The Not-Quite-Chosen Ones
The idea of a Chosen One in stories, especially science fiction, is hardly a new one and one certainly older than Transformers. I’m not a literary scholar, but such an idea dates back at least as far as the Old Testament and the prophecies of a messiah that was to arrive and herald a time of peace and happiness, the Bible’s version of a Chosen One. From here, tales that may not have the same following, but nonetheless follow a similar path, are spun. From King Arthur to Neo, stories are told around this One that is above all others, who alone can bring about peace or freedom or a Golden Age. This little essay is not about why people enjoy stories of a “The One.” Obviously there is some kind of draw to them, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many of them. Rather, it’ll lead down another path, that the “Chosen One” that often shows up in sci-fi movies and television shows is hardly a “One.”
First, however, I might as well indulge a bit. This essay sort of sprung up for a number of reasons, which include the continuation of “The Matrix,” the end of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and the fact that Rodimus Prime is never far from my consciousness. All of these sci-fi media has its own version of a Chosen One and they are only the tip of the iceberg. Even sci-fi comedies have elements of a Chosen One in their plots. For instance “Dogma,” Kevin Smith’s comedy about a couple of angels trying to get back into heaven and thereby destroying all of existence, has a Chosen One in the form of Bethany, the Last Scion. Eddie Murphy’s “The Golden Child” is another example of a comedy with elements of a Chosen One. As for sci-fi dramas, well I’m not even going to hazard a guess as to how many such stories there are, but let’s just say that “Star Wars” heads that list. Not all sci-fi movies and TV shows have a Chosen One. “2001,” “Star Trek,” and the Terminator movies are prime examples. Even pre-movie Transformers, as well as post-Beast Machines, could be added to this list. Sure there are larger than life characters that always seem to save the day, but that doesn’t make them special in the way a Chosen One is. John Connors may be the doom of the machines in the Terminator series, but he is simply a great leader and general, more like Alexander the Great or George Washington than like Neo or Anakin Skywalker. So what makes someone “The One”?
Well, it helps to have extraordinary powers. Not simply greater intellect, but greater strength or agility. It’s difficult to describe, but anyone who has seen Buffy or Darth Vader in action can see how they stand apart from their peers. Perhaps the most important aspect, however, is a prophecy. Within the contemporary examples I’ll be citing, they vary somewhat, but have a common theme. They will light the darkest hour, or they alone stand against the forces of evil, or they will bring balance to the Force. In other words, there’s a little bit of pressure put on them. They are expected to save the day, no matter what form they come in. Doesn’t matter if you’re a 10 year old slave (Anakin Skywalker), a 20-something computer hacker (Neo), a 16 year old high school girl (Buffy), or a couple million year old giant robot (Hot Rod), the same thing is expected of you: you’ve got to save the day.
When The One Goes Wrong
The cards don’t always fall that way, however. “Star Wars” and the fall of Anakin Skywalker is an example of this. For the better part of his life, this Chosen One is the antithesis of what we have come to expect from someone of his standing. He kills, maims, hurts, and is generally an evil sort. He may have been twisted and coerced into this monster, but you have to suspect at times that this is simply his nature. He’s arrogant at a young age and basically becomes a mass murder by the tender age of 18 years, when he tears through a tribe of sandpeople. One may want to kill the killer when your mother is murdered, but there is a line that was crossed in this scene in Episode II, a line between a Chosen One that is “good” and one that is not. It’s not a secret that Anakin falls completely into the Dark Side and doesn’t reemerge until he is shown the way by his son, when he finally fulfills his destiny as the Chosen One and kills the emperor, presumably bringing balance to the force. Still the Chosen One, the one that took a rather dark path.
My theory as to why he took that particular path lies in that he basically walked it alone. He may have had a mentor by his side as well as a lover, but this child had abilities that none of those around him could hope to match. His manipulation of the Force is effortless, even with so little training and at such a young age. And with his arrogant attitude, he began to think that he was above others (killing the sandpeople could be a sign of this). All Palpatine really had to do was nudge him, keep telling him that he was the greatest of the Jedi, and it really wouldn’t have taken much for Anakin to start to believe it. With his powers and his belief that others could not match his abilities, it isn’t hard to imagine Anakin venturing down the path on his own, willingly leaving his friends behind, and coming out evil on the other side.
While it’s a bit of a stretch, Transformers has its own version of a Chosen One that grew dangerously close to doing the same thing. In Beast Machines, Optimus Primal was basically selected by the Oracle from among the other Maximals because he was the most open to what the Oracle had to say. It set Primal apart from the others and started driving them away. Instead of consulting his teammates and going on instinct, as he did for much of the Beast Wars series, he began relying more and more on the Oracle. He was on a path by himself and walking towards oblivion. Once Tankor started pulling the Oracle’s strings (and Megatron pulling Tankor’s), Primal was lead to believe that the only way to definitively win the battle was as drastic of a measure that Megatron sought. Instead of a balance of mechanical and organic, Primal began to believe that the mechanical needed to be purged. If he had succeeded, he would have been no better than Megatron. If Primal had consulted his friends, if he had allowed them to walk the path with him, he likely would never have come so close to destroying what he sought to bring about.
Both Optimus Primal and Anakin Skywalker were “Chosen Ones.” However, instead of being heroes as we have come to expect, they instead worked against what they had originally been destined to achieve. The main difference between these two is the scope of the failure. Anakin’s fall lead to much death and destruction before he finally fulfilled his destiny. Primal was largely saved before it was too late. Because he had someone watching his back.
The Chosen Two (or Few)
The idea of a Chosen One is a bunch of bunk, if you ask me, and each of the movies and TV shows I’ll be discussing in some part prove that. Not that a person is a Chosen One, but that fact that each of them is a One, is on their own. Anakin Skywalker and Optimus Primal showed what could happen when a Chosen One is alone. Basically, bad things happen. And neither of them was brought back around completely on their own. They both had someone. Anakin had Luke, his Chosen Two if you will. Optimus Primal had the other Maximals, his Chosen Few.
This idea is on display through not only Rodimus’ era of Transformers, but also in shows like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (which actually has used the phrase the Chosen Two… I’m certainly not clever enough to come with that on my own) and “The Matrix.” Neo relies on Morpheus and Trinity to be there. It’s obvious watching “The Matrix Reloaded” as well as the end of the first installment. Despite Morpheus’ prodding of Neo of being “The One” (something that looks dangerously like putting him down the path on his own, if you ask me), it is obvious that Neo still looks to Morpheus as not only a mentor, but a leader. In multiple scenes, he is shown walking behind Morpheus, taking a more deferential position despite his own realization that he is The One. As for Trinity, well she basically brought him back to life at the end of the first installment. Somehow. I’m a little hazy as to how that exactly happened. Regardless, if that had not have happened, Neo’s goose would have cooked.
“Buffy” is perhaps the best example, however, of a Chosen One and their need for friends and allies. It’s no secret that the life expectancy of a Slayer is short. There is one of them taking on an endless supply of demons. As Spike (the vampire, not the annoying son of Sparkplug) once told Buffy, a slayer has to reach for a weapon while a vampire or any other demon basically comes equipped with theirs. There is no average life span for a Slayer stated in the show, but let’s just look at this fact. The show lasted seven years. Within five years, Buffy died… twice! As a result of her first death, another Slayer was called. She lasted half a season before she died. The third Slayer that showed up upon this Slayer’s death lasted from season three through the end of the series, but she did spend much of that time in a coma or in jail (forgive the shortness of this explanation. “Buffy”s plot is a bit complex if you haven’t followed the show and I could go all day about it if I don’t stop myself.). In short, short life span. Which begs the question, how did Buffy last so long as a Slayer? Obviously, it’s because she had back up. One of her friends, a guy with no special power at all, brought Buffy back to life after her first death with a little CPR. Numerous times, these friends helped her, whether by acting as the brains to her brawn, by diving into the fight as well, or simply being there for her when times got tough. Buffy was surrounded by people that cared for her and watched over her. That fought with her and taught her. She was more than a Chosen One. She was a Chosen One with a bonus Chosen Few.
Rodimus Prime is like this as well. Despite the fact that he is a capable leader, he is still very young and very new at the job. He may be the Chosen One, but the help that an experienced second-in-command like Ultra Magnus brings is invaluable to a young leader. But he has more than just Magnus that helps him out. Like any good commander, he relies on the strengths of others when his own expertise might not be enough. If the situation calls for deft scientific experience, he does not hesitate to call on Perceptor for a helping hand. Springer and Kup often act as his 1-2 punch on the battlefield. Magnus, as I’ve already mentioned, is a wise experienced hand at the art of war. Kup also acts as a mentor, imparting various tales dredged up from the codgers millions of years of experience. Rodimus Prime succeeds where he might otherwise fail because of those around him.
It’s not that Rodimus and Rodimus alone would fail at being a Chosen One because of some innate personality quirk. I mean, let’s face it: sometimes he has issues with being the leader of all Autobots. As Kup told him in one episode, Optimus Prime had the same doubts when he was elevated to the rank. But the fact that he has these issues doesn’t in itself mean that he will fail. On the contrary, I think it is one of his better traits, something that keeps him grounded and away from thinking that he is always right. It allows him to seek help him help is needed rather than allow his ego to get in the way. It keeps him from being out on an island on his own. It keeps his friends and allies close, which is exactly what a Chosen One needs.
Not that Rodimus alone was the Chosen One. Apparently, if you take what’s given in “The Return of Optimus Prime,” he is actually one half of a Chosen Two. It was Optimus, after all, who released the power of the Matrix to wipe out the Hate Plague. In this episode and in “The Rebirth,” Optimus also relies on others to help in a jam (though I’d say that help was forced on him, especially in “The Rebirth.” It wasn’t as though Spike or the Plasma Energy Chamber was giving him any other options.).
Characters in Transformers, as well as numerous others, can be a Chosen One. But the emphasis should not be on the word “One.” A Chosen One, like everybody else, needs help. They need backup. They should not take up the mantle themselves and push everybody else away. They are not immortal. They are not perfect. But they can and will continue to be effective so long as they make way on that path for friend or two to make the journey with them.