Interstellar fan has mind-blowing theory about 'simple mistake' fans can't unsee 10 years later

A fan of Interstellar has dreamt up a new mind-bending theory about the 2014 movie.

Very rarely do we see films being talked about for years following its release, let alone over a decade.

But this is something that Christopher Nolan's Interstellar has experienced, with the sci-fi adventure title managing to stay relevant in pop culture due to how layered and detailed it is.

Its depiction of space travel and its relation to time has long been a talking point for viewers, who think that we're being told more than we're shown on the big screen. Many have theorised over the film's ominous ending, or the significance of Cooper's dream and how it links to their arrival on Miller's planet.

There are enough fan theories on Interstellar to make your head spin, but this one might be the most interesting (and confusing) yet.

Was Cooper ever really a pilot? (Paramount)

A user posted a long explanation in the Interstellar Reddit group, titled 'Interstellar's opening is a memory of the future (and a theory on the theme of fate)'.

Starting with Cooper's nightmare crash while he was a pilot, the user noted, as others have in the past, that the same angle was used for Copper's actual entry into the black hole.

But this is where the similarities end, as they suggest that Cooper may never have been a pilot at all, mistaking it as a memory.

If you've seen the film before, you'll recall that Dr. Brand says that he used to fly for NASA, though Murph's recollection of events only mentioned her father as a farmer and not a pilot.

They wrote: "Perhaps he never was a pilot?"

Asking people to 'bear with me', they went on to young Murph's experience with her 'ghost'.

As most of us know, this turned out to be her father, sending messages from the future.

The Reddit user wrote: "(The movie explores her choosing to quit believing in it and remembering it again). At the same time, the movie mentions during Matt Damon's revival that Dr. Brand already figured out the answer to the equation."

Recalling that the solution found by Dr. Brand is just half the answer, the user claims that 'the equation has two facets, one scientific and one spiritual.'

While the scientific equation required data from the black hole, the claim here is that the spiritual equation was understood by both Dr. Brand and his daughter.

"The answer to the spiritual question was to trust in fate and have faith, a repeating theme throughout the entire movie," they said.

The fan went on: "During Amelia's line of questioning to Matt Damon, watch it again with the idea that she already knew the answers she was asking.

"Consider that she was challenging Matt Damon's beliefs so Cooper could complete the mission instead of falling into despair. However, she fails at this."

The outrageous theory claims that even Murph knew that Cooper was never a pilot (Paramount)

Circling back to when Cooper first meets Dr. Brand and Amelia, apparently the pair know about the spiritual half of the equation: "Trust in fate and have faith."

Describing Cooper as a 'random dude' that found the hidden compound as he was guided by fate, Dr. Brand and Amelia believe Cooper was destined for this.

As for Cooper being told 'the same NASA you flew for', they claim that everyone was on the same page and played along with his 'false memories'.

They claimed that 'Cooper was just a dude who loved farming', like Murph said, adding that he was 'paradoxically, always a NASA pilot, just not yet.'

Far-fetched doesn't begin to describe it, as one user commented: "I think that’s a huge reach. It doesn’t really make sense for them to play along with something they know 'isn’t real'."

Another wrote: "Didn't he just help test the same ships they end up using? Cool theory but reaching."

While others called the idea 'fascinating', it's just a theory at the end of the day.