Seraph (The Matrix)
Encyclopedia
Seraph is the name of a fictional character
(played by Collin Chou
) in the science-fiction Matrix
universe. He is portrayed as the personification of a sophisticated challenge-handshake authentication protocol
which guards the Oracle.
The role was initially offered to Michelle Yeoh
, but she declined due to a scheduling conflict. The character was changed to a male, with Jet Li
being offered a role. As Li declined the role, stating that the movie could do well without his presence, Chou signed on.
and The Matrix Revolutions
, Seraph is seen acting as a "guardian angel" of the Oracle. He refers to himself several times as "Seraph, Guardian of the Oracle", but in actuality he has held this position since long before the time frame in which the first film takes place. We also learn from a scene later in the movie that Agent Smith
has tried to hunt him before, but that Seraph confounded him in these attempts.
Over the course of the Reloaded and Revolutions plot arcs, he has three brief altercations with warriors of Zion
. The first is with Ballard, which he stages in order to get to know him; the second, with Neo, to prove he is the One
. The third takes place in the closing stages of Enter the Matrix
, after the conclusion of Reloaded but before the beginning of Revolutions. Seraph summons either Niobe
or her First Mate Ghost to meet the Oracle. Whoever he summons, he first tests that person with another battle, in order to "test his/her heart's resolve" (or, more technically, a Challenge-response authentication
).
In Revolutions, Trinity
and Morpheus
meet with the Oracle so that she can help them locate Neo. She explains that he lies within a place that is neither the Matrix nor the Machine world: a construct created by the Trainman. Seraph, she says, knows how to find him, and will lead them to him.
The trio departs to the Megacity's subways. Seraph tracks down the Trainman, but after a chase and exchange of fire, he escapes. Seraph, Morpheus, and Trinity go to meet with the Merovingian, for whom the trainman works.
They find the Merovingian holding court at his decadent nightclub Club Hel. During the assault on Hell's gates, Seraph is referred as "wingless", by one of the guards and the Merovingian refers to him as "his protégé". The three make their way to the club and defeat a number of the Merovingian's guards. The Merovingian calls him the "Prodigal Child" returning and "Judas
, suggesting that Seraph betrayed the Merovingian to serve the Oracle. He also calls Seraph "L'ange sans ses ailes", which is French for "The angel without its wings." The crew eventually rescues Neo.
Later, Seraph tries to flee with Sati from the increasingly powerful Smith. In due course, Smith catches up to them. Seraph mentions that he has defeated Smith in the past; nonetheless, Smith assimilate
s them both, adding two more copies of himself to his growing collective
of Smiths.
Upon Smith's destruction at Neo's hands, however, all the minds that Smith has infiltrated are freed from his abduction, including Seraph's.
he claims he isn't allied with any of the three Factions, that he protects the Oracle and Sati - and that he will use force to protect them if need be. On August 13, 2007, it was revealed that Seraph had been an Agent of the first iteration of the Matrix (the Seraphim), who resembled angels. He had ended up in the employment of the Merovingian, where he had remained for some time. After an unknown period of being an enforcer for him, he had rebelled, and had been tortured, his wings removed. It has not been revealed how he escaped.
His skills as a warrior are unmatched even by any one in the Matrix, considering he was originally an Agent himself, along with the super strength and speed that comes with that purpose. With the exception of Neo, there is no known entity in Matrix whom he could not defeat in a one-on-one confrontation. Despite not having his wings, Seraph is still able to hyperjump beyond the range of many exiles and red pills.
In Chapter 6.3, Sati has been kidnapped by the General's commandos after a lengthy observation, with Seraph attempting to rescue her, only to end up falling into the river. In Chapter 7.1, it was revealed that Seraph has managed to swim out of the river, but has been altered as a result of the disposal of the cheat codes of the Unlimited chapter by Agents into the Aqueduct. He attacked various red pills and blue pills, absorbing, altering, or deleting something within their code. This has recently been revealed to be releasing the attacked individuals from an overwritten personality by the Machines, much like Agent Smith
overwrote Bane and others in Reloaded and Revolutions. His most significant target was Cryptos, leader of the Cypherite faction, in which he unsuccessfully removed over a year's worth of reprogramming. Cryptos eventually settled into a mixture of his former, radical anti-Machine personality and his calmer, passive self.
Another side effect of the polluted code bath Seraph took was that he could detect the General's Elite Commandos, despite their suits that "cloaked" them within the Matrix code against scans. Zion used this new-found ability to track down and re-capture Sati, who promptly returned the rapidly deteriorating weather systems to their normal states (the green-tinted skies scarred from the Unlimited incident and Beirne's continued existence). Afterwards, Seraph returned to his normal duties. Shortly before the Oracle's murder at the hands of Halborne, Seraph and Sati went into hiding in a Construct.
word saraph meaning 'burning'.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
(played by Collin Chou
Collin Chou
Collin Chou , sometimes credited as Ngai Sing, is a Taiwanese actor and martial artist based in Hong Kong known in the United States for his portrayal of Seraph in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions as well as the Enter the Matrix video game...
) in the science-fiction Matrix
The Matrix (franchise)
The Matrix is a science fiction action franchise created by Andy and Larry Wachowski and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The series began with the 1999 film The Matrix and later spawned two sequels; The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both released in 2003, thus forming a trilogy...
universe. He is portrayed as the personification of a sophisticated challenge-handshake authentication protocol
Challenge-handshake authentication protocol
In computing, the Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol authenticates a user or network host to an authenticating entity. That entity may be, for example, an Internet service provider. CHAP is specified in RFC 1994....
which guards the Oracle.
The role was initially offered to Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng is a Hong Kong-based Malaysian Chinese actress, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990s....
, but she declined due to a scheduling conflict. The character was changed to a male, with Jet Li
Jet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
being offered a role. As Li declined the role, stating that the movie could do well without his presence, Chou signed on.
The Matrix Trilogy
In The Matrix ReloadedThe 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,...
, Seraph is seen acting as a "guardian angel" of the Oracle. He refers to himself several times as "Seraph, Guardian of the Oracle", but in actuality he has held this position since long before the time frame in which the first film takes place. We also learn from a scene later in the movie that Agent 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...
has tried to hunt him before, but that Seraph confounded him in these attempts.
Over the course of the Reloaded and Revolutions plot arcs, he has three brief altercations with warriors of 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:...
. The first is with Ballard, which he stages in order to get to know him; the second, with Neo, to prove he is the One
The One
-Philosophy:The concept of "Τὸ Ἕν" in Hellenistic philosophy:*God*the Monad *the Absolute *The Good*The All*See also Henosis -Books, magazines and comics:...
. The third takes place in the closing stages of Enter the Matrix
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...
, after the conclusion of Reloaded but before the beginning of Revolutions. Seraph summons either Niobe
Niobe (The Matrix)
Niobe is a fictional character in the video game Enter the Matrix and the two feature films The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Niobe also appears in the MMORPG The Matrix Online...
or her First Mate Ghost to meet the Oracle. Whoever he summons, he first tests that person with another battle, in order to "test his/her heart's resolve" (or, more technically, a Challenge-response authentication
Challenge-response authentication
In computer security, challenge-response authentication is a family of protocols in which one party presents a question and another party must provide a valid answer to be authenticated....
).
In Revolutions, Trinity
Trinity (The Matrix)
Trinity is a fictional character and Neo's love interest in The Matrix universe, played by Carrie-Anne Moss in the films. In the gameplay segments of Path of Neo, she is voiced by Jennifer Hale...
and 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,...
meet with the Oracle so that she can help them locate Neo. She explains that he lies within a place that is neither the Matrix nor the Machine world: a construct created by the Trainman. Seraph, she says, knows how to find him, and will lead them to him.
The trio departs to the Megacity's subways. Seraph tracks down the Trainman, but after a chase and exchange of fire, he escapes. Seraph, Morpheus, and Trinity go to meet with the Merovingian, for whom the trainman works.
They find the Merovingian holding court at his decadent nightclub Club Hel. During the assault on Hell's gates, Seraph is referred as "wingless", by one of the guards and the Merovingian refers to him as "his protégé". The three make their way to the club and defeat a number of the Merovingian's guards. The Merovingian calls him the "Prodigal Child" returning and "Judas
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
, suggesting that Seraph betrayed the Merovingian to serve the Oracle. He also calls Seraph "L'ange sans ses ailes", which is French for "The angel without its wings." The crew eventually rescues Neo.
Later, Seraph tries to flee with Sati from the increasingly powerful Smith. In due course, Smith catches up to them. Seraph mentions that he has defeated Smith in the past; nonetheless, Smith assimilate
Assimilation (biology)
Biological assimilation, or bio assimilation, is the combination of two processes to supply animal cells with nutrients. The first is the process of absorbing vitamins, minerals, and other chemicals from food within the gastrointestinal tract...
s them both, adding two more copies of himself to his growing collective
Collective
A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together on a specific project to achieve a common objective...
of Smiths.
Upon Smith's destruction at Neo's hands, however, all the minds that Smith has infiltrated are freed from his abduction, including Seraph's.
Online
At this time, Seraph's alignment is uncertain. In The Matrix OnlineThe 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...
he claims he isn't allied with any of the three Factions, that he protects the Oracle and Sati - and that he will use force to protect them if need be. On August 13, 2007, it was revealed that Seraph had been an Agent of the first iteration of the Matrix (the Seraphim), who resembled angels. He had ended up in the employment of the Merovingian, where he had remained for some time. After an unknown period of being an enforcer for him, he had rebelled, and had been tortured, his wings removed. It has not been revealed how he escaped.
His skills as a warrior are unmatched even by any one in the Matrix, considering he was originally an Agent himself, along with the super strength and speed that comes with that purpose. With the exception of Neo, there is no known entity in Matrix whom he could not defeat in a one-on-one confrontation. Despite not having his wings, Seraph is still able to hyperjump beyond the range of many exiles and red pills.
In Chapter 6.3, Sati has been kidnapped by the General's commandos after a lengthy observation, with Seraph attempting to rescue her, only to end up falling into the river. In Chapter 7.1, it was revealed that Seraph has managed to swim out of the river, but has been altered as a result of the disposal of the cheat codes of the Unlimited chapter by Agents into the Aqueduct. He attacked various red pills and blue pills, absorbing, altering, or deleting something within their code. This has recently been revealed to be releasing the attacked individuals from an overwritten personality by the Machines, much like Agent 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...
overwrote Bane and others in Reloaded and Revolutions. His most significant target was Cryptos, leader of the Cypherite faction, in which he unsuccessfully removed over a year's worth of reprogramming. Cryptos eventually settled into a mixture of his former, radical anti-Machine personality and his calmer, passive self.
Another side effect of the polluted code bath Seraph took was that he could detect the General's Elite Commandos, despite their suits that "cloaked" them within the Matrix code against scans. Zion used this new-found ability to track down and re-capture Sati, who promptly returned the rapidly deteriorating weather systems to their normal states (the green-tinted skies scarred from the Unlimited incident and Beirne's continued existence). Afterwards, Seraph returned to his normal duties. Shortly before the Oracle's murder at the hands of Halborne, Seraph and Sati went into hiding in a Construct.
Etymology
Seraph is a biblical allusion to the first of nine orders of angels, the Seraphim (singular Seraph). This allusion is also evidenced by the fire-like appearance of Seraph when Neo sees him in his coded form. It is also hinted when the Merovingian's guards state that he is "wingless." The word 'seraph' comes from the HebrewHebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
word saraph meaning 'burning'.