Niobe (The Matrix)
Encyclopedia
Niobe is a fictional character in the video game Enter the Matrix
and the two feature film
s The Matrix Reloaded
and The Matrix Revolutions
. Niobe also appears in the MMORPG
The Matrix Online
. In the game, however, Niobe's character voicing is portrayed by actress Gina Torres
, who portrayed the minor Zion character Cas in Reloaded and Revolutions.
Niobe is a human from Zion
, being one of the rebels participating in the war against the Machines and the Matrix. She is the captain and pilot of a Zion hovercraft, the Logos, the smallest (and therefore most maneuverable) ship in the human fleet with a crew of only three: herself, weapons expert and First Mate Ghost, and Operator Sparks.
Within the virtual world of the Matrix, Niobe is one of Zion's most gifted martial artists. She has "killed" at least one Agent, survived multiple encounters with the Merovingian
's superhuman thugs, faced Seraph
in one-on-one combat, and even managed to survive and escape from a confrontation with the replicating entity Smith
.
In the real world, she is the most skilled pilot among the rebel forces. She demonstrates this on several occasions. In one scene during The Matrix Revolutions, she maneuvered the rather massive hovercraft Hammer through the narrow, cluttered passage of a mechanical line (while under heavy attack and pursuit by Sentinels), a feat no other pilot has successfully performed. She also performs a 270-degree flip with the hovercraft, as an evasive maneuver, which apparently no previous pilot had even attempted before. She also gave up her ship to Neo
so he could go and stop the machines. When questioned about this since she didn't believe in the prophecy, she responded she still didn't, but she did believe in Neo.
Niobe was once romantically involved with Morpheus
, but their relationship broke apart after Morpheus received his revelations from the Oracle
and started to preach the prophecy of the One (a prophecy Niobe has never truly believed in). After breaking up with Morpheus, Niobe eventually becomes involved with Commander Jason Locke, a taciturn, practical man who is in many ways the exact opposite of Morpheus. Both Persephone and The Oracle insinuate that Niobe is still in love with Morpheus when they confront her in Enter the Matrix.
At the end of The Matrix Revolutions, as the retreating Machine army obliged the new peace bartered by Neo
, Niobe is seen embracing Morpheus, perhaps an indication of a renewal of their romance. (One reference in the Special Features also intimates that they have gotten back together.)
In January 2004, Pinkett Smith was nominated for an NAACP Image Award
for the role of Niobe. Fellow cast member Nona Gaye
also received a nod for her portrayal of Zee. http://www.naacp.org/news/2004/2004-01-08.html
. When the Imposter Agents appeared, she made a speech to the Zionite redpills in the ensuing race for Neo's digital remains, which had been blown into fragments. She claimed that Zion's progress was pathetic and they had to step up their efforts. Before the General made an alliance with Niobe, Niobe was busy avenging Morpheus's death by trying to find more information about the Assassin. She eventually got into a battle with a last remaining copy of the Assassin post-Death of a Destroyer and was wounded, but was saved by an unknown redpill.
In Chapter 5.1 of The Matrix Online, Niobe had a meeting with fellow Zion operatives inside Bishop Imports in the International District to test out a set of chemicals that were upgrades meant for the Agent programs. After consuming the chemicals, Anome, her trusted subordinate, shoots Niobe and all Zion operatives in the meeting while an operator of his hovercraft pulls the plug on one of his surviving crewmembers who isn't in on his plot. Niobe's floor is sealed and there is no way to access her floor with both the elevator and staircase systems. During the recent set of critical missions, Ghost and redpill operatives from all parties are currently attempting to save her.
In Chapter 5.2 of The Matrix Online, Niobe was rescued chronologically after the fourth Zion critical mission. On the Recursion instance, Ghost leads a rescue team to Bishop Imports in Ueno, while the Effectuator (a program hired by the Merovingian
who controls his constructs), and other redpills protect the hardline systems to facilitate the operation.
Other minor roles include briefing and de-briefing Zion operatives during missions, and rewarding Redpills with special items.
Enter the Matrix
Enter the Matrix is the first video game based on The Matrix series of films. It was developed by Shiny Entertainment and published by Atari and WB Interactive for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube game systems, and for the PC. It was published in Japan by Bandai...
and the two feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
s The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 American science fiction film and the second installment in The Matrix trilogy, written and directed by the Wachowskis. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15,...
and The Matrix Revolutions
The Matrix Revolutions
The Matrix Revolutions is a 2003 American science fiction film and the third installment of The Matrix trilogy. The film was released six months following The Matrix Reloaded. The film was written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and released simultaneously in sixty countries on November 5,...
. Niobe also appears in the MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
The Matrix Online
The Matrix Online
The Matrix Online was a massively multiplayer online game developed by Monolith Productions created by Richard Carroll. It was the official continuation of the storyline of the Matrix series of films. The game began closed beta-testing in June 2004 which was then opened for people who pre-ordered...
. In the game, however, Niobe's character voicing is portrayed by actress Gina Torres
Gina Torres
Gina Torres is an American television and movie actress. She is known for her roles in science fiction and fantasy. She has appeared in many television series, including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys , Xena: Warrior Princess , the short-lived Cleopatra 2525, as well as Alias , Firefly Gina...
, who portrayed the minor Zion character Cas in Reloaded and Revolutions.
Niobe is a human from Zion
Zion (The Matrix)
Zion is a fictional city in The Matrix films. It is the last human city on the planet Earth after a cataclysmic nuclear war between humankind and sentient Machines, which resulted in artificial lifeforms dominating the world.-History:...
, being one of the rebels participating in the war against the Machines and the Matrix. She is the captain and pilot of a Zion hovercraft, the Logos, the smallest (and therefore most maneuverable) ship in the human fleet with a crew of only three: herself, weapons expert and First Mate Ghost, and Operator Sparks.
Within the virtual world of the Matrix, Niobe is one of Zion's most gifted martial artists. She has "killed" at least one Agent, survived multiple encounters with the Merovingian
Merovingian (The Matrix)
The Merovingian, also known as the Frenchman, and called Merv by Trinity, is a fictional character in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, portrayed by Lambert Wilson in both films...
's superhuman thugs, faced Seraph
Seraph (The Matrix)
Seraph is the name of a fictional character in the science-fiction Matrix universe. He is portrayed as the personification of a sophisticated challenge-handshake authentication protocol which guards the Oracle....
in one-on-one combat, and even managed to survive and escape from a confrontation with the replicating entity Smith
Agent Smith
Agent Smith is the main antagonist of The Matrix film series and multimedia franchise, mainly played by actor Hugo Weaving and briefly by actor Ian Bliss in the films and voiced by Christopher Corey Smith in The Matrix: Path of Neo.In 2008, Agent Smith was selected by Empire Magazine as number 84...
.
In the real world, she is the most skilled pilot among the rebel forces. She demonstrates this on several occasions. In one scene during The Matrix Revolutions, she maneuvered the rather massive hovercraft Hammer through the narrow, cluttered passage of a mechanical line (while under heavy attack and pursuit by Sentinels), a feat no other pilot has successfully performed. She also performs a 270-degree flip with the hovercraft, as an evasive maneuver, which apparently no previous pilot had even attempted before. She also gave up her ship to Neo
Neo (The Matrix)
Thomas A. Anderson is a fictional character and the main protagonist in The Matrix franchise, as well as having a cameo in The Animatrix short film, Kid's Story. He was portrayed by Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Trilogy and The Animatrix. Andrew Bowen provided Neo's voice in The Matrix: Path of Neo...
so he could go and stop the machines. When questioned about this since she didn't believe in the prophecy, she responded she still didn't, but she did believe in Neo.
Niobe was once romantically involved with Morpheus
Morpheus (The Matrix)
Morpheus is the name of a fictional character and the secondary protagonist of The Matrix Franchise. The Wachowski brothers were fans of Neil Gaiman and based the character of Morpheus on the title character from the comic book The Sandman, also adopting one of his most common pseudonyms,...
, but their relationship broke apart after Morpheus received his revelations from the Oracle
Oracle (The Matrix)
The Oracle is a fictional character portrayed by Gloria Foster and Mary Alice within the Matrix series of films created by the Wachowski brothers...
and started to preach the prophecy of the One (a prophecy Niobe has never truly believed in). After breaking up with Morpheus, Niobe eventually becomes involved with Commander Jason Locke, a taciturn, practical man who is in many ways the exact opposite of Morpheus. Both Persephone and The Oracle insinuate that Niobe is still in love with Morpheus when they confront her in Enter the Matrix.
At the end of The Matrix Revolutions, as the retreating Machine army obliged the new peace bartered by Neo
Neo (The Matrix)
Thomas A. Anderson is a fictional character and the main protagonist in The Matrix franchise, as well as having a cameo in The Animatrix short film, Kid's Story. He was portrayed by Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Trilogy and The Animatrix. Andrew Bowen provided Neo's voice in The Matrix: Path of Neo...
, Niobe is seen embracing Morpheus, perhaps an indication of a renewal of their romance. (One reference in the Special Features also intimates that they have gotten back together.)
In January 2004, Pinkett Smith was nominated for an NAACP Image Award
NAACP Image Award
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
for the role of Niobe. Fellow cast member Nona Gaye
Nona Gaye
Nona Marvisa Gaye is an American singer, former fashion model, and screen actress. The daughter of soul music legend Marvin Gaye and granddaughter of jazz great Slim Gaillard, she began her career as a vocalist in the early 1990s...
also received a nod for her portrayal of Zee. http://www.naacp.org/news/2004/2004-01-08.html
Online
Niobe has gone on to play a major role in The Matrix Online, acting as one of the "leaders" of the obviously enlarged Zion military since Locke, being free-born, cannot jack-in. After the Logos was taken by Neo and crashed in the Machine City, Zion was able to build her a new ship, named the Logos IILogos II
The Logos II was a former passenger ship converted for use by a non-profit organisation to bring 'knowledge, help and hope' to people in the world's port cities.-History:...
. When the Imposter Agents appeared, she made a speech to the Zionite redpills in the ensuing race for Neo's digital remains, which had been blown into fragments. She claimed that Zion's progress was pathetic and they had to step up their efforts. Before the General made an alliance with Niobe, Niobe was busy avenging Morpheus's death by trying to find more information about the Assassin. She eventually got into a battle with a last remaining copy of the Assassin post-Death of a Destroyer and was wounded, but was saved by an unknown redpill.
In Chapter 5.1 of The Matrix Online, Niobe had a meeting with fellow Zion operatives inside Bishop Imports in the International District to test out a set of chemicals that were upgrades meant for the Agent programs. After consuming the chemicals, Anome, her trusted subordinate, shoots Niobe and all Zion operatives in the meeting while an operator of his hovercraft pulls the plug on one of his surviving crewmembers who isn't in on his plot. Niobe's floor is sealed and there is no way to access her floor with both the elevator and staircase systems. During the recent set of critical missions, Ghost and redpill operatives from all parties are currently attempting to save her.
In Chapter 5.2 of The Matrix Online, Niobe was rescued chronologically after the fourth Zion critical mission. On the Recursion instance, Ghost leads a rescue team to Bishop Imports in Ueno, while the Effectuator (a program hired by the Merovingian
Merovingian (The Matrix)
The Merovingian, also known as the Frenchman, and called Merv by Trinity, is a fictional character in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, portrayed by Lambert Wilson in both films...
who controls his constructs), and other redpills protect the hardline systems to facilitate the operation.
Other minor roles include briefing and de-briefing Zion operatives during missions, and rewarding Redpills with special items.
Trivia
- Jada Pinkett Smith, who plays Niobe, is married to Will SmithWill SmithWillard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
, who was originally considered for the role of Neo.