Suicideking said:
No, Neo did not die seven times before that. A person with the same kind of powers as Neo has came to be in each form of the Matrix, and was set upon a similar series of events to remove that person from the Matrix so that it could then be reset. Yes each person died, but that doesn't mean they were Neo.
My understanding was that the One is, essentially, a glitch in the Matrix. A recurring pattern that causes the same sequence of events each time. The machines aren't sure how to compensate for it so they (on one level, ie Smith and the Agents) try to quash it whereas on a higher level (the Architect) they prepare for the cycle to begin again. Neo altered that by taking a third path, but how are we to know that what he did wasn't
exactly the same thing all his predecessors did? For all we know, Neo himself could be a program insterted into a human body - we've seen it happen before, and it certainly fits with the cyclical theory, keeping the glitching program (and the human rebels) busy until the cycle burns itself out again.
Suicideking said:
If the new reincarnation of Neo was to appear, that should mean the Matrix was once again reset. Which would then leave huge gaps in what happened and would completely distance the new sequels from the originals, and basically would end up just being the first movie again.
This explanation assumes that Neo, at any point in the movie, actually left the Matrix. It's entirely possible that he did not, and that Zion was merely another level of the Matrix. Or that everything the Architect said was bullshit. Practically everything we know about the world (or worlds) that these movies are set in is learned from other characters, many of whom have good reason to lie, so we can't take a lot for granted. Also, remember that Neo uses his powers in the "real world", lending further weight to the layers-within-layers theory.
Suicideking said:
The entire point of Neo's death in the third film was to ensure the destruction of Agent Smith. In order to rid the Matrix of Smith, Neo had to die. If Neo resurrects, then Smith, or some other super powerful agent, has to rise with him.
Wasn't the whole point of his death to be a sacrafice so that there would be compromise?
Frankly, the whole premise is dumb as a box of rocks - what kind of intelligent human being would, if the machines approached them honestly and explained the situation (the world is a nuclear wasteland, but they have the option to stay in kung-fu fantasy land as long as the machines can use them for energy for the duration of their natural life) would say "I'll take the depressing post-apocalyptic hell, please!"? All the machines had to do was approach us honestly, and they'd have gotten more than enough recruits to power their city.
