 Zemeckis stated that he intended the message of the film to be that science and religion can coexist rather than being opposing camps, as shown by the coupling of scientist Arroway with the religious Joss, as well as his acceptance that the "journey" indeed took place. This, and scattered references throughout the film, posit that science and religion are not nominally incompatible: one interviewer, after asking Arroway whether the construction of the machine — despite not knowing what will happen when it is activated — is too dangerous, suggests that it is being built on the "faith" that the alien designers, as Arroway puts it, "know what they 're doing."
