Colonials (2023) Movie Ending Explained: Who rescues Silas?

Colonials (2023) is a low-budget sci-fi film. It is kitschy. It is unreservedly successful in its attempt to be a failure. However, since this is no review, there is no point in talking about any of that. Rather, we will have to settle for the explanations to the questions that largely agitated the viewers throughout the course of the film. 

Colonials (2023) Plot Summary & Movie SynopsisL

A Martian space colonist, Silas, is on a mission. He is about to enter the Earth’s orbit and complete his undescribed mission when the antagonistic Exile forces attack his base. While Silas’ colleagues, Jesse and Allie, get subsumed in the process of saving the base, Silas crashes into the Earth’s gravitational field in his spaceship. Silas is discovered by Zoey and Thomas, who are involved with a group called the Resistance. Silas, who has completely lost his memory after the crash, is taken to their den. The Exiles, on the other hand, land on Earth and capture Silas’ spaceship.

Thomas and Zoey are deployed to bring back Silas’ spaceship, which is in the control of the Exiles. The Resistance leader, Rhea, expects that letting Silas be near his spaceship would facilitate the return of his memory. When the two leave, Rhea informs Silas about Zeke, who might help him find out more about where he came from. According to Rhea, Zeke had a major status within the Resistance; however, he has been untraceable ever since he dropped out. 

On the other hand, Raven, an agent of the Exile, finds Silas’ ship and, by dismantling Spark, learns about Silas. Grom, her commander and the leader of the Exiles reveals that Silas is no ordinary being. He is the son of Cyrus, commander of the Colonials. Raven gets the assistance of other Exile members, Lockjaw and Flatline, to find Silas. 

Thomas tells Silas that their parents were sold as slaves by the Exiles when they were young. At this, Silas replies that he does not remember his parents. However, Zoey is bitter at the prospect of venturing into this mission just to save Silas. The next day Silas wakes up to the nightmares of the crash and leaves. In Silas’ absence, Zoey is asked to fly the ship. 

Among the Colonials, there is huge unrest following the disappearance of Silas. Although Cyrus advocates that the human race be saved from the Exiles by the Colonials, he is met with opposition by his fellows. Finally, the Judge of the proceedings intervenes and orders the Colonials to accept the propositions of Cyrus for his invaluable sacrifice to society.

Who is Zeke?

Silas sets out to find Zeke and discovers that the latter has lost his hearing capacity when he finds him. Zeke has also lost his arm in the war while protecting humans from the Exiles. Zeke reveals that Grom leads the Exiles. Grom’s associate, Raven, had taken his arm away. He further reveals that Grom was actually a powerful Colonial. He explained the differentiation that made some humans Colonials and others, Exiles.

Colonials, as Zeke says, are the humans who were advanced. Exiles were the Colonials who let themselves be usurped by greed. The Exiles got their names as they were banished from the Colonial society. With nowhere else to go, the Exiles started living on Earth and waged a war against the humans. Zeke, a Colonial, was also sent to intervene in the war and save the humans from the Exiles. 

Soon, Raven reaches Zeke’s den and attacks Silas. Lockjaw and Flatline come to help Raven and shoot Zeke with blasters. Zeke kills one of the associates, but Raven comes from behind and plunges a blade into his back. 

What is the mission of Delta One?

Meanwhile, Thomas and Zoey have made their way into the Exile base, where they have captured Silas’ ship. Hiding away from the Exile soldiers, they follow Spark, the droid at the service of Silas. They see Spark massacring the soldiers and ceasing the ship of Silas from them, which makes them turn to him. Spark tells them that he was designed by the Colonials residing on Mars and assigned to serve Silas and carry out the mission of the Delta One Regiment. According to Spark, the Delta One is on a mission to reestablish communication with humans on Earth from whom the Colonials have not heard for 50 years. Delta One has to report back to Cyrus with the cause of the interference in this communication. 

Back on Mars, the committee of Colonials decided not to aid Delta One any further and stopped sending more Colonials to save humans in the war. Rhea assumes that the Exiles have abducted Silas and found out his identity. She fears that the Exiles might now take Silas to a space station between the Earth and the Moon. This is done to ensure that the Resistance does not reach them.

In the Exile base, Raven now has complete control over Silas. Grom reveals that Silas powers the electromagnetic field. Grom is envious of Silas because of his inherent intellect. This trait is only accorded to the Colonials of Mars.  This is the reason why Colonials are powerful and ageless, as was evident when Zeke said he is 127 years old despite having the body of a much younger man. Only reviving Silas’ memories will help Grom benefit from him; therefore, he has been kept hostage in a tank. 

Colonials (2023) Movie Ending Explained:

Who rescues Silas?

Rhea orders Thomas and Zoey to fight with Exiles who are approaching the Earth. They leave with Spark on Silas’ ship. Grom, too orders Raven to capture the Resistance base and eliminate every one of them. Slowly, Silas starts regaining his memory. He escapes from the tank by breaking it with his head. 

Silas destroys the machine that controls the planet’s magnetic field’s intensity. The three find Silas and connect with him. However, Silas is chased by Grom, and they have to rescue him. Spark takes control of the ship and helps Silas run away. He destroys some of the Exile ships. He then asks Thomas to hit a button, creating a large mass of energy that destroys the Exile base completely. Silas runs from the base and falls back on the ship. Silas and Spark unite, and the latter annoys Silas in his characteristic way by spouting water on him. 

The film ends with Silas sending out a message to the Colonials. He reports that his associates Allie and Jesse were killed following the crash of his ship. He also makes it clear that Grom is not dead. Rather, he is amassed more power than ever. It was, in fact, the Exiles who had planted an electric barrier that had intervened in the transmission of messages between Earth and Mars. He ends the message by urging the Colonials to send help before it is too late. 

Read More: 30 Best Sci-Fi Movies of the 21st Century

Colonials (2023) Movie Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes
Colonials (2023) Movie Cast: Daniel Roebuck, Sean Kanan, Jamie Bernadette

Where to watch Colonials