transmission 031 - what it means to be morpheus

The 31st transmission from Starship Commander Miquiel Banks.

Miquiel Banks

Mar 12, 2025

Quote

You hear that Mr. Anderson? That’s the sound of inevitablity.

Agent Smith

Introduction

This is a Special Week.

We're going to do an entire series on the Matrix's Main Cast.

I'm calling this Series Career Week.

First on our list is the Incredible Morpheus.

Here's the question for today:

What does it mean to be the Voice in the Wilderness?

The Mythical Character

Morpheus is a complex character, with roots dating back to ancient times.

He is definitely a Mythical Figure, defined in Greece and Rome as the "God of Dreams."

Often depicted as part of the Somnia (1,000 brothers), he is considered their leader, he lives on the island of Lemnos, and he resides in the underworld.

He has wings and he brings messages and prophecies from the Gods down to the Mortals.

The word morphe, when translated correctly, is either form or shape.

The Character of Morpheus

As a Creator, we have to ponder the thought process of the Writer.

In our Matrix Story, we need someone who will lead the resistance and also train Neo to become The One.

So, how do we weave his Character Story into the Overall Story.

First, he needs a backstory.

In his backstory, he is taught by the First Neo, that's good.

But now, he needs a GHOST, something that haunts him and pushes him to finish the task.

How about the Oracle tells him that he will find The One.

That's good, real good.

So, now we have our Mentor Character.

The final step is to give him a Mythical name that will capture the essence of this Character.

Let's brainstorm a bit here:

Leader of the Rebellion
Take people out of the Dream World (Matrix) and into the Real World (Reality)
Is destined to find The One
He transforms the unwoke into the woke
He assists mortals (those in The Matrix) and turns them into Gods (back to humanity)
He is a master that can walk in both worlds

With all these attributes, it's easy to find a Mythical Name.

This Mentor, he's a guy and he is a leader and, in our story, he is the master of both worlds (the real world and the dream world).

What kind of Mythical Being would work in this situation?

Thanatos is the personification of death, not going to work.

This guy is all about the truth and life, not death.

Erebus, the personification of darkness, this is not going to work either.

Hmmm, let's keep going.

Eros is the god of love and sex, definitely not going to work in this role.

Would Morpheus work?

As the god associated with sleep and dreams, he definitely fits the theme of The Matrix.

His power (bringing messages and prophecies) fits his role as mentoring the One.

His role fits the words associated with his characteristics (to shape, to fashion, form, shape, dream shapes).

This is powerful!

Naming the Mentor Morpheus gives him a more powerful and symbolic purpose in the film.

It takes him from being a Mentor to becoming more powerful:

Primal Character
Primary Form
Archetype

Shaping the Character of Morpheus

Now that we have a great name, let’s put our Character into the Story Model (The Second Coming of Christ).

Since Neo is the Savior, we can make Morpheus the Mentor.

And in Christian Mythology, that means he should be John The Baptist.

John’s many qualities include Forerunner and Immerser, which we can give as qualities of Morpheus.

He must also be an itinerant preacher and revered as a major religious figure, two powerful qualities leading to the mystique of his character.

After Neo, Morpheus must be the most “intriguing” of the Main Characters in The Matrix.

Since he is a traveling evangelist, we can make him the Captain of their Ship, pushing deeper the roots of his leader and as a father figure to the other Characters.

Conclusion

Now that we have Morpheus fleshed out, we can put him into the Story as several characters spliced into one Archetype:

Leader of the Resistance
Captain of the Ship
Finder of the One
John the Baptist Template (The Revelator)
Itinerant Preacher (Traveling Christian Evangelist, which relates to him being the Captain of the Ship)

With these attributes, his Christian symbolism as the “voice in the wilderness” allows his character with deep roots, allowing him to linger in our imagination with spiritual resonance.

After watching The Matrix, we start asking certain questions:

If Neo is the savior, who is Morpheus?
Why was Morpheus destined to find the one?
Why does Morpheus train Neo?
Did Morpheus train Trinity?
How did Neo save Trinity?
What choice will Neo make about Morpheus?
Why doesn’t Neo’s self-doubt affect Morpheus’ belief in the One?

It is these questions that cause us to discuss The Matrix months, years, and decades later.

It is these questions that give The Matrix resonance with its Audience, the Children of Zion.

Ladies and Gentlemen, those are the job requirements for being Morpheus.

Do we have any questions?

If not, we’re going to have the Savior himself here in our Classroom.