“You told me to find out what happened. I spoke to dozens of people. Every word they said, I wrote down. All in these books. These are the ones who are still alive. These are the ones who are dead. They died rescuing each other. Putting out fires, tending to the wounded. They didn’t hesitate, they didn’t waiver. They simply did what had to be done. So have I. I went willingly to an open reactor. So I’ve already given my life. Isn’t that enough? No, I’m sorry, but it is not.” Chernobyl (2019)

To be a scientist is to be naive. We are so focused on our search for truth, we fail to consider how few actually want us to find it. But it is always there, whether we see it or not, whether we choose to or not. The truth doesn’t care about our needs or wants. It doesn’t care about our governments, our ideologies, our religions. It will lie in wait for all time. And this, at last, is the gift of Chernobyl. Where I once would fear the cost of truth, now I only ask: What is the cost of lies?

Chernobyl (2019), Episode 5 “Vichnaya Pamyat”

To be a scientist is to be naive. We are so focused on our search for truth, we fail to consider how few actually want us to find it. But it is always there, whether we see it or not, whether we choose to or not. The truth doesn’t care about our needs or wants, it doesn’t care about our governments, our ideologies, our religions. It will lie and wait for all time. And this, at last, is the gift of Chernobyl. Where I once would fear the cost of truth, now I only ask ‘what is the cost of lies?’

Chernobyl (2019) – Episode 5  “Vichnaya Pamyat", dir. Johan Renck

Chernobyl - Vichnaya Pamyat

I’ve already trod on dangerous ground. We’re on dangerous ground right now, because of our secrets and our lies. They are practically what define us. When the truth offends, we lie and lie until we can no longer remember it is even there, but it is still there. Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later, that debt is paid. That is how an RBMK reactor core explodes. Lies.

Iodine 131. It’s not military. It’s uranium decay, U-235.

Chernobyl - The Happiness Of All Mankind

You think the right question will get you the truth? There is no truth. Ask the bosses whatever you want and you’ll get the lie.

Look. That’s graphite on the roof. The whole building’s been blown open. The core’s exposed!

CHERNOBYL - Please Remain Calm

Legasov was a rather zealous member of the party. he was considered a real Soviet, and a loyalist, somebody that you could count on to just toe the party line. this was a pretty avid Communist. his father was not just a Soviet true believer, he was more almost like one of the inquisitors, somebody whose job was basically to make sure that you were Soviet enough. that’s the environment that Legasov grew up in. […] the dissemination of his tape memoirs essentially gave everybody the courage to stand up and starting talking about this, but only in combination with his suicide. that it was his suicide that was just not possible to ignore. somebody like Legasov should not commit suicide in the Soviet Union. and that statement was not something you could repress. […] in his memoirs, he speaks quite clearly about the need for reform in the scientific community, and by extension, the people that control the scientific community. and so, following that, there are increased efforts for transparency within the community, and the RBMK reactors do undergo procedures to reduce the possibility of something like Chernobyl happening again. a lot of new rules are put into place. essentially, a lot of rules that you would have thought wouldn’t need to be there, are now there. —craig mazin

Chernobyl (2019), EP2 | EP5