In this third part of the Xenogears story analysis I will examine the rest of the story's narrative and structure, continuing from Part 2 where I examined the first half.
After the mid-point of the narrative structure the tide is turning for the heroes as they start to force Solaris out into the open in the next segment, by destroying the three Gates that conceals its capital from the surface nations. We also get the resolution to Bart's substory and conflict with Shakhan, restoring the Fatima Dynasty to the kingdom of Aveh, while also getting the first of a series of Omnigears the protagonists starts to upgrade to. Finally, we are also properly introduced to Emeralda, the last main party member to join the heroes in their fight against Solaris. This segment of the story is more goal driven than previous segments, being focused more on action than visiting new places.
We begin with another narrative twist as Aveh invades Nisan. There is an odd inconsistency here, when Citan asks why Shakhan would be attacking Nisan if he is after the Fatima Royal Treasure, and Bart replies: "Actually, the Fatima Treasure is in the mausoleum. There was even father's will there, but I didn't tell anyone..." So if Bart knew all along, then why did he not try to get it before they attacked Shakhan and Gebler after rescuing Margie, or earlier? Xenogears: Perfect Works seems to explain on page 186 that Bart and Margie had used a "strong hypnotism" to forget the truth about the Jasper for 13 years, so that even truth serum would not work on them, which would imply that Bart just got his memories back during this narrative segment.
Another question is how the corpse of Margie's mother could suddenly be in the mausoleum in Nisan when she was used as bait to lure Margie to Bledavik and later executed by Shakhan? But I suppose even a bastard like Shakhan would give Nisan back their previous holy mother's body to maintain the outward appearance of some decency and good image. If you think about it, it was necessary for Margie's mother to have died recently, or her body would decompose too much to be of use now.
Anyway, I assume Gebler more or less abandoned the Aveh capital after their commander, Ramsus, went in pursuit of Fei in Aquvy, and the purging of the Church. Since Shakhan is still a Bishop with the Church, I doubt they would still support his rule of Aveh after that. This explains why the capital could so easily be taken over by Bart and Sigurd's people at last. "Currently, Aveh is in confusion with Shakhan running amok. It should be very easy to bring down the center with no Gebler units around. It'll be the best time to make our return to the capital." The Gazel Ministry will make a reference to this fact when they call out Ramsus on being "trash" after this event. I wonder if they were planning to have Ramsus carry out the execution of Shakhan? That would explain why Shakhan suddenly becomes so desparate. On that note, I wonder what happened to Cohen Rue and the other Ethos people. Where they killed as well?
Citan has an awkwardly translated line here, saying "It is a closely guarded secret but the 'Ethos' people are not holy men. They simply supervise." It is an awkward line since the party already knows this. Using machine translation I seem to get a better translation than the official one: "Strictly speaking, the people of the Church are not clergy. They are administrators."
We also have the return of the main theme here, with the angel statues inside Ft. (Fort) Jasper. The angel statues symbolize humans working in unity, and here we have Bart and Margie cooperating to open the door. It's neat. It is also unusual that a supporting character gets the first upgrade (Omnigear Andvari) and not the main character. The grief theme also returns in the scene after Margie has been shot and loses consciousness. In particular, the line "...your cries reached me" is of the grief and sorrow theme, but in a more positive light where it helped Margie hang in there.
There is not much else to examine here, but in case you missed it: the Jasper is actually one of the Eldridge's defense cannons that shot down the evacuation ships in the opening movie. While I doubt that the Angel statues were originally there during the crash, Perfect Works does state on page 186 that the cannon's security system operates through the use of retinal patterns and Bart's ancestor Roni recorded his own pattern when he came across the cannon buried in the earth. The statues could have been added as decorations when he sealed up the place, because it does not make a lot of sense for such statues to have been part of the original Eldridge defense systems.Citan must surely be putting on an act, pretending to be ignorant of how Omnigears work, when he "concludes" that "Apparently, the Omnigear does not function by mechanical controls, but mental ones." As we later find out, Citan already has an Omnigear of his own stored with Gaspar.
It is during this portion of the story, when they discuss their plan to take out the second Solaris Gate, that Citan points out that both the Babel Tower and the Jasper ruins are from the same civilization. This civilization was the Eldridge civilization from outer space. Originally, the Jasper cannon or another one like it must have existed where the giant mirror now resides. But who built the giant mirror and for what purpose is still a mystery.
Gazel conversation #6 Here the Gazel point out all of Ramsus' failures, including "The Ignas defeat," which should be more accurately translated as "The loss of Ignas," the result of Ramsus abandoning his post to pursue Fei. This conversation should be straight forward enough. The SOL-9000 I thought was onboard the Ezekiel ship, but here it - along with the Goetia Key hole - is present with Ramsus, Miang, and the Elements. Then the SOL-9000 disappears as if it was a hologram. This could either mean that this takes place on the Ezekiel, with Ramsus and the Elements being there for some reason, and the SOL-9000 computer is usually "turned off" (hidden) and when we see it it is a kind of hologram projection. Or, Ramsus, Miang, and the Elements are holograms/projections here. Or the SOL-9000 is on Ramsus' aerial battleship. But that would contradict the first Gazel conversation back in Nortune when they referred to Ramsus' fleet in a way that suggested they weren't personally with it.
Gazel conversation #7 Once the second Gate is destroyed we immediately have another conversation. The line "...it must not be aligned before the 'Animus' data is retrieved." should be "...we cannot allow them to align before the 'Animus' data is collected." This refers to the Gazel wanting the bodies of the protagonists before they align with an Anima Vessel. "Etrenank" is the capital of Solaris. Here they say that Cain's body has already reached its limits. This is elaborated upon in Xenogears: Perfect Works:
* Undying flesh
Cain, leader of the original forms of Animus, and who possessed absolute sovereign power towards humans, is fated to keep on living until the time of the resurrection of God. Not weakened by age, unable to be injured by anyone. Since that immortal flesh and desire for the salvation of humanity became an obstacle for Karellen and the Gazel Ministry, Ramsus, a counterbalancing existence to Cain's, was manufactured by Karellen, and he was murdered by Ramsus' hand.
In order to reform the flesh of those humans who, as Sephardi, were fated to mutate, Cain offered his own undying flesh as a test subject, committing himself to research. Because of that, his physical appearance changed considerably, his flesh's exhaustion nearing its limit as well. Through Karellen's life extension treatment he could survive and last for a long time, however, even Cain, who should have been undying and the wielder of absolute power, had reached a point at which, before the imminence of the "Time of the Gospel", only the power to maintain his existence alone was left to him already.
- Xenogears: Perfect Works~The Real Thing~ (page 174, translated by trexalfa)
If Cain is now dying then why did Krelian create Ramsus to kill Cain? Why not simply stop giving Cain the treatments? My guess is that Cain must remain alive in order to control the citizens of Solaris. However, he also needs to be killed right before the Key is needed, and even stopping the treatment at that point may not result in his death right away. Cain still cannot be killed by any mortal. Maybe that's why Krelian created Ramsus, a copy of Cain, to be used at the exact moment. They probably could not simply use that dummy/imitation of Cain (the one that speaks during the ceremony in Arabot Plaza, mistranslated as "clone") and let Cain die, since keeping Cain's death a secret would likely have been difficult with just a dummy. Hyuga and others would surely notice and possibly abandon the country, especially if they learned that Cain's death was dubiously kept a secret. Also, Cain himself was not stupid. He probably knew he was interfering, and so made up some insurance so that his eventual death would never be a secret. He may not have been the true leader anymore, but he still had political power no doubt.
Continuing with the conversation; Krelian says "And even if the barrier fails, it still will not be like the disaster before", probably referring to the revolt 500 years ago or the Day of Collapse. "As usual a clone may be used" should be "A dummy (imitation) will suffice, as usual." The "Antitype," referring to Elly's existence, should be "counter-existence" (female counter-existence to the Contact). "Mother" in this conversation refers to both Elly and Miang. Specifically, "As 'mother' says, that nanomachine colony... that artificial organism, was a creation between the 'Contact' and the 'Antitype' 4000 years ago" is referring to Miang as "mother." She is likely the one who told Krelian about Kim and Emeralda since she was already interested in Kim's research way back at the end of the Zeboim era. The rest of the conversation should not be too hard to understand if you've played the game before and have even a little grasp on the story.
At the third gate, beneath the ocean, you meet Rattan for the first time (the game still introducing more antagonists). "I am a Rattan, one of the followers of Krelian." I don't think it is meant to say "a Rattan" here, 'Rattan' is his name. If you bring Citan here then Citan also has a line in response that is really awkwardly translated. You can tell it is because it makes no sense in context: "You are the ones who left Kahr for the surface... You must have a good reason." Even back in the day people noticed this and thought the line was supposed to be spoken by Rattan towards Citan (in which case it would make sense). If you bring Elly and not Citan you get a line here by her that makes the most sense: "A follower of Krelian!? Not Ramsus or the Elements!?" Rattan was called Kenren in the Japanese version. You later meet his partner, Mugworth, on Disc 2. He was called Tenpo in the Japanese version."Both Kenren and Tenpo [Rattan and Mugworth] were originally subordinates of Karellen at the time of the Monastery Army, and at the time of defending Ignas, they met death defending Sophia, and like the Gazel Ministry, only their personal data was preserved and was afterwards resurrected as the central command portion of the Gears. Today, almost nothing of their original human personalities remain, and they are almost entirely collective battle instincts."
- Xenogears: Perfect Works~The Real Thing~ (page 97)
One curious thing here is, if Krelian had the means to preserve humans inside machines, then why would he or Solaris need Nikolai's research to merge human brains with machines?
Dominia: "For the past several decades, our scientists had put so much effort into the research to create evolved Gears. Regardless of how great a pilot one is, as long as it is human, there will always exist a time lag and human error when interfacing with a machine. That's when your father, Nikolai, was targeted. He was a genius in the field of cranial nerve mechanisms. They made Nikolai search for a way for humans to go beyond humans... By merging humans and machines. In other words, they were trying to create a new life, an ultimate living weapon, by connecting a living human brain to a Gear directly. It would've stayed as a mere fantasy without Nikolai. But that genius made the fantasy come true..."
Krelian could perhaps have resurrected both the Gazel Ministry and his two followers fairly recently, based on Nikolai's research. But if so, how did the data not get lost over 500 years? Since he couldn't resurrect the four Gazel Ministers that died during the war, only those eight who died during the Days of Collapse, one gets the impression that they need to be preserved sooner rather than later, or their consciousness "data" will disappear. However, this might be a false impression. Perhaps their data was stored on some file 500 years ago and weren't resurrected until recently. Nikolai's research to connect a living human brain to a Gear directly may also entail something a bit different in both practice and result. We don't know what "resurrecting people as data" actually means or entails, or how this personality "data" is extracted from people before or after they die. The contradictory thing, though, is that Krelian's profile explicitly states that "humans fusing with Gears" was created by him. So why was Nikolai's research needed?
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Some more notes about this Going on the Offensive segment: |
The next segment of the narrative structure deals with "the inmost cave" of the story that the narrative has been building towards through the previous trials and conflicts ever since the inciting incident. Sometimes this part of a narrative structure is called "the belly of the whale" moment, and in Xenogears, this is the Solaris sequence, and especially its climax. This segment of the story is where the protagonist Fei (and also his friends) face their greatest fears and conflicts, involving both victories and unexpected setbacks. Past this point the protagonists also gain more courage, the "hero instinct," after having their psychological Limiters removed that supposedly caused hesitation in the face of the Emperor and the Gazel Ministry. Though this change is not really noticeable in the way the characters behave, and the protagonists never face the Gazel Ministry directly after this point, so it almost seems like an unnecessary detail beyond narrative symbolism.
In the Hero's Journey, this part is usually (but not always) regarded as the mid-point of the story. In Xenogears it is not quite the mid-point, although it is possible it was intended to be since we don't know how much longer the narrative was originally intended to go on for past this point. It also seems that the mid-point in the Hero's Journey structure is quite a bit more dramatic than the mid-point context shift described in the seven-point structure. The ordeal in the Hero's Journey template is described more like a false climax with a transformation of the protagonist rather than a mere shift in the context of the story, even though it contains some of that too. For example, the characters suddenly realize after the ordeal in Solaris that Fei may be an even bigger threat to the world than Solaris was, and the aim for Fei and Elly then becomes to escape somewhere.
Often, narrative segments of this kind will also kill off one or several major characters that are important to the hero or heroine. Here, Elly loses both her parents, and one character (Hammer) betrays the protagonists. It is by far one of the most dramatic parts of the entire narrative.
By the time we get to visit Solaris, a place that the characters had been talking about so much up till this point, the game makes it feel absolutely epic. It is made to seem like such a scary place, and for me originally it almost did not seem real that I was actually going to get to go there and explore the place. I remember thinking, "Just how big is this world? The first disc isn't even over yet!" Had the second disc been just as long as the first disc, which I was expecting the first time, then that would have been quite something.I don't know if Solaris is a reference to the novel or the movie, or both, since I have only seen the movie. The movie has more in common with Xenosaga than Xenogears, but the station orbiting over the "ocean" of an alien planet somewhat bears a visual similarity to Solaris standing high above the ocean on Fei's planet. I will likely talk more about Solaris the movie when I analyze the story for Xenosaga.
Revealing the people of Solaris to be blissfully ignorant consumers in a relatable consumerist "paradise" setting is quite the statement on the part of the developers I think. But I disagree that it has anything to do with Krelian's ideology. Some have attributed everything going on in Solaris to him, even describing him as a "secular capitalist" who turns the Solarians into consumers of junk and media, and that he created an intentionally false religion for them while positioning the surface countries into waring against each other for the purpose of collecting war data. However, the religion does not appear to be entirely false. This is very much Deus that the Solarians are worshipping, including the top, and who they worshipped before Krelian came along. And Xenogears: Perfect Works points out repeatedly that Miang is the one that positions the surface countries into waring against each other. Krelian, of course, has no intention of stopping it until God is resurrected since he and Miang and others are working toward the same goal. But all this would have gone down regardless of whether he had become the leader of Solaris or not.Krelian has been put in a high position to help humanity by Emperor Cain, and in his own way, that is exactly what he aims to do as leader. Superimposing other political and symbolic motives onto Krelian to give the story some contemporary parallel is only doing this particular character a huge disservice. There is not actually any historical or contemporary equivalent to Krelian, despite how much he might superficially resemble some at first glance.
The Lacan and Krelian flashback is one of the most important in order to recognize Krelian's true inner character - a character who has a passion for knowledge and science and the desire to help save people's lives, being the best student of the sage Melchior. This short flashback tends to get overlooked, forgotten about, or ignored when people discuss Krelian's character. But it is as important as the rest of them. The stark contrast between Krelian of the past (a surface dweller) and the Krelian of the present (hidden, true leader of Solaris) should make one wonder what made Krelian change, or whether he has changed, and what he aims to accomplish.
Also, the speech Cain's imitation gives in Arabot Plaza seems to cement the fact that the Solarians are a religious people: "The people chosen by God... we, the Gazel, will return to God's paradise. To the sleeping mother God... The time for our immortality has come." There are also many references to dystopic novels in Solaris, such as 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451, which gives this segment of the story much more a proper science fiction feel.
Although the narrative seemingly leaves the truth about who Elly's true mother is ambiguous, Xenogears: Perfect Works does point out that Elly is Erich and Medena's biological daughter. She is thus not half land dweller, her appearance is the result of her being the reincarnation of the Antitype who always looks the same regardless of parents. Also, when Elly types her name backwards on Erich's computer, her name reads 'M Y A H L E.' "Myah" (or Myyah) is how Miang's name is written in Perfect Works, though I don't know if Japanese gamers would've understood that without that book either, since they spell her name "Mian" in katakana during the game.
The idea of having Fei, Elly and Citan thrown into the garbage area when infiltrating Solaris' inner sanctum probably came from the Death Star's disposal area in Star Wars where Han, Luke and Leia ends up. More infamously, there is also a reference to the movie Soylent Green here. I know people think Citan is being a terrible guy in this scene by not telling them about the food, but I always thought he let them eat it because they were hungry, and to maintain their ability to fight they needed nourishment. Some have also speculated that Citan did it as part of his plan to break down Fei's psyche so he could eventually talk to Id. Takahashi himself said in a 1998 interview (Hakoere Vol.20) that: "I wanted to give a comedic aspect to his character. I think he personally wouldn’t have given the canned food to them. But it was more fun that way as a game."
Gazel conversation #8
As usual there are many things translated wrong in this conversation such as "This man is Cain" (which should be "Under the orders of Cain") and "Revenge?" (which should be "Enemy?"). We are also reminded of the time limit they are on when one Elder says "An eternity has passed since our banishment from paradise. Should the revival of God not be complete by the Time of the Gospel, We will have to follow the path of destruction. But......" (I am using an accurate translation here instead of the official one.) The resurrection of Deus and the Time of the Gospel are once more established to be two different things.
What Krelian says about DNA, the intron information, and the Uroborus Ring is rather confusing and seems to be there mainly to clue Krelian, as a science-oriented antagonist, in on aspects of Elly's nature. First he makes a reference to "Miang and Lacan's actions," which I used to think was some reference to their past actions 500 years ago. Then I recalled that Krelian uses the name Lacan for Grahf even in the present, and things pertaining to past actions are things Krelian has likely already talked with Miang about since they are working together. So he is probably talking about Miang and Grahf's recent actions, such as Grahf protecting Elly and Miang letting Elly off easy despite being a fairly obvious traitor to Solaris. Both Grahf and Miang were ahead of Krelian in learning who the Antitype is. Having verified that Elly is the Antitype, or 'Mother', Krelian can now make sense of their recent actions.
Then he goes on to specify that the Uroborus Ring is what Elly's "genetic exon looked like before replacement." This appears to be a reference back to the opening movie when "exon replacement" was confirmed by one of the operators on the spacecraft, and which Xenogears: Perfect Works clarifies as being the original Elhaym awakening into Miang by severing the ring. But that Miang awakens when the ring is severed does not come across in the official English translation of the game. There is almost an entire sentence left out from the English translation when Krelian says the following: "Urobolus... if we were to anatomize such a thing... Wouldn't you be interested in what type of information it would have to offer us?" In the original Japanese, what Krelian is saying is actually: "The Ouroboros... If this abstractional snake, that which can be compared to the grand mother, were to release its tail from its own bite, and stand upright... What would happen? Does that form not pique your curiosity?" Why Richard Honeywood would leave this out of the translation I don't know, but maybe he could not make sense of how a conceptual genetic-like information would suddenly be referred to as a "snake" with a "bite."
So if the Uroborus is the factor that can awaken Elly into Miang, does that not mean that the Uroborus Ring also exists within all women? But if that is the case, how can Krelian determine that Elly in particular is the Antitype by discovering the Uroborus Ring?
For this reason, what Krelian says during his examination of Elly remains confusing to me. It's too bad, because finding an important piece of genetic information in an intron is theoretically possible, and could actually communicate a lot. The story seems to use this idea to provide an explanation for how Fei and Elly retain both their physical forms and their memories after reincarnating. However, since reincarnation in this story often does not involve a direct genetic link, the manifestation of the Uroborus Ring must involve a supernatural factor. Maybe this would be some of the power of the Wave Existence, as Fei alludes to later, but if the Uroborus Ring is Miang's factor, then it should not be the same as the power of the Wave Existence. Neither the game nor Perfect Works says anything about the Wave Existence creating Miang. In fact, Perfect Works is quite clear (on page 10) that Miang is Deus' "on" mode while the "off" mode is Elly, so it would make more sense for the Uroborus Ring to have originated from Deus and that Fei does not have an Uroborus Ring in his intron also. Otherwise, is the Uroborus you fight at the end of the game also a part of the Wave Existence and Fei himself?
Another thing that is confusing is what Krelian says about Elly's incident at Jugend, when a release of her powers killed some fellow students, and Krelian concludes that it was not just the result of mental side effects common when using the Drive drug (such as pushing a person into another Enneagram Type along their psychological disintegration line) but the awakening of her "other inner self." Perfect Works clarifies that this refers to the awakening of the Antitype, but since the Antitype was not given power from the Wave Existence and since Deus originally did not appear to have Ether power (non-evolved Animus), I am confused as to what extent a powerful release of Ether signifies the awakening of the Antitype or why the Antitype is so powerful. And the Antitype's personality (apart from the unhealthy disintegration line) would not have caused that kind of violence. When Elly took the Drive drug in the fight against Fei, she did not become more the Antitype than she is without the drugs. If Antitype is also synonymous with the mysterious "Persona" living element (and to some extent that appears to be the case) then that might explain the power (and that a part of Deus did have Ether power originally), though that would mean this biological element also reincarnates with Elly and replaces her parents genes since all other humans are composed of Animus substance and not Persona substance.
Anyway, you clearly get a sense that Krelian is different from the other Solarian leaders up till now when he says, "I see... So you've seen the research facility. Presently, the Solaris researchers are working on genetic engineering down there. It's just a nest for fools who've learned the despicable pleasure of... playing with their own organic creations. They seek only serendipity and inhumanity. That is not my place. I specialize in molecular engineering... Nanotechnology." This is important, as it reveals what he thinks of his fellow Solarians. Up till this point all the Solarians have been portrayed as elitists, racists, and bigots. Even Elly before she developed a different attitude. But Krelian in relative solitude alone with Elly seems much more detached and intelligent. It is subtle but important information. I also like what he says near the end:
"Elhaym, you are beautiful. When I look at you, I appreciate the artistic aspect of the human form, its elaborateness... I can't help but feel the importance of that. As if my molecular machine is unworthy of you. You haven't changed 'since then'. Just like the 'other one', Lacan..."
"Under total surveilance, there is no need to bear the delusion of being an 'individual'. What could be easier?"
When Citan attempts to break down Fei, and succeeding, he says some interesting things very similar to the themes from 1984, about giving up autonomy, giving up being an individual. But I would assume this is not simply meant to be a reference to 1984 but actually explain the Solarian ideology. "Being given one's place, frees one from any risks. Misfortunes may be blamed on others." Quite possibly this ties into the concept with Uroborus, especially from how it is explained in Perfect Works where it states that "The "Uroborus Ring" symbolizes the process of establishing an Ego, and another term that signifies nearly the same idea as this is the "Great Mother". As the Great Mother, Miang obstructs the formation of a person's Ego. A person who has been allowed to develop a conscious world (Ego) begins to act according to his own wishes. This is nothing but a hindrance to Miang's goal of leading people to a perfectly complete body." The Solarian ideology may have been established by the guidance of Miang to reduce people's Ego and sense of individuality for the purpose of becoming parts of God.
What is interesting about the dialogue is how relatable it is, providing some sense of understanding towards the evil empire's reasoning for why they do what they do to human beings. There is just one thing I don't quite follow, namely how losing one's individuality, or that such a thing is a delusion to begin with, relates to people being themselves (especially under total surveilance)? "People need a place to go to be themselves... The more stable it is the more effective it is." Maybe Citan is trying to say that reverting to group consciousness is people's true nature, or maybe he is saying that without the struggle for independence it is easier to focus on your authentic self? Still, there is a contradiction here between what Citan says and reality, that Fei could have called out, namely the hierarchical discrimination and racism, which makes the situation anything but stable.
We are never given any clear answer as to why there is no Limiter implanted in Elly. Citan mentioning Krelian being "absorbed by her data" suggests it has something to do with her being the Mother. It could also be that the release of her Ether powers and "awakening" in Jugend caused the Limiter to break somehow. There is also no clarification as to why Citan is not being straightforward regarding whether he removed Fei's Limiter or not. The explanation could be for the same reason as why Elly do not have a Limiter, that either the influence of the Wave Existence automatically removes it somehow in the Contact and the Antitype (and maybe also in Miang's host bodies), or the release of his Ether powers at some point caused the Limiter to break. It could also mean Citan did not want to remove it because of Id, but if so it would mean Fei carries the Limiter inside him for the entire narrative and still has it by the end, which would seem like an odd narrative choice that is never brought up again. Maybe it was removed by the nanomachines Taura made, which they spread around the world for the purpose of removing everyone else's Limiters.
Ramsus is seen remaining on the bridge of the exploding gate in Solaris that Citan and Jessie blows up. Since Ramsus does not seem to get even a scratch from this I wonder if it is a way of showing that he is ultimately indestructible like Cain was? He has survived taking a beating from Weltall-Id more than once, and he is a copy of Cain, so one would assume there is a possibility that Ramsus also has undying flesh.
Elly's parents being present during the attempted escape from Solaris is quite moving, poignant, as they are chosing to stand by their child rather than their country and status within it. This is where I think 'Erich' might be a reference to Erich Fromm, another psychoanalyst, who wrote one of the founding works of political psychology with Escape from Freedom and Man for Himself: An Inquiry into the Psychology of Ethics. Fromm extolled the virtues of humans taking independent action and using reason to establish moral values rather than adhering to authoritarian moral values in, for example, the biblical story of Adam and Eve's exile from the Garden of Eden. This philosophy is very similar to the actions Erich van Houten takes by using reason to establish his moral values rather than adhering to the authoritarian moral values of the Solaris Empire. In a sense, like Adam and Eve, Erich and Medena are disobeying "God" and are driving themselves out of the paradise in the sky.
But Erich could also be a reference to Erich Neumann, a star pupil of Carl Jung, and famous for his work The Great Mother which relates to the previous conversation on the Uroborus. However, such a reference would be less appropriate to the characterization of Erich van Houten.
There's a few conversations here that are badly translated, making, especially the conversation between Miang and Krelian, confusing. First Miang asks or teases Krelian about his feelings towards Elly/Sophia after stating that 'his' (Grahf's) feelings have not changed. If Miang is not teasing but asking whether Krelian now has mixed feelings, it may suggest that Miang desires to see Krelian's feelings change more towards Miang than Sophia since they are working together, or because Krelian must know that Elhaym will eventually awaken into Miang. I don't know. In return Krelian asks about Ramsus, and when learning that Ramsus has left to face Id he says the line "He probably made it easier to control it..." which should be more accurately translated as "...he/it [Ramsus] became more controlled/suppressed." Then Krelian asks Miang how she can "continue to fight without a chance of winning," which, judging by the original Japanese, refers to fighting the Contact through the use of Ramsus. Judging by the rest of the conversation it seems Krelian only wanted Ramsus to fight Fei because Miang convinced him it would make Ramsus useful as a pawn, being their only successful copy of the Emperor. Krelian's line "What her true intentions are... I don't even know" should be translated as "How much of what you speak is in earnest, I cannot understand" (referring to Miang, not some other female person).
Speaking of Ramsus, his mental state has really started to deteriorate here, revealing the lowest levels of an unhealthy Enneagram type 1 personality, called "the punitive avenger" state in the Personality Types book:
"Someone or something has stirred up such unacceptable feelings that neurotic Ones cannot deal with them directly. Neurotic Ones are now no longer even remotely motivated by ideals, but by their overriding need to restore self-control before their obsessions and compulsions get completely out of hand. But they cannot resolve obsessions by being obsessive, or compulsions by being compulsive. They therefore "solve" their neurotic conflicts by attempting to do away with the apparent cause of their disturbances, whipping themselves into a fury over what they see as the evildoing of others, although what is really at stake is their own sanity."
- Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery (1987)
How Kahn sealed up Id's personality in the deepest recesses of Fei's consciousness 3 years earlier is not elaborated upon in the game or Perfect Works. It could be due to awakening some type of old memory that created Fei. Kahn later uses the phrase "receive my will by this fist I am striking" (awkwardly translated as "fist full of memories") to try and reach Fei. Perhaps Kahn triggered memories of Fei and his father training martial art together in his childhood, and as a result Fei's personality was created and forced Id off the stage. "That man forcibly created his personality. Fei is a tenant in the room of cowardice... Our father, Khan. He sealed up my personality in the deepest recesses of my consciousness. Through some inexplicable reason, that is when the present Fei was born." Symbolically, it sounds like Kahn is representing the "super-ego" concept here, the Freudian part that suppresses the Id (often through the rearing by a parent). Since Fei, similar to the super-ego in the child, was created by a parent, it lends some credence to the interpretation that Fei represents somewhat the super-ego in Freudian analysis. The link between the Coward and the ego is pretty weak however, since the ego develops after the Id, whereas in the story the Coward existed before Id.
Here Rico also learns that Id was the one who killed his subordinates in the sewers. This is the part of the narrative where most players who were not too impressed before also started to get really hooked on and invested in the story. While everything before Solaris is mostly an above average story, apart from the true but hidden meaning behind the foreshadowing, everything from Solaris onwards in the narrative is the part of the story that is genuinely interesting and addictive. Even though I was not bored during the game on my first playthrough, I still felt an increased interest and even an obsession to find out where all this goes towards the end of Disc 1.
Gazel conversation #9
As usual there are many things translated wrong in this conversation. They begin by venting their annoyance with Cain. Then they make an abrupt topic shift to the Contact and the number he did on Etrenank. The interesting part is that we once more see how much the Gazel Ministry dread the possibility that Deus might not be resurrected on time. We clearly get the sense that there's a time limit here even in the official English translation: "We're already short of time. The key, use the key..." and "Does that mean we may not make it in time...?" Then they talk about how to eliminate the Contact, which I assume they think might change Cain's priorities if his "Anonelbe" is dead, and wonder if the Key might mutate him. They speculate on this, seems to agree that it's probably unlikely, and then Krelian says he has sent Ramsus on him.
It is worth pointing out that the reason the Ministry speculates why the Contact might not mutate from the Goetia Key is because "[He's] an organism composed of multiple generations." Two alternative translations of this sentence are "He is a lifeform that recurs through the ages" and "It's a lifeform that has gone through multiple instances of itself." This clearly refers to The Contact reincarnating, existing in more than one lifetime/generation. They also imply that whether the Contact will mutate or not is "a matter of probability" and thus not ruling it out completely. Keep this in mind, because the same phrase "going through multiple instances of itself" or "composed of multiple generations" in the Japanese script will appear again later in reference to not just the Contact, but to other characters as well who do not mutate.
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Some more notes about the ordeal segment: Etrenank, the capital of Solaris, is actually a misspelling of 'Etemenanki,' the name of a ziggurat dedicated to Marduk in the city of Babylon of the 6th century BCE. The name means "temple of the foundation of heaven and earth" and is thought to have influenced the biblical story of the Tower of Babel. The name of Solaris' special operatives (such as Citan) as "Guardian Angels" appears to reference Arthur C. Clarke's short story Guardian Angel that would become the first part of his novel Childhood's End, a novel that appears to be a huge influence on Xenogears Episode V. "Schizophrenic" is a localization error. The original Japanese says "Person with multiple personalities." |
The next segment of the narrative structure deals with the main character getting an "upgrade" of sorts after the big ordeal, as the protagonist or protaginsts are in some way rewarded for their previous bravery or gamble during the ordeal. In the Hero's Journey this typically involves a special weapon, but it can also be knowledge, information, experience, reconciliation, or an elixir. In Xenogears, this reward is a restored and upgraded form of Fei's Gear Weltall - Weltall-2 - that has the ability to release Id's power at will. Fei also gains the means to suppress his destructive personality through the use of an armband that injects nanomachines into his brain. Furthermore, the remaining main characters with anima alignment also get Omnigears before this segment ends.
In the game, this is the beginning of Disc 2, and despite how rushed the second Disc feels, the way they start the disc off is beautiful, giving us a nice look into Fei and Elly's internal thoughts and why they are drawn to each other. Appropriately enough, this also ties into Gnosticism. The idea of eternal male and female personifications of the divine empowering and complementing one another is a continual theme there. Furthermore, the female entity said to be ultimately responsible for the creation of the material universe is named Sophia. Her name comes from the Greek word for "wisdom" and is where we get the -sophy suffix from. Philosophy literally means "love of wisdom." Sophiology is the theological study of the wisdom of God. Sophia is viewed as the personification of wisdom, and portrayed constantly as a stunningly attractive woman, which they seem to have retained in Xenogears with Elly.In Enneagram type classification, the wiser aspect of the Type 2 personality type is described in the healthy traits of the Type 2 with a 1-wing. It seems appropriate to cite the description of these traits from the Personality Types book here:
"Healthy persons of this subtype can do a great deal of good for others, partly because of the One-wing's principles. Teaching others, improving their lives, and working for a cause are noteworthy traits. Many charities and religious and philanthropic organizations are probably begun and staffed by this subtype. They want to give the best possible service to others and they do so with less self-regard and more altruism than the other subtype. They may be particularly fine teachers since they not only have an objective, intellectual orientation to facts and values, but the emotional warmth to bring ideas to life. As teachers and parents, they are also very encouraging and appreciative of those in their charge."
- Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery (1987)
So, in the case of Elly, "wisdom" combines not just the objective, intellectual orientation of the mind, but also the warm and emotional qualities of the heart. Which contrasts with Krelian's more purely intellectual orientation.
Pay attention to what Fei and Elly say during these scenes. Note, for example, this part spoken by Fei:
A vast nebulous... With no boundaries...
An emptiness equivalent to my own existence...
I dreamt such a dream...
A long... Never-ending, dream...
and
That long, long memory of a dream... Perhaps it was the memory of my soul...
This appears to be a reference to reincarnation, and we learn that something like a vast nebulous soul collective appears to be a resting place in between lives, implied by the line "A vast nebulous... With no boundaries...," while "An emptiness equivalent to my own existence..." would then refer to Fei's incarnated form in flesh when alive in the physical world. This is something I will also reference again when we examine other parts of the grander narrative beyond Episode V. The translation here is accurate as well.
Note also that Fei and Elly both have memories of "countless other" lives, so they have likely been reincarnated more than three times, and we just see the lives when the history of the planet went through the most pivotal changes. There is also a poetic beauty in that Elly always retains the same name, regardless of whether or not it makes sense in terms of realism.
Take note of Emeralda's behavior when she is in the scenes outside Taura's house. Although she wants to be close to Fei, when he tells her he must go she walks away from him as if to punish him by withdrawing. A bit later on she appears to compete with Elly for attention. Despite how little development and lines we get from her, these few hints are actually often enough to determine where she fits into Enneagram type classification, which could potentially tell us more about her character and personality. My conclusion is that she is a type 4, which tends to be a rather rare type in both Xenogears and Xenosaga (the Xenosaga Episode I -Official Design Materials- do not classify a single character as a type 4 among its character profiles).
"Healthy Fours' strengths involve intuitive self-awareness. Healthy Fours are very personal, revealing and communicating their feelings in ways that enable others to get in touch with their own emotions. However, average Fours become too aware of their feelings, especially their negative ones, withdrawing from others and living too much in their imaginations. Unhealthy Fours are extremely depressed and alienated from others, tormented by self-doubt and self-hatred. They become suicidal when they can no longer cope with reality."
- Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery (1987)
My guess is that not many characters are type 4 in the story because this personality type is too introverted and withdrawing to be of interest in an action-oriented science fiction narrative. Type 5, which is similar in introversion and withdrawnness, is at least useful as a scientist archetype, whereas type 4 is at best a mad artist archetype. I think making a nanomachine artificial character like Emeralda a type 4 was the best they could come up with, and actually is rather interesting since her imagination and possible artistic creativity would be useful in the way she choses to transform her body to fight and express herself. It is funny that they even gave her a scarf, something stereotypically worn by the artist archetype, and in Emeralda's case is likely a way for her to partly conceal herself, which relates to type 4. Since Emeralda does not get much development in the narrative, I will cite some excerpts from the type 4 profile that seem particularly relevant:
"Average Fours typically do not even try to be sociable or friendly, especially with anyone they do not know well. Instead, they project an aura of silence and aloofness. [...] If someone has hurt their feelings and they have withdrawn to lick their wounds, their withdrawal is as aggressive an act as average Fours allow themselves, a denial of their presence to the other, [...]
"Because their feelings change so readily, their sense of identity is not solid, dependable, in their own hands. They feel undefined and uncertain of themselves, as if they were a gathering cloud which may produce something of great power or merely dissipate in the next breeze. Fours can never tell how the next moment will affect them, so it is difficult for them to count on themselves. [...] From childhood, Fours felt essentially alone in life.
"And because they are different, they feel they have needs that must be satisfied in unusual ways. They therefore want to compensate themselves for what they lack by indulging their desires. They feel they are exceptions to the rule, exempt from expectations, totally free to 'be themselves.' The result is that they become completely undisciplined, luxuriating in whatever emotional and material pleasures they can afford. [...] ("I do what I want to do when I want to do it.")
"Average people of this [Four with a Three-wing] subtype may be helped out of their self-absorption by a concern for what others think of them. Since people of this subtype have the ability to project a favorable image, they are able to conceal their real emotional condition more effectively than the other subtype: [...] Fours with a Three-wing are competitive and interested in making something of themselves in the world, but they fear success, self-exposure, and possible humiliation. However, to the degree that the Three-wing is operative, this subtype also has narcissistic tendencies (exhibitionistic desires for attention and admiration) which may serve as partial motives for their behavior.
"The nature of creativity will probably always remain mysterious because its basis is irrational - in the feelings and unconscious of those who create - and because, as Winnicott notes, part of the motive for creating is to remain concealed, to be unfound by others. [...] Fours turn to art and creativity as ways of communicating and concealing themselves from other people. Fours are in search of themselves. [...] The Four is the personality type which emphasizes the subjective
world of feelings, in creativity and individualism, in introversion and self-absorption, and in self-torment and self-hatred. [...]"
- Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery (1987)
The Four with a Three-wing is clearly the easier type to write into an action-driven narrative. If Emeralda will grow into a healthy adult type 4, she has the potential to be a force for good in the final main story arc, since she was created by Kim and Elly for such a purpose. And since Emeralda would likely remain a major character in the future (i.e. Episode VI), analyzing the potential source for her characterization (Type 4) may be relevant later.
Gazel conversation #10
The official translation for this particular conversation is not bad. It seems that, when Krelian says "I see. So he has left the area... (That means... it is only a matter of time before the seal is broken...)" Krelian must have counted on the fact that Fei and Elly would encounter Taura, or that they would attempt to remove everyone's Limiter with nanomachines eventually. He did not think it would happen so soon though. The mutations that occur are not because the Limiter seal is removed from the surface dwellers, but because Krelian had set up a virus that would fall upon the surface if Etrenank was destroyed, which is revealed after the next Gazel Ministry conversation.
Krelian: "In the event of the explosion in the capital of Solaris earlier... I had set up a nanomachine virus to diffuse into the atmosphere. I knew they were eventually going to break the seal... But the timing was a little close for comfort... The current mutations of the humans are an initial response to the virus... Once the virus we spread over the world germinates inside of the humans, they are no longer the same. They change into a controllable form. We need humans that do not depend on the key's invocation in order to awaken."
It is likely we were originally supposed to have gotten more development on Rico in the return to Kislev when uncovering the 'Super Dimensional Gear Yggdrasil IV' from Nortune's Central Administrative District. Due to time constraint, scheduling issues, a limited budget from the start, and the developers running out of steam, I guess it is not surprising the second disc turned out the way it did. For many fans the second disc still remains their favorite part of the game however, in large part because of the epic events that unfold.
Gazel conversation #11
The Gazel Ministry talk about the mutation phenomenon, speculating that it is occuring because the resurrection of God draws near, since they are unaware that Krelian set up a virus that caused it. The official translation for this particular conversation is good enough.
The grief theme continues to be a main focus, perhaps more than ever before, throughout the mutations part of the narrative, when we are introduced to the Soylent Systems and the half-mutated people gathering there. "There, humans fought amongst themselves greedily for limited pardons to live. It was an ugly battle to keep on living. Or so it may have seemed to the casual passerby... But to me they were desperately trying to live. It was each person's 'natural human form'." The development of a seeming side story in the early parts of the narrative, involving the B-horror trope of "zombies," all of a sudden becoming the main focus of the narrative while being transformed into a philosophical reflection on both the darker and lighter aspects of humanity, is quite unprecedented in storytelling from my experience. The X-Files was a show that had a little bit of that reflection on humanity amidst B-horror tropes played straight combined with science fiction. But The X-Files was never on this scale.
The scene with Elly reaching out to the mutated people, the "have nots," is one of the finest moments in the story, and manages to elevate, what I already considered to be a great story, into something completely unexpected and beautiful. It is rare for cinema or even novels to reach this level of writing, much less a video game.
Elly: "You think I am doing something... foolish?"
Fei: "No..."
Elly: "I only did what I could. Maybe I'm a hypocrite. A well-to-do 'have'. Maybe it's only pity for the 'have nots'... But if I can know the joy of giving out a little of the life within me... Then maybe someday it may just be possible that one human can truly give love to another..."
Gazel conversation #12
Emperor Cain prevents the Ministry from using the Goetia Key. The official translation for this particular conversation is also good enough. The lines are not especially cryptic either and should not need clarification. One thing that is worth discussing here though, is whether or not the Gazel Ministry have free will. A lot of people assume they did not have free will, but judging by the dialogue, this seems to be false. Takahashi refers to their actions as "selfish" in Xenogears: Perfect Works, to contrast the more noble goal of Krelian, which would be meaningless if they did not have free will. The Ministry were originally conscious human-like beings and they come with all the willpower and independence that this entails. But the Ministry chose to do what they were born to do. They took the induced compulsion to be with Deus and pursued it with a religious zeal. In fact, they were so full of self-interest that they actually turned against the Will of the god (Miang) they wished to join back in the Days of Collapse. Miang was more of a "programmed" being than them, but even her character may not be as simple as this sounds.
One way to reconcile this would be to assume that the Ministry had free will when they were still alive, but when they were resurrected as mere data in the SOL-9000 memory bank, their personalities had become unchangeable from what they were like at the time of death. But even so, Cain says when speaking to them in their current condition as mere data: "Your purpose...? You were fated to it from your birth. Why haven't you realized that it does not arise from your own free will?" This seems to be in contradiction to such a theory, while Krelian in a later conversation suggests the opposite ("Did you really think you were acting on your own free will? You are all just parts of the system.") Perhaps the Ministry still have free will, even as data, to some extent, and both Cain and Krelian are using the term "free will" (and the lack of it) more broadly, such as when people are fanatical or brainwashed by an ideology or cult; merely adhering to some purpose they were promised long ago and still clinging to it.
Thus when Krelian turns off the SOL-9000, he is saying that their "purpose" did not need their free will, and so their will can be completely disregarded. He is saying this in context with the fact that he is using the evolved Animus capable of Ether that was passed down to the Lambs/Wels instead of the original Gazel (who could not use Ether), along with nanomachines. To Krelian, and to Deus, the elders were indeed just "parts of the system" so their will does not matter, and their will should not matter if they wanted what is best for Deus. It is a clever way of getting back at them and exposing them for what they are. If they had used their free will for something other than resurrecting God, then their lives might have been better for it. And the surface dwellers wouldn't have suffered like they did either. Krelian and Grahf's actions wouldn't have arisen either. They made their own beds by not even thinking of deviating from their supposed purpose, which did not benefit them in the end. So, in conclusion, I tend to think Takahashi intended for them to have some capacity for free will or other choice that they did not care to explore. Hence the moral point here.
In the first Anima dungeon the protagonists confront the Elements girls and their ideology. This ideology is perhaps best expressed by Kelvena during this conversation.
Kelvena: "People must be able to stand on their own in any circumstances they are in. Overprotection only stunts the will to be independent. This stunts the growth of the people and the world. We've experienced that first hand. Live by one's own strength, stand on one's own feet! It's sad but true that the weak will be weeded out... But we cannot look back. That is the providence of human existence."
The story is in large part about the clash of ideologies and the clash of wills, and the Elements girls have been bossed around by Solaris, like children being bossed around by a tyrannical father, thus they see this world in terms of the strong and the weak, the superior and the inferior. They assume that Solaris was not wrong, but instead it was their own fault, being "weak." They were raised and brought up in a spirit of authoritarianism and social Darwinism, which is a way of justifying personal greed and bigotry with an erroneous analogy of evolution that disregards the fact that we all have flaws and are social animals. It is an interesting confrontation between the characters, because social Darwinism is pretty much the opposite of the Nisan teachings that Elly represents.
For this reason I was a bit surprised to see that Paul Eres, in his 4-Part First Edition Review of Xenogears, expressed clear sympathy with Kelvena, saying that "Kelvena, in what she says above, is what the game is about, and Elly, in what she says, is actually closer to the position of Deus and Solaris than to that of the Wave existence and Nisan. A bit contradictory there -- if you're in favor of freedom, be consistent please."
The Solarians have consistently been portrayed as favoring the strong and superior over the genetically inferior, throughout the story, while the Nisan religion focused on the interdependence between free but flawed human beings. Xenogears is not just about freedom, but more about complementarity from the position of individual incompleteness. It is about the healthiest way out of our flaws through mutual support. Yet Eres says of this, "it sort of gives the impression that people who have greater ability have some type of duty to those of lesser ability." I don't think it was duty to others that Takahashi was aiming for but rather a sense of meaning and purpose. Whom else is a person with abilities supposed to use them for? Themselves? The elite few? And the elite few based on what standard?
I think, perhaps, a lot of people misunderstand this scene. The most important point when it comes to understanding this scene is to understand that the Elements girls themselves are just as weak as everyone else. That is the very reason why they have such obedience towards Ramsus, and why they had to combine their Gears in order to stand up to the protagonists. And besides that, the Elements are basically Nazi girls, or at least fascists, with a worldview centered on social elitism and eugenics. Kelvena makes it sound good by focusing on the negatives of overprotection, which is actually irrelevant to what is going on, whereas Dominia's words indicate they are more concerned with themselves: "We don't have time to deal with affairs concerning you weak and inferior people." The dialogue gives them some dignity, but ultimately what they say is hypocritical and involves self-deception.
Authoritarianism manifests in the individual in a series of characteristics such as submission to those above and aggression towards those below in an often arbitrary value judgment hierarchy, which is portrayed perfectly in the Elements girls as followers of Ramsus. Note the constant hostility of Dominia towards anyone that, according to the perceived pecking order, ends up below or outside the group itself. As soon as Elly was outside Solaris Dominia treated her as dirt, and for no other reason than "that is the way of the strong against the weak - the way of Solaris against the Lambs." Ironically, it is also the people with superior genes that Miang wants for Deus, which is why Perfect Works explains that Miang has killed off a majority of humans multiple times in the past, so it is very likely that it is the genetically superior that are most prone to mutate, or that what makes some people escape mutation is not related at all to genetics (as I will examine later).
What this final confrontation with the Elements girls is meant to express is that "everyone has weaknesses" and "people grow stronger together." The main message is summed up in the following line by Elly (and sadly absent from Eres' review):
Elly: "Some things only the weak can feel... But weakness does not make them servile. It's because they are weak, that they can develop kindness... and never look down on people. That is where real human interaction comes from. Everyone has weaknesses. Even you did at first. Your weakness drew you to each other... And made you grow strong. Never forget those feelings. When you all lived together side by side..."
A better counter argument to Elly's argument would perhaps have been to point out that weaknesses can also develop into resentment, hostility, and envy of others. Despite Dominia's weakness causing her to draw near to Ramsus and the other Elements, she still looked down on people.
Gazel conversation #13
The official translation for this particular conversation is mostly good enough, but the line "Kahr is still shaken up by... yesterday's defeat against Fei" should not specify "yesterday" (since a lot more than one day has passed), but instead say "That last defeat by Fei...... has left Kahr quite unstable." Note that Dominia is outside listening in on the conversation. This means Miang is projecting herself into the Ezekiel through some kind of communication technology, since she and Dominia are onboard Ramsus' ship.
After this, we continue the descent of Ramsus' Enneagram type 1 neurosis, which has often been confused with the neurosis of type 3 due to type 3 having a need for admiration and status. But a type 3 becomes more chameleonic and deceptive the more unhealthy they get, and are not concerned with principles or ideals. According to the Personality Types book that the authors used as a primary source, type 3 "remain highly functional even when they are unhealthy," and even a neurotic 3 "does not seem to be neurotic."
"[Unhealthy] Threes do not become depressed, anxious, emotionally conflicted, incapacitated, or self-destructive. On the contrary, they depress others, and make others feel anxious and conflicted, incapacitate others, and drive others to self-destructive acts."
- Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery (1987)
Even a relatively healthy type 3, such as Big Joe, will at times act cunningly and swindle money out of Fei, whereas Ramsus never acts deceptively or with malicious arrogance even when he is treated like garbage and ridiculed. Ramsus is not a narcissist but an obsessive. And although Ramsus has been hurt by neglect (as another facet of the narrative's grief theme) his response to that psychological wound has never been to fake it or self-grandiose, but rather to strive to become a superior, perfect person or ideal. And Fei's existence is a threat to that since it makes Ramsus not feel good enough. Ramsus is primarily judging himself by his own standards, not by what he thinks other people would like him to be so that he can adapt and benefit from using people like an average or unhealthy Type 3 would.
Elly: "That's why you strive to be above everyone else... Because, otherwise, you'd be enveloped by a void... Because you yourself will disappear... Because that emptiness within your heart will only grow... Because you want to hang on to love..."
Ramsus: "Silence!"
Another thing that should perhaps be mentioned here is that Xenogears: Perfect Works states that, soon after he had been thrown in the trash, Ramsus merged with a Solarian boy named Kahran Becker and took his identity. Many have questioned why this backstory was written in, but I can only assume it was because the writers wanted to conceal Cain's real face. By having Ramsus - Cain's copy - merge with another human, Cain's face could be kept a secret, should they ever want to reveal it in other episodes. In-universe it also solves the problem of what Cain would think if he saw that Ramsus looked exactly like himself.
Gazel conversation #14
The official translation for this particular conversation is good enough I think, though the original line describing Cain as "a being of the genesis" instead of "an archetype" feels more appropriate when one considers Cain's previous immortality, just like the longevity of the humans in the biblical genesis. Here we also see that Krelian is a hologram, though I don't know why they are not all transparent when meeting in this room. If they are on the Ezekiel ship then Krelian should be the only one who does not have to be a hologram. But if they are on Ramsus' ship then why do his ship have the Goetia Key system?
At the second Anima dungeon we go back to the first civilization on the planet, from the era of Cain and Abel. There is an interesting ancient mural which portrays Cain and the Gazel Ministry chasing Abel and Elly with Ether bolts, a scene we see later on when Fei retains all his memories from Id. It is likely that this mural was created by Abel, since according to Xenogears: Perfect Works it was only Elly who was killed in that scene, and the Contact is known to have had artistic talents in most of his other lives. Perfect Works says that Abel rebelled against the worshipping of Cain as a god, so parts of the dungeon could have been his hideout or base of operation.
Hammer also makes a final return in this dungeon, and since I have talked about him previously I do not have much to add, except that I find it interesting that Hammer died with "a look of satisfaction," according to Fei. Fei speculates it was due to Hammer having obtained his brief moment of power, or relief from pain brought on by his mutation, and I have noticed that Takahashi often gives his major antagonists in Xenogears and Xenosaga what they want, in some form. Soraya does not do this with the antagonists she has created in Xenogears, such as Stein and Shakhan, but Takahashi does it more often than not. It makes sense if Takahashi is to remain consistent in his aim to portray the alien will of another in an objective way and not preach. Many people likely believe, or rather presume, that there is a correct will or desire to follow, which can be arrived at through logic. But the will is not logical, and that is why it comes across as "alien" to others. People follow their strong will because it seems to promise some kind of satisfaction, joy, peace, or relief. And because people follow their own will so vehemently and consistently, it must also mean that there is some level of truth in their will, even if only subjectively for that person.
In the case of Hammer, as a Type 7 in Enneagram type classification (which partly explains his "alien" will), his strong desire for satisfying experiences and happiness made the prospect of further mutation, pain, or remaining powerless, something too unbearable for him to cope with. And it made the will in him chose betrayal and allegiance to Krelian over continuing to fight with his much stronger and more fortunate friends. What Krelian offered to him in Solaris (since I see no reason to believe that Hammer was with Krelian from the start) must have seemed like it had better prospects in his situation, and was more in line with his natural will as per his personality classification. He had been travelling with Fei's group long enough to start feeling powerless in comparison, feeling more and more like he had been
robbed of the good things in life, and in order to have the experience of the powerful (those with superhuman abilities) he betrayed Fei and the others to finally have a chance to feel this satisfaction he so strongly desired, that it made him die with a look of satisfaction.
Another thing that is worth pointing out here is that Krelian actually seem inclined to help people like Hammer and Stein out by giving them the power that they
desire, not unlike Grahf. And Stein and Hammer seemed grateful enough for it.
The scene where Ramsus assassinates the Emperor establishes that Krelian has a different ideology from Cain or the Ministry. Cain says: "Haven't you been working for humanity's future... for humans to live longer? That is why I assisted you...", revealing why he took in Krelian 500 years ago after the Days of Collapse, and why Cain's got Krelian's back until now. Krelian responds: "Yes, that's right. I try to lead the people in 'my own way'. That hasn't changed in the least." And so the question becomes how Krelian works for humanity's future compared to Cain and the Ministry. Cain wants to believe in a new state of humanity, the "Anonelbe" (Ahnenerbe), which will allow people to live past the -Time- of the -Gospel-. But in order to understand what attributes are needed to prevent this phenomenon that Deus is trying to prevent, more must be known about the -Time- of the -Gospel- itself. Unfortunately, we do not really get any insight into Cain's personal ideology, aims or beliefs. However, it is clear that Krelian has a different plan to save humans.
The Gazel Ministry wants to become one with Deus for their own selfish purposes, along with those who they deem worthy. Krelian does not believe in the Gazel Ministry's goal for humankind either. At this point we don't have enough information, but the name of the character is a big clue. "Karellen" was the name of a character in the science fiction novel Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. This character was the leader of Earth's alien Overlords who were guiding humanity towards becoming one with a cosmic entity referred to as the Overmind. This is relevant to the character in Xenogears, though unfortunately the U.S. translator mistranslated his name as Krelian instead of Karellen. Since information on Krelian's goal is a bit sparse in the game, I believe his name reference may have been intended as important information.
Gazel conversation #15
In this conversation the Ministry activates the Goetia Key, but before that they list the Vessels of Anima. The list is considered to be something like this:
Dan - aligned with Roni/Bart (El-Andvari)
Joseph - aligned with Billy (El-Renmazuo)
Gad - aligned with Rico (El-Stier)
Asher - aligned with Hyuga (El-Fenrir)
Zebulun - aligned with Ramsus (Vendetta)
Judah - aligned with Krelian (Amphisbaena)
Dinah - aligned with Elly (El-Regulus)
Reuben - aligned 500 years ago (unknown)
Simeon - aligned 500 years ago (unknown)
Levi - aligned 500 years ago (unknown)
Issachar - aligned 500 years ago (unknown)
Naphtali - aligned with Grahf (O.R. Weltall)
One of the Omnigears aligned 500 years ago was Opiomorphus. The other three are never shown in the game. Amphisbaena (misspelled Amphysvena in U.S. version) seems like a strange Omnigear for Krelian, and is the one Ramsus pilots in Merkabah (you also see it in the background at Machanon and Golgotha), but the sketches of it in Xenogears: Perfect Works confirms that it is Krelian's Omnigear. Also, the Vessel's are named after the tribes of Israel but they replaced Benjamin with Dinah, likely to have a female name for Elly's Vessel. However, just like Miang and Ramsus, she really should be able to pilot any Omnigear.
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Some more notes about the upgrade segment: The "El" prefix on Omnigears (except O.R. Weltall) in the Japanese version is from the Canaanite language, and it is translated as "God". It was likely removed in the localization because people might confuse it for the Spanish, "el." It was, however, still used in the Kislev battle arena on Disc 2. |
The next segment of the narrative structure deals with the highest stakes in the narrative so far, on the way to the story's climax. The main character's spirit is typically almost broken as they reach their lowest point in the face of adversity and conflict. In Xenogears, this struggle up to the lowest point begins when the Goetia Key is activated and Machanon (the central hull of the Eldridge) appears, up until Elly awakens as Miang and Fei is finally frozen in Carbonite after being found in some sort of coma. No other point in the story appears as hopeless and dark as that point. Even for minor antagonists such as Ramsus it seems to be over, and several major players are taken out completely, such as the Gazel Ministry. The other main characters also lose their Omnigears, their new source of strength that made them come this far.
I am more interested in analyzing this part of the narrative from the Seven Point Story Structure though, rather than the Hero's Journey, due to the way the second "Pinch Point" is described in the Seven Point Story Structure. The first Pinch Point occurs during the Rising Action segment as a reminder of the nature and implications of the antagonistic force. The second (or last) Pinch Point is often described as a plot twist that surprises the protagonist and makes it seem as if all hope is lost. Elly turning into Miang is undoubtedly the purest expression of this moment in Xenogears because at that point the main antagonists (Miang and Krelian) appear to have won.
Fei and Elly have their love scene at the beginning of this segment, and the scene that follows with Elly and Margie having a conversation is somewhat controversial. The conversation seems to excuse the traditional roles of women with Elly's line "Everyone wants someone special waiting for them. Someone who will protect a place they can return to. If you don't have that peace of mind, then you would not be able to get anything done..." This works somewhat in the war-torn world of Xenogears where more dangerous tasks needs to be performed than in our contemporary world. And Fei is not wrong that Elly in particular should stay to treat the injured and protect the place. She is an important figure for the masses. I think this scene would have worked better if the conversation would have emphasized Elly's role in the community rather than have Elly and Margie discuss how men view women as weaklings. It does not work well since not all the women stay home. Funnily, it is the small girls (Maria and Emeralda) that come along to the dangerous place instead of the supposedly strong mother figure. But I think the scene is worth it just to have Elly be the one to save them all by herself later at Golgotha.
The title of this chapter "going back to the paradise of gods" is a reference to Mahanon being an allusion to one of the Seven Heavens in mythology. Machanon or Machen is the name of the Fourth Heaven in some accounts, derived from the word "makhon" that means "central site," "base" or "foundation." Those accounts (and it is difficult finding an original source for this) says the Garden of Eden, or at least the Tree of Knowledge, was housed in the Fourth Heaven. The opening movie with the Eldridge vessel was an allusion to the Garden of Eden and Tree of Knowledge story. Holding off revisting the setting we saw in the opening movie up till this late part of the narrative makes it all the more interesting, especially as it happens amidst the highest points of the drama and complex issues in the story. It would have been interesting if we would have been given the opportunity to explore this cradle of humanity as a dungeon in the game.
During the narration at Raziel's Tree (misspelled as Razael's Tree) Fei says: "The creation of the -Malakh- angel... God's army to reign over the vast universe with... And the construction of a divine ark." This line could use some clarification. First of all, "Malakh" means angel, so the translation specifying "angel" after it is pretty redundant. Secondly, "Malakh" refers to the entire army of God's angels. Thus it should be "Malakhs" (or "Malakh angels"), not "the Malakh angel." Because of this error, some have theorized that the form Deus has in the last battle is this "Malakh" angel, but it is not. "Malakh" is another name for Deus' weapons, not Deus' final form.Another line that should be cleared up is "These weapons were called, 'Yabeh', the inter-planetary invasion weapon system." The Japanese line here says "Deus" and not "Yabeh." Yabeh is actually a pun on Yahweh and the Japanese adjective yabai that the game's translator Richard Honeywood accidentally coined when he tried to prevent the development team from naming Deus "Yahweh" originally. You can read more about this in the "History of" section. It is believed that Honeywood added "Yabeh" here as an inside joke or maybe a clue towards what the developers had originally been aiming at with the symbolism.
Also, the line "We were on the verge of accessing the data for the object called... 'Zohar' ... the central neural circuit and power source controlling the entire system, from the weapons to the mothership..." has made many people think that the Eldridge ship was powered by Zohar. But that's incorrect. "Mothership" in this line refers to the Merkabah, not the Eldridge.
It is strange that the translator would misspell Golgotha as 'Golgoda.' I wonder if it might not have been an intentional misspelling to "soften" this particular allusion. The Golgotha part of Xenogears is, unfortunately, the part of the game that is mainly used to attack its artistic worth and to ridicule its use of Western religion. Just like the "theory of evolution as taught by the Church," the religious "symbolism" here feels inept and stupid both as an allegory and as an in-universe event. Why crucify Gears? Even weirder, why are only three Gears crucified (Seibzehn, Fenrir, and Weltall-2) and not all of them? It would have been reasonable if the Gears crucified were the ones you used in the fight against O.R. Weltall (or had been required to use there) plus Citan, since Citan has dialogue at Golgotha. But why Chu-Chu?Not only that, but the shot of a giant Chu-Chu nailed to a cross has become one of the most iconic images from Xenogears within gaming circles and on the net. Even if most fans simply pretend Chu-Chu does not exist here, this is still one of the things that Xenogears has at times been most famous for. What were the developers thinking?
"If he actually crucified the characters, then the symbolism goes somewhere because it has plot relevance (Elly, you better get here because your friends are dying slowly, writhing in agony!) But as you're pointing out, it's meaningless; they took a keystone New Testament icon and turned it into a complete farce. Really, they could all be in their cockpits eating soylent sandwiches being no more than mildly inconvenienced. Except Chu-Chu."
- Gamer
According to the debug room, the Golgotha part was staged by Masato Kato, and some people suggest that because everything Kato staged (Lahan, Citan's house, Shevat) were also his writing, then Golgotha might have been written by Kato as well. If that is true, then that would at least exonerate Takahashi from this rather embarrassing moment. But Takahashi as the director would still have the final say on what went into the game. He might not have wanted to reject peoples contributions and risk compromising the team spirit though.
That said, the crucifixion of Gears and Chu-Chu in this scene is not so bad that it ruins the story or even the game's reputation. In fact, there are people who like this scene and even defends it. One theory is that only the characters who were on the Gazel's disposal list (Fei, Maria, Emeralda, and Chu-Chu) have their Gears crucified. However, Fenrir (Citan) is there instead of Crescens.
"But then I guess Crescens being crucified would have looked ridiculous."
- Xenogears Fan
"Chu-Chu Died for your sins... And there it is. Everything that makes this game great."
- Xenogears Fan
"I fail to see any flaws in a game that supports the crucifixion of cutesy-looking monstrosities. More games should crucify their mascot characters."
- Xenogears Fan
"I never really paid much mind to the crucified Chu-Chu. For one, she never really bothered me in the first place, and for another, it's not like the scene really pays Chu-Chu hanging there much mind, either. It's a pan over your party members' gears. She's there. It's dumb. But it's not really a thing, you know? Obviously I seem to be alone or in the minority on that one too."
- Xenogears Fan
Apart from the crucifixion thing though, which was probably mainly added for being considered a cool and exotic visual thing in Japan, the Golgotha part is an interesting scene with Elly coming, in her (Sophia's) Omnigear, to save her friends and fight Krelian's two followers. The scene also inverts the trope of the hero offering himself in return for a captured lady's release and taking a beating. Instead it is Elly who takes the beating of her life just to save the man she loves. The cinematography is excellent as usual, and I especially like the dawn (or is it sunset?) of the horizon, and the stars in the sky. Apparently, the area of Golgotha was originally going to be playable. There is still data on the world map files of the game for Golgotha. Makes sense since that would have been the only opportunity to play as Elly with her Omnigear.Elly's normal Gear is named Vierge, which means "virgin," and after she and Fei have sex she never rides in Vierge again. Also, Regulus (the name of her Omnigear) is the brightest star in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. This is fitting since Elly's name means "Ray of light" in Greek, and her hair has the color of a Lion. Also, Elly is a part of Deus which is an allusion to the Gnostic Demiurge. The Demiurge is frequently called "the Lion-faced," leontoeides, with the body of a serpent. In this case, Miang represents the serpent part of the Demiurge while Elly represents the Lion part.
Citan says "Fei is right! Krelian is not a man of his word... And he always has ulterior motives when he sweet talks someone!" This line has made some fans think Citan has some past history with, experience of, or knowledge about Krelian. But to me this is clearly Citan's Enneagram type 6 paranoia showing itself. Krelian does allow them to live. We actually never see Krelian, as far as I can recall, lie or go back on his promises. Here, Krelian reacts by saying "My my... Such harsh criticism. I am not that brutal."
At the end of this chapter, Fei contemplates: "Elly was taken away... And, as Krelian had told her, we were left alive... Was Krelian just keeping his promise... No, that can't be it... There had to be another 'real' reason why he allowed us to live... And we had to find that out..."
The reason why he let them live was probably because he did make the promise, but more importantly, he is using them to collect all the parts of Deus for him and then bring them to Merkabah in the next chapter. However, even beyond that, it seems he has another reason to let them live. But I will get back to this later.
Gazel conversation #16 (final conversation) As had been forshadowed with the reference to HAL-9000, who was shut down by David in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the SOL-9000 computer containing the data of the Gazel Ministry is finally shut down in this scene. At this point we have not seen Krelian's backstory yet, but when we do we will understand why he would never have allowed the Ministry to merge with Elly. The following line by a Minister; "All that is left for us to do is change into the Animus, and become one with the mother -Persona-...", must have made him feel strong repulsion. And it is right after this line that he starts deleting them. He does speak a rather respectful prayer for them afterwards though.
In the flashback with Karen and Krelian, Karen says that her child (Fei) is a Contact (a reincarnation of Abel) and that a corresponding 'Antitype' (a reincarnation of Elly) is probably already born somewhere. Karen then says "... The final one!" Some people have been confused by this line, including myself, because Grahf says later that "... as long as humans still inhabit this land, Miang... Elhaym, will be born time and again." However, the meaning of Karen's line is most likely an expression of her being sure that this one will become her body in the resurrection of Deus. This is further implied if we take the -Time of the Gospel- into account. Miang, like Cain, Krelian, and the Gazel, surely knows that there is no time left for another Contact or Antitype to be born unless Deus is resurrected. So either way, this would be the final Elly. Grahf's line we can explain away by concluding that he probably does not know about the real meaning of the -Time of the Gospel-. However, his line is important for another reason, and I will examine that when we get to that part in the next segment.
This is where Kahr was born. And where his hatred of you was forged...
I wonder who says this line, Miang or Krelian, and how Kahr could have been born in Merkabah before its construction. Either Krelian and Miang already started construction on Merkabah a few decades before the start of the game, or Krelian moved his science facility to the Merkabah.
I like that the writers gave Ramsus the opportunity to, somewhat unexpected, strike down both Miang and Krelian. It felt pretty cathartic when I first saw it, though it is clear in hindsight that Krelian and Miang are trying to push him into doing just that since Krelian's taunting is somewhat out of character ("A pathetic excuse for a life. Why, you aren't even human! Kahaha... Hah hahaha...!"). In many stories the antagonist gets away due to the protagonist's hesitation or passivity when they could have taken the shot, but here an attempt is made (albeit by another antagonist) with the result that it only makes the antagonists seem even more unstoppable than before. Both Krelian and Miang have been so many steps ahead of everyone else that only now, when it is too late, are the protagonists finally beginning to catch up. I also like that, in the moment Elly as Miang explains everything, Krelian stands among the protagonists and looks up at her, listening to her speaking, like the rest of the "humans." It is fitting since he was once a comrade of Fei (Lacan) and likely would have been a playable party member had they begun with Episode IV as originally intended.
Miang is a difficult character to define. Is she a program or a living consciousness? Is she herself Deus or merely its representative? Based on what Grahf says later ("Miang and Elhaym... are not just Deus' mouthpieces. That 'woman' is its main body!") she seems to be the essence of Deus - its "brain." But is the personality we see during the game "Miang" or merely the woman that serves as her host? Even as the host dies, it is difficult to determine if it is Miang or the woman that speaks:Miang: "Good... This is how I wanted it, Kahr... I am fated so as not to be able to kill myself... Now... all... my... wishes have... come... true. Thanks... to... you...!"
From one point of view, the line could express the woman's wish to die after being controlled by the will of Miang for so long. But from another point of view, it can also be Miang thanking Ramsus for completing his purpose so that she can awaken in Elly. Xenogears: Perfect Works says the following:
"The Factor for Myyah as Complement is intrinsic to every woman. If the current Myyah's body were damaged (death) for some reason, the next Myyah Factor will awaken. This awakening is a matter of probability determined through the Factor's strength, and which woman will awaken next is unclear. The awakened woman inherits all memories experienced by those in the role of Myyah up until the present, and the original woman's personality is completely sealed. Even the current Myyah (0998) used to be an ordinary young lady that spent her time in the 2nd Class Citizen Level of Solaris, before her awakening."
- Xenogears: Perfect Works~The Real Thing~ (page 166, translation by trexalfa)
Based on what is written here, particularly the line stating that the original woman's personality is completely sealed, we can at least determine that Miang's personality is never a representation of the host's personality. The original personality does not blend with Miang, and it is never allowed control. The only two possible exceptions to this is after Miang was struck down by Ramsus and when Karen protected Fei, right before the end of their lives.
But if the personality we see in the game is Miang, then she acts really strange for a mere "program." She displays behavior that would not make sense for a logical, indifferent program, such as when she laughs to herself once Ramsus leaves her presence to fight the 'Demon of Elru'. But there are instances were she does act and behave rather mechanical and indifferent, which has led me to speculate that Miang is in some way a compartmentalized existence separated into different modes as dictated by the Deus system, but which also binds Miang, hence why Grahf later speaks of Miang having started to "break free from her bounds." Perfect Works also implies a deeper layer to Miang, but it might be better to speculate more on this in the last part of this story analysis.
"Having near eternal life, it seems Miang yearns alone for something. This image is suited to Miang. The derivative words in English of her name means 'contradiction', and there is deep meaning behind this."
- Xenogears: Perfect Works~The Real Thing~, page 226
After Elly awakens as Miang and starts explaining things about the Deus system, she and Citan has the following exchange:
Citan: "All the people in the world were created solely to resurrect Deus!?"
Elly: "Yes. But it wasn't just to restore its old body. More than half of Deus is constructed of biological parts. Do you remember those mutated humans? Those are all people who were destined to become replacement parts for Deus."
While we already know that humans are meant to become parts for Deus due to earlier conversations between the antagonists, the protagonists still does not know this. So when Elly (as Miang) says "But it wasn't just to restore its old body" she means humans are not just workers towards that end but also, as she elaborates on, destined to become actual parts for Deus in the restoration process.
It is here that Elly as Miang states that the people who did not mutate "escaped that destiny by existing through multiple generations." In the Japanese script, this is where she is using the same phrase that the Gazel Ministry used earlier when speculating that the Contact might not mutate. In other words, what Miang is actually saying is that the people who did not mutate escaped that destiny by going through multiple reincarnations just like the Contact. What she says can also be translated as "you escaped that destiny by recurring through the ages..." or "you escaped that destiny by going through multiple instances of yourselves..." The translator I am consulting with, though, suggests "you escaped that destiny by going through multiple incarnations" to make it both sound more natural and be suitable for context, although it ditches literality almost entirely.
"The reduction in the number of parts, was due to humans [going] through multiple [incarnations]..."
The implication in the original script, that the reduction in the number of parts is due to reincarnation like the Contact, changes the reading of what is going on quite a bit. But at least it avoids the plot hole of the Contact and the Antitype not having direct genetic descendants, as I will get to later when this phrase of "multiple generations" is used one more time before the end. However, another problem or mystery is added by this reveal, such as why existing through multiple instances of themselves [incarnations] breaks the curse of physical mutations. And does that mean that, while the Contact and the Antitype are not the only humans to reincarnate, most humans do not reincarnate? Most likely it means some humans reincarnate more often than others, hence why they escaped mutation. But that does not explain why higher number of incarnations in a 10,000 year span would liberate such humans from physical mutation. For now I will not speculate on this mystery further, but it is possible the retainment of the human form is tied to some quality of the human soul or consciousness itself in this in-game universe - such as the Will (ego development).
It is worth pointing out that when Grahf later says, "Through many generations Miang is beginning to break free from her bounds", the same kind of concept would be in play. Thus it would mean that Miang too, who has certainly gone through the most "reincarnations" out of anyone in her special case, is also escaping her bound to the system through the phenomena of recurrence [incarnations] and not genetics.
Towards the end of this narrative segment, and before the Episode IV flashbacks, Citan says that "For some unknown reason... Fei was found in a state of suspended animation. He did not regain consciousness." However, this "state" of "suspended animation," or "coma," is actually the expression of Fei's 4th personality - which is a blank, empty persona, that thinks and feels nothing. In the Enneagram type analysis, this is a type 9 in the most unhealthy level of neurosis (along with split personality). The person can no longer function and becomes inert, depersonalized, and catatonic, which describes the 4th personality pretty well. At this point, Fei's desire, after losing Elly, is to eliminate his awareness - similar to what the original personality (the coward) did in order to save his illusions, and Id was born. (As Id says: "He can't feel anything. He's shut up inside your ego. The pressing facts and truths you won't face. You're afraid of them, so you desired to completely shut yourself off from the outside world. And so you formed a fourth persona. A fourth 'Fei'. The name... doesn't matter.") Another Xenogears fan also felt it relates back to Jung's concept of the quaternity of the psyche:
"There are four parts of the psyche: Anima, Shadow, Ego and Persona. Fei's four personalities correspond to these four parts, and they develop in that order. The Anima relates to a man's feminine side, his interactions with other women, and specifically with his mother: thus, the Coward. The Shadow is a person's darker side, thus, Id. The Ego is the one in control of the whole ordeal, and is where conscious reckoning takes place, thus Fei. The Persona is the mask that faces the outside world. With Fei's psyche fractured, each of these parts operate independently, and so the Persona-personality, as a mere mask, does nothing."
- fidormula, GameFAQs
Episode IV flashbacks (events 500 years prior to the present day)
The Elly of 500 years ago, 'Mother Sophia,' has a different hair color from the other incarnations of Elly. This is both an artistic choice, and an in-universe fact. When Fei first saw the portrait of Sophia, he noted this difference: "Yes, I was just thinking the same thing. The hair is a different color, but the atmosphere or personality about her is exactly the same." You can also see this difference in an unused anime scene that shows them side by side.
Why was such a difference conceived by Takahashi and the developers? My best guess is that Takahashi wanted this incarnation to stand apart for two reasons. The first reason being that this is the most important incarnation, the one that most clearly alludes to the Gnostic Sophia of wisdom, and the incarnation that left the biggest impact on this world.The second reason, and I like this one more, is that Takahashi wanted to make the incarnation of Elly that Krelian fell in love with to stand apart in some way, even visually, from the other Antitypes.
Also, regarding the color of the hair, it is never supposed to be red hair. Fei himself says that Elly has auburn hair, and the inspiration from her hair seems to have come from Lions, since that is the symbolic aspect of the Demiurge she represents.
With the concept of some humans escaping the fate of mutation due to going through "multiple instances of themselves" (just like the Contact) as brought up just before this flashback sequence, I find it interesting that the character portrait for Roni Fatima was changed for the North American version to more closely resemble Sigurd. Perhaps this was something Takahashi wanted to change so as to give a hint that Roni was a previous incarnation of Sigurd. Their personalities certainly match, although the same reasoning could be used for genetic causes since Roni is the genetic ancestor of both Sigurd and Bart. But it does not make a lot of sense that the localization team would for some reason decide to change this particular character's portrait, and neither does it make sense for the developers to change it merely to emphasize further something we already know (that there is a genetic lineage). It would make the most sense for the change to be made to emphasize something that otherwise would be less obvious, such as Roni being a previous incarnation of Sigurd. It is interesting that one of the things Takahashi is credited for in Xenogears, besides direction, scenario, and lyrics, is "character faces colorization." Another modification for the North American version, likely intended to be an improvement, is the animated background during the credits.The complete chronological history of Lacan, Sophia and Krelian can be read in Xenogears: Perfect Works, so I won't go into that here. Krelian says he borrowed a book on nanotechnology from Melchior that had been found in the ancient ruins of the Zeboim civilization. While not confirmed in the game, these were indeed Kim's notes:
"500 years ago, when Karellen was the leader of the Nisan Monastery Army, he learned nanotechnology from teacher Taura Melchior of Shevat. Nanotechnology had been analyzed and advanced to its highest point 4000 years ago by Zeboim from the Colony ship civilization, and at that time was built upon by the doctor, Kim, at the Federal hospital. Melchior had obtained a part of Kim's thesis that was excavated from old ruins, and revived nanotechnology by analyzing this."
- Xenogears: Perfect Works~The Real Thing~
Although it is easy to assume that Krelian felt jealousy at Lacan for getting Sophia's affection, any notion about this is never actually stated or expressed by the character. While Krelian is clearly annoyed or angry at Lacan, Perfect Works states that this anger is more directed at Lacan's refusal of her love rather than Lacan receiving it in the first place. It seems that Krelian truly loves her and only wants what's best for her, even stepping aside so that she can be with Lacan like she desires:
"Like Lacan, Krelian was also deeply in love with Sophia. However, taking note of Sophia's feelings for Lacan, Krelian stood his ground and felt anger at Lacan who tried to escape from her love."
- Xenogears: Perfect Works~The Real Thing~
Note that the Contact goes by the name "Lacan" in this incarnation - a reference to the postmodern Freudian psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan. As I said before, Jacques Lacan's "Other" and "Desire" are themes that are relevant to the character Lacan. The Other is related to the Contact's relation to Elly who was originally created to be a mother for him, before they got reincarnated in the same age range (in which this relationship turned into romantic love instead), and it is the mother who first occupies the position of the big Other for the child. Lacan's "Desire," on the other hand, is not a relation to an object (like a mother) but a relation to a lack.
Besides throwing Krelian into the mix, what makes this particular lifetime of the Contact and the Antitype interesting is that due to her position Elly becomes elevated to a "Holy Mother" of spiritual guidance, and because of this the Contact actually refuses her love since he does not feel worthy. This is where the reference to Jacques Lacan becomes particularly relevant, since the Contact's unconscious "Desire" for his "Other" remains suppressed and denied. As a result, the Contact Lacan experiences a feeling of incompleteness or lack that at first results in melancholy but later turns into a desire for power. Jacques Lacan suggested that "man's desire is the desire of the Other" and also used the Oedipus complex as an example, such as a desire to be the phallus (power) of the mother. After the death of Sophia, Lacan sees the Other in Miang, and Miang brings out this desire in Lacan, telling him: "If you only had power... you could have saved her. You want it, don't you? Unrivaled power...! Don't you want to become... the absolute being...!?" And when Lacan arrives at Bethlehem, the location of the Zohar, he says: "There... That's what I have sought after... But wait! That's not what I want! No! This is my very desire!"
* The Psychology of Lacan who wanted power
Sophia tells Lacan; "You are one who cannot bear to see another hurt by your own actions." Even while he is in love and aware of his special love for her as herself, he realizes he can't have her love to himself alone as she is the "Holy Mother" that the people venerate, and he adopts a false front of "nonchalance" even on the inside in order to lie to himself and escape her love.
Compared to Sophia who could provide peaceful refuge to others, Lacan felt only disappointment and self-loathing, thinking he was devoid of any power himself. In reaction to her death, he falls into despair, and his disappointment and self-loathing towards his own powerlessness turns into a lust for acquiring enormous power. The drive to tangibly satisfy his desire may have been what caused his transformation into a destructive personality.
- Xenogears: Perfect Works~The Real Thing~
[...] It becomes clear when looking deeply into all this that Lacan took the unconscious path as inheritor of the role of Contact, and his inward emptiness made him incapable of complete contact, causing him to adopt the destructive personality.
- Xenogears: Perfect Works~The Real Thing~
Lacan transforms into Grahf because Grahf is an embodiment of Lacan's unconscious desire as a consequence of feeling incomplete. This very desire is what Grahf ultimately is, and it is this desire (the Lacanian desire of the Contact) that then left Lacan's body and soul to possess other people. All along, Grahf's question to various people "Do you desire the power?" had been a foreshadowing or clue as to the real nature and identity of Grahf once a character named "Lacan" was introduced in flashbacks.
Lacan's Gear
Perfect Works says that O.R. Weltall is "...the Omnigear that was formed approximately 500 years ago by the fusion of the Gear Lacan was piloting with the Anima Vessel Naphtali." And the book points out that Lacan obtained his Anima Vessel before Sophia died (but does not specify when he aligned it).
Before I read this I always assumed that Lacan did not have a Gear at all, since Lacan is a painter and is never seen with a Gear in these flashbacks. Sophia/Krelian offers to give him a ride twice, and he even walks all the way to Bethlehem in the far north on foot. This is why for a long time I thought that O.R. Weltall was part of Deus' prototype defense units - the Diabolos - aligned with an Anima Relic that he acquired once transformed into Grahf. But apparently Lacan did have a Gear that turned into O.R. Weltall upon alignment. I guess Takahashi left O.R. Weltall out of these flashbacks since it is such a sinister-looking Gear for anyone but Grahf to be seen piloting. A wise artistic choice perhaps?
Sophia's death
During Sophia's self-sacrifice, she asks Krelian to "Please open your fist... and with your own hand gently hold the people who will continue to live..." and she tells Lacan to "Live!" But both of them lose faith, and ends up twisting her words into their own point of view. Lacan decides to "Live," literally, until the end of the world, and if the world does not end he will end the world himself. Krelian decides to "hold the people," guiding them towards his ideal (God), because he does not believe humans can truly love each other by themselves. This is likely why Krelian says "I will destroy all false pretenses of love, for you..."
A lot of people seem to reduce both Lacan's and Krelian's motivations from here on as being merely caused by the loss of the woman they loved. But there is a lot more to it, such as doing what Sophia told them to do (from their own point of view), the loss of hope in humanity due to the way her death came about from Shevat's betrayal, and a loss of hope in the future due to the situation still being one of continued oppression by Solaris. That is why Sophia's line "I am ending this... You won't need to fight anymore..." seems more than a little naive. She (as Elly) also realizes that her sacrifice only made things worse at the end of the narrative.
Dan and Midori (Id awakes)
Midori says "It's calling him...", and I would assume she means the Zohar is calling Fei if it was not for the fact that this line was longer in the trailer from the demo that came with Parasite Eve back in 1998, in which Midori says: "It's calling him... Xenogears is... calling." Of course, the line "Xenogears is... calling" could have been added exclusively for the demo trailer so as to allude to the title somewhere in there. But either way, I guess Midori is reading it from Fei using her special mind reading powers.
"She [Midori] can understand the thoughts of animals and people and this is her special skill."
- Xenogears: Perfect Works~The Real Thing~
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Some more notes about the lowest point segment: |
The next segment of the narrative structure deals with the final change of the hero as the story reaches its climax or final showdown. If the hero fails it will have bad consequences for the entire world. This climax and transformation usually starts with the protagonist in his darkest moment and ends with a new status quo as the story reaches its end. Often the hero needs to give up something or to sacrifice something in order to succeed. In Xenogears, this transformation and climax begins with the destructive personality of Fei attempting to make contact with Zohar in order to eliminate everything (with Fei ready to give into Id fully), and continues with Fei integrating the different aspects of his personality into a unified whole, regaining all his memories of previous lives and coming to a new understanding, meeting the true god of this world, letting his father sacrifice himself, and setting out to destroy the Zohar in order to stop Deus, save Elly, and release the true god from its imprisonment.
Zohar
The place where Zohar fell to earth is named "Bethlehem" in both Xenogears: Perfect Works and the game's system files. The system files have revealed a world map location by the name "Point Bethlehem" and apparently it was originally going to be accessible from the world map along with "Soylent System" and "Golgoda." Bethlehem means "House of Flesh," which is a fitting name for Zohar's location when considering Zohar has become the body that houses "God" - the Wave Existence. The Hebrew Bible identifies Bethlehem as the city David was from and the location where he was crowned as the king of Israel, and the New Testament identifies Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus. So could this part of the story be the birth of the Contact as Cain's long awaited Ahnenerbe (Anonelbe) that will lead people to "a new horizon"?
I was always curious about Id's line "I will eliminate all those who were full of hypocrisy from the very beginning" and wondering what exactly he is alluding to. The actual Japanese says "First, I shall annihilate those riddled with hypocrisy!" Perhaps he is referring to Shevatites. Based on his metempsychotic memories he should have hate especially for Cain, the Gazel Ministry, Miang, Zeboimites, Solarians, Shevatites, and his own father. Out of these, only Shevatites and his father are still around. Miang and most of the Solarians have been absorbed into Deus and his father does not constitute a "they."
When Fei's father Kahn shows up, there is one line that sounds rather funny: "Please take this fist full of memories I am giving you... Become one... with yourself... and with me!" This line was simply translated awkwardly. There's no "fist full of memories" or "become one with me" in the original line. It goes more like: "Please receive my love/will by this fist I am striking. And become one!" I once ended up in a debate with someone who used this particular line as an example of Xenogears having "bad writing." He did not have much of a case though, since, apart from it being a translation error, he did not understand the game, and somehow thought that Kahn's "fist full of memories" is what cured Fei, which is inaccurate. At the point Kahn says this line, Id is in control, and Fei is about to give into Id's persona. But the words of Citan (not his father) manages to reach him. ("Fei!! Where did the real you go? Remember! Were you not going to help Elly?") Id has also stated earlier in the game that Elly's existence is what makes Fei resistant to giving into Id. Therefore it is not unrealistic that the thought of helping Elly is what ignites the recovery progress.
The coward is the original personality of Fei, the stubborn one who refuses to accept suffering and the harsh reality that he killed his mother or that she experimented on him. That is the core of his neurosis. Once he accepts this reality and agrees to share it with Id then "Fei" can finally become healthy (whole) and overcome his neurosis, resolving the psychological issues he has unconsciously struggled with. That is Fei's psychological hero journey; which relates back to the Enneagram type classification I touched on way back during the set-up in regards to the main character Fei. And fittingly, the neurosis of Fei and his Enneagram type is related to the prominent theme of grief and suffering in the story.
"The answer is that Nines must learn to accept suffering, especially the suffering involved with anxiety. Suffering, consciously accepted, has the ability to catalyze people, shocking them into awareness. Suffering also compels us to choose what meaning it has for us. When we choose a meaning for our experiences, we create ourselves. When Nines actively use suffering as a positive force in their lives, they not only give meaning to their lives, they sustain their awareness of themselves. The person who is able to give meaning to his or her suffering is both the self who suffers and the one who transcends it. In that moment, the self is possessed."
- Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery (1987)
Karen
Fei says "Mother saved us at the last moment. That is the truth. Right?" and "We can save others just as our mother, despite being Miang, saved us", but whether or not their mother was Miang or Karen remains a bit vague. I suppose we are meant to understand Fei's words here as Karen taking or being given back control. The clear change in her eyes before protecting Fei seem to support this as well, though Miang herself is not always emotionless and cold. Like I said earlier, Miang appears to have several "modes" of operation, and this could be one of them. After all, she did need the Contact alive as a part for Deus (his power) and to manipulat Ramsus.
Page 202 in Perfect Works does state that "Karen should have remained as Miang, but at the last, sacrificed herself to shield Fei." So I guess there is nothing to discuss here? Except, Grahf adds the confusing comment about Miang also beginning to break free from her bounds, saying "As you said, that was Karen. Through many generations, Miang is beginning to break free from her bounds." Does he mean that Miang's "grip" on women is beginning to weaken, or that Miang herself is becoming more free from her programming? The line is pretty much the same in the Japanese version ("As you say, that was certainly Karen. Through having repeatedly recurred through the ages, Myyah is being released from her restraints"), thus it is difficult to determine what exactly Grahf is alluding to when he explains Karen returning from Miang's control by referring to Miang becoming more free. If Grahf is just guessing then why does he speak as if he knows? Perfect Works does not elaborate on it either. However, the context appears to imply the former, since the last thing Grahf says is "Save [Elly] and all the other women bound with her!" Of course, he could mean Miang as well, that Miang too wants to be free from what she is.
The 'Wave Existence'
The Chapter title when Fei has his contact and conversation with the Wave Existence is called "Fallen Star," which could be a reference to either the Wave Existence, Zohar, or Fei. Although the Xenogears script book Thousands of Daggers writes this chapter in English as "fallen stars," that could just be bad 'Engrish'. At first I thought maybe 'Fallen Star' was referring to Grahf, but according to Thousands of Daggers this chapter only covers Fei's conversation with the Wave Existence and not also the confrontation with Grahf.
The Wave Existence is a higher type of 'God' than Deus in the story, since it hails from a higher dimension than our 4-dimensional universe. But it is prevented from interfering due to being imprisoned inside the Zohar reactor. Whether it made some kind of interference in our universe before it was imprisoned is unknown, but it may have had a hand in creating our universe in the story, since Krelian later says that it was the waves spilling out from the higher dimension that created our universe.
The first thing it says is "I... am... Har...", which has caused some to think that "Har" is its name. But it is simply another poor choice of translation. "Har" is actually a part of the word Zohar that isn't completely audible. A better translation would be "I... am... har..." followed by "I am being that resides inside the Zohar" once Fei can hear the same sentence repeated clearly. Also, "modifier" (as in "Zohar modifier") should be translated as "phenomenon alteration" or "phase shift" or similar. I guess the word "modifier" could have worked if they had inserted the word "phenomenon" or "phase" before it - "phenomenon modifier."
The next thing that is poorly translated here is the line, "It is the source of this four-dimensional universe... The place where time and space is controlled..." Some have interpreted this sentence as suggesting that the higher dimension can control time and space, and that this is part of the power that split from the Wave Existence into the Contact. But a more accurate translation would be: "It is the place that became the origin of your four-dimensional universe which is governed by space and time." In other words, the Wave Existence is merely stating the obvious fact that our universe is defined by time and space (the four dimensions). That the power of the Wave Existence entails the power to alter reality itself is not supported by anything in the game or Perfect Works, since it is the Zohar that alters phenomena and not the Wave Existence's power. What the Contact's power actually entails is never fully made clear and the whole idea of it making him more God-like than Deus is rife with problems, as I will examine in part 4.
(Also, the transcribed script of Xenogears on GameFAQs by Sheamon is extremely sloppy, missing several sentences of dialogue, especially during the conversation with the Wave Existence. Unfortunately that seems to be the only transcription of the English script that is easily accessible online, and which everyone uses, often when making theories on messageboards or putting up quotes from the game onto the Xenosaga Wiki. For example, Sheamon's transcription reads:
"In actuality, I do not have a physical form. I am an 'existence' of a higher dimension. A place where time and space is controlled..."
While the actual, full game script reads:
"In actuality, I do not have a physical form. I am an 'existence' of a higher dimension. A place you cannot perceive... But in terms you understand, it is a world where everything acts as kinds of waves... It is the source of this four-dimensional universe... The place where time and space is controlled...")
You will also notice that in the conversation, the Wave Existence says that Zohar was created by humans, but Xenogears: Perfect Works states that the Zohar is as old as our universe and was discovered on Earth. This inconsistency is generally considered to be a retcon, but some fans argue that the Wave Existence is not referring to the main portion of Zohar, which is the eye part of the object according to Perfect Works, but instead is referring to the monolithic structure around the eye. However, if you look at the design you can tell that the Monolith certainly seems to exhibit the design of "Over-technology" (a term from Perfect Works) and not T.C. 4767 era technology. The monolith simply screams "Ancient Civilization," so if it was constructed by humans as per this interpretation/theory there is likely more to it. I will examine more about this in Part 4 of this story analysis.
Another thing that we might as well touch upon here, since it seems appropriate, is the scene of Abel first coming into contact with Zohar and the Wave Existence over 10,000 years ago. From the dialogue alone, it is not clear exactly when or where this scene takes place. All that the Wave Existence says is that after its descent into Zohar, Abel came into contact with it, and because Abel had a desire to return to his mother he was probably lost somehow when he came across it in some facility.
In a blurb above the Drama Diagram on page 203 in Perfect Works it says: "And so his memories of his previous life as Abel from 10,000 years before, on the space vessel when the Wave Existence had advented into Zohar and he first made contact are revived." Judging by this bit of information, the contact seem to have happened onboard the Eldridge. However, the main History chapter in Perfect Works states that Abel made contact with Zohar on a planet that Deus destroyed during a test run, a planet called "Michtam 04β" from which the Eldridge later departed with the survivors. Just like with the Zohar's creation, this could indicate a retcon."During a series of experiments [at Michtam 04β] that were top secret even within the military, a mysterious boy stood there by "chance". He gained mysterious powers due to his contact with the Wave Existence."
- Xenogears: Perfect Works~The Real Thing~
At the end of the conversation, Fei says to the Existence: "Wait! There's more I need to ask you...", and it replies: "The system... is awakening... Ask... her... later..." What is it Fei wants to ask the Wave Existence? And how can Elly answer these questions? Is it because Elly is the Wave Existence's will or because it knows it will merge with Elly once Deus activates? Earlier, the Wave Existence said that "She is bound to the system by another's will to become one with me", which is probably a reference to Krelian's will.
Grahf (Lacan's "spirit")
Grahf is not Lacan's soul, even though Id uses that word at one point, since Lacan's soul was recycled into Fei to become a new Contact. In fact, after the battle with Grahf he explains: "Lacan's imperfect secondary contact with the Wave Existence split his personality into two. Eventually his body died, but the original Lacan transmigrated... Bringing the destiny of becoming a Contact with him, he was reborn as your present body. The remaining persona, just his desires, lived on separately by possessing the bodies of others. That is Grahf... that is me."
Apart from Jacques Lacan's ideas about unconscious desire related to a lack, the concept here is probably borrowed from Buddhism, where souls are made up of something like different component parts. There's your memories, personality, ideas, emotions and whatnot, and so Grahf is likely just Lacan's desire and hatred holding onto life while the rest of his soul reincarnated properly. In Perfect Works the term "spirit" is also used, but "spirit" is a word that can have multiple interpretations. In a sense, Lacan's desire for power is "the spirit of Grahf."
"I may have inherited Lacan's will, but I'm not the same as the 'Contact Lacan'."
In the earlier flashback, Lacan says "... What... is... this... place...? ... My execution site...?" and "... Why do you turn on me? I thought we were friends!" This is when Grahf is defeated at the end of the Diabolos invasion and Lacan's original personality seemingly returns for a brief moment, and that is why he is confused. I suppose Takahashi was trying to be poetic with the "... My execution site..." line, looking at a world in ruins, since Perfect Works does not say anything about Lacan being executed. In fact, it says that he dies several years after he was defeated without anyone knowing. In Japanese the line is: "... What... is... this... place...? ... An execution site...?"
When Grahf and the Zohar disappears, Fei finds a pendant on the ground and says: "This pendant... Is this Sophia's... or my mother's...?" Since Fei already wore a pendant (which he gave to Elly) I always assumed that one was his mother's, and this one he finds, which Grahf probably had (or maybe Lacan when he first made contact), likely belonged to Sophia.
The land of genesis, Kadmoni
When Fei has all his memories and the group visits the place of birth for humans on this planet, they ask him how he knows so much. That is when Fei gives the following explanation: "Usually, human memories cannot be passed down through the generations. Humans do not normally have the ability to store memories in their introns. But Elly and I... and Miang... are different. Due to our connection with the 'Wave Existence'... That is, due to Zohar's ability to change possible phenomena, we can clearly store data in our introns. In other words, we can leave behind memories to be inherited by our descendants."
This official English translation gives the impression that Fei explains the passing on of his memories as if it occurs through a genetic lineage in the introns of genes. However, the Japanese text once more uses the phrase "going through multiple instances" or "recurring through the ages" in the first sentence, thus it should be translated more like: "Usually, human memories cannot recur through multiple ages" or "Usually, human memories cannot recur through multiple identities." Finally, when Fei says "In other words, we can leave behind memories to be inherited by our descendants" the original line does not mention "descendants" and should simply be translated as: "In other words, I was able to preserve my memories" (or "In short, bequeathing memories was possible"). We can therefore conclude that the age old plot hole regarding genetically inherited memories is actually just a flaw in the way the original script is translated. While introns do exist within genes, it is not actually the introns that are passed on. The introns are merely the temporary container for the information of memories, and this information (memories) seems to be affixed to the Contact's soul in between incarnations rather than genetic lineage. Hence the line: "the information is affixed to me, so to speak, by some of the power of the Wave Existence." He says the information is affixed to him, not affixed to the genes of his genetic heritage.
Attack on Merkabah
In the conversation before the attack on Merkabah, Citan and the others are contemplating Deus' behavior. Citan notes that the non-mutated people who are meant to be destroyed are being taken into Merkabah and Deus as well, which is in contradiction to Deus' supposed purpose of eradicating the people who reject unification with God. While no clear answer to this anomaly is explained in the narrative, it is heavily implied that Krelian changed Deus' programming (or perhaps more accurately, is giving Deus' a new will from his position of being merged with Elly and Miang at the core) so that Deus now absorbs all of humanity instead of just the chosen or destined, and this is his "Ark Plan" (Project Noah) he alluded to earlier; the plan that will bring all humans to the place of God. Xenogears: Perfect Works confirms that after obtaining the information from Raziel, Krelian learned of the Wave Existence and changed plans to reach for the place of God instead of just resurrecting Deus.
All can be known about the Deus System from the data of the 'Tree of Raziel'. When Fei and the others get this data from Raziel during the story, they are unable to get any further information concerning Zohar because of interference by Krelian. Most likely the data concerning Zohar, the entity of the 'Wave Existence' must be contained there in some form. Krelian analyzes this information and wonders if contact with the will of a higher "God" than Deus might not be possible. The thought to 'create God' that resulted from the death of Sophia was realized in the plan to resurrect Deus. However, having discovered within it the presence of the 'Wave Existence', Krelian's own god was not Deus, but the 'Wave Existence' he had uncovered. And so, knowing he would need to resurrect Deus so as to enable the Wave Existence to return to its own higher dimension, he determined not to "resurrect God", but to "go to the place of God".
- Xenogears: Perfect Works~The Real Thing~
In theory, this new Ark plan would have needed to entail Fei destroying the Zohar so that God can be released and take humanity with it to the higher dimension "above" our universe. And this is likely why he let Fei and the others live whenever he had the opportunity to get rid of them.
Citan speculates that, "Such a program does not exist within its design though. It was probably given this unique will by someone. Either from Elly who has merged with the Deus or..."
but it is unlikely that Elly is giving Deus this new will. The foreign element introduced to the system is Krelian merging with the mother.
Apparently, after Deus' mothership Merkabah is destroyed, Deus is attempting to turn the planet itself into a new means of transportation into the stars, as stated at the bottom of page 71 in Perfect Works: "In the process of reforming it, Deus would be able to control the planet as a part of its own body. Having lost Merkabah, Deus chooses another means of transport, that is the planet itself."
Whether Deus would still have attempted this if the Merkabah was not destroyed is unclear. Using new upgraded Gears based on data obtained from Xenogears, the protagonists then make their way into Deus' core and stops it after Zohar is somehow destroyed during the battle. After this, all Gears except Xenogears stops moving since the Zohar has ceased functioning, and the Wave Existence starts being released. But the side effect of the dimensional shift begins to release enough energy to annihilate the entire planet. Elly begins to move Deus away from the planet while the energy is still contained in it, and with Xenogears being the only machine that can still move Fei goes after her into the dimensional shift.
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Some more notes about the climax segment: |
The final segment of the narrative structure is usually rather short and deals with the aftermath of the story's climax, introducing us to a new status quo the protagonists find themselves in as the story ends. In the Hero's Journey this part is also known as the return from the adventure to the ordinary world, often in celebration. In modern stories this part tends to introduce the beginning of a new adventure or hinting at a future conflict if the story is intended to have a sequel. In Xenogears, the resolution starts after the defeat of Deus along with the destruction of Zohar, which causes the central conflict to be over and establishes a new world in which Gears and many other machines no longer functions due to the main engine running everything having been destroyed. Although the main conflict is over, Fei still has one more thing he must do for personal reasons, he engages in a philosophical debate with Krelian where he puts forth an argument based on what he has learned throughout the story, and final returns with Elly. As a hint of something more to come, we also get a final title card that reveals the story as having merely been "Episode V" - hinting at possible prequels and maybe even a sequel.
Path of Sephirot
The Perfect Works describe the Path of Sephirot like this:
"The phenomenon alteration engine Zohar, in the process of repeatedly selecting an event with the probability of zero, while the probability axis continues to incline, at the intersection at which the phenomenal axis and temporal axis fall parallel, an alternate reality is created; this is a link or road between space at a higher dimension and our universe.
The borderline between this universe and the higher dimension is the Contact point, also called the Path of Sephirot, which leads to God's territory. This appears, to those humans who see it, as an image of water (for example: the scene of Fei's contact with the Wave Existence.)"
- Xenogears: Perfect Works~The Real Thing~ (page 77)
Of course, with Zohar having been destroyed, the opening of this link occurs due to the release of the Wave Existence and its journey home. There has been some discussion regarding whether or not the ending is an illusion that Fei hallucinates, from the point he catches up to Deus and to him and Elly returning in the Xenogears. But that is certainly not how it was meant to be interpreted. The Path of Sephirot is in a sort of spiritual realm, and one of the most important similes in the Bible concerns the use of water as a symbol of the Divine Life-Force. In one passage we find it described as; "a river went out of Eden to water the garden," with Eden being "Heaven" (paradise). Other people have picked up on this as well:"[...] the ending FMV symbolizes a return to the garden of Eden theme. However, while Krelian chose to return to where God was, Fei and Elly chose to return to where the world was. In a way Krelian went all the way back to the beginning of time while Fei and Elly went back to the world to look on to their future."
- Noman Nasir
Since Fei and Elly have their clothes back when returning in Xenogears, we can conclude that all the while they are seen naked we are actually seeing just their consciousnesses in a spiritual realm, just as Adam and Eve where naked in the Garden of Eden before they were given physical bodies in the fall (their "coats of skin"). So basically, we can think of the Path of Sephirot as the Garden of Eden in a more literal sense than the Eldridge ship, and the water would be coming out of the higher dimension (like a river coming out of Heaven - God's domain) to keep it in line with biblical symbolism. Thus it is not an illusion at all. I think what confuses people are the following two lines in the game:
Wave Existence: "I am defined by how people observe me. You are actually talking to a virtual version of me that you yourself create... I am 'your perception' of me."
Krelian: "Your actual body is but a physical object... It has merely been absorbed into Deus' outer-shell. Only your consciousness is here. Of course, the girl you perceive in front of you is also not a true being. Your consciousness is merely creating her image."
The Wave Existence is saying that it is defined by how people observe it. Even if people create different images for it, it is still something real that exists, and not simply an illusion. Krelian confirms that only their consciousnesses are there (because they are in a spiritual realm) but adds the strange line "Of course, the girl [Elly] you perceive in front of you is also not a true being. Your consciousness is merely creating her image." Since they are in the process of merging with the Wave Existence, it makes sense that Krelian's face is how Fei would recognize him in there, and Elly has merged with Krelian so she must also be present in some way. In that respect, it makes sense that everything is presented as Fei recognizes it, but that does not mean that it is less real. Krelian saying that Elly is "not a true being" is actually another translation error. In fact, the original Japanese seems to imply that Elly is creating her image to Fei, which probably means that Krelian is also creating his image and not Fei:
Karellen: Not exactly. Your real body is still physical ... It has merely been absorbed into Deus' outer-shell. Only your consciousness is here. Of course, the girl you perceive in front of you is also not truly her. Her consciousness is merely constructing this image.
Since the "final boss" Uroborus must also be something real that is creating its own image (or being given its image by one of the observers), it makes sense that it is something like the spirit form of the "true Mother." Especially since this is the only time we can get some implication of what Krelian meant when he said it was time for the awakening of the "true Mother" in his last appearance before merging with Elly and Deus ("Come... It is time for the awakening of the 'true mother'."). Earlier, Krelian had also said that the Uroborus discovered in Elly's intron was comparable to the grand mother (Original Elhaym awakened into Miang) in a sentence heavily botched and partly removed in the English translation. He also asked what would happen if the ring were to "release its tail from its own bite, and stand upright" which in Xenogears: Perfect Works is clarified as Elly turning into Miang. Possibly it is this spirit essence that is rooted in all women, not just in Elly. However, this does not mean that the Uroborus is a mere gene, since it can appear and take conscious form along with Fei, Krelian, and Elly in a spiritual realm (conscious, since it attacks Fei like a living entity).The Uroborus is also related to the Collective Unconscious, as Perfect Works alludes to, in that it tries to prevent humans from escaping the Collective and develop an ego. The serpent imagery is also fitting when we consider that Miang represents the serpent aspect of the Demiurge. Maybe we could even think of her as the serpent from the Garden of Eden story (Satan) who tempted the humans with a promise of "Ye shall be as gods," which is what she already said onboard the Eldridge in the opening movie. In fact, the word seraph is normally a synonym for serpents when used in the Hebrew Bible, which explains the confusion over the serpent in Genesis which may as well have been translated as "Seraph." And like a Seraph Uroborus has angelic wings. The allusion seems to match up in almost every possible way because of the rich imagery and symbolism. Also, the Phoenicians used to call Eve "Tanith" which literally means "serpent woman."
The ending
The ending is basically an argument between the different viewpoints of Krelian and Fei. Krelian has lost faith in humans because of what happened 500 years before the story's present, especially the betrayal by Shevat which led not only to Sophia's death, but ensured continued oppression. And so he wishes to rid humankind of their grief and suffering, as well as their own "evil" (the 'Will') by taking them to God's domain. As he says:
"Lacan... Why such reluctance to become one with God? What attachment could you possibly have to this wretched old world? What meaning can be found in living out such a short existence... hurting others, hurting yourself, grinding one another down... only to inevitably die and return to dust? Why, everything we could ever desire is here... No need to be troubled by the need for love... For this place is filled with the love of God."
Fei, on the other hand, has accepted all hardships after the merging of his personalities, and also no longer blames anything external to himself (which suggests he regards the main source of his suffering to have been his own reaction to things rather than the things or events themselves). Fei also believes that humans will one day come to understand one another.
Fei: "I can't blame anything or anyone besides myself. Regardless of what may have happened in the past, with the passing of time the cause becomes more remote. It is a problem that comes from within myself, that I myself must deal with..."
Wave Existence: "I see... You have managed to accept those tragedies, to tolerate all things, to comprehend and find where you stand in this world."
Fei: "I have not lost hope in humans as much as you have, Krelian... Someday humankind will come to understand one another! I sincerely believe that!"
There is one thing in the narrative that unfortunately was not expressed very well, and that is the intent Krelian had to bring everyone to God. That is an important part, since it directly relates to Elly's line ahead that: "He had no choice but to go forward... even if it meant he lost all feelings, lost everything that was human! For all humankind's sake... There was no going back... Even looking back held too many memories... And he would have... just wanted to go back... Even though he couldn't... So please forgive him... Krelian loved people more than anyone else..."
Elly says "For all humankind's sake... There was no going back...", because he attempted this solution for everyone's sake. But some lines, such as "That is why he desired for he and I to become one with God..." and "The time when all things started... The place where all things were one... I am going to return there!" gives an initial impression that Krelian was mainly trying to go on his own and "steal" Elly so he could have her for himself. And so Krelian has been the subject of a lot of hate and criticism, as well as unfair comparisons with Hitler or Mengele. For example:
"Krelian's whole plan has been to disrupt the Deus resurrection mess and screw over literally everyone just so he can have a peek behind the veil."
- Gamer
"So loving people more than anyone involves being a complete monster? That's certainly Xenogears."
- Gamer
If you have read his profile in Perfect Works or this analysis (or even just played the game a few more times), then you will know that Krelian was not simply trying to have "a peek behind the veil." But I will admit even I was confused as to what he was up to and what his goal was the first time I finished the game. And it gets even more complicated than this, because Krelian is not only doing this because he himself wants to ameliorate grief and sorrow. He is also doing this because he alone came to understand "the will of God" - what the Wave Existence wants (beyond returning home):
"...even though he is the only one that understands "the will of God", unlike Fei and Elly, he has not continued from the beginning tied up with a special "fate". When Krelian merges with Deus "Elly", he enters the higher dimension along with the Wave Existence, achieving all this by his own power alone."
- Xenogears: Perfect Works~The Real Thing~ (page 173)
This is why, in the dialogue with Fei, Krelian says: "To go back to when all was one... waves, and nothing else... It is not my -Human's- ego... It is the will of the 'Waves' ...the will of -God-..."
There is a widely spread misunderstanding that the Wave Existence (God) only wanted to return to its dimension and did not care about anything else. But this is actually false. However, while this adds a rich layer to the bigger picture of the story, I am not going to examine this aspect of the story here. I think it is better examined in other parts of the story analysis that goes into Episode I and the other main story arcs. So I will focus on Krelian's ideology here. But this aspect of the Wave Existence wanting humankind to come with it too is something to keep in mind. After all, what metaphor for "God" would it be if it did not want humans to reach Heaven and join it in some respect? And this further suggests that the higher dimension really is a Heaven like place, though since religious Heaven is a somewhat unclear and abstract concept to begin with it does not really give us more details.
So we should establish that the Higher Dimension is meant to allude to Heaven (paradise). Specifically, it is based on the Gnostic "Pleroma" - a region of light existing "above" our world. That is why the entrance looks like light in the ending, and is probably also why the Nisan pendant has the same shape, since the pendant represents "light." However, Sophia's teaching on how to reach this light is different from Krelian and the Wave Existence's will, even though Elly is supposed to be its will also, so it becomes a bit convoluted and inconsistent there:Wave Existence: "I was split by your contact. My physical form of flesh stayed in Zohar, while my will went into Elhaym and my power went into you."
Sophia: "Faith in God... Do not look for it on the outside... For it is something one must build from within oneself..."
Unfortunately, there are parts of Xenogears that almost reads like the script or scenario was finished as a first draft. Even in its final hour, the narrative keeps introducing things that were not set up properly and instead requires more elaboration in future "episodes." Takahashi was a novice writer at the time, and this would explain why he, by his own admission, made changes and improvements to the story when publishing the Xenogears: Perfect Works sourcebook, and why that book has inconsistencies. It also explains why Takahashi did not mind hitting the reset button when creating Xenosaga, stating that Xenogears ended up differently from his vision. Because of this, I think that some of these ideas and concepts are more interesting to examine and discuss when comparing the story of Xenogears with the story of Xenosaga. Not because Xenosaga is the same story or a prequel, but because it is almost like a second draft of the story starting from a different episode.
I also do not think that the higher dimension is meant to merely be an unrelatable quantum foam that will result in an uncomfortable existence or oblivion/death. This is a place of light, love, and angel wings (and two wings at that, as seen when Krelian ascends). It seems to me to be the real deal, judging by the will of God and the angelic wings Krelian receives. And neither the game nor Perfect Works prove him wrong. For that I am glad, because it would be cheap and ruin the entire philosophical debate if God's domain was not as advertised. In fact, Krelian seems to be inspired by "holy men" such as Enoch, who in the Bible was said to not have died as a man but instead taken away by God.
Add to this the fact that in Childhood's End, the merging with the "Overmind" was seen as something the Overlord Karellen envied, since his race could not join with it themselves. In fact, it seems Takahashi reversed this "envy" in Xenogears, in which Krelian (who do ascend) envies Fei and Elly who found love in the imperfect world.
So, with all this established, let us return to that debate between Krelian (Karellen) and Fei.
Krelian asks Fei how he can be so sure that humans will come to understand one another. "Humans will never come to understand each other. You said that she is the person you love. But can you say that you even truly understand each other? All humans do is place themselves at a comfortable distance from each other and call that 'mutual understanding', 'spiritual unity', or 'true love'... but it is all lies! Man cannot associate with others without first deceiving themselves. That is the way that they were created."
What Krelian says is true, since in social situations and relationships people are often forced to adapt to each other, or to a role, losing connection with their true self. In other cases they will stick to their own wants and needs but deceive and manipulate others to not get caught. Even quite social people have relatively superficial sociability. The divorce rates today are extremely high, and in those societies where this is not so - where women embrace a more traditional role - the women are in fact often "deceiving themselves," giving up their own wants and desires to accomodate social expectations. Krelian wins this argument since Fei cannot counter it. Instead Fei says:
Fei: "But one being's ego can't determine everyone's fate! People have the right to choose their own destiny! That is why humans have free will!
This is a good reply, and the first time I played the game I thought it was awesome because it was exactly what I was thinking Fei should say. And the best part is that Krelian actually gives an answer, and it does not disappoint. Many people say Krelian was selfish, but I find that to be a rather hypocritical thing to say. Everyone is selfish, and nobody does anything that they think won't benefit them in some way. Heck people criticizing Krelian are doing so because they are selfish, since Krelian actually comes pretty close to being unselfish. Others have noted Krelian's "self-sacrifice" too:
"She [my mom] noticed a LOT of parallels between Krelian and (great, here come the religious controversy flames ^_-) Jesus.
Elly's comment that "Krelian loved people more than anyone else" = Krel loved humanity and Elly so much that he released her to be with Fei and the people = "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son". Also, on "I have committed so many sins": it parallels Christ's taking all the sins of the world and dying for them.
Finally, on Elly's "For all humanity's sake, there was no going back": just as in the crucifixion of Christ, there was no going back for Krelian, no matter how much he may have wanted to. He had no choice but to go on and become one with God."
- E.S., "Thoughts on Krelian and His Actions" (http://guardian.leamonde.net/analysis/krelian-es.shtml)
At any rate, this is how Krelian responds to Fei's argument that humans have their own will to choose their own fate:
Krelian: "And what if that 'will' itself was predetermined? What then? Oh, what folly!? Humans are just primitive life forms that have no such things as free will... Mankind has merely been allowed to live in an imperfect state... "as is", "as will be"... It is for this very reason... because humans have this wretched 'will' or whatnot... that humans must experience sadness and loss. For someone to gain something means another must lose it... It is impossible to make humankind share limited "things" and "affections"..."
I don't know why so few take note of this impeccable argument, since I myself have never heard anyone so eloquently point out exactly what leads to human grief and suffering. It is indeed that very 'will' itself that causes problems. Unfortunately I think too many people read Krelian's lines as if he is only talking about himself not getting to share Sophia, but it goes far beyond that.
At this point Fei changes his game, basically agreeing, but points out that "...that's alright, too... We don't have to be perfect. Actually, being imperfect makes mankind live by helping each other... That's what being human is... That's mutual understanding! That's 'unity' and 'love'... I'm glad... no, I'm proud... to be human!"
However, at this point Fei starts getting a bit too subjective for my taste, and I also think that is why not many people seem to have cared for what Fei says here either. Perhaps the biggest irony of this whole thing is that, when people dismiss or don't care for what Fei says, when they don't forgive Krelian, and when they don't understand the characters, they are actually proving Krelian right and Fei wrong. Krelian later says "The only one who could have forgiven me... was God", and considering how many people think he should not be forgiven, he is more or less right. On the other hand, Fei says: "I know they would understand", which would then be false.
So why does Fei and Elly forgive Krelian? Well, Fei is a peacemaker at heart, as we have seen him be several times during the game. As Id (and Lacan) he also killed millions himself, so it would be kind of hypocritical of him not to forgive Krel. And perhaps many miss this, but Elly felt responsible for everything Krelian did since it was her sacrifice that caused him so much grief. That is why she says:
Elly: "... I am so sorry... Please forgive me! I was wrong... I thought sacrificing myself in order to save others was the right thing to do... But my actions only brought sadness to all the people who I left behind. And that sadness gave birth to even more sadness. As long as 'I' still live within you, my life is not just mine alone."
Another thing people don't seem to care for is Fei's defense that humans are imperfect and should be proud of that non-perfection, which is also in line with the teaching of Nisan as seen earlier in the game. For example, Paul Eres, in his 4-Part review of Xenogears, wrote:
"To me this is a false but all-too-common theme, oft-repeated but still oft-repulsive; I see nothing necessarily non-perfect about us, any non-perfection comes from a person refusing his human nature as a perfect being: maybe this is a self-delusion, as some say, but I have not seen a single scrap of evidence, in this game or anywhere else, that humans are by nature non-perfect. Quite the contrary, I see people as born perfect and distorted to non-perfection by an inhuman culture. Sorry to go off on a tangent but I'm just establishing that another view on this is possible and that I don't share sympathy with the expressed theme of the game."
- Paul Eres, Xenogears 4-Part First edition review, (2003)
Personally I respect Fei's view, but one has to acknowledge that he is attached to something in the imperfect world; he is attached to Elly. In other words, he has his equally selfish reasons for saying what he is saying, perhaps even more selfish than Krelian. Krelian can't have Elly, so when Fei says "She is also trying to heal your heart..." and "she and I are one! We don't need God's help!!" he is not being all that fair to all of Krelian's points. After all, Elly was created to be Fei's, so for him it is all very convenient.
And then Krelian challenges Fei by saying, "Well then, prove it to me... Show me this power of humans! Show me this -love-, that you say can make you independent of God..."
But this is where the debate ends, with neither really convincing the other, although Krelian appear to change his perspective somewhat after perceiving Fei and Elly's love. Perfect Works simply says that "At the time he sets out for the place of God, he leaves with the words, "I envy you two...". Krelian saw the original love of Fei and Elly that they desired on their own, and that this was human will." But it is not fair that a guy with the power of God should somehow represent the "power of humans" or the -love- that can make humans independent of God. In fact, Takahashi himself does not seem to be sure humans can be independent of the concept "God," since in the Xenosaga Episode I -Official Design Materials- he states (as cited before):
"Humans are all a childish existence. They are a decisive, self-righteous, stupid existence.
In order to guide this kind of existence, while paradoxical, the existence of God is necessary. That which guides."
- Xenosaga Episode I -Official Design Materials-, God as a General Idea (page 91)
I find the way Krelian gives into this "love of Fei and Elly" to be problematic, since it is partly an artifical love where Elly was "created" specifically for the Contact, and also that this love is at best a happy ending for those two, but not for humanity as a whole. Even if they are currently free of oppression, it is only a matter of time before humans start to utilize their will to do terrible things once again. So one should perhaps conclude that Krelian gives in to the philosophy of Nisan, and that works a bit better. The meaning of Xenogears is to show that humans are weak, flawed, and imperfect, and that this is something we should understand so that we become more humble and support one another, which would potentially make love more meaningful than if we were forced into becoming perfect. And that is a beautiful truth. But while the game tries to teach people this, it has not been very successful. Some do get it, but others, like Eres, have suggested that Xenogears expresses something else, and for this I partly blame the U.S. tagline and the fact that Xenogears is a game (a game fundamentally being a goal that you "win" by becoming the most skilled and/or powerful).
"I don't share sympathy with the expressed theme of the game.
But a quite competing event theme (that which comes out of the plot of the game, through action) carries a different tune, here we have a glorious "Stand Tall and Shake the Heavens!" theme about humanity breaking itself free of an authoritorial and controlling god which created civilization, riding in technology (gears), a creation of Mankind, and slaying god, which is somehow supposed to be emblematic of a rejection of an outside gift of perfection and immortality and standing on one's own feet. I don't get it, or rather didn't at first. Look at what the game is doing and saying -- two different things. On the one hand we have humans being more perfect than god (they were able to slay him, afterall), and on the other we have this rejection of perfection."
- Paul Eres, Xenogears 4-Part First edition review, (2003)
I am glad Eres wrote this, because it allows me to pinpoint what he and others seem to be missing when they reject, or don't understand, the theme. The game does not actually have a "Stand Tall and Shake the Heavens" theme. That U.S. tagline has nothing to do with Xenogears. I know that the tagline is very popular, but what the U.S. marketing team slaps on the CD case does not belong in this case. The appropriate original Japanese tagline can be found at the top of the first part of this story analysis. "Stand Tall and Shake the Heavens" would be more fitting of an over-the-top "feel good" anime like Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann or Naruto (which even has a BGM called "Heaven Shaking Event"). In fact, you could slap that tagline on any JRPG and it would probably fit.
Eres' said "...we have humans being more perfect than god (they were able to slay him, afterall)..." The problem with this view is that it supposes that anything that is "stronger" than something else, is more "perfect." But that is precisely the kind of view that leads to authoritarianism in the first place. Miang in the story was fixated on making humans into more and more perfect and powerful parts for Deus. The idea that coming out on top is perfection is what leads to tyranny and social Darwinism, which is what we saw in Dominia's attitude after the fall of Solaris: "We don't have time to deal with affairs concerning you weak and inferior people."
The fact is, humanity in Xenogears could not have broken free from Deus if it was not for Fei and the Xenogears - both of which had the power of God. So it was not "human power" that stopped Deus, it was God's power. If there was any character who actually did come far on his own human power it was none other than Krelian, who was not born with a special "fate" and started out as an oppressed "Lamb." He managed to get as far as God's domain on his human power alone, and so if "Stand Tall and Shake the Heavens" fits anyone human it is Krelian. But I doubt people would find that appropriate. And it was only possible by throwing away his humanity and working with the antagonists.
I think what might have bothered Eres about the message that "humans are imperfect" is that such a sentiment could excuse stupid behavior and prevent people from striving to be "morally perfect." But "stupid behavior," at least the most destructive form of it, is usually a result of arrogance, greed, bigotry, or self-righteousness - traits not of those who are humble and recognize their weaknesses (their imperfections). I guess that is why Takahashi made a wise choice in chosing the word "weak/fragile" instead of "imperfect" to describe humans in Xenosaga. Also, protecting those who need it (like Nisan does) is not the same thing as taking away their free will or trying to be perfect. It is simply being kind and accepting the kindness of others. For we are all fragile in some way.
Finally, Eres does have a point that the cosmology seems to contradict the stated message:
"...if the game takes the side of free will why have a cosmology where the dimension where free will is allowable is subsidiary and in a sense a mere burp of the dimension where free will doesn't exist?"
- Paul Eres, Xenogears 4-Part First edition review, (2003)
I am not sure the game takes the side of free will since neither the game, Perfect Works, nor Fei ever disputes Krelian's claim that human beings have no free will. Krelian does acknowledge that humans have willpower, and blames this will for causing sadness and loss, but humans can have a will even if it is not free. Similarly, the game does not state that the higher dimension, or domain of God, is a place where free will does not exist. There may be reasons to conclude that the higher dimension does not allow for free will, but there are also reasons to conclude that the four-dimensional universe does not allow for free will. What free will does Elly have in chosing who she falls in love with? Did she sacrifice herself for the Contact out of her free will or because she was created with a will to want to do so? The full story of the universe in Xenogears was also never fully told, and that too should perhaps be taken into consideration.
In the last part of the ending, in the ending movie, we also see Krelian saving Fei and Elly as they are about to be swallowed up by the dimensional rift, teleporting them to a rock-like formation where he himself is standing. A detail that I did not understand until recently is that Elly appears to shout "Live!" to Fei when she falls behind before they are saved. At least according to a Japanese online script, since while her mouth is moving there is no voice. I used to think she was merely screaming to Fei for help, but that would actually have been uncharacteristic of her.I assume that the rock floating in space is still part of the spiritual side of the Path of Sephirot since they still have no clothes and there is no sign of Deus or the Xenogears. Whether Deus entered the higher dimension along with Krelian, or what happened to Miang, remains unclear. There is a translation error when Krelian says: "even if there is no place left for me upon my return." There is no indication that he would be returning. He was responding to Fei's plea that he should return with them now, saying: "And, even if I did return [now]... There would be no place for me [in this world]." It is epic that Krelian uses the name "Lacan" to address Fei, and since Fei now has all of his memories as Lacan, he really is Lacan in addition to Fei. And Elly is also Sophia, along with having all of Miang's memories - including those of Fei's mother.
During this ending movie, "The Beginning and the End" is playing with lyrics written by Tetsuya Takahashi.
(Music: Yasunori Mitsuda, Original Lyrics: Tetsuya Takahashi)
They are alone in the oppressing dark, but
Luminous power is granting their hope.
They are walking without a path and
Destination, looking for a way to the heavens.
In a moment they will see beyond the woods
They see Behind wood
A beam of light.
Two hearts are warmed by the generous day
Free clouds are flying ........
Glory .......
However, the lyrics as sung in the song are in Bulgarian, apparently translated into Bulgarian by Milcho Spassov according to the XenoSeriesWiki. The piece was sung by the Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir, also known as The Great Voices of Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Lyrics are pretty much the same as what is said in the English text. Then, as the game ends with Fei and Elly returning to their friends back on the planet, the ending theme song Small Two of Pieces starts to play into the credits.
(Music: Yasunori Mitsuda, Original Lyrics: Masato Kato)
Run through the cold of the night
As passion burns in your heart
Ready to fight, a knife held close by your side
Like a proud wolf alone in the dark
With eyes that watch the world
And my name like a shadow
On the face of the moon
Broken mirror, a million shades of light
The old echo fades away
But just you and I
Can find the answer
And then, we can run to the end of the world
We can run to the end of the world
Cold fire clenched to my heart
In the blue of night
Torn by this pain, I paint your name in sound
And the girl of the dawn, with eyes of blue, and angel wings
The songs of the season are her only crown
(repeat chorus)
We met in the mist of morning
And parted deep in the night
Broken sword and shield, and tears that never fall
But run through the heart
Washed away by the darkest water
The world is peaceful and still
(repeat chorus)
With this song, Mitsuda left his mark in history as the first composer ever to insert a vocal track into the ending theme song of a Squaresoft game. While it is probably my favorite Xeno song, I would have to agree with those who feel the lyrics are so esoteric that one cannot understand what they mean. However, the main significance is that the lyrics represent an in-universe poem written by someone 500 years prior to the present day after the tragedy in Nisan. This person could have been one of the Sages, like I speculated when analyzing the narrative's set-up, but it is not confirmed. Anyway, the central meaning is found in the refrain with the sentence "Broken mirror, a million shades of light" and "The old echo fades away", which were cited in-universe in Shevat. The meaning is that all humans are imperfect because they are merely a tiny fragment of the whole. This is even more clear in the original Japanese text (before it was translated to English for the song) where "The old echo fades away" was instead "A tiny little light of life". What I love about the "broken mirror" motif is not only the symbolism of human beings as fragments of a larger whole, but that the wording of "broken" can also fittingly allude to the theme of grief and sorrow from the story. Perhaps Takahashi simply told Masato Kato to include the line "Broken mirror, a million shades of light - a tiny little light of life" and then let Kato come up with whatever he wanted around that in the Lyrics.
Final scene
The last shot after the credits is beautiful and profound. We see how far this new humanity has come since their "creation" at Kadmoni. While some people think the glowing feather is from Krelian's wings, I think the feather is meant to be from the wings of the Xenogears and symbolize the freedom from the bondage of humanity's origin.
Finally, the episodic nature is revealed for the first time after this ending, where it says:
Episode V
THE END
With this reveal it seems there is more of the story to tell, and we know there are many unanswered questions. Do Fei still have his power? Does Elly still have the will of a mother that tied her to the Wave Existence? What more was it Fei wanted to ask the Wave Existence that he can now supposedly ask Elly? What happened to Miang and what was she and the "true mother" to begin with? What was "the will of God" Krelian spoke of? Is Ramsus immortal like Cain was since he is a copy of Cain? How was Cain even immortal to begin with? Who were the ancient people that created Deus? Where did Anima and Animus come from originally? Do humans still exist out in the vast universe and why have they not come searching for Zohar, Deus, or any of the other important artifacts that the Eldridge carried? And, as Takahashi himself states in the After Word of Xenogears: Perfect Works:
"... why was it absolutely necessary for 'God', Deus, to restore itself within the long span of 10,000 years? and why was there a time limit to this process?."
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Some more notes about the resolution segment: |
With the exception of "Opening Movie - The Hook" all parts or acts of the narrative structure takes place in the present day or "momentary checkpoint in time" of Xenogears Episode V, which would be approximately year 17277 using our current A.D. calendar. Beyond Episode V, however, there is a grander narrative consisting of six episodes that serves as important parts before and after Episode V. I will examine these more in part 4 of this story analysis.
Xenogears Story Analysis: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
