Skip to main content

Why Do the Machines (in The Matrix) Have to Maintain the War With Humans?


I've never been clear on this, even after seeing all three Matrix films.


I understand that there's been a cycle where some humans don't do well and don't actually accept the Matrix and break out and start living in and building Zion. I know this cycle has been repeated, so what there is of Zion wasn't just built by the rebels in the current cycle. This also means Neo is only "The One" for this generation, that there's been previous versions of "The One," and after each rebellion, the cycle starts over again.


Why is this cycle necessary? When given a choice, do so few humans opt to stay in the Matrix that the Machines can't survive on the power they supply? Is there a reason the Machines and humans can't create an equilibrium, where those that want to live in Zion can live there, while all other humans stay in the Matrix?


Is there a reason the humans and machines have not agreed to a long term truce that allows free humans and Machines to live without interference and allows humans that prefer the Matrix to live in it and power the Machines?



Answer



It's not a matter of necessity, it is a matter of caution. In similar fashion to BSG, the war is driven by machines that do not benefit from the passage of time and its erosion of human memory. If you watch the Animatrix it shows that the foundation of the war was the humans' inability to see robots as a valid form of life, and the humans' attempt to eradicate the now sentient machines.


However unlike humans and various exterminations of our past, these events did not ocurr to some distant ancestors of the current machines, it happened to THEM. In their eyes humanity had a chance for equality that failed, the only other option was to eradicate.


Then humanity scorched the sky.


Now they had a two fold problem, how to deal with the humans, whom can not be trusted, and how to continue to survive on limited power. Thus we arrive at the solution they have. You can not convince them human kind has "learned". We are the same race that tried to wipe them off the earth, twice. We are the same race that destroyed the life giving powers of our own planet, assuring our own eventual destruction, simply because we could not stand to let the machines have power, their one city.



The Architect is not burdened by human emotion, he does not see forgiveness or redemptive value in humans, all he sees is problems, and solutions. And those problems are absolute, and sustaining.


Personally, I think they should have exterminated the entire human race and just used cows. But then again, I am a Cylon (spoilers).


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

harry potter - Do the Kwikspell courses work?

In Harry Potter we are introduced to Kwikspell course in The Chamber of Secrets (and never hear about it again). We see Filch taking courses, presumably by mail. The descriptions of Kwikspell make me think it is for people who are weak in magic (kind of like how Neville was supposed to be when he was younger), but had magic in them nonetheless. However, Ron's comments later in the chapter make it sound like it is mainly for Squibs to learn magic. However, it is strongly implied through out all the books that Squibs are essentially Muggles, and will never be able to do magic. How then is a Kwikspell course supposed to work? Do we have any information to know if it works at all? Is it a scam? An answer from any level of canon is welcome. Answer Kwikspell courses are (probably) useful to some wizards, but not to squibs. The Kwikspell course literature comes with two testimonials. Madam Z. Nettles of Topsham writes: ‘I had no memory for incantations and my potions were a family joke...
Post a Comment
Read more

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

star wars - What "exactly" happens when someone turns to the Dark Side?

When I saw the original Star Wars saga as a kid, the concept of the Dark Side imprinted in me was quite simple. You did a bad thing, so you're a bad person so you go to the Dark Side and keep doing bad things. Now, obviously this doesn't hold true in reality. In my mind it is perfectly reasonable for Luke to kill the Emperor and Vader and then just flee the Death Star and rejoin the Alliance. After all they are at war, those are enemy officers that have captured him and are taunting him by threatening with death of all loved ones and the whole operation was intended to kill the Emperor anyway. The same would hold true for Anakin. He could have killed Mace Windu to save the Chancellor and Padme but that doesn't mean he's going to then go mad and kill all Jedis including children. It doesn't add up from a merely psychological point of view. He had a set of objectives and that made him want to keep the Chancellor alive (quite valid by the way, Mace Windu is quite clums...
Post a Comment
Read more

star trek - Warning regarding forward saucer section in Nemesis?

In Star Trek: Nemesis , just before the Enterprise rams into the Scimitar, Picard sends a text message from his captain's chair arm pad to Troi — who is manning the helm in lieu of the crewman who was just blown out through what was once the view screen — indicating that she should put full impulse on standby. (Literally, if you watch the scene closely, Troi's console prefaces the order with "TXT MSG" !) My question is: Did Picard also somehow warn crew members in the forward saucer section about what was about to happen? The ramming of the Scimitar was a heat of the moment decision. Considering that he also resorted to calling the auto-destruct sequence shortly after (which ended up being offline), he probably was of the mindset that any losses would be acceptable in order to hault Shinzon's march to Earth. Still, I'm curious. Answer The original script indicates that he called for the crew to " brace for impact ". Whether that call (or the comma...
Post a Comment
Read more