Why don't the machines in the Matrix just kill the humans that reject the Matrix instead of creating Zion?

Question

I mean I love the movies and all its just this doesn't seem to be making a whole lot of sense.

I understand the idea of choice in the Matrix whereby 99% of humans accept it but why concentrate the remaining 1% in Zion?

Wouldn't it be more efficient to just kill the remaining 1% that way you avoid the whole having to invade Zion.

You could also advoid the whole "Cycle" of the Matrix where you have the One (Neo) basically restart Zion after its destroyed. No Zion no need for the One.

Rule of thumb: just slice off the head of anyone who rejects the Matrix, the 1% of the entire human population, problem solved no Neo no Morpheus no Trinity no Zion and No movies at all.

Answer 1

The only way the Matrix works is by offering humans a choice, albeit subconsciously. The 99% accept this choice without even realising it, but the 1% do not. This 1% will be a constant, but random event. These 1% will be able to remove themselves from the Matrix and therefore will begin to build in numbers, hidden away from the machines. Unchecked this group would soon grow to unmanageable levels. Therefore the Machines decided to manage the problem themselves. They constructed Zion and the idea of The One, a saviour, to give hope to the 1% who became free. This meant they would be able to manipulate the whereabouts of the freedom fighters, give them a false concept of freedom and ultimately destroy them before they grew too strong.



This had worked fine the previous 5 times, as explained by the Architect. But this time the Oracle decided she was tired of the war and created a different priority in Neo. Whereas before The One was predisposed to have compassion for the larger population within the Matrix and choose the sacrifice Zion to save humanity, this time Neo was more concerned with the immediate matter of Trinity. This broke the chain and meant the machines would have to eliminate all humans within the Matrix as promised. Of course, in the films that doesn't happen because Neo negotiates a truce in return for dealing with the rogue Agent Smith. Neo completes his side of the bargain, returns to the source, as The One is meant to, taking Smith with him. The machines stay true to their word and all are made consciously aware of the Matrix and are allowed to leave if they wish.

Answer 2

Thought I'd mention that nobody in the Matrix can become free until they take the red pill, which is only given by people who are already free of the Matrix (i.e. Morpheus and other Zion people who plug in). The Zion people are the ones who find new people from the Matrix, and the Zion people feel releasing more minds makes them stronger to counter the machines (in the meeting of the ships, Morpheus says "we have freed more minds in the last 6 months than the last 6 years). If the machines killed anyone who got free from the Matrix right away, there wouldn't be anybody to free those minds in the first place besides The One and the original people he chose to save himself. The machines need the people of Zion to give the 1% in the Matrix the red pill choice otherwise they can't be ejected from the Matrix. The machines take the lesser risk of having Zion build to a certain point before they cannot control Zion then wipe them out and start over.



So the machines need Zion as a lesser of two evils because they need Zion to free the 1% who is aware of the choice, if the machines kill everyone who is freed, they can't free them in the first place.

Answer 3

The machines don't concentrate necessarily on the humans who have been free or freed from the Matrix. The machines are after the people of Zion because, simply, they are free, their city is growing, and they are developing ways to outsmart the machines (technology, Neo, etc.).



As far as the prophecy of "The One" goes, lets say every single last free being dies at the hands of machines right from the start (Morpheus, Trinity, Switch, A-Pac, Dozer, Tank, etc). Still, every so often there will be a glitch or error (as there is with virtually every computer, machine or system known to man). This glitch or error will enable a particular human to eventually discover they have (access codes and override codes embedded within them) basically full manipulation and power over the Matrix and the machines in the real world. The One would, of course, figure out how free him or herself, and recruit others who didn't accept the Matrix program, thus giving the human race, a whole new opportunity to rebuild, repopulate , and potentially thrive in another Zion-type city. Hope that answers your question.



***Heres something else to remember***. The Oracle, who is a machine herself, helped build and reconstruct the Matrix many times, but truly she does not want to see death or ahnihilation come to the humans, even Neo. It is the Architect that feels thats the free humans are a threat and wants to destroy them, their leader, and their city. I think a lot of the delay/difference between the machines staying above ground and defending their "human life force field", attempts to hack access codes to the gates of Zion, and the machines actually deciding to dig into Zion and destroy all life has to do with the battle of wills between Oracle and Architech and how threathened or non-threatened they feel by Neo and his army of free humans.

Answer 4

They tried to have the matrix with no choice, but it didn't work and the people's minds rejected it. There has to be an actual choice to make, even if the 99% choose not to make it. There can't just be a rumor of the one, there actually has to be a one otherwise the system won't be stable. It's not like a movie, say Logan's Run, where people think when you turn 30 you go to heaven, but what really happens is you get killed. If there is no active conspiracy in the system, then the system will be determinate and the matrix will become unstabe. Or so they say.

Answer 5

I have not seen it in awhile but, I believe it is to preserve Humanity. Each time the Matrix is redone, I think everyone who is connected to it dies. The one then picks a select few from the Matrix, to repopulate. It seems like the reason they allow the city to get so big is because, it allows for a greater probability for The One to surface again. Which is why they count versions of the Matrix according to how many times The One has appeared. It is a pretty complicated line to follow. I would suggest watching the end of Reloaded a couple times. When Neo speaks with the Architect. Pay really close attention when the Architect speaks. He explains it, but it may take a few times to get what he is saying.

Answer 6

Isn't the basic plot that the human being's actual physical bodies are connected in limbo as "fuel" for the machine matrix to feed off of? And what the people are really doing is "dreaming" that they are moving about...so zion is really a part of their "dream". It is I think supposed to be about whatever you believe is true in life is YOUR personal truth and YOUR personal definition of "life". The people who are happy in the matrix are happy with their "life" in their personal dream world. Neo and the others follow a quest for a different sort of dream world with supposedly no rules....and a special place for them called "zion" and fighting against the "system" of rule-based life. It is sort of based on the Buddhist belief that we are all a part of "God" or the universe and we are only "asleep" and "dreaming" as we live our life as defined by our beliefs...which in turn limit us to the rules of our own personal beliefs. If we can conquer our belief system that limits us in life, then we can accomplish whatever we believe that we can. Meditation can help in this process, by changing our belief that we are limited in what we can or cannot do by the "rules" of our belief system. Jesus said "Say to the mountain Move and it will move if you have the faith of a mustard seed"...same idea.



Anyway, it was an interesting set of movies, even if a little too violent. It is too bad if it was the inspiration for the killings at Columbine High School by two sick teens.

Answer 7

You are right lol. People (including me) complain about how after the first Matrix the plot just gets more and more confusing & odd. I still adore the movies (except for Revolutions, that kind of sucked) but...yeah! I have my complaints haha

Answer 8

I've thought the same thing, I think you are right, there probably is no answer.



Other than we would miss out on one good movie and two other things that make money and jobs for some people.

Answer 9

coz if they did, there won't be any matrix movie