Science vs Faith || From Orb to Galileo

The moment I saw the trailer for Orb: On the Movements of the Earth, I felt a jolt of recognition — this was exactly my kind of story. The conflict between science and the church, which is addressed in Orb, has been an extreme one throughout human history, and many stories have been built around this core theme. The premise instantly reminded me of Life of Galileo. As a German, I naturally had to read the play by Bertolt Brecht during my school years.

A Word to the Unknowing

In this blog, I write about two works and compare them with each other. One is the anime Orb: On the Movements of the Earth and the other is the play Life of Galileo. Prior knowledge of the play isn’t necessary — I try to explain everything about it in a simple way. However, it would be helpful if you’ve already seen the anime Orb. If only for the reason that this blog is full of spoilers.

To anyone who hasn’t watched Orb yet: I really recommend you give it a try. At least watch the first three episodes and decide from there whether it’s for you or not. If you’re only looking for fast-paced action, this historical drama might not be your cup of tea. But if you appreciate a thought-provoking story with complex, realistic characters, you’re likely to fall in love with this series. Orb tells a story that is unflinching, human, and unforgettable.

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:warning: Spoiler Warning :warning:

From Orb to Galileo as One Story

One could view Orb as a kind of prequel to Galileo. In Orb, the various main characters fight for the truth about the universe in the form of the heliocentric worldview. They desperately try to spread it in hopes that the Church will eventually be forced to acknowledge it. They don’t succeed. But the ending of Orb still draws a connection to Copernicus, who, in our real world, would succeed in doing just that in the 16th century.

It’s a short letter, and not much is written in it. But it mentions the title of a book that, despite all the efforts of the characters, was never published: On the Movements of the Earth. It is Albert Brudzewski who, by mere coincidence, hears this title as he walks by. That’s all. But it’s enough to spark his curiosity. After all, that can’t possibly be true — can it? The Earth doesn’t move. It stands still at the center of the universe… or does it?

That’s where the anime ends.

In real life, Albert would go on to teach at a university in Poland for many years. There, he left behind a critical commentary in an astronomy textbook. He himself would never research or publish anything about heliocentrism. But one of his students would later turn the entire worldview upside down.

It was Copernicus, who studied at that very university. And who, you might ask, was this Copernicus? He is mentioned in both works, yet neither takes place during his lifetime. Simply put, Copernicus was the first to claim and scientifically argue in a published work that the Earth revolves around the sun. With this, he laid the foundation for what we now call heliocentrism — and at the same time, shook the power of the Church. Needless to say, they weren’t thrilled. The Church firmly ed the geocentric worldview: God created the Earth, so it must be at the center of everything. According to them, the sun and all other celestial bodies revolve around the Earth. Period. Any other theories? Not allowed!

Perhaps it was Albert who planted the seed of doubt in Copernicus, the desire to question the world as it was understood back then. In any case, Copernicus later published a groundbreaking theory. He described a model in which the planets — including Earth — orbit the Sun, and the Earth also rotates on its own axis.

In the decades that followed, the Church mostly ignored this blasphemous theory — as it was just a theroy without any proof. And so the narrative arc continues to Galileo Galilei, who lived in the 17th century.

At the beginning of the play Life of Galileo, the telescope is invented. Galileo turns it toward the sky, and thanks to its magnification, he makes new observations and discoveries. He can now provide proof of the Copernican worldview — the heliocentric model.

Naturally, the Church has a serious problem with that. However, they check Galileo's work and must acknowledge that his observations and calculations are correct. Nevertheless, they insist on the geocentric worldview being the only valid one. Galileo is therefore not allowed to publish his findings and is also forbidden from continuing his work on the subject.

Years later, when the old Pope dies and the new Pope appears to be a scientist himself, Galileo sees a new opportunity for his research. Without hesitation, he begins pointing his telescope at the sky again. And this time, he does something outrageous — he dares to publish a scientific work in Italian rather than in Latin! Normally, such texts were reserved for the educated elite, but this one was written in the language of the common people.

The work spreads rapidly, and people begin to question the authority of the Church. Even the educated Pope cannot protect Galileo from the Inquisition after such an act. Galileo is brought before them and eventually recants his work. For the rest of his life, Galileo remains a prisoner of the Inquisition. In captivity, he completes his life’s work —the Discorsi—, which is later published by his student.

We are only at the beginning.

That’s where the play ends.

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Comparing the Premise

When comparing Orb to Life of Galileo, one must of course point out that Galileo Galilei was a historical figure about whom there are many records. Despite the numerous references to the life and work of Galileo, Brecht’s Galileo is a literary and therefore fictional character, not the real historical figure. Nevertheless, the structure of the plot largely follows historical facts. Orb: On the Movements of the Earth is historical fiction and focuses almost entirely on historically unknown individuals. Only the main character of the final two episodes, Albert Brudzewski, was a real historical figure. For the most part, however, the historical facts are accurate here as well.

Orb takes place in the Kingdom of P or Poland, while Galileo is set in Italy. Orb takes place decades before Copernicus. Galileo takes place decades after Copernicus. Both stories are about exploring, proving, and spreading heliocentrism. They deal with the suppression of new knowledge and discoveries by the Church. Both highlight human strengths and weaknesses, and they also explore the inner conflict within people. And ultimately, they question whether scientific progress can be reconciled with conservative religious beliefs. Brecht’s work approached these topics just as relentlessly as Orb does.

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Comparing the Characters

What makes both works powerful isn’t just the ideas — it’s how those ideas live and breathe through the characters. And that’s where the resonance between Orb and Galileo becomes even more striking.

Since Orb is a 25-episode anime, it naturally features a wide range of characters, far more than a play like Life of Galileo could ever have. That's why I have selected a few characters from the anime that I found had some good comparisons to characters from Galileo.

『Rafal』

Especially at the beginning of the anime, Rafal is an optimist—someone who wants an easy life and believes he can achieve it effortlessly. Galilei, too, is an unshakable optimist who believes in the victory of reason. His curiosity and thirst for knowledge constantly drive him to explore the cosmos, even against great resistance. Rafal also has an insatiable thirst for knowledge, one that he ultimately cannot suppress. It’s mainly Rafal’s adoptive father who stands against the exploration of the cosmos—and later, of course, the Inquisition.

At times, Galilei’s behavior toward others proves to be ruthless and morally questionable. He doesn’t hesitate to claim the invention of the telescope as his own. He also neglects his duties as a father when his children must flee from the Black Death plague without him because he prioritizes his research. Furthermore, Galilei allows his daughter’s engagement to be broken off due to his scientific pursuits. That strongly reminds me of Rafal, who was willing to die for his convictions. In the final episode, we even see a Rafal who kills in the name of science. If that’s not ruthless, I don’t know what is.

The biggest difference between the two characters, however, is that Rafal refuses to recant and doesn’t shy away from death. Galileo, on the other hand, is so intimidated by the mere sight of the torture devices that he recants without resistance.

『Draka』

Draka reminds me of Galileo in her desire for money and the belief that money brings security. Galileo was always in need of money — research is expensive, and he wasn’t exactly thrifty. That’s why he decided to move from a relatively safe research environment to Florence. In Florence, research was better paid, but the nobility and the Church held more power. So he traded safety for higher income. Draka does something similar. She can never have enough money and becomes increasingly greedy. She could have stayed in her small nomadic village, but instead she decides to the Heretic Liberation Front to make money with a book. Of course, that’s anything but safe. For attempting to publish the content of the book, she is hunted by the Inquisition and pays with her life. Galileo also miscalculates — he publishes a book and is pursued by the Inquisition for its contents. He pays with his freedom.

『Antoni』

Antoni is the son of a bishop and a member of the Church. He views the Inquisition very critically and wants reforms within the Church. Later in the anime, after the old bishop dies, he wants to help Draka publish the book about heliocentrism. He is ready for a new era in which the Church is no longer so skeptical of scientific progress. In this way, he reminds me of Cardinal Barberini from Life of Galileo. He is both a representative of the Church and a scientist. Over the course of the play, he becomes the new Pope and must decide Galileo’s fate. Despite his scientific beliefs, he has to fulfill his role as head of the Church and agrees that Galileo should be interrogated under the threat of torture. Although these two characters ultimately chose different paths, they are both driven by the same conflict between scientific innovation and conservative faith. Both are men of the Church who want to change it from within.

『Oczy』

Oczy is a commoner and mercenary. He is religious and wants nothing more than to go to heaven after his death — at any cost. Aside from that, he’s quite a pessimist. The thought of not reaching heaven terrifies him. In that sense, Oczy resembles the ordinary citizens in Life of Galileo. The worldview of the Church is meant to teach them that if they simply work hard and follow the rules, they will be rewarded in the afterlife. But when Galileo’s book shakes the foundations of that worldview, it also weakens their faith in the Church. Similarly, Oczy’s life is turned upside down by heliocentrism, and he too begins to question the institution of the Church.

Just like the ordinary citizens, Oczy never actively chose heliocentrism. But once he learned about it, he could no longer ignore it and found himself standing against the Church in its favor. In this sense, it must also be said that neither Oczy nor the citizens are turning against faith itself. They remain deeply religious until the very end, but their trust in the Church has been shaken.

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What unites Orb: On the Movements of the Earth and Life of Galileo is not just their exploration of heliocentrism — it’s the deeply human stories of those who dared to seek the truth in a world that punished them for it. Both works portray individuals who stood against the immovable weight of religious orthodoxy, often at great personal cost. Their resistance was not loud rebellion, but persistence in the face of fear, doubt, and isolation. The cost of truth can be devastating, but these characters remind us that without those willing to bear that burden, progress would never begin.

Even today, the battle between truth and power hasn’t ended — we still see science dismissed, facts denied, and institutions weaponized to silence dissent. Stories like Orb and Life of Galileo remind us that the fight for truth is never just history — it’s now.

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