The cult classic Pacific Rim is BY FAR one of the greatest (and most underrated) films of all time. If you haven’t seen it yet, put it on your “must see” list ASAP. It hits on a pop level because of its superheroesque motif and it hits all of the hipster trends for not having anything to do with actual superheroes.

What interested me most, however, is its development of what the movie refers to as “drift compatibility.” Again, you need to watch the movie to understand precisely what drift compatibility is, but I’ll do my best to do it justice in the next paragraph of this post. If you already know what I’m talking about, skip it.

Essentially, earth’s armed forces create these mega robots called Jaegers. They are the size of skyscrapers and more powerful than space shuttles. They built them to defend the planet for alien monsters that warp into our atmosphere through an undersea portal along the pacific rim. While the robots are remarkably strong, there’s a catch: it takes two pilots to operate one Jaeger. Not just any pilot will do; the two need to be “drift compatible.” This means that they have to share a special connection that will allow their minds to unite as they operate the sides of the Jaeger they are responsible for. If one of the pilots is injured in battle, the other takes on the totality of the robot’s operation systems which overtaxes the pilot and makes their brain (and body) split. 

“Drift compatibility” is non-fiction. It is an actual thing found in our world. It is found in various degrees in every culture and race. BFFs have it. Great teachers have it with their students. Even the minds behind some of the people you follow on twitter could likely drive a Jaeger with you.

However, I’d argue that the greatest form of drift compatibility in today’s (and yesterday’s and tomorrow’s) world is in the union of a sacramental marriage. 

When two people are connected with the hitch that is God’s grace, there within them creates a union that makes the two not only of one mind, but of one flesh. The result is a co-existence of souls within one another. Side effects of said unity can create mounds of intermediate graces, pools of redemptive suffering, and the combination of grace and suffering which I like to call children.

More importantly, however, the sacrament creates a common thought between the spouses that places the others’ needs at the forefront of every decision. When you’re married, even a solo trip to the grocery store is accompanied by thoughts of “what does my wife need while I’m here?” Or “I bet my husband would love a box of Fruity Pebbles.” With kids, this superpower grows exponentially because every word you speak, every action to make is accompanied by a singular thought of “am I doing everything I can to make this family holy?”

Theologian James Keating coined this shared mental telepathy between spouses as co-natural thought. It is the drift compatibility that allow the two to share more than just their mental strength, but their spiritual and physical powers as well. Together, they maneuver the Jaeger of their marriage and battle against the sins that try to break them apart. Sometimes, one of them takes a hard hit to the soul and it’s up to the other to split the very fibers of their self to keep the fight going. 

This is where the mystic reality takes precedent over the movie: when the single spouse has to take on the brunt of the marriage responsibilities, it is then when the grace of God kicks in like nitrous oxide in a Fast and Furious flick. He overwhelms the two by pouring love to the one spouse through the other, strengthening them both in one, singular flesh. 

Drift compatibility. Co-natural thought. Call it what you want, but in the end, it will always symbolize two things: God & love. Which, in reality, is actually one thing because God is love.

In a similar way, so too is one spouse joined to another in one flesh through the sacrament of marriage.

And that’s a remarkably powerful thing.