Neo - Who are you?
The Architect - I am the Architect. I created the matrix. I've been waiting for you. You have many questions, and although the process has altered your consciousness, you remain irrevocably human. (read that again and let it sink in that the Architect flat out tells Neo that he is indeed HUMAN... this means that Neo is not a machine, Neo is not a program, and Neo was not physically built by the Matrix... throw out any and all theories to this end out the window right now... he also tells Neo that the "process" has altered his mind... the "process" refers to the path of events that have led Neo to this point... the discovery of his powers, his talks with the humans, and Matrix programs like the Oracle... his journey to get here has changed his way of thinking... this does NOT mean that stepping through the door to the Architect's room has changed Neo all of a sudden...the entire chain of events to this point are what have altered him from his life as Mr. Thomas Anderson, into what he is today...) Ergo, some of my answers you will understand, and some of them you will not. Concordantly, while your first question may be the most pertinent, you may or may not realize it is also irrelevant. (Being a human, Neo's mind isn't on the same logical level with the Architect program...and thus, he's not going to be able to comprehend some of the things the Architect is going to say to him...just like many viewers did not understand it...and that's what the writers intended... next, the architect has predicted what Neo is going to ask... it's the most likely question that is on Neo's mind... the Architect knows this either from his past experience with previous Ones, or from the simple weighing of the situation, and making an educated prediction of what this Neo will ask first... the question is the most important to Neo, since it defines his purpose, but at the same time, the Architect knows that no matter the "why", the events will unfold just as they have been designed to...so it really doesn't matter in the end...)
Neo - Why am I here? (The all-important and simulatneously un-important question...)
The Architect - Your life is the sum of a remainder of an unbalanced equation inherent to the programming of the matrix. You are the eventuality of an anomaly, which despite my sincerest efforts I have been unable to eliminate from what is otherwise a harmony of mathematical precision. While it remains a burden to sedulously avoid it, it is not unexpected, and thus not beyond a measure of control. Which has led you, inexorably, here.
Alright, break time... This paragraph is highly important, yet also highly confusing... It starts out with complex mathematical techno-babble, and then ends with an explanation of what brought Neo to this place... And most people get lost in the math terms and miss the point... also, the math is not meant to be taken literally... It is just the way a program thinks... Mathematical formulas are the core base of all computer programs, and thus, anything the Architect explains is likely to be placed into mathematical terminology... However, the idea behind it can be expressed in non-math speak...and is much better understood as such... Don't get lost in the math and miss the point... Here's the "english" translation:
Neo's life is the result of the leftovers from a problem in the program that lies at the core of the Matrix... He's a fluke, basically...caused by some flaw in the program... The Architect has tried to eliminate the "bug", but hasn't been able to... Other than that little problem, he says the system is perfect... He goes on to say that it is a pain to keep avoiding the problem, but it's not a surprise, so there is a method to take care of it when it occurs... This process is what has led Neo to this point, as planned...
Neo - You haven't answered my question.
The Architect - Quite right. Interesting. That was quicker than the others. (Note that Neo has seen through the Architect's smoke and mirrors to realize that his question wasn't adequately answered by that babble up there... The Architect has told him HOW he came to be, and HOW he got to that place, but still not WHY he is there... Neo has figured this out faster than the Ones before him...)
*The responses of the other Ones appear on the monitors: "Others? What others? How many? Answer me!"*
The Architect - The matrix is older than you know. I prefer counting from the emergence of one integral anomaly to the emergence of the next, in which case this is the sixth version. (For simplicity, the Architect counts "versions" of the Matrix... Like a computer program is counted by "versions"... A new version of a program is launched usually to fix a problem found in an older version... Thus, the Matrix is relaunched ("reloaded" every time the problem pops up, and a fix is attempted... This version happens to be number 6...)
*Again, the responses of the other Ones appear on the monitors: "Five versions? Three? I've been lied too. This is bull****.*
Neo: There are only two possible explanations: either no one told me, or no one knows. (Note that the Neo's in the monitors are NOT the previous Ones... They are the computer's predictions of all of his possible reactions to the situation... the camera pans through the one he chooses...showing that predicted outcome becoming reality... they simply can't be previous Ones, because there are vastly more than 5 of them, each with its own different reaction... the only possible explanation is that they are all this Neo, in different projected outcomes... also note that the program expects Neo to lash out, but Neo gives the most calm, and rational answer...symbolizing that Neo might be different than the program expects him to be...)
The Architect - Precisely. As you are undoubtedly gathering, the anomaly is systemic, creating fluctuations in even the most simplistic equations. (Unnecessary babble designed to throw you off again... Forget the math talk... This means: The problem comes from a fundamental flaw in the system, and the problem affects everything down to the tiniest parts of the system... "I sense a disturbance in the force" to abuse a Star Wars quote...lol)
*Once again, the responses of the other Ones appear on the monitors: "You can't control me! **** you! I'm going to kill you! You can't make me do anything!*
Neo - Choice. The problem is choice.
Time out again... This one needs some MAJOR understanding... Neo has stumbled upon the fundamental flaw in the system, the problem is "choice" itself... Choice has been given to the humans, and this alone causes the fluctuations and disturbances throughout the system... Choice is a wildly unpredictable variable... This is shown by the need to have the program map out numerous "choices" Neo could be making on each of the monitors... It takes at least that much effort to just predict possibilities... The actual true outcome is probably never solidly arrived at... So, "choice" cannot be fully controlled by the system, thus causing the problems to arise... (note that although choice cannot be "fully" controlled, it can still be pushed along on a path designed by the program, through manipulation and such...)
*The scene cuts to Trinity fighting an agent, and then back to the Architect's room* (It is important that they show you Trinity here... Trinity has made the "choice" to save Neo, this is here to reinforce that idea in your mind...)
The Architect - The first matrix I designed was quite naturally perfect, it was a work of art, flawless, sublime. A triumph equaled only by its monumental failure. The inevitability of its doom is as apparent to me now as a consequence of the imperfection inherent in every human being, thus I redesigned it based on your history to more accurately reflect the varying grotesqueries of your nature. However, I was again frustrated by failure. (The first Matrix was perfect, a uptopia... But, the humans had a violent reaction to it, rejecting it in the form of mass deaths... Humans are imprefect by nature, and thus, are not compatible with a perfect environment... Just like caged animals at zoos are more likely to die from being in the wrong type of environment, the humans were more likely to die from being in the wrong environment... So, the next logical step was to create a Matrix that wasn't paradise... Give us war, suffering, etc, because that is what we are accustomed to by our very nature... But don't let this fool you; in programatic terms, the system is still operating "perfectly", and it fails again because of that...) I have since come to understand that the answer eluded me because it required a lesser mind, or perhaps a mind less bound by the parameters of perfection. Thus, the answer was stumbled upon by another, an intuitive program, initially created to investigate certain aspects of the human psyche. If I am the father of the matrix, she would undoubtedly be its mother. (The Architect says that the answer to his problem was something benath his perfect mind's level of comprehension... It was too simple for him to grasp (in the same way that his words are too complex for us to grasp, by the way)... And so, a program that was designed to have a less perfect mind (more like the humans she was designed to investigate) was the one to give him the answer... This program is the "mother" of the Matrix, as her contribution to the system was nearly as important as the Architect building it...her idea allowed it to work without catastrophic failure...)
Neo - The Oracle.
The Architect - Please.
STOP! Here's a HUGE problem with most people... Neo's guess is that the mother is the Oracle, and the Architect gives a roll of his eyes, and a strained "puh-lease"... When I was watching the movie, and it got to this line, my instant interpretation of it was not what many others have taken it to mean... Most see it as the Architect saying that Neo is wrong... I disagree... To me, this sounded more like the Architect was merely disagreeing with the name Neo called her by... Not his choice of person, but by the name he used for her... After all, "The Oracle" is a term given to her by the humans, most likely...since she seems to be some kind of mystic seer... A psychic... The "Oracle" is a term that reflects this...and as such, it would naturally be rejected as nonsense by the Architect... He knows that she's not a mystic seer, but a highly intuitive program that is capable of accurately predicting the future based on her vast amount of stored info on how and why things work... Calling her an "Oracle" is an insult to the Architect...and this is what he says "puh-lease" to... Thus, she could be (and my guess is that she is) the "mother" of the Matrix...
Back to the dialogue:
As I was saying, she stumbled upon a solution whereby nearly 99.9% of all test subjects accepted the program, as long as they were given a choice, even if they were only aware of the choice at a near unconscious level. While this answer functioned, it was obviously fundamentally flawed, thus creating the otherwise contradictory systemic anomaly, that if left unchecked might threaten the system itself. Ergo, those that refused the program, while a minority, if unchecked, would constitute an escalating probability of disaster.
This needs an unbolded paragraph as well... The solution that the mother came up with was to give the humans the freedom of choice... The fundamental problem in the system, but it is a necessary evil, since it's the best way they could come up with to keep things running "smoothly"... And the power of choice is a powerful enough notion, that even the mere unconscious hint of it in the backs of the human's minds is enough to pacify 99.9% of them...
It is human nature to forcefully rebel against things that are forced upon us... When we feel powerless in a situation, we fight harder, like a cornered animal... Thus, giving the humans a small measure of freedom of choice, makes them calmer, and less likely to reject the system...
However, at the same time, even the small percentage left over can build up over time to become too great of a number, and a potential threat... So, they must be kept in check...
They can't do anything to prevent the problem, since that would require removing choice... The problem is a side-effect of choice that they must simply live with... And periodically take care of...
Neo - This is about Zion.
The Architect - You are here because Zion is about to be destroyed. Its every living inhabitant terminated, its entire existence eradicated. (And this is how they keep the problem in check... If they let the Zionists build up over time, they'd become a threat, so when the numbers get too large, it's time to exterminate them and start over...)
Neo - Bull****.
*The responses of the other Ones appear on the monitors: Bull****!
The Architect - Denial is the most predictable of all human responses. But, rest assured, this will be the sixth time we have destroyed it, and we have become exceedingly efficient at it. (Note that most of Neo's predicted outcomes (and his real one) are violent denials of what the Architect has said... The Architect then says that denial is the most predictable, and therefore most likely, reaction... That's why most of the predictions (and reality) favored it... And again, we are told that there have been 5 iterations of Zion before this...and all have been destroyed...)
*Scene cuts to Trinity fighting an agent, and then back to the Architects room.*
The Architect - The function of the One is now to return to the source, allowing a temporary dissemination of the code you carry, reinserting the prime program. (Again, complex programmer-speak designed to confuse you...lol This means: the plan they have for the One is to enter the souce code of the Matrix program, where the info his mind holds will be taken out and used to fix the current bug... Neo does not carry literal "code", but he carries mental information that can be used as code... After this, the program will be rebooted/reloaded/restarted... Just like any other program after a bug patch is made, it must be restarted...) After which you will be required to select from the matrix 23 individuals, 16 female, 7 male, to rebuild Zion. ("from the Matrix"... this means that Neo's chosen group must come from "sleeping" individuals... all humans that are currently "awake" will be killed... All of Neo's friends in the real world will be eradicated, and he will have to start over with a new group of "freed" people... So, anyone who suggests that he chooses Trinity, Morpheus, etc are wrong... He's simply not allowed to pick from them...) Failure to comply with this process will result in a cataclysmic system crash killing everyone connected to the matrix, which coupled with the extermination of Zion will ultimately result in the extinction of the entire human race.
Here's time for another in-depth explanation...
Neo is given a choice... Why? Why can't the Architect just force him to do what he wants him to do? And why is his other option so bad for both sides? The answer is again, more simple than many people think... In fact, I said it above...
Humans need to be given a choice in order to make them more likely to comply... If Neo were forced into entering the source, he would be more likely to fight against it, possibly doing something foolish and dangerous in the process... So, to buy some insurance, they give him a choice... This will pacify him, and make him less likely to fight...
However, how do they ensure that he will make the "right" choice? Also simple; they just make his other option something incredibly horrible... So by comparison, the option they want him to take is better... Making him more likely to take that "correct" option... Staking the entire system on his choice is the risk they are willing to take... The bet needs to be that high to push the One into the right path... And so far, it has worked out in their favor 5 times before... The chosen Ones were manipulated into thinking that the only option they could take was to enter the source, and saving mankind (even if it means in continued Matrix slavery...it's still better than killing everyone off)
So, Neo must be given the choice, it's the only way for things to work... But they've bought some insurance by making his other option something he is not likely to consider... A choice that really isn't a choice... But again, just the hint of there being a choice is all it takes... This is the "control" that the Matrix exterts over everyone... They're allowed freedom of choice, free will, but the Matrix pushes t hem along the path it wishes through manipulation... It allows them to think they are making the choices, when in reality, it is molding those choices...
Neo - You won' t let it happen, you can't. You need human beings to survive.
The Architect - There are levels of survival we are prepared to accept. However, the relevant issue is whether or not you are ready to accept the responsibility for the death of every human being in this world. (Neo tries to call the bluff... But the Architect writes that off by saying that the machines are willing to find other means to survive... Their best option is the current situation...feeding off of enslaved humans, and ruling the planet... But, it's not the only option for them...so if it becomes necessary to let it go, they can and will... He then places the weight on Neo's shoulders again, pressuring him through subtle means... Making him feel guilty before the fact...lol)
*The Architect presses a button on a pen that he is holding, and images of people from all over the matrix appear on the monitors*
The Architect - It is interesting reading your reactions. Your five predecessors were by design based on a similar predication, a contingent affirmation that was meant to create a profound attachment to the rest of your species, facilitating the function of the one. While the others experienced this in a very general way, your experience is far more specific. Vis-a-vis, love. (Here's another part that gets everyone goofed up... Don't read it literally... The previous Ones (and by association, Neo) weren't "designed" by the machines... They weren't literally "built" by them... This "design" that the Architect speaks of is the process of trickery that has led Neo to this point... Neo's personality has been molded all along by false prophecies, his talks with the Oracle, and such into thinking the way they want him to think... They've controlled him by lying to him... He is now the way they want him to be... His personality has been altered to cooperate with their plan... And the personality trait that they have cultivated is the one of "hero"... They've made him care for his fellow man, by making him think that he is destined to save them all... It is this affection for mankind that will push the One into choosing to save them rather than kill them all off... The Architect changes the monitors to show Neo many happy faces of people from all over the world...in yet another attempt to make him feel guilty for killing them all off... However, Neo is slightly different than the rest... His affection for his fellow human beings has been focused into love for just one human being...)
*Images of Trinity fighting the agent from Neos dream appear on the monitors*
Neo - Trinity. (THAT human being...)
The Architect - Apropos, she entered the matrix to save your life at the cost of her own.
Neo - No! (Poetic irony... A tragic love story like the great plays of olde... Starcrossed lovers... But notice that the Architect has now signed his death warrant, so to speak... He has shown Neo his love, which has almost instantly solidified him against following along... Big mistake...)
The Architect - Which brings us at last to the moment of truth, wherein the fundamental flaw is ultimately expressed, and the anomaly revealed as both beginning, and end. There are two doors. The door to your right leads to the source, and the salvation of Zion. The door to the left leads back to the matrix, to her, and to the end of your species. As you adequately put, the problem is choice. But we already know what you're going to do, don't we? Already I can see the chain reaction, the chemical precursors that signal the onset of emotion, designed specifically to overwhelm logic, and reason. An emotion that is already blinding you from the simple, and obvious truth: she is going to die, and there is nothing that you can do to stop it.
Another break here... The "fundamental flaw" is choice... The time has come where everything rides on the choice Neo will make... Choice is a necessary thing, and it causes the anomaly within the system... It essentially is the anomaly in the system... It is the unnatural, and unpredictable variable... Something that goes against the program's perfection... Choice is the anomaly... And Neo personifies choice...therefore, he is the personification of the anomaly... Anyways, the time has come for Neo to make his choice... And his choice is both the end of the current situation, and the beginning of a new one... No matter which path he takes, one thing will end, and a new thing will begin...
Please understand here that Trinity was most likely NOT a part of the choices for the other Ones (more on this in a small rant at the bottom of this post) ... The situation for each previous One was most likely different... The basic choice of "enter the Matrix source, or kill everyone off" was probably the same for all of them... But the factor of a lover is unique to Neo...and it is the deciding factor that makes him different from the rest... It is what "saves the day" so to speak... It's one of the oldest cliches in all of history... Love conquers all...
The Architect sees now that Neo is about to make the "wrong" choice... It doesn't surprise him, since he knew from the start that Neo was different from the other chosen Ones... Neo's emotion of love is overpowering his logic and reason... After all, the most logical choice really is the one the Architect wants him to make... Saving some of mankind is better than killing all of them... But Neo doesn't care...his emotion has overridden that thought, and he only cares about saving his woman... the Architect tells him that she is going to die anyways, though... And according to the plan, she will... The Sentinels will exterminate her along with the rest of the humans in Zion... What he doesn't know is that Neo is the hero of a movie, and is ultimately guaranteed to save the day...lol
*Neo walks to the door on his left (and so do the rest of his predicted images, meaning that this outcome was almost 100% decided by this point)*
The Architect - Humph. Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength, and your greatest weakness. (Again, reinforcing the point that Neo is HUMAN... And that Neo's human emotion of hope is what is guiding him now... The bit about hope being strength and weakness doesn't apply directly to Neo, but to all of mankind... Hope is our collective greatest strength, and greatest weakness... That's what the Architect is saying there...)
Neo - If I were you, I would hope that we don't meet again.
The Architect - We won't.
And so, it ends... And Neo gives him a threat... Basically saying that he's going to wipe him out the next time they meet if it ever comes... The Architect is confident that Neo will fail, and so he "knows" that they won't meet again...