Thank you Frictional Major Spoilers!

[Magmarock]

I think the Ark is a metaphor for heaven, in the sense that it’s a paradise among the stars but also in a sense I question it’s true purpose. I think maybe the ark isn’t meant to preserve humanity but simply protect the survivor from the reality of their situation. That is the fact that they’re in a box floating in outer space that will eventually stop working and the entire species is pretty much extinct.

My interpretation of the ARK is that it's a second chance for what's left of humans to figure out a way to survive. We don't really know what the ARK and the satellite it's attached to are capable of, but we do know that the people inside are able to control it. We also know that the ARK has 50 or so people on board, virtually all of which are experts in a science- or engineering-related field, and that they have potentially thousands of years before the ARK breaks down. Given that it took humans a little over a hundred to go from developing the first sterling and electric engine to building nuclear power plants and walking on the moon, it's really not that big of a stretch to imagine that they could very well figure out a way to save themselves in that time.

That's an intresting view though I didn't think they could control it. I thought it was so they could live out the rest of a thousands years before the power goes out. If the Ark is heaven then Patrhos II is purgatory and the WUA is hell. At least that's how I saw it. To me it made since since death and dying is a strong theme of the game. The main character having a terminal illness and all.