Some Thoughts on Top Gun Maverick

I saw Top Gun Maverick for the second time today.  Because I've been reading The Darwin Economy by Robert Frank, it colored my framing of the movie on the second viewing.  

Up until the climax of the film, Hangman, the smug alfa dog and secondary antagonist (the primary conflict is character vs. self and the primary antagonist is Maverick's guilt over being responsible for Goose's death) represents pure Darwinian selfishness.  He's out for himself, as his callsign makes crystal clear: he's playing to win and won't hesitate to hang his teammates out to dry.  He puts others in danger in order to prove he's the most skilled and daring pilot.  

Rooster on the other hand, represents the opposite end of the Darwinian spectrum.  He's the Yin to Hangman's Yang.  Rooster is a selfless team player who puts himself in danger to protect his teammates.

Central to the movie is the flight commander played by John Hamm wanting the Top Gun cadets to be taught by a more logical choice than Maverick, a hotshot pilot who has a track record for not following orders.  

John Hamm's character represents the logical, bureaucratic mindset to solving problems.  On the other hand, Maverick represents the less logical option for solving the problem.  In other words, John Hamm represents the limits of logic to solve a problem while Maverick is the choice that makes less sense on paper but is in fact is the best choice to get the job done.  

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