Dummy System
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"When did the UN Navy become a cargo service?" "I believe it was just after a certain organization was established." |
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They say a picture is worth a thousand words... |
The Dummy System is an artificial pilot system for the Evangelion Units. It can be made to take over control of the Eva from the Pilot, as in Episode 18, or it can work with a Dummy Plug, an altered Entry Plug which is red instead of white, as with the Mass Production Evangelions. The Dummy Plugs contain the "personality" of either Rei Ayanami or Kaworu Nagisa and are designed to trick an Evangelion into thinking that it is synchronizing with a real pilot by mimicking the thought patterns of either Rei or Kaworu. Essentially, the Dummy System functions as an autopilot system: Nerv HQ does not specifically control the actions of an Eva Unit whose Dummy System has been activated. Eventually, all regular Evas are fitted with backup Dummy Systems based on Rei. The Mass Production Evangelions exclusively use Kaworu Dummy Plugs, removing the human element from their actions.
Nerv successfully uses the Dummy System only once, when Gendo has it seize control from Shinji in Ep. 18. In episode 19, Evangelion Unit-01 rejects both Rei and the Rei Dummy Plug, accepting only Shinji as its pilot.
Analysis
At the end of Episode 23, Ritsuko Destroys the Rei Tank in the Dummy Plug Plant. In Episode 24, Gendo asks her "Why did you destroy the Dummy System?" Despite this, the exact relationship between the Rei clones and the Dummy System is well nigh impossible to understand. The scenes with Rei soaking in the LCL seem to have something to do with embuing the Dummy System with her personality, but what do the Tank Reis have to do with it? When she destroys the Reis, the display on Ritsuko's controller is showing a Rei list that starts with Rei 4, so it seems that the Dummy Plugs do not have clones physically inside them (Reis 1-3 are all accounted for). So, how does destroying them destroy the Dummy System? Does this simply mean there will be no additional Dummy Plugs, or does it somehow disable the Systems that have already been installed in the Evas, and the Plugs that have already been manufactured? There seems to be no answer to these questions in the evidence that is available.
Rebuild of Evangelion
The appearance of a red-eyed Eva-01 in scenes corresponding to the dismemberment of Bardiel suggest that the Dummy System, or some form thereof, will appear in Rebuild.
