More than science fiction, the Polish series “A Girl and an Astronaut” is a romantic drama. It features the disrupted lives of three central characters who face loss, rejection, love, and guilt after they cross paths. Their lives are changed forever after a Russian corporation offers the Polish pilots a chance to go to space and participate in a unique experiment. The outcome of that project impacts not only the lives of the pilots but also those of a girl who falls for the pilot on the mission. While the project gets disbanded due to losing connection with the pilot, the latter makes a miraculous return to earth after 30 long years. Told in two parallel timelines, Bartosz Prokopowicz’s show jumps back and forth between past and present scenes.
Originally titled “Dziewczyna i Kosmonauta,” the series pivots focus from the actual experiment to the lives of its main characters. Rather than driving the show with sci-fi elements like space travel, it sheds light on the feelings and innermost thoughts of people involved in the said experiment. They find their lives transformed for the first time when the experiment doesn’t go as expected, and then the second time when the pilot Niko finally returns 30 years later. And this unravels each character’s psyche wonderfully. Furthermore, the show explores various tropes involving love triangles, cheating, and the fundamental competitiveness to get the girl. If you watched the show and are dying to know more about the primary characters, then read on to get an insight into their minds.
Spoilers Ahead
Nikodem Borowski
The confident and charming fighter pilot who gets to go out into space after proving his worth is Nikodem Borowski. The Polish pilot succeeds in all missions and lives life to the fullest. We get an insight into his childhood as he talks to his younger sister, Karolina. His parents neglected him as a child and punished his naughtiness. The same punishment enabled him to stay calm in a coffin-like situation and pass the test to get into the experiment. Apart from some horrific memories, Niko shares a loving and affectionate relationship with his sister. Through her, he meets the love of his life, Marta, and decides to change for the better. He works harder and achieves his dreams. His arrogance and utter lack of doubt are what make him a good pilot, as we have seen in movies like “Top Gun” too. He is a team player and works efficiently with his team during the day and then goes on to celebrate till the crack of dawn. His core personality exudes from his interests, like partying, biking, and drugs. The harder Niko works at his job, the harder he likes to party and let off some steam. Some people see it as ignorant and childlike behavior, but for him, it’s a way to relax. Niko loves adventures and exploring new things, which makes him the perfect choice for the experiment to go to space as well. He is a great pilot despite his erratic and unstable behavior. Niko is not one for commitment or sticking to one thing for the rest of his life. However, Marta changes this for him. Even after he comes back from space after years, he hasn’t aged and is still the charming young man with a spark of rebellion in his eyes. He runs away from the people who keep him in the facility and finds Marta. After being reunited with his love, he does not run away because Marta has aged, but he stays there and promises to take care of her. Despite not aging 30 years, Niko at least grows up and leaves behind the behavior that labeled him “shallow.”
Marta
The once carefree and fun-loving DJ Stardust mellows down to a very quiet and subdued personality in the year 2052. In 2022, Marta loved to party and worked on her music as a DJ. She hates being controlled and loves to do whatever she likes. Marta is friends with Karolina, and they stay together in Poland after coming back from London. Through Karolina, she meets Niko and Bogdan, the two love interests in her life. While both men fall in love with her, Marta should have made her choice from the get-go rather than cheating on both of them. Her indecisiveness leads to a mass of confusion and disrupts both men’s lives too. Quite clearly, she loves Niko and wants to be with him. However, some childhood and past dating experiences prevent her from trusting him and his ways. She is proven right when she sees him kissing another girl at a party. This makes her turn to the stable and trustworthy Bogdan. The two men are polar opposites when it comes to their personalities, and maybe that’s why Marta falls for both of them at the same time. While she loves spontaneity and excitement, she craves stability and routine in her life. Marta has no focus on life. She moves from one thing to another without a plan in mind. In the end, after Niko goes to space for the project, she ends up marrying Bogdan and having a daughter together. Their relationship rests on Bogdan’s unwavering love for her because Marta cannot seem to get over Niko’s apparent death. With time, she stops mourning but becomes resentful and distant from her family. The news of Niko’s return awakens her old personality of excitement and wildness. In a heartbeat, she goes to Niko in the hope of making him come back to life. Torn between her past love and her present family, she eventually decides to choose herself amidst the chaos. Marta wants to work on herself and live for herself for once. She runs away from both Niko and Bogdan, leaving behind confusion and a mess.
Bogdan Rosa
Since the beginning of the series, we have been introduced to Bogdan as an extremely serious and no-nonsense person. He is focused and committed to making it big in life. He trains and works out regularly, treating his body like a temple. Bogdan works hard but also chooses underhanded methods to put down Niko. Their competition to be the best is apparent to everyone on the team. They fight openly and argue at every chance they get. On missions and projects, Bogdan defies protocol and superior orders if that gives him a chance to insult Niko. This jealousy and malign behavior stem from Bogdan’s abusive father and his consequently horrible childhood. Bogdan always felt like a shadow, first of his father and then of Niko. To break free from that image, he did everything in his power to prove his worth and be the best out there. The competitive streak extends from their missions to when Marta enters their lives. Somewhere in his mind, Bogdan resolves to win over Marta to teach Niko a lesson. He even lies about the explosion that apparently causes Niko’s death so that Marta ends up being with him. In hindsight, Bogdan craves attention from his peers. Lack of affection and love in childhood molds his personality as distant and closed off, but like everyone else, he also needs love and care in life. However, his underhanded and deceitful ways don’t get him the love he desires from Marta, as she stays stuck on Niko and does not move on. Bogdan is frustrated and sad in life, and nobody other than himself can eradicate that sadness.
Karolina And Wiktor
Karolina is Niko’s little sister. Her demeanor is quite similar to that of Marta’s, as they are friends and spend the most time together. Karo loves partying and being with her friends. Nonetheless, she ends up falling for a guy who completely changes her life for the worse. She embarks on an affair with Bogdan’s father, Wiktor. The same abusive and disrespectful behavior from Bogdan’s childhood continues in Karo’s affair with Wiktor. Despite the brutal sex and consequent bruises, Karo falls for Wiktor and wishes to be with him officially. This does not change Wiktor’s behavior. He remains distant and only uses Karo for sex. We believe he preyed on Karo because of her outgoing and childlike personality. Where Bogdan treats Karo as a sister, Wiktor has a passionate affair with her without worrying about his wife and child. Their relationship is a secret to everyone in 2022, but in 2052, we see Karolina taking care of an ailing Wiktor. We believe Wiktor came to Karoline when his own family refused to take care of him or be with him because of his abusive manner. With no other option left, he turns to Karoline, who is a better person, and accepts Wiktor’s plea and looks after him.
