Spoilers: The big macguffin

Discussion in 'Transformers Movie Discussion' started by Mako Crab, Jul 3, 2009.

  1. Mako Crab

    Mako Crab Well-Known Member

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    Here's something that confused me, and maybe someone here can shed a little light on the topic. The Matrix of Leadership as seen in ROTF.

    * For starters, it's got a completely different origin and purpose in this movie than it has in any other TF fiction. I'm okay with that. I don't mind the writers taking a little liberty with old ideas and putting their own spin on them. So the new story says that the Matrix of Leadership is actually the key to a device that destroys suns. Okay, I'm with them so far.

    * Then Sam asks Jetfire if the Matrix is so powerful, why couldn't they use it to bring Prime back to life. Jetfire comments that the Matrix was never designed for such a purpose, but it couldn't hurt to try. Okay, still with them.

    * The Matrix is inserted into Prime. He's alive. It's all cool. The Fallen shows up and demands "his matrix" back, because he needs it to activate the sun destroying device. Okay, okay. It's all good.

    * Then at some point this ancient relic becomes a holy relic. Sam has a near death experience where all the ancient Primes come to him in a dream. Is he on a matrix quest? Are the living embodiments of the deceased Primes living inside the Matrix?

    * Jetfire (I think) says that the Matrix chooses its holder and speaks of it with reverence. But it's just a key? A key to a sun destroying device.

    * The name alone; Matrix of Leadership. Why is it still being called that if it's just a key to a big machine? All they're doing is using this machine to harvest the energy of exploded suns. It'd be like giving the keys to a big oil platform to the foreman and saying, "Alright dude, these are the keys of leadership. Go find some oil. Oh, and these keys are holy, so don't lose them."

    It seems like they wanted to come up with their own take on the Matrix but kept mixing in elements from previous material. Is it just a key to an energon collecting platform or is it the mystical holy grail of Transformers-kind? Can it be both?
     
  2. TankRizzo

    TankRizzo Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, I wasn't too fond of their treatment of it either. The fact they called it a "key" I think lessened what I thought of it overall. What the hell is it supposed to be? Make up your minds. They should have just made 2 separate objects in the tomb. 1 could have been the key and the other could be the spiritual embodiment of the sacrificed Primes or something. I didn't like the swiss army knife aspect of the matrix.

    As far as Sam going to robot heaven, I just kind of assumed that was something that accompanied all of the symbols and stuff he got from the allspark and had nothing to do with the matrix.
     
  3. Mister D

    Mister D Bloosh Compatible

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    If the Matrix is earned, not found, who gives a **** if the Fallen found it?
     
  4. Cosbydaf

    Cosbydaf Well-Known Member

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    So what happened to it in the end anyway? Did it just get blown up along with the Sun Harvester? Seems like a waste.
     
  5. Vexza

    Vexza Nerdicon

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    I think it's called the 'Matrix of Leadership' because only leaders (the Primes) could use them.

    That's all I got.
     
  6. SC0RP0N0K

    SC0RP0N0K Well-Known Member

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    Very little in that movie made sense. I wonder how the two writers keep getting work, hell I hear now they are writing a movie based on the old Viewmasters...
     
  7. Mister D

    Mister D Bloosh Compatible

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    And the Fallen.

    And Sam.

    But most definately not Ultra Magnus.
     
  8. Optimus Matt

    Optimus Matt Well-Known Member

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    it seemd very g1 or beastwars to me so i liked it.
     
  9. Mister D

    Mister D Bloosh Compatible

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    The film's story is a complete mess. Star Trek's is a lesser mess.

    In both cases I can cut them a little slack because the scripts were ****ed up by the writer's strike (Star Trek's was still being polished, ROTF's hadn't been started). But in the end people paid to watch what they wrote, so they'll keep getting work.
     
  10. transtrekkie

    transtrekkie On the level.

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    It's almost like they decided that they had too many macguffins and needed cram some of them into one device.
     
  11. TankRizzo

    TankRizzo Well-Known Member

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    :lolol 
     
  12. Alienbot

    Alienbot Well-Known Member

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    What's so confusing? The Primes buried themselves with the Matrix, when the Cube's shard passed on the All Spark into Sam they were able to contact him as he went between life and death, and they moved the All Spark to the Matrix's remains, reconstituting it as the new holy object.
     
  13. red4

    red4 Banned

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    that's a hell of an egg McMuffin
     
  14. flamepanther

    flamepanther Interested, but not really

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    I think this is why you're having trouble here. I don't remember it being said that the Matrix of Leadership is only a key. It can still be the requirement for activating the device, even if that's not it's primary purpose. Think more along the lines of "This device is so dangerous, nobody without the Matrix of Leadership should be able to activate it." Only a great leader can be trusted with its responsible use, so they made it use The Matrix of Leadership as a key. No big problem here, IMO.
     
  15. FriskyPinewood

    FriskyPinewood Well-Known Member

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    ...And Bay thought mass-shifting was stupid.
     
  16. Witwicky Camaro

    Witwicky Camaro Sabbatical Is Required

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    Hmmm... I understood everything that was being told pretty perfectly; The [Autobot] Matrix of Leadership is a object that The Primes used to activate the Sun Harvester to create or extract [Raw] Energon for their race (and from what was told, they only used it one barren planets with suns, not ones inhabited with life). But the Matrix of Leadership could also be earned through whatever trials a Prime (or in this case, Sam, who is attempting to use it to ressurect Optimus, a descendant of the Primes) has to go through to become the leader of either their race or the Primes, so its also a symbol of "Leadership" among the Transformers as well a Key for the Sun Harvester. That said, it doesn't mean it can't be taken from the Prime that earned it either and used for deadly purpouses.

    From what I gathered, Sam was close enough to death that the Dynasty Primes could communicate with him through the Matrix of Leadership from the "AllSpark" (the afterlife), and its either their energy from the Afterlife that reconstructs the Matrix of Leadership, or something it simply does once its been "earned" by the weider.

    I mean, a similar event happens in the 1986 movie when Hot Rod obtains the The Matrix of Leadership from Galvatron, only he's not dead when he here's Optimus speak to him from the afterlife.
     
  17. hellrasinbrasin

    hellrasinbrasin Well-Known Member

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    The Matrix of Leadership is as THE KEY is called is used by the Leader of the
    Seven Primes to activate the Harvester. The energy within The Matrix itself
    is 1/2 of the energy from The All Sparks recharge
     
  18. grimlock1972

    grimlock1972 Optimus, serving up the primest of ribs since 1984

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    personally i refuse to call it the matrix to me its the Baytrix
     
  19. Defenestrator

    Defenestrator Definitive Opinion

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    LOL baytrix.
     
  20. Swoop86

    Swoop86 Gestalt

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    they called it the matrix of leadership because most of the fanbase would have simultaneously shit kittens if they called it primus.