James is a critical character who represents a dark vision of existential surrender and moral degradation in the face of immortality. He serves as a cautionary figure for Blue, illustrating what happens when survival is achieved at the expense of purpose and humanity.
The Ancient Resident: James came to the planet from Earth “a couple hundred years ago” with his wife to escape Earth’s “bureaucracy and the pollution”.
Immortality: He reveals that the planet stops the aging process, telling Blue and Kim, “You don’t age here”.
The One Who Won’t Leave The Trees: He is known to the hostile silver creatures by the derogatory label “The One Who Won’t Leave The Trees”. The silver creature chief believes he is less dangerous than Blue because he “doesn’t have our power,” but fears James’s “knowledge” combined with Blue’s new ability could be a major threat.
James’s personality is marked by smug complacency and a disturbing hedonism.
Apathetic Surrender: Despite his wife being killed after they crashed, James shows no interest in finding a way off the planet, declaring, “Blue, I sympathize, but I don’t want to leave”. He views his life as ideal.
Hedonistic Corruption: He openly boasts about his status as the “rooster” of the orange humanoids. When Blue expresses disgust at the scaly appearance of the orange humanoids, James creepily replies, “All over too”. This behavior causes Blue to deem him “daft” and a “fruit”.
Manipulative Optimism: He attempts to rationalize Blue’s situation by calling him “so lucky” and tries to encourage both Blue and Kim to embrace the planet’s life, telling Kim, “You will… after a while,” when she expresses her unhappiness. He seeks to convert the newcomers to his way of thinking, normalizing his own warped existence.
James’s challenges are mostly internal and externalized in his inability to affect his own destiny.
The Loss of Power: James had the planet’s indigenous power, but it “wore out” in him. He claims he “never got to use it” before it disappeared.
The Inability to Escape: He states that a malevolent entity, Odin (“a guy beneath the earth”), is the reason he cannot leave the planet. This makes him a permanent prisoner, regardless of his “immortality.”
The Danger of Obsolescence: The silver creature chief regards James as less dangerous than Blue because he is powerless. However, the Chief’s directive to stop Blue and James from meeting shows that James’s knowledge and experience on the planet still pose a threat to the established power structure.
