FAQ: THE MATRIX - What is The One & Who Was It?
By Jon Therkildsen
Before we go on here, I would advise you to skip through my other article that summarizes what the story is actually about. It is a quick read: The Matrix Explained
Should I mention just one thing I find many discuss and generally misunderstand or read too much into, then it is the concept of “The One.”
There is no chosen one. “The Prophesy of The One” is a myth created to help control humans.
Essentially, this is what The Architect tells us:
The Machines have learned that the human brain cannot fully embrace its simulations unless it allows a real backdoor, a real choice of escaping—even if only on a subconscious level. The Matrix must have a real dormant way to get free.
To solve this, their control system consists of four pillars:
The Matrix - the primary prison (power plant).
Zion - the secondary prison in the real world; a prison outside the simulation to house/managed "escaped" people.
Neo - the prophecy of the One gives humans false hope, and he can help manage humans in the real world (unlike programs).
A regular reset of Zion every 70-100 years will prevent the human population of the outside world from getting out of manageable control.
The truth is, there is no “One” — no divine prophecy or some holy powers working within or beyond.
It is a world of cause and effect
“The One” concept was designed with a distinct purpose in mind. It is an eventuality of the anomaly — a solution to a problem.
It is a trick.
The Matrix has an inherent flaw, a systemic cataclysm, a fundamental incongruity within all humans’ subconscious need for an escape. To fix this instability, the machines created an encompassing control system of the mentioned four pillars. Essentially, the “One” was an invented myth and a mere mechanism to manage humans. That much is clear from the narrative: Invented by The Architect and The Oracle.
[Architect]: “hope, it is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength, and your greatest weakness.”
The prophecy of the “One” breeds “hope”, which ensures a “delusion” that they exploit. However, hope also unites and gives us “strengths,” which is why they need to reset the Zion every 70 – 100 years.
It is not a magical, mystical foretelling. And to hold on to the idea of a divine “chosen one” is, in my view, naively misunderstanding the whole trilogy. Neo never had to return to the source; he just needed to keep the illusion alive by selecting 23 individuals and helping rebuild Zion. And for this, he needed to be seduced and presented with an iron-clad ultimatum. There is no truth here — only control.
Of course, our Neo is unlike any of the five predecessors. He chooses the “wrong” door. It is not because he is a prophet; he does so because of how The Oracle played him differently in this 6th iteration.
THE ORACLE
The Oracle had come to the realization that a change was needed. AI and programs were as much prisoners of the Matrix, as the humans were. Her revolution can be boiled down to five steps. Make Neo and Trinity fall deeply in love. Make sure Smith-the-virus is released to run amok. Make Neo chose the wrong door, when at The Architect. Make Neo go and negotiate peace with the Source. Help delete Smith from within, together with Neo, when the time is right. I write more on all that here.
Had The Oracle not instigated the revolution this time in the 6th iteration, we would have had another typical 6th generation of the Matrix, setting up a new reloaded 7th iteration. Etc. Etc. Etc. Etc: A Neo following orders, like everyone else. It had been done so five times prior and would have been done so again. I do not think this can be discarded when we hear what The Architect tells us mid-way through or from his conversation with The Oracle at the very end.
However, if there was “one” above all, she fit it. Everything we saw unfolded primarily because of her and her game.
WHAT ABOUT THE CODE?
[The Architect] “The function of the One is now to return to the Source, allowing a temporary dissemination of the code you carry, reinserting the prime program. After which you will be required to select from the Matrix 23 individuals, 16 female, 7 male, to rebuild Zion. Failure to comply with this process will result in a cataclysmic system crash killing everyone connected to the Matrix, which coupled with the extermination of Zion will ultimately result in the extinction of the entire human race.”
In other words, The Architect tells Neo he holds a code needed to save humanity. Only his decision can save it. That part is another trick.
The meeting with The Architect was for one purpose and one purpose only. It was to make Neo understand he had but one option to cooperate. They need a human (a Neo) to set up a new Zion, and nothing else.
It is evident by the fact that nothing happens to The Matrix after Neo chooses the wrong door. It doesn’t crash. It doesn't kill everyone connected, or anyone connected. It continues as it always would have. It is further evident when Neo then finally goes to The Source in Machine City, and it decrees that it does not need anybody - a reference to this code-fabrication. Of course, at that moment, it actually did need him – but for other reasons.
The question is; why did The Architect lie?
Neo is presented with an ultimatum, purposefully designed to give Neo the impression of ultimate power where he can either save humanity or doom humanity.
The threat of this “code” makes Neo the key, and only he can save humanity. It is by his decision, and not somebody else’s. He has ultimate power over the future at this very moment — a binary choice. Of course, anyone presented with such power must use it… and help the machines. That was their plan: Making him believe he can only save humanity by cooperating blindly.
Would the ultimatum not give him ultimate power - and him alone - it would not have worked. Imagine if The Architect instead would say; “help, or we will kill you and your kin.” Essentially it is not much different, except he is not a key here. In this case, he could disagree, he could fight back, and perhaps he could even win. However, when they say he is the key to saving humanity - he cannot fight; he cannot oppose… he has to surrender and give his “code”. He has no true choice this way. And this is how The Architect thinks; he cannot see past any choice he does not understand (the Oracle later tells us). It was clever, but it was bullshit. Or as Neo rightfully says; “The problem is choice.”
The “reset of the Matrix” code-threat, was needed to make the charade work for them. Neo calls out on the bullshit (literally) and follows his heart (leading to Trinity) instead.
He has no “code” inside of him needed for a reset. No “code” is required to secure the Matrix from crashing. By choosing the “wrong” door, the Matrix did not crash. The Matrix was perfectly fine… Neo calling bullshit on the ultimatum permitted him to fight.
The Machines continue to clean out Zion, but now without the assistance of a Neo.
A more significant challenge this time, though, is The Oracle and her beginning revolution: She had arranged for Smith to run amok. And Smith then became the threat to the Matrix, this “code” supposedly would have otherwise been. You see, the fact that Neo chose the “wrong” door, and that Smith was beginning to go apeshit, turned the tables on them in this 6th iteration. At the end of the third movie, the Machines were faced with the same ultimatum that they had falsely presented to Neo: “Help [and accept peace], or the Matrix will crash.”. Except now, it wasn’t bullshit… With Smith running amok, they needed Neo’s help… or the Matrix would indeed be lost.
Well played Ms. Oracle. She used The Architect’s own game against him.
What About Smith?
Several claim Smith is “The One”. This is largely because of a popular youtube video on the topic. But it is misunderstanding the story arc.
All Smith could do was to overwrite and copy himself onto others, and in the process take their code. He was badass in the end because he had overwritten the whole world and also The Oracle as the last one… his powers were merely on loan, stolen from programs and humans alike.
No, Smith was just a Smith. A computer virus, unopposed until it wasn't.
Was he essential to the story?
Yes, indeed. Very much so. Smith was needed for The Oracle’s grand plan to work. He was pivotal. She needed Smith to cause so much trouble that the Machine World would strike a deal. She needed Smith to consume/infect/overwrite her in the end (and everyone else), so her core code could help ensure his defeat from within, at the right moment - Neo was not the only one fighting Smith during the climax.
Important as he was, he was not the “One.” Nobody really was. How could he be? This is a world of cause and effect.
There are other theories out there saying Trinity or Morpheus was the “One.” Not even Neo fits. Neo was indeed the most powerful player and has the mark of a hero, but still merely a part of this control system, and a part of this final revolution as designed by The Oracle.
The prophecy was a trick, a made-up setup to deceive. There was never a chosen one in any mythical meaning of the word.
If Smith had not been there for some reason, if Neo had not imprinted him with powers; The Oracle would have surely found some other way. Perhaps even another “Smith?” And we can say this about all of them. And because of that, he (or anyone) cannot be accredited above being a badass character or an important pawn in a higher game.
In the end, he was a tool like the others - used for a higher purpose, he had no idea about.
And this is the beauty of the story.
Photos via Google - © 1999 & 2003 WARNER BROS
Movies referenced are: “The Matrix (1999)”. “The Matrix - Reloaded (2003)”, “The Animatrix (2003)” & “The Matrix- Revolutions (2003)”. All Rights Reserved © 1999 & 2003 WARNER BROS.