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I really do hate to interrupt this conversation, but I'm afraid of have something entirely different, and perhaps a bit more on topic, to present for your consideration.
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The Minerva Identity Theory Compendium
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<<<Last Edited: 21 January 2008>>>
Contents:
(1) Introduction
(2) Methods
(3) Theories
>>>(3.1) A.I. Theory (Human Designed)
>>>(3.2) A.I. Theory (Non-Human Designed)
>>>(3.3) Post-Human Theory (Combine)
>>>(3.4) Post-Human Theory (Non-Combine)
>>>(3.5) Extraterrestrial Theory
>>>(3.6) Human Theory
(4) How You Can Help
(5) Conclusion
Chapter 1: Introduction
I’m going to start by thanking you for reading this. Granted, you’re only at the first, and shortest, of five chapters, but at least you’re interested, which means I must have done something right. I’ll be brief in my purpose: Minerva has for far too long been little more than the dial of a modem and an intermittent wall of text; this identity of this entity, whom we all know and love, has been an unsolved variable for far too long.
It is my purpose now to end that.
I cannot hope to do it alone, which is why I am creating this. What follows is an in-depth and theoretically exhaustive guide to all currently proffered theories of who, and/or what, Minerva is. The true method of knowledge is experiment, so let us begin.
Chapter 2: Methods
My methods are simple: Minerva has appeared in six maps so far, Someplace Else (1), and Metastasis (5). We also have quotes by Adam, from interviews, statements, et cetera, which are considered absolutely valid. Finally, we have the “hylobatidae” we domain – it is assumed that anything said here related to Minerva and that is not obviously a joke is valid. Anything else is null and void: no Half-Life 1, 2, or Episodes and expansions thereof can be included, and while it may be used to support existing evidence, it cannot, for the purposes of this document, be used to form new evidence, or entirely new theories. If Adam Foster didn’t make it, it doesn’t count.
In this document, I made every attempt to be completely unbiased. On the suggestion of an individual who shall remain anonymous, I will give my arbitrary descriptive name to a theory, describe the identity of Minerva it states, and proceed to list all evidence given in accordance with the above explanation, starting with evidence for the theory, then evidence against it. Opinion has no place here. Because we are not Adam, we cannot share his thoughts and ideas, and thus, our opinions will give us no insight, and will almost surely be counter productive. I will, out of respect, give no names, but some acolytes have, in recent days, given theories based on their personal desires for what the answer should be, inevitably leading to unintentional disregard for what the answer is. While this is fine in casual discussion and debate, if we are to find our answer, we must be impartial in every possible way. We must see this not as a competition or a game, but as a simple communal problem, not unlike a mathematical equation – if we look at every possible way to solve this, we’re bound to get it. So without further ado, let’s get this started.
Chapter 3: Theories
Finally, the part you’re here for. I won’t waste time with any more explanation than necessary. I just listed the theories in the order they came to mind, which is basically random. Enjoy.
Format: [b]
Theory {#}: {name}
{Brief explanation}
Evidence for the {name}:
* Point A
* Point B
* Point C
Evidence against the {name}:
* Point A
* Point B
* Point C
Theory 1: A.I. Theory (Human Designed)
Minerva is an artificial intelligence, possibly based on a human brain, designed by human beings, basically for our own convenience. Now, with abilities far exceeding her makers, she battles the Combine.
Evidence for the A.I. Theory (Human Designed):
* Minerva demonstrates technical skill far beyond that of a normal human. She deftly accesses satellite photos, terrestrial radio signals, the Black Mesa computer network, and even the Combine command network.
* Minerva claims to have played a large role in helping humanity discover portals and Xen. This demonstrates a likely purpose to create an A.I. such as Minerva.
* Minerva seems to consider herself human, at least on some level. She refers to humanity as “our species”, refers to the oceans as “our oceans”, et cetera.
* Minerva states that she is “all alone in this forsaken machine” – this could describe some kind of data center or computer network.
* Minerva claims to have interfaced with a “network”, suggesting she can directly access digital systems.
* Minerva calls herself a “Discarded piece of shit”, and as a “manufactured war criminals”, implying her current state is not naturally occurring.
* Minerva says that she “turned the gravity nullifier off myself, actually. It's one of
the few perks you get when you're something like me.”
* Being an A.I. designed for research explains her passion for experiments.
Evidence against the A.I. Theory (Human Designed):
* Minerva distinctly says she is reading her data off of “screens” – an A.I. would have no need for screens, as any data they gather would be a part of their total intelligence.
* Adam Foster has been quoted as saying, in regards to Minerva’s identity, “Who said anything about A.I.?” This is somewhat ambiguous, but seems the phraseology suggests he is against the theory.
* An A.I. designed solely for research would have no reason for emotions, especially those causing feelings of attachment and panic – both of which she has clearly demonstrated. Note, however, that she may be “rampant”, or otherwise be in a functional state she was never designed to be in.
Theory 2: A.I. Theory (Non-Human Designed)
Minerva is an artificial intelligence, built by some non-human species.
Evidence for the A.I. Theory (Non-Human Designed):
* Minerva was first encountered in Xen, a border world inhabited by numerous alien species, making it very possible that she is of extraterrestrial origin.
* Minerva’s knowledge of extraterrestrial locations, such as Lux Aeterna, and Xen, seem to be far beyond that of any human being.
* Minerva states that she is “all alone in this forsaken machine” – this could describe some kind of data center or computer network.
* Minerva claims to have interfaced with a “network”, suggesting she can directly access digital systems.
* Minerva calls herself a “Discarded piece of shit”, and as a “manufactured war criminals”, implying her current state is not naturally occurring.
* Minerva says that she “turned the gravity nullifier off myself, actually. It's one of
the few perks you get when you're something like me.”
* She states that Perseus “may even have a fighting chance at saving our worlds”; note the plural.
* Being an A.I. designed for research explains her passion for experiments.
Evidence against the A.I. Theory (Non-Human Designed):
* Minerva seems to consider herself human, at least on some level. She refers to humanity as “our species”, refers to the oceans as “our oceans”, et cetera.
* Any alien knowledge Minerva has collected may simply be a result of her contact with her “adopted forefathers”.
* Minerva states well before the Combine invasion that she helped humanity make several important scientific discoveries – why would she do that, and why would we even accept her help?
* If Minerva isn’t human, she does a very good job of acting like she is – her emotions and responses in dire situations are exactly like those a human being would be expected to have. Note, however, that she may be “rampant”, or otherwise be in a functional state she was never designed to be in.
* Minerva distinctly says she is reading her data off of “screens” – an A.I. would have no need for screens, as any data they gather would be a part of their total intelligence.
* Adam Foster has been quoted as saying, in regards to Minerva’s identity, “Who said anything about A.I.?” This is somewhat ambiguous, but seems the phraseology suggests he is against the theory.
Theory 3: Post-Human Theory (Combine)
Minerva was human, but was altered by the Combine until she could hardly call herself human anymore. She escaped, and is now using the technology that she has been involuntarily fused with, and perhaps cannot live without, to fight back.
Evidence for the Post-Human Theory (Combine):
* Minerva is repeatedly shown to have extensive knowledge of the Combine and their technology - she has clearly dealt with them in the past.
* Minerva states that she knows “exactly how it feels” to lose “any other vestiges of your humanity”.
* Minerva clearly hates the Combine, even to the extent that she keeps Perseus just to insult them.
* She seems contemptuous and resentful of those who betray humanity to join the Combine, but is also very sympathetic the those who suffer at their hands. For example, she pities the stalkers, “worked to death, and now finally reaching for freedom”.
* Minerva calls herself a “Discarded piece of shit”, and as a “manufactured war criminals”, implying her current state is not naturally occurring.
* Minerva says that she “turned the gravity nullifier off myself, actually. It's one of
the few perks you get when you're something like me.”
* Minerva demonstrates technical skill far beyond that of a normal human. She deftly accesses satellite photos, terrestrial radio signals, the Black Mesa computer network, and even the Combine command network.
* Minerva seems to consider herself human, at least on some level. She refers to humanity as “our species”, refers to the oceans as “our oceans”, et cetera.
* Minerva states that she has authorization to see some Combine data – she either has access to their network directly, or knows their systems very well (albeit not well enough to see everything).
* She seems very familiar with the Combine and their work, implying this isn’t the first time she has faced them.
* She views humans as simple “hairless apes”, implying she is, in her own opinion, something far more advanced.
Evidence against the Post-Human Theory (Combine):
* If she were of Combine origin, why would she even help humanity in the first place? Why were the Combine short-sighted enough to even leave her free will intact?
* Minerva knows of Lux Aeterna at least minimally, but the Combine have are just discovering it – unless she has conducted other inter-planetary, or even inter-dimensional studies, she shouldn’t know this.
* If Minerva is post-human, why did she not activate the portal in Someplace Else herself? Note, however, that her post-humanization may have left her fighting skills, or even her mobility, compromised.
Theory 4: Post-Human Theory (Non-Combine)
Minerva was human, but through some means not related to the Combine, (possibly a human experiment) was altered until she could hardly call herself human anymore. She now uses her abilities, which go far beyond that of a simple “hairless ape” to fight the Combine and/or protect humanity.
Evidence for the Post-Human Theory (Non-Combine):
* Minerva states that she knows “exactly how it feels” to lose “any other vestiges of your humanity”.
* Minerva calls herself a “Discarded piece of shit”, and as a “manufactured war criminals”, implying her current state is not naturally occurring.
* Minerva says that she “turned the gravity nullifier off myself, actually. It's one of
the few perks you get when you're something like me.”, implying that she is not human, or at least, does not consider herself human.
* Minerva demonstrates technical skill far beyond that of a normal human. She deftly accesses satellite photos, terrestrial radio signals, the Black Mesa computer network, and even the Combine command network.
* Minerva seems to consider herself human, at least on some level. She refers to humanity as “our species”, refers to the oceans as “our oceans”, et cetera.
* She views humans as simple “hairless apes”, implying she is, in her own opinion, something far more advanced.
* Minerva’s passion for experimentation could be explained if she herself was an experiment into human alteration, perhaps even by human beings.
Evidence against the Post-Human Theory (Non-Combine):
* So far, we have yet to see evidence of any new extra-terrestrial species, besides her likely inhuman “adopted forefathers”, who appear to be long deceased.
* Her intense hatred for the Combine, and her desire to attack and insult them, are not explained by this theory.
* If Minerva is post-human, why did she not activate the portal in Someplace Else herself? Note, however, that her post-humanization may have left her fighting skills, or even her mobility, compromised.
Theory 5: Extraterrestrial Theory
Minerva never was, and still is not, human. She acts in the interests of her own species, and we are exactly what she says we are: simple pawns.
Evidence for the Extraterrestrial Theory:
* Minerva was first encountered in Xen, a border world inhabited by numerous alien species, making it very possible that she is of extraterrestrial origin.
* Minerva’s knowledge of extraterrestrial locations, such as Lux Aeterna, and Xen, seem to be far beyond that of any human being.
* Minerva says that she “turned the gravity nullifier off myself, actually. It's one of
the few perks you get when you're something like me.”
* She states that Perseus “may even have a fighting chance at saving our worlds”; note the plural.
* Minerva claims to have helped humanity develop portal technology. Since every extraterrestrial society we have seen thus far is more advanced that humanity, it seems possible she could have given our technology a jump-start, if you will.
Evidence against the Extraterrestrial Theory:
* Minerva seems to consider herself human, at least on some level. She refers to humanity as “our species”, refers to the oceans as “our oceans”, et cetera.
* When Adam was questioned as the whether Minerva was human, his reply suggested that this was at least a step in the right direction.
* Any alien knowledge Minerva has collected may simply be a result of her contact with her “adopted forefathers”.
* Minerva states well before the Combine invasion that she helped humanity make several important scientific discoveries – why would she do that, and why would we even accept her help?
* If Minerva isn’t human, she does a very good job of acting like she is – her emotions and responses in dire situations are exactly like those a human being would be expected to have.
Theory 6: Human Theory
Minerva is human. She may be smart, and incredibly good at what she does, not to mention her incredible aptitude at surviving conditions that have left billions dead, but she is just like us, and fights against the invasion of her home world.
Evidence for the Human Theory:
* When Adam was questioned as the whether Minerva was human, his reply suggested that this was at least a step in the right direction.
* Minerva claims to have played a large role in helping humanity discover portals and Xen.
* She seems contemptuous and resentful of those who betray humanity to join the Combine, but is also very sympathetic the those who suffer at their hands. For example, she pities the stalkers, “worked to death, and now finally reaching for freedom”.
* Minerva seems to consider herself human, at least on some level. She refers to humanity as “our species”, refers to the oceans as “our oceans”, et cetera.
* Minerva’s reactions and responses to dire situations are exactly mirror those a human being would be expected to have.
* Minerva seems to have a messiah complex, of sorts. She even mentions this, but rebukes it, saying she is, in fact, far more powerful. And yet, she is incapable of making any real progress without a subject, or avatar. This kind of attitude seems very human.
Evidence against the Human Theory:
* Minerva says that she “turned the gravity nullifier off myself, actually. It's one of
the few perks you get when you're something like me.”, implying that she is not human, or at least, does not consider herself human.
* She views humans as simple “hairless apes”, implying she is, in her own opinion, something far more advanced
* Minerva demonstrates technical skill far beyond that of a normal human. She deftly accesses satellite photos, terrestrial radio signals, the Black Mesa computer network, and even the Combine command network.
* Minerva calls herself a “Discarded piece of shit”, and as a “manufactured war criminals”, implying her current state is not naturally occurring.
* Minerva states that she knows “exactly how it feels” to lose “any other vestiges of your humanity”.
* Minerva seems far more knowledgeable than any human being yet encountered. She is familiar with Xen, Lux Aeterna, the Combine’s past history, and even headcrabs.
[b]Chapter 4: How You Can Help
Because there is no way to make posts editable by anyone (short of making a wiki, or some such resource), my ideal scenario of having this document be open to public editing cannot yet be realized. Thus, if you have any corrections, suggestions, amendments, pieces of evidence, or even entire theories, either post them here, or send me a message, and they will be added at best speed. If I have missed something blindingly obvious, which is entirely possible, please contact me by post or message – this is a living document (metaphorically) – I want everyone who is interested to be able to make it the best it can possibly be.
However, please adhere to the rules outlined in Chapter 2. We need a unified system of theories, and I have created one. If you don’t like it, contact me as described above, by post or message, and it can be change. I am doing this for the benefit of all those interested in uncovering Minerva’s identity. It’s a great hobby, and a real brain workout at times, but most of all, I just like figuring things out. If you do not share this enthusiasm, then by all means, continue with whatever discussion interests you – that’s what forums are for.
Any contributions are appreciated. No matter what you have to say, if it hasn’t already been said (or you feel it needs to be said again), then say it. Unlike in City 17, constructive input is always appreciated here.
All I ask is that you tell me what you think, both about this document, and about the theories therein. Which theory do you support? Which do you think is the most correct? The least correct? Why? Every experiment needs to collect data, both for the learning process, and to revise the experiment for the future, so if you are so inclined, please contribute at will.
Chapter 5: Conclusion
Well, there you have it. Seven-and-a-half pages of theories and exposition. Thank you again for reading – the very fact that this was worth your time makes it worth while to me (unless you’re one of those people who has so little time that you just read the beginning and end of a document in the hope that you’ll learn everything you need to know in the opening and closing remarks, in which case, I suggest stopping to take a breath, because you may have forgotten to schedule that ;-) ).
On a serious note, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: we’re close. So very close that it’s becoming irritating. Adam has told us that we have all we need to figure this out, so let’s prove him right. “Infiltrate, reveal, destroy” – that’s how it begins. We’ve done the first and third, so let’s finish the second. We know we can, and I believe we will.
Where we go from here is up to you.
Last edited by Terrapin on Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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