Do You Matter?
What gives us value? Is it our individuality, our contributions, or something else? I started contemplating this after seeing Mickey 17 recently. While this isn’t a movie review, it may contain spoilers so please continue reading at your own discretion.
Mickey 17 is the 17th iteration of Mickey, who signed up as an expendable on a spaceship on its way to colonize an ice planet called Niflheim. Being an expendable means he takes on dangerous tasks, and when he inevitably dies, he is reprinted and replanted with his own memories.
We think of ourselves as important and unique. I am the only me that exists. While others may look, think, or act like me, no one is exactly me. My identity and purpose are inextricably tied to this fact. But what happens to my sense of worth if that uniqueness is no longer true?
The Struggle for Individual Worth in a Replaceable Society
As mentioned, Mickey 17 is the 17th iteration of Mickey. The rule is that two Mickeys can never exist at the same time. This is a technology that was outlawed on Earth because of moral and ethical questions but space travel creates a loophole. However, after thinking Mickey 17 was dead, Mickey 18 was created. At this point, does Mickey 17 even matter since he has already been replaced?
Intellectual health involves critical thinking, such as questioning one’s place in the world. At different points in our lives perhaps, I think this is something most of us struggle with. I know I have. What is the value of Mickey 17 now that he has been replaced by someone who, for all intents and purposes, is a clone of himself? Does he even have a right to exist anymore?
In the film, Mickey 18 tries to eliminate Mickey 17 because two versions of the same person is punishable by permanent death. Interestingly, despite the cloning technology, each Mickey has a slightly different personality, suggesting that even perfect technology isn’t flawless.
Social health is all about relationships and belonging somewhere. We get our sense of self-worth and self-being not just from within but from our environment, especially the people around us. What would it do to our own self-worth knowing that we could be replaced?
How Relationships Define Our Existence
All of the Mickeys have a relationship with Nasha, a security agent, that starts with the original Mickey. His sense of self comes from his relationship with her as she stands by his side as he goes through dangerous and painful tasks. At least once, she stays by his side as he dies from toxic exposure as the scientists onboard try to create a vaccine against the new planet’s pathogens. He only has her, and his friend Timo.
When Mickey 18 arrives, Nasha is excited by the difference between them and the possibility of having two Mickeys at once. But the Mickeys must figure out where they belong in a world that views them as interchangeable. Over time, an uneasy alliance forms between them, reflecting a deeper question about identity when two versions of the same person exist.
In real life, we seek validation from the people around us. With social media today, we seek validation from strangers where in the past, it would come from the people around us. Social media, however, presents a skewed version of reality. The constant feeling of being replaceable—whether at work, with friends, or in relationships—can erode our sense of self. While Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 are technically the same, they are not the same person. It’s through this distinction that we see the value of our unique perspectives and choices. Our lives gain meaning not just through shared memories or physical bodies but through the relationships and actions we take.
The Search for Meaning Beyond Utility
I feel like our world today is so focused on productivity that we forget how to find actual meaning in our everyday lives. Especially in America, worth is frequently measured by how much we can accomplish, not by who we are or our moral character.
Mickey 17 is treated as a tool, each iteration without intrinsic value. However, through his relationships with Nasha, Timo, and Mickey 18, we see that our worth isn’t defined by our utility. It’s found in how we think, connect with others, and shape our identities and theirs through our actions.
If you were cloned, as in Mickey 17, would you cease to have value?
