A dystopian space opera hidden within a contained submarines-in-space survival thriller, 500 Miles delivers menacing suspense, thrilling action, and stirring relationships while still asking big questions about divinity, artificial intelligence, faith, religious fanaticism, and free will. It’s "The Hunt for Red October" meets "Battlestar Galactica," with the minimalist mood of "Moon" and hints of the galaxy-spanning wonders of "Star Wars" swirling arounds its surprising, revelatory coda. The screenplay is designed to accommodate a modest budget without compromising its dramatic impact. Over 90% of the story unfolds within two enclosed, submarine-like ships. Action outside the vessels is displayed primarily on retro-futuristic renderings on the ships’ monitors, “realistically” reflecting the claustrophobia and visual limitations of deep space combat. However, the same story could quite easily scale up to a bigger budget spectacle simply by showing full-blown external views of what happens outside the ships. This flexibility makes it adaptable for either a visually ambitious studio feature or a contained, indie-style production.