Film Theory: The Evil Mastermind You Didn't Notice In Interstellar
5. The Film’s Version Of NASA Is A Cult-like Fringe Corporation With No Obligation For Public Interest
Now, let's get to NASA. The NASA depicted in the film is very different from the NASA we know. Far from being a widely respected authority figure on science and space, NASA in Interstellar is a fringe cult. So fringe no one even knows it exists. So fringe that people who chance up it by mistake are tasered, tied up, and questioned by robots.
They're essentially a tight-knit community of a select group of scientists who still believe in a future powered by technology.
They're also effectively a secretly funded corporation at this point. They have at their disposal cutting edge technology that is eons ahead of anything available to the general public, but they don't run on public money anymore and therefore shouldn't have any interest in catering to public needs.
They obviously operate with the backing of the government, whose interests they likely cater to. If they're operating on private funds, that makes them answerable to private investors. Both of these factors are problematic in context, and are going to be very important later on.