»The Other Potentials«

Question: What would have happened if Neo was not the One. But one of the other potentials was actual the chosen one?

Would the same events have taken place (eg. the Battle between the One and Smith? Would Smith have still smithifed Bain?)

Would the ending of the Matrix have turned out different if one of the other potentials was picked to be the chosen one?

If one of the other potentials had been been pick as the chosen one how would that have effect Trinity's Destiny?

And would one of the other potential have been able to sacrifice his or her life to save Zion?

Neo was the One. The fact cant be changed. He wasn't chosen to be the One when he met the Oracle. He was the One from way before.

The other `potentials' are not potentials to be the One. They are `people who possess specific qualities of enlightenment awareness and/or ability to bend aspects of the Matrix to their will'. This is found in a matrix comic called `Broadcast Depth'. It can be found at the main Matrix website.

This topic was heavily debated in this thread-

Don't all of the freed people have the ability to change the matrix to some extent? That's how they can fight the way they do, slowing time etc. The only powers the potentials seem to have are telekinesis and the ability to bend spoons.

You are correct. But the `potentials' are not the same as the `rebels'. Rebels can be defined as the humans who have escaped the Matrix and reside in Zion. The potentials are still IN THE MATRIX. They are still connected to it. In the comic however, it tells the story of potentials that have recently been unplugged. So the potentials are the ones that have some power over the Matrix while still trapped in it.