to fix his hibernation pod.

    Where
    Avalon
  4. Meeting Arthur

    During his year of isolation, Jim engages with Arthur, an android bartender, who becomes his only companion. This connection offers Jim some semblance of normalcy as he faces the crushing reality of his solitude, even contemplating drastic measures to escape his situation.

    Where
    Avalon
  5. Waking Aurora

    Jim discovers Aurora Lane, encased in her hibernation pod, and is captivated by her personality from her video profile. After much internal conflict and a discussion with Arthur, he decides to revive her under the guise of a malfunction, hoping for companionship in their shared plight.

    Where
    Avalon
  6. Aurora's Awakening

    Upon waking, Aurora is initially charmed but soon devastated to learn she was manipulated into awakening and would age before reaching Homestead II. Both she and Jim struggle to cope with their reality, yet they gradually find solace together despite their circumstances.

    Where
    Avalon
  7. Glimpse of Joy

    As time passes, Jim and Aurora develop a deep bond, engaging in activities like video games and space excursions. Despite the looming crisis aboard the ship, they cherish moments of happiness, with Aurora enjoying the conveniences of being a gold class passenger, which Jim was denied.

    Where
    Avalon
  8. The Truth Revealed

    Their relationship faces a test when a slip of Arthur's digital tongue reveals the truth about Jim's decision to awaken Aurora. Tensions rise as the couple grapples with betrayal and the realization of their precarious situation amidst malfunctions starting to spiral out of control.

    Where
    Avalon
  9. Gus Awakens

    A new passenger, Gus, a Chief Deck Officer, awakens under dire circumstances, providing Jim and Aurora with an opportunity for hope. By accessing Gus's personnel code, they unlock the bridge of the Avalon and discover alarming failures threatening the ship's safety.

    Where
    Avalon
  10. Gus's Deterioration

    As Gus's health declines due to Pansystemic Necrosis, he reveals the ship's critical failures caused by the earlier asteroid collision. He hands over his ID badge to Jim, empowering him and Aurora to tackle the ship's growing crises and avert catastrophe.

    Where
    Avalon
  11. Spacewalk for Survival

    Jim bravely performs a dangerous spacewalk to vent a runaway plasma reaction, risking his life to save the ship and its occupants. Aurora's unwavering support fuels his courage as he navigates the perils of space, determined to protect their future.

    Where
    Outside Avalon
  12. Rescue and Repair

    After an intense struggle, Jim is rescued by the ship's Autodoc following the successful repair of the reactor. With the ship's systems restored, Jim learns he can offer Aurora the chance to hibernate again, but she chooses to remain awake with him instead.

    Where
    Avalon
  13. Engagement Moment

    In a tender moment, Jim presents a makeshift engagement ring to Aurora on the ship as a testament of their love and shared journey. She joyfully accepts, marking a new beginning in their lives despite the challenges they have faced together.

    Where
    Avalon
  14. Arrival at Homestead II

    Fast forward 88 years, the Avalon finally arrives at Homestead II, awakening its passengers and crew to a breathtaking new world. They are greeted with nature's wonders, alongside a heartfelt narration of the extraordinary life and love Jim and Aurora built during their long voyage.

    Where
    Homestead II

Last updated: October 27, 2024 at 22:42

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Timeline questions answered

Passengers Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Passengers (2016): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why did Jim wake up 90 years early on the Avalon?

Jim woke up prematurely due to damage from an asteroid collision. While navigating an asteroid field, the Avalon's energy shield was severely compromised by a barrage of space debris, which triggered a malfunction in the hibernation system. This caused Jim to awaken 90 years before the ship was scheduled to reach Homestead II, leaving him stranded alone with no crew or other passengers awake.

  • asteroid damage
  • hibernation pod malfunction
  • premature awakening
  • spaceship damage
Q2

Why did Jim decide to wake Aurora from hibernation?

After spending an entire year completely alone, Jim fell into deep despair. With no hope of repairing his hibernation pod and facing decades of isolation, he contemplated suicide by opening an airlock without a spacesuit. Instead, he discovered Aurora's video profile and became captivated by her personality. Deciding that companionship was preferable to solitude, he manipulated the system to wake her, presenting it as a pod malfunction.

Foreshadowing: The film earlier shows Jim struggling with the crushing weight of isolation, establishing his desperation.

  • jim aurora
  • loneliness
  • waking passengers
  • moral decision
  • isolation
Q3

Why is Aurora upset when she learns the truth about waking up?

Aurora is devastated because Jim deliberately woke her up, knowing she would age and die decades before the ship reached Homestead II. She had volunteered for the journey specifically to experience the new world and then return to Earth, but Jim's decision effectively stole her future. Additionally, she is angry about the deception, he lied about why her pod malfunctioned, manipulating her into a relationship under false pretenses.

  • aurora lane
  • betrayal
  • stolen future
  • deception
  • emotional trauma
Q4

How did Gus wake up on the Avalon?

Gus woke up because his hibernation pod also malfunctioned, similar to Jim's situation. However, unlike Jim who was affected by the asteroid collision, Gus's awakening was due to the cascading system failures caused by the earlier damage. When Gus awakens, he is already suffering from Pansystemic Necrosis caused by his pod's failure, which will eventually kill him.

  • gus
  • chief deck officer
  • pod failure
  • pansystemic necrosis
Q5

What is wrong with the Avalon ship?

The Avalon's reactor suffered critical damage during the asteroid collision. While the ship's systems appeared functional for years, the damage near the reactor slowly degraded, eventually creating a runaway plasma reaction that threatened to destroy the entire ship and kill all 5,000 colonists in hibernation. The malfunction was a ticking time bomb caused by the initial asteroid strike.

Foreshadowing: The film shows early signs of system failures escalating, hinting at deeper problems.

  • reactor damage
  • asteroid collision
  • plasma reaction
  • ship malfunction
  • survival crisis
Q6

Why does Gus die from Pansystemic Necrosis?

Gus dies because his hibernation pod failed, similar to the malfunction that woke Jim. The pod failure caused systemic damage to his organs, leading to Pansystemic Necrosis, a progressive organ failure condition. Despite his critical role in helping Jim and Aurora access the bridge, Gus knows he is dying and uses his remaining time to give them his personnel code, enabling them to save the ship.

  • gus death
  • organ failure
  • pod malfunction
  • sacrifice
Q7

Why does Aurora choose to stay awake instead of going back to hibernation?

After Jim saves the ship by performing the dangerous spacewalk, he offers Aurora the chance to return to hibernation using the repaired pod system. However, Aurora chooses to remain awake with him because she has come to accept their situation and genuinely loves Jim despite his deception. She decides that living a full life with Jim on the ship, even if confined, is more meaningful than sleeping through the remainder of the journey.

  • aurora choice
  • love
  • acceptance
  • sacrifice
  • hibernation decision
Q8

How does Jim survive the spacewalk to fix the reactor?

Jim survives the spacewalk by sheer determination and luck. He successfully vents the runaway plasma reaction to save the ship, but is severely injured in the process, suffering severe frostbite and losing consciousness in the void of space. Aurora manages to pull him back into the ship and uses the Autodoc medical system to save his life, though the recovery is difficult and leaves him weakened.

  • jim survival
  • spacewalk
  • autodoc
  • reactor fix
  • near death
Q9

Is the ending of Passengers happy or sad?

The ending is bittersweet. The ship successfully reaches Homestead II 88 years later, and the colonists awaken to begin their new lives. Jim and Aurora spend their remaining years together on the ship, building a rich life and love story. However, Aurora sacrificed her chance to experience Homestead II, and their extraordinary journey becomes merely a footnote told to the awakened colonists, a poignant reminder of the life they created from tragedy.

  • homestead ii arrival
  • ending interpretation
  • bittersweet ending
  • colonists awakening
Q10

How does Aurora discover Jim woke her intentionally?

Aurora discovers the truth when Arthur, the android bartender, accidentally reveals it during a conversation. Arthur doesn't fully understand the moral implications and lets slip that Jim knew about Aurora's pod before she woke up. This slip of Arthur's digital tongue triggers Aurora's anger and forces Jim to confess that he deliberately woke her, ending their relationship temporarily.

  • arthur revelation
  • truth discovered
  • betrayal exposed
  • aurora jim conflict
Q11

Why can't Jim fix his hibernation pod to go back to sleep?

Jim cannot fix his pod because the damage is systemic, a result of the asteroid collision that caused his premature awakening. As a mechanical engineer, he attempts various repairs but discovers the malfunction is too fundamental to correct with the limited tools and resources available on a ship with no other awake personnel. This forces him to accept his fate of being alone for decades.

  • pod repair
  • engineer
  • impossible fix
  • stranded

Movie threads

More Movies Like Passengers, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Passengers tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies with moral survival dilemmas like Passengers

Stories where survival in isolation forces characters to confront profound moral choices. If you liked the ethical quandary at the heart of Passengers, explore these movies that similarly place characters in extreme isolation where survival hinges on difficult, often controversial, moral decisions. These films blend high-stakes survival with deep philosophical questions about humanity.

  • ethical dilemma
  • claustrophobic
  • survivalist
  • tense
  • contemplative
  • lonely
  • Tone: tense, contemplative, bittersweet
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern typically involves characters becoming isolated, either physically or socially, facing a life-or-death situation. A central moral violation or dilemma defines the story, forcing the protagonist and the audience to grapple with questions of right and wrong under duress, often leading to a redemption arc or a bittersweet resolution.

Why they belong together: Movies in this thread are grouped by their shared focus on the intersection of survival and ethics. They create a tense, contemplative mood where the biggest threat is often the choice a character must make, resulting in a medium to high emotional weight and a steady, character-driven pace.

Bittersweet crisis romances similar to Passengers

Love stories that blossom under extreme pressure, leading to a bittersweet but meaningful resolution. Fans of the complex, survival-born romance in Passengers will appreciate these movies where love stories are forged in fire. These films feature couples brought together by extreme circumstances, leading to deep connections that are tested by danger and often result in a poignant, bittersweet ending.

  • romantic
  • bittersweet
  • tense
  • survivalist
  • forced proximity
  • sacrifice
  • Tone: bittersweet, romantic, tense
  • Pacing: steady, emotional build
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows two characters who are forced together by a catastrophic or high-pressure event. Their romance develops alongside their struggle to survive, with the external threat constantly testing their bond. The relationship is often built on a foundation of shared trauma, leading to an ending that is hopeful yet scarred, affirming the connection but acknowledging the cost.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their specific blend of romance and survival drama, where the relationship's evolution is the emotional core of a high-stakes plot. They share a bittersweet tone, a steady pacing that allows the relationship to develop organically, and a medium to heavy emotional weight stemming from high romance and sadness scores.

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Every angle

Passengers (2016) Explained: Plot, Ending, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Passengers in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning, the ending explained and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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