The Abyss (2024) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The USS Montana, an Ohio-class submarine, struck an unidentified underwater entity while navigating near the Cayman Trough in January 1994. The collision caused catastrophic damage that led to the submarine sinking. This incident prompted both American and Soviet forces to respond, setting the events of the story in motion.

• USS Montana
• submarine
• collision
• Cayman Trough
• sinking

NTI stands for Non-Terrestrial Intelligence, the term Dr. Lindsey Brigman uses to describe the alien life form encountered deep in the ocean. The NTI appears as a mesmerizing column of water that behaves like a remotely operated vehicle, demonstrating advanced technology far beyond human capability. It ultimately reveals itself to be part of an alien civilization dwelling in an underwater city within the trench.

• NTI
• non-terrestrial intelligence
• alien
• water entity
• deep sea

Lt. Hiram Coffey's mental state deteriorated under the extreme pressure of the mission, the mysterious NTI encounters, and the escalating danger. His behavior became increasingly erratic and conspiratorial, leading him to take unauthorized actions and eventually confront Bud directly. This psychological breakdown resulted in his reckless escape attempt, during which his mini-sub imploded under the crushing pressure of the deep ocean.

• Lt. Coffey
• mental breakdown
• erratic behavior
• rogue
• psychological

Lindsey activated her mammalian diving reflex, a physiological response that slows the heart rate and redirects blood flow to vital organs when submerged in cold water. By triggering this reflex and allowing herself to succumb to deep hypothermia, Lindsey enabled Bud to escape with the remaining functional diving suit. This act of love and bravery is portrayed as a conscious choice to ensure Bud's survival.

• Lindsey Brigman
• sacrifice
• mammalian diving reflex
• hypothermia
• death

The Trident missile warhead, recovered from the USS Montana, was initially a race against time as it threatened to detonate. Bud and Ensign Monk descended over two miles underwater using an experimental liquid breathing suit to disarm the dormant warhead. During this descent, Bud encountered the NTI and was led to the alien city, where the warhead's fate became intertwined with the alien intervention.

• Trident warhead
• nuclear
• disarm
• descent
• Deep Core

Bud discovered a breathtaking alien city hidden within the deep trench, inhabited by the NTIs. This underwater realm represented a highly advanced civilization capable of creating breathable spaces and technology far beyond human understanding. The aliens showed Bud a vision of his own message to Lindsey, demonstrating their profound comprehension of human emotions and existence.

• alien city
• trench
• underwater civilization
• NTI
• Bud Brigman

The aliens displayed war-torn images from humanity's past to convey their understanding of human violence and conflict. They then unleashed cataclysmic megatsunamis threatening to devastate coastlines worldwide. However, they deliberately curtailed the destruction just before impact, suggesting a message of potential destruction as a warning rather than a final judgment, possibly to prompt humanity to change its course.

• aliens
• megatsunami
• war imagery
• warning
• destruction

Bud received a message from the NTIs warning the crew to 'hold on' as a precursor to the alien ship's arrival and the subsequent chaos. This warning came just before an enormous alien ship appeared, radiating blinding lights and causing chaos aboard Deep Core and surrounding vessels. The warning gave the crew a brief moment to prepare for the unprecedented encounter that followed.

• hold on
• warning
• alien ship
• Bud
• crew

The ending depicts both the alien vessel and Deep Core ascending from the abyss together, symbolizing humanity's potential journey into a greater existence and connection to the universe beyond Earth. This surreal finale represents the unfathomable mysteries of existence and suggests a transformation in humanity's relationship with cosmic intelligence, leaving the resolution open-ended and philosophically weighty.

• ending
• ascension
• alien vessel
• Deep Core
• symbolism

The aliens chose not to follow through with the megatsunami destruction, stopping just before impact. This decision suggests they wanted to deliver a powerful warning rather than annihilate humanity. By showing humanity's violent history and then demonstrating their capability for total destruction, the aliens appeared to be offering humanity a chance to change, possibly judging humanity worthy of survival.

• aliens
• humanity
• spare
• warning
• judgment

The experimental diving suit was equipped with a liquid breathing apparatus that allowed the wearer to withstand the immense underwater pressure at extreme depths. This technology enabled Ensign Monk and Bud to descend over two miles below the surface to reach the nuclear warhead, something that would be impossible with conventional diving equipment. The liquid breathing concept is based on filling the lungs with oxygenated fluid to resist pressure damage.

• liquid breathing
• experimental suit
• pressure
• Monk
• descent

The mission failed primarily because Lt. Coffey, under pressure to hurry, took a mini-sub without authorization to recover the Trident warhead. This reckless decision severed their connection with surface support while a fierce storm brewed above. The resulting cable crane disaster caused Deep Core to teeter precariously, leading to significant casualties and catastrophic damage to power systems.

• SEAL team
• mission failure
• Coffey
• cable crane
• disaster