In Matrix Reloaded, Neo was given the choice between having the Matrix crash, which would kill all of humanity (and the machines go on to destroy Zion) or choose 17 people from the Matrix to repopulate Zion. The Architect also said that this was the sixth time Zion was destroyed. This got me thinking:
The population of Zion was about a quarter of a million people. Zion has the machinery to maintain this population; somehow they are able to recycle water/air, and generate enough food to feed all those people. I’m guessing they all live off that organic slop they served on the ship? which would be the most feasable explanation, or maybe some fungus stuff that they can grow in caves. Because I sure didn’t see any farms in Zion!
But getting back to the point here, I’m really curious how those 17 people are actually going to repopulate Zion when they will be arriving at a trashed city. I’m sure a lot of stuff would be destroyed, I mean look what the Sentinels did to the dock! :eek: I have a hard time believing 17 people are going to show up and not spend at least some time wondering, “Gee, there is this huge underground city, but no people, and tons of wrecked machinery and trashed robots everywhere. I SURE WONDER WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED…” :mad: Don’t forget about the huge holes the drilling robots left, better plug those up quick! Is this like some kind of FPS game, the Architect tells the Sentinels “Ok no rushing Zion for 3 centuries” ? Not to menion the chances of Zion never getting repopulated. How was the Architect so sure Zion could be repopulated at all? The people could die of disease or famine very easily early on. Even if they could thrive, they would have to rebuild everything, while being rather isolated 4000 meters below the surface.
I can believe that Zion was established, but hearing that it was wiped out, repopulated, wiped out, etc is a little harder to believe. I’m really wondering how long it took to repopulate Zion, and maybe get a more accurate estimation of what year it is. I can’t remember what year Morpheus estimates it to be, but I’m certain he must be totally off because he didn’t even know they were living in the sixth Zion! So they must be even farther in the future, perhaps even a thousand years into the future?
Technically, the real world’s future would be the present, as relative to The Matrix, which we’re supposdly a part of. I figured since we’re trying to be logical about a stupidass movie (no offense to anyone who liked it), we might as well go the distance
Morpheus said it was the late 21st century, and, given that he thought he was from 1st generation Zion, it looks like they repopulated pretty quick. It may be that his version of Zion was seeded with more than 16 people (I’d hope so, otherwise you’re looking at a serious inbreeding problem), plus, they were unplugging more people than ever before towards the end, there.
Yeah, but note that most of the unplugged people turn around and become ship crewmen (because they have the plugs on their neck which allow them to jack in). I dont think the number of unplugged people has a big impact on the population because while they were unplugging more people, the increase was rather recent and sudden, and probably coincided with the establishment of the Anomaly.
The split was something like 11 female, six male. Would that necessarily cause an inbreeding problem? How many father/mother combinations could you get with that?
The proposed split was 5 men, 12 women, plus Neo himself, for a tidy 2 to 1 ratio. That would give you 72 possible pairs of parents in the first generation, and at least three (possibly four or five, as long as the old geezers can still keep pace) more generations before you’d have any inbreeding. Plus anyone who unplugged in that time. So I think that genetically, they’d manage.
Which is all irrelevant, because we’re not given any reason to suppose that the Zion we see is not the first and only. The only person who says any differently is the guy who claims to be (and maybe actually is) the Architect. But considering that Neo was one door away from wiping out him and all his race, I think that he had quite ample incentive to lie to Neo.
Well, they’ll all know what happened, won’t they? I mean, either the people come from Zion already, or they have to be unplugged from the Matrix, so no matter who ends up going along with Neo, it’s going to be people who already know what happened to the last Zion. I doubt the machines would even bother wiping it out entirely (they might even rebuild what they damage to ensure the survival of the humans).
The repopulators can basically make up any story they want to tell their children and grandchildren.
Well, actually the Merovingian makes a few lines about Neo’s predecessor’s (in Reloaded). But this is before the architects speech, so it kind of goes over your head until you watch it a 2nd time.
which would be the most feasable explanation, or maybe some fungus stuff that they can grow in caves. Because I sure didn’t see any farms in Zion! 
