»The Matrix is a chrysalis (wtf is a "chrysalis"?)«

There is an extremely interesting quote from the original script of the first Matrix movie, where Neo gives his parting speech to the Machines just before the credits. Here goes:

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Hi. It's me. I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I imagine you can also feel me. You won't have to search for me anymore. I'm done running. Done hiding. Whether I'm done fighting, I suppose, is up to you. I believe deep down, we both want this world to change. I believe that the Matrix can remain our cage or it can become our chrysalis, that's what you helped me to understand. That to be truly free, truly free, you cannot change your cage. You have to change yourself. When I used to look out at this world, all I could see was its edges, its boundaries, its leaders and laws. But now, I see another world. A different world where all things are possible. A world of hope. Of peace. I can't tell you how to get there, but I know if you can free your mind, you'll find the way.

A chrysalis is the protective shell encasing a pupa prior to its metamorphosis into a butterfly.

Pardon my French, but holy f***ing s**t!

Neo's speech as it was shown in the theaters gives humans two choices: accept or reject. But as pointed out in

where did you get that script?

I don't believe that is a genuine script.

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But essentially- humans (lead souls) combine with the Matrix (emerald code) to become higher life forms (gold code).

This is extremely interesting to me, especially since one of my theories about Seraph is that he is a result of some from of alchemy between human and program--a forerunner of where the two species are headed. Although I picture the ultimate expression of this to be something that exists in the Real World, yet with the powers that Neo has inside the Matrix--the best of both worlds.

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trinneke wrote:

I don't believe that is a genuine script.

Give facts not believes.

The website from which I took the quote claimed that it was from the original shooting script found in the book "The Art of the Matrix." Unfortunately, I do not own that book, so I can't verify it one way or the other. Hopefully soon I can check it out at a local bookstore, or perhaps someone who is reading this thread and owns the book can simply let us know. As Mobil pointed out, facts rule the day here, and I may have jumped the gun on this one by letting the onset of my emotions override logic and reason and blind me from the simple and obvious truth--my postings will always be full of baloney and there's nothing I can do to stop it.

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This is why Seraph's code is gold. Not because he is a program, but because he is one who has followed the path and had his soul transformed to gold.

I want to believe this whole idea very badly, but I have to have some sort of scenario that would explain how this happened. CaptPostMod, please give a brief description of how you think this could have happened to Seraph. While we know how it can happen in the Grail story you mentioned, the details need a bit of tweaking to fit the Matrix mythology. My theory is that Seraph not only became a protector of the Grail, but that he actually BECAME the Grail itself. He is the key (or one of the keys) to unlocking the chrysalis aspect of the Matrix and truly freeing all humanity by transforming them (and the Machines) into entirely new lifeforms. Sati is involved in this as well, as the Oracle stated that she will change both the Matrix and the Real World.

When the Oracle verified to Neo in Reloaded that Seraph is indeed a program from the Machine World, I always wondered if there was some leeway with that. While I choose to believe that the Oracle wasn't lying, I wonder if it's the kind of statement like Obi Wan Kenobi's in the first Star Wars movie when he tells young Luke Skywalker that Darth Vader killed his father. When Luke learns later that Darth Vader IS his father, he confronts Obi Wan over this apparent contradiction. Obi Wan simply states that what he had said was true from a certain point of view. This sort of thinking is very similar to the way that things are presented in the Matrix storyline anyway.

So my theorizing leads me to believe that while there IS a program-ish aspect to Seraph, it is not the totality of who and what he is. As CaptPostMod pointed out, Seraph's code isn't gold because he's a program. All programs' code is green (so far as we know) no matter how special they are. Seraph is the only being in the Matrix (so far as we know) whose code took Neo by surprise and confused him. And apparently his code was important enough to the Wachowski Brothers that they would go out of their way to show it. We never see the Architect's or the Merovingian's code, but we do see Seraph's. I highly doubt it was just so that we would think that Seraph was cool. On the contrary, Seraph is highly unique, and his gold code MUST be explained.

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CaptPostMod, I'm going to try to take some time to look into that story and see if anything pops into my head. At the moment, I can see some correlations where certain story elements could be directly applied to Seraph's past.

For instance, you mentioned that the Grail King is trapped in the castle forever. That is probably the most obvious connection with the Matrix, where the castle is the Matrix and Seraph is stuck inside it forever. The question that begs to be answered, however, is this: if Seraph is indeed a previous One, then what did he do differenly than the other Ones? In other words, why aren't there four other beings (the other Ones) like Seraph running around the Matrix? Wouldn't they all become like him after coming to the end of the Path of the One?

And while I can see some of the interesting aspects to your alternative theory for the "wingless" title, I think it actually does refer to the idea that he once had wings and at one point lost them. You said yourself that the prodigal story is about a youth who loses the gifts that were given to him. However, I feel that the reference to wings speaks more about a title he once had, such as one of the seraphim who fell from heaven perhaps. There is a new feature in the Matrix Online called the Pandora's Box, where items from the Matrix's past can be found. There are images of agents with angel wings, pointing to the very first "heavenly" version of the Matrix. Perhaps Seraph was one of these agents. I don't buy that, however, because I still don't see why that would make his code gold instead of green. An agent is an agent is an agent...

In my version of the Matrix prequel (which takes place during the Second Renaissance), Seraph existed even before the war between man and machines. He was a robot back then, and was developed as a training tool to teach new soldiers how to fight. He had become adept at seeing the connection between a soldier's fighting techniques and his personality. Over time he learned how to discern what someone was like based on how they handled themselves in combat training. Anyway, my point is that if he was indeed a robot at one time--able to move around freely in the Real World--then perhaps becoming wingless simply refers to losing his connection to a physical mechanical body and being trapped in the Matrix. Just a thought.

By the way, I really liked your comparison between Agent Smith and the older brother from the prodigal parable. Fantastic!

After thinking about this whole Grail thing a little longer, I think I might need to develop it further. While the Grail is usually referring to one object in particular in any given story, I'm beginning to wonder if it's different in the Matrix. Perhaps the Grail (that which matters most) can be something different at any given time. Sometimes it might be the Oracle. At other times perhaps it's Sati. Whatever is "that which matters most" at that particular moment is temporarily the Grail. I was talking to a guy a couple days ago who said that when the Matrix Online first went live, Seraph was seen protecting a young woman who had escaped from a hospital in the Matrix. She had been in a coma, but one day suddenly came to life and ran out the front door. Her name was Sarah Edmontons. Interesting thing about that name--it's an anagram for Thomas Anderson. And Seraph was protecting her. Interesting, to say the least. And I have a first-hand account of Sarah Edmontons, since during the first Critical Mission that every player goes through, you come across a news article describing her escape from the hospital. Although she hasn't been seen since, I'm very curious to see what happens with her later on.

So in summary I believe that there is definitely a Grail aspect to the Matrix story, although it appears to be deeper and richer than it seems at first. Add to that the fact that the French Merovingian kings fancied themselves as protectors of the Grail, and you have quite an interesting backstory that just screams to be told. Did the Merovingian used to be a good guy, who worked with Seraph to protect the Grail? If so, did he become selfish and power-hungry at some point, and leave his Grail-protecting days behind? Did Seraph and the Merovingian go separate ways at that point? Enquiring minds want to KNOW!

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Did you read my response to the post on the "Aborted reinsertion" thread? I've made an argument that while there are 6 Ones, there are 7 anamolies.

Ah, NOW I understand what you were trying to say. Actually, there is a statement from the Architect in the Matrix Online game that proves that the integral anomaly IS the One. Therefore, if there have been six integral anomalies, there have been six Ones. Here's the quote:

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The anomalies in question seem to bear a more than superficial resemblance to the integral anomaly. To be more explicit, they share qualities with aspects of the one you call Neo.

The Architect is referring to strange red-eyed agents (who are not from the system) who look just like Neo. Below is a link to the entire speech, as well as one from Persephone and one from Morpheus. Just scroll down to the section called "The Creator" for the Architect's speech.

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CaptPostMod, do you know of any non-humans who have been known to protect the Grail? The only one I was able to find in my research was the archangel Raphael.

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No, I wasn't able to verify. I hope to do that soon.

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Well, at least we have an official answer now, correct? I'd rather have that and be wrong any day. I've been proven wrong many times, but knowing the truth will set you free. Hey, where have I heard that before?

Well, I finally got verification on the original script from the Art of the Matrix book. I found somebody on the Matrix Online forums who mentioned that they had the book, so I asked them if they could send me a copy of Neo's last speech. I made sure not to mention anything about a chyralis, but only asked for a copy. He sent me a couple of links from the pages that he scanned for me. Here they are:

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CaptPostMod wrote:

In this original ending, Neo seems to be suggesting to the Machines that they free their minds. That's really an interesting twist to the ending of the first film to me.

And, I believe, the whole focus of what the Wachowski Brothers are trying to say. If you've ever listened to the philosophers' commentary, you know that the Machines represent spirit that has been estranged from flesh (Zion). What is needed, then, is a reconciliation of the two. Not some flimsy external Truce as we have now, but a real, lasting and permanent change. What that might look like is anybody's guess, but that's the only way this thing can end. The wheels are in motion, and the Matrix mythology is headed toward the Consummation at full speed (don't screw it up, Mr. Chadwick!).

I just got another scanned page from the Art of the Matrix book from my extremely helpful contact at MxO. It's the introduction by the Wachowski Brothers to the script. Here it is:

Congratulations to you all, that's one of the most interesting post I read, a lot of info I never heard about and many good ideas.

CaptPostMod, about the golden code of Seraph, don't forget that Seraphins are the highest level of authority amongst angels. Didn't you notice that the closer you are to the source, the more shinning you are.

So I think that his code being golden means rather that he was very close to the source, in other words, his ranking is very high.