Dr. Nick: So, here is the dedicated backstory / lore dump episode. Obviously, with Evangelion the real meat is in the psychologically introspective character work and general mindfuckery, and the deeplore exists to prop those things up. Consequently, a certain subset of fans chooses to ignore the superficial science fiction trappings wholesale, but for my money that's a bit extreme of an attitude. Classic-era Gainax was the consummate otaku studio (they literally made a mockumentary spoof about themselves highlighting what massive geeks they are), and it shows in the finished product - a lot of thought and care was put in the lore, and although the full picture remains tantalizingly fragmentary even with this episode, it's a worthwhile aspect of Evangelion to engage with.
