Flight of the Navigator is one of my favorite films. I loved it growing up, and I enjoy it even more as an adult. The acting is incredible, the story is equal parts mystery and wish fulfillment, and the special effects are exhilarating.

If you haven’t seen this film, you’re in for a treat. If you have seen it, you’re in for an even bigger treat because you’re about to discover the symmetrical nature of Flight of the Navigator. It’s a chiasmus, which means that its first half mirrors the second half perfectly. It’s a wonder to behold.

The Chiasmus

Flight of the Navigator’s chiasmus unfolds in this manner. Each point at the beginning corresponds to one at the end.

A. A silver frisbee flies across the blue sky before being caught by a dog on July 4, 1978
 B. 12-year-old David Freeman plays with his pet dog Bruiser away from the attention of his family
  C. David fights with his 8-year-old brother Jeff and says hateful words to him, to his parents’ chagrin
   D. David arrives at his Florida home, goes inside, and shows that he likes a girl named Jennifer
    E. In his last moments in 1978, David goes into the woods, falls into a ravine, and hears the sound of an oncoming train
     F. David is scared to find that everything has changed when he enters his old home and runs around trying to find his mom and dad
      G. A police officer says that David was declared dead after going missing for eight years
       H. David leaves a police car to run to his parents at their new house, and he’s stopped before he can enter. They’re ecstatic to see him again after many years
        I. Sparks fly after a spaceship hits an electrical tower, and it proves to be easy to move to a secure location
         J. David talks to his big little brother Jeffrey in the hospital, and Jeffrey shows him a poster he kept to save the day, and he mentions their mom still has David’s fireworks
          K. David’s mom promises that they’ll stay close to him around the clock to help him not be afraid. David feels like it’s all a bad dream, and he speaks for any child who’s been lost and scared
           L. The spaceship is transported along the ground in a truck to a NASA hangar
            M. David tells Jeffrey about a voice he heard calling to him from the spaceship, Jeffrey believes him, and David remains confined in the hospital
             N. A NASA scientist named Dr. Faraday can’t figure out how to get into the spaceship, and he worries that something may be dying inside it
              O. David’s brain gets analyzed by doctors, and it has unexpected effects on their computer
               P. Dr. Faraday convinces David to come to a NASA base by promising him the truth
                Q. David hears an alien called Max calling to him from where he’s hidden in a hangar. David sees lots of toys in his room, is given a NASA hat, and isn’t happy or smiling at all
                 R. Dr. Faraday locks David inside his room after promising that he can call his family the next morning
                  S. David meets R.A.L.F. and an intern named Carolyn McAdams, and some misunderstandings lead her to ask if he’s been to outer space
                   T. Jeffrey gets alerted while tossing a frisbee that David is on the phone. David expresses anxiety to go home and hangs up
                    U. David’s brain speaks to NASA’s computers, sharing star charts and other information his brain is full of
                     V. David disconnects from the computer and runs away from the testing room
                      W. David tells Carolyn that he’s happy he’ll go home and see his family tomorrow, but she lets on that she knows what’s really happening
                      W. David is enraged when Carolyn tells him he’s not going home anytime soon, and she discreetly promises to tell his family what’s happening
                     V. David gets inside the R.A.L.F. unit to escape his room and get to the spaceship
                    U. David speaks to Max (the robot that controls the spaceship), and Max says he needs the star charts and other information in David’s brain
                   T. The entire NASA base gets alerted that David is in the spaceship. David expresses anxiety to depart the hangar and takes off
                  S. Carolyn watches David leave in a spaceship, while misunderstandings lead Max to take the spaceship to outer space
                 R. Max lets David out of the spaceship, and David only returns after Max promises to take him back to his family
                Q. Max listens to David and hides the spaceship underwater. David meets lots of aliens, gets his NASA hat eaten, and teaches Max to laugh
               P. Dr. Faraday convinces David’s father that David is still at NASA by feeding him half-truths
              O. David’s brain gets scanned by Max, and it has unexpected effects on the robot
             N. David figures out how to fly the spaceship after Max makes it go dead and almost kills everyone inside
            M. Carolyn tells David’s family what she saw when the spaceship left with David, they believe her, and they all get confined by NASA personnel
           L. The spaceship flies through the air to Tokyo and across the United States
          K. Startled teenagers drive away from David and Max in a hurry because they’re afraid. David lives out every kid’s dream as he listens to great music and flies the spaceship
         J. David talks to Jeffrey on the phone, and Jeffrey promises to send a signal to save the day by launching the fireworks their mom kept in David’s room
        I. Fireworks fly after Jeffrey launches them from his roof, and they make it easy for David to find his new house
       H. David leaves the spaceship to approach his parents’ new house, but instead of entering their house, he returns to the spaceship. They’re devastated to lose him again after a brief return
      G. Max says that David could be vaporized if he travels back in time eight years
     F. David is scared to find that Max is changing when they enter a new dimension and travel to the past to reunite with his family
    E. Upon his return to 1978, David sees the lights of a passing train, climbs out of a ravine, and leaves the woods
   D. David arrives at his old Florida home, goes into the family boat, and tells his mom he loves her
  C. David sits by his younger brother Jeff and says he loves him, to his parents’ astonishment
 B. Jeff and Bruiser encounter David’s pet alien without getting their parents’ attention
A. Max’s silver spaceship flies across the night sky and leaves amidst Fourth of July fireworks

More Than You’d Expect

David Freeman may look like an ordinary boy, but there’s a lot more to him than you’d expect. It’s the same with Flight of the Navigator. At first, it might come across as just a simple escapist children’s film. But there’s a lot of depth to it, especially now that we can see its chiasmus.

For example, I like that the NASA hat David receives has a payoff at exactly the same point on the other side of the chiasmus (Q). The interlinked destiny of David and Max is complemented by David’s inability to consciously access Max’s star charts and Max’s inability to repress David’s personality traits (O). Conversations between characters mirror each other with astonishing precision throughout (J, M, P, and R).

Carolyn McAdams proves to be a pivotal part of the movie, even if her role feels small. She helps David know that the people he’s surrounded by aren’t all bad, and he’s worth loving and listening to even in the worst circumstances of being imprisoned and treated like a guinea pig (W).

I hope you’ve had a fun ride on this journey across time and space. This has shed new light on why I love Flight of the Navigator. And now, to quote Max, “See you later, Navigator!”

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

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