How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Quote #4
Dr. Heywood Floyd is asleep aboard a Pan-Am commercial space flight. In the zero-gravity cabin, his pen escapes his pocket and floats through space. A stewardess enters the cabin equipped with Velcro shoes and a cushioned hat to retrieve the pen and put it back in his pocket.
In prehistoric Africa, the hominids developed the bone club to help them solve problems. Mostly, they needed to kill things—tapirs for food, leopards for defense, and rivals for resources. The same holds true in space—absent the killing part. In order to meet the problems of space, like the zero-gravity environment, the stewardess is decked out in new tools to help her maneuver inside the cabin. Velcro—one of the greatest advances in human history.
Quote #5
SQUIRT: Are you coming to my party tomorrow?
FLOYD: I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I can't.
SQUIRT: Why not?
FLOYD: Well, you know, Daddy's traveling. Very sorry about it, but I just can't.
This is how Kubrick presents a vision of the wonderful tech-filled future. It's a fun bit of commentary about how commonplace technology can feel to us despite how amazing it really is—just another routine business trip for Dr. Floyd, no biggie.
Quote #6
HALVORSEN: Got any ham?
MICHAELS: Ham, ham, ham…
HALVORSEN: There, that's it.
FLOYD: They look pretty good.
MICHAELS: They're getting better at it all the time.
Remember how difficult it was for the hominids to get food? Food's also hard to come by in space, but thanks to our tools, we can develop ways to make ham that can be served on the moon. Well, a ham-like substance that resembles a sandwich in the same way Call of Duty resembles actual war. Again, our technology has helped us survive, thrive (well…), and explore.