Character Relationship Map: UFO

Characters

• Derek Echevaro (played by Alex Sharp) — protagonist

  Derek is a gifted mathematics student at the University of Cincinnati who becomes obsessed with decoding electromagnetic interference caused by a UFO. He disproves the airport's explanations, identifi...

• Natalie (played by Ella Purnell) — supporting

  Natalie is one of Derek's friends and roommates. Derek's growing fixation on the UFO signal and his increasingly urgent efforts to decode it begin straining his relationships with Natalie and Lee, sho...

• Franklin Ahls (played by David Strathairn) — supporting

  Franklin Ahls is a senior official with the clandestine FBI Committee on Aerial Phenomena. He oversees scientists investigating the UFO and its message, later explains the purpose of the fine-structur...

• Lee (played by Benjamin Beatty) — supporting

  Lee is one of Derek's friends and roommates. Derek's increasing obsession with decoding the UFO transmission strains their relationship, but Lee also provides practical support when Derek borrows his...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Derek Echevaro → Franklin Ahls (Professional Interested Official) — Franklin becomes professionally interested in Derek's mathematical work.

  Derek's efforts attract the attention of Franklin Ahls, a senior official with the clandestine FBI Committee on Aerial Phenomena.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Derek Echevaro → Lee (Social Friend) — Lee is one of Derek's closest friends and housemates.

  The plot identifies Lee as one of Derek's friends and roommates.

• Derek Echevaro → Natalie (Social Friend) — Natalie is part of Derek's close social circle and shared household.

  The plot identifies Natalie as one of Derek's friends and roommates.

Story Analysis

A mathematician follows an encrypted extraterrestrial signal from public denial to confirmed contact.

Plot Progression

1. The Signal Over Cincinnati — A UFO appears over Cincinnati International Airport and disrupts the ATC broadcast. Derek challenges the official explanations through mathematical analysis.
2. Code Beneath The Static — Derek decrypts the interference as fragments of the fine-structure constant. An unexplained executable pushes him toward a binary interpretation, intensifying his obsession.
3. The Hidden Investigation — Franklin Ahls and a clandestine effort attempt to understand and contain the message. Derek's work attracts official attention while his home relationships deteriorate.
4. The Missing Dimension — Derek studies the signal disruptions and searches for the missing measurement in the calculations. The 21-centimeter neutral hydrogen wavelength unlocks the coordinates.
5. A Message From Beyond — Derek reaches the coordinates and sees the UFO broadcast another signal. After detention, Franklin confirms extraterrestrial contact and offers Derek future work.