Skip to main content

the matrix - How could all versions of Neo look identical?


In Matrix: Reloaded, the wall of screens inside the Architect's room shows various versions of Neo screaming and cussing as the Architect reveals that the prophesy is a lie and that there have been in fact five versions of Neo before him.


All the faces on screen look identical. How can this be if a person's residual self image inside the Matrix is a close approximation of that person's real physical appearance? Were all the "One"s clones, or are there people whose RSI is different from their real appearance or did the screens show something other than the previous versions of Neo?



Edit:


Reopening the question after watching the scene again. As Neo says "There were five ones before me?", those on the screens are heard saying "Four?", "Two?" etc. It seems they're the predecessors.



Answer



The machines have no incentive to purposefully create new Ones. If they already knew the genetic material of Neo (resp. the 1st One) would create an anomaly (a One), again and again, they would certainly stop cloning that particular person. Also this is utterly incompatible with what the Oracle says. The anomalies are incarnations of humans rejecting the system, thus they occur naturally (or lets rather say automatically). So your cloning theory is out of the picture.


It has never ever been even hinted that the RSI of humans would be largely different from their physical appearance in the "real world". Since the Ones are not clones (and by induction their parents, grand parents and so on), their physical appearance is certainly different from Neo's. Thus their RSI must necessarily also differ from Neo's.


What we can see on the screens looks exactly like Neo (duh). However, the Architect never explicitly states: "These are recordings of your predecessors". He indicates however, that what is shown on the monitors are the reactions of Neo's predecessors.


What works Out-of-Universe, seems to be a likely explanation In-Universe; Mapping the reactions of the previous anomalies to the appearance of the current one makes it easier for the audience to understand what the Architect is trying to tell telling Neo. He is nothing special, just another iteration (we later learn that this is only partially true, but I digress). The similarity of Neo's reaction to the older Ones' becomes more apparent if you see the same face, expressing this reaction.


If we now return to the Matrix Universe, we see that the statement the Architect is making, is about the reaction of the anomalies, not the sizes of their noses. This is the same statement the director wants to make, and the reason why Neo's own face (well, Keanu's) is so much better suited than the faces of the older Ones.




You can even go further and speculate that these aren't actually recordings of the reactions of the older Ones, but a prediction of Neo's reaction, based on his predecessors. This would mean, the Machines were able to anticipate the most probable reactions Neo could have -- maybe even with help of the Oracle who got to know Neo quite well.



However, it should be noted again that the last paragraph is pure speculation and most likely impossible to either prove or debunk.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

story identification - Animation: floating island, flying pests

At least 20 years ago I watched a short animated film which stuck in my mind. The whole thing was wordless, possibly European, and I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine it... It featured a flying island which was inhabited by some creatures who (in my memory) reminded me of the Moomins. The island was frequently bothered by large winged animals who swooped around, although I don't think they did any actual damage. At the end one of the moomin creatures suddenly gets a weird feeling, feels forced to climb to the top of the island and then plunges down a shaft right through the centre - only to emerge at the bottom as one of the flyers. Answer Skywhales from 1983. The story begins with a man warning the tribe of approaching skywhales. The drummers then warn everybody of the hunt as everyone get prepared to set "sail". Except one man is found in his home sleeping as the noise wake him up. He then gets ready and is about to take his weapon as he hesitates then decides ...

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...

aliens - Interstellar Zoo story

I vaguely remember this story from my childhood: it was about an interstellar zoo that came to Earth with lots of bizarre and unusual species, and humans would file through and gape at all the crazy looking creatures from other planets. The twist came at the end when the perspective shifted to the other side of the bars and we discovered that the "creatures" were traveling through space on a kind of safari. They thought they were the visitors and we were the animals. Neither side knew that the other side thought they were the zoo creatures. Answer Got it. Zoo, by Edward D. Hoch. Published in 1958. Link to Publication History Link to PDF