Difference between revisions of "First Ancestral Race"

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(I don't know what a cuetion is either, but I think the original word "cues" was likely just a misprint for "clues".)
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The '''First Ancestral Race''' are mysterious, god-like progenitor aliens, never seen during the course of the series, who created the beings known as "[[Seed of Life|Seeds of Life]]" to sow the galaxy with life forms.  Two such Seeds of Life were [[Adam]] and [[Lilith]], the only two Seeds that we know of (though there were multiple Seeds).  Adam and Lilith were transported across interstellar space in massive vessels dubbed Moons, Adam travelling in the [[White Moon]], Lilith in the [[Black Moon]].  Adam's mission was to directly procreate the Angels, who would then become the dominant species on the planet upon which Adam landed.  Lilith's  mission was to arrive at her destination and spread [[LCL]], the "primordial ooze" from which what humans would consider "normal" terrestrial life forms would evolve, culminating (after millions of years of evolution) into [[Lilim|humans]]. 
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However, two Seeds aren't meant to land on the same planet.  Adam was the first Seed of Life to occupy the Earth, but 4 billion years ago the Black Moon containing Lilith violently collided into Earth (simply by accident), in the event later dubbed "[[First Impact]]". 
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The '''First Ancestral Race''' (第一始祖民族、''Dai'ichi Shiso Minzoku''), usually abbreviated to "'''FAR'''", are the prototypical progenitors of the ''Evangelion'' mythos: an extraterrestrial humanoid species with hyper-advanced technological capabilities, responsible for the creation of the [[Seed of Life|Seeds of Life]], their [[Moon|Moons]], the [[Spear of Longinus|Spears of Longinus]], the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]], and, indirectly, the [[Angel|Angels]] and the [[Lilin]].<ref>The overall validity of the First Ancestral Race is still under debate, due to the fact that its only explicit mention is from material that is not first-tier canon (See [[Theory and Analysis:What Is Canon?]])</ref>
  
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The First Ancestral Race also created the artifacts known as the [[Spear of Longinus| Spears of Longinus]], awesomely powerful weapons built using their technology.  A Spear was paired with each Moon as a countermeasure should a Seed abandon its mission, become too powerful, or to take the initiative should two Seeds occupy the same planet.
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==Profile==
  
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The First Ancestral Race are actually the true authors of the "[[Dead Sea Scrolls]]":  the information was included in White or Black Moon transport vessels as a safeguard, along the Spears of Longinus.  What became known as the "Dead Sea Scrolls" was essentially a manual the First Ancestral Race sent along with each Seed of Life, detailing how Seeds of Life and the Spears of Longinus work, as well as predictions about the future in the event that a Seed is awakened.  The idea was that if ever two Seeds landed on one planet, the inhabitants (most likely the progeny of Lilith-type Seeds due to their intelligence and use of science) would eventually find the manual-artifact that came along with a Seed, and use the instructions to put one of them back into dormancy (in the event that even the Spears of Longinus of both Seeds were disabled).  However, the Scrolls eventually came into the possession of the mysterious [[Seele]] organization. Seele abused the knowledge they obtained from the Scrolls about Seeds of Life, the Spear of Longinus, and Angels, and embarked upon a plan to bring about a forbidden fusion of Adam and Lilith which would elevate themselves to a state of godhood.  
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The First Ancestral Race were inhabitants of an unknown world within the Milky Way Galaxy well over 4.6 billion years ago, and are described as the first extraterrestrial intelligence. When it became clear that their world faced imminent destruction, they resigned their physical species to extinction, but took measures to ensure that similar beings would live on elsewhere. Seven{{fact}} progenitor beings called the [[Seed of Life|Seeds of Life]] were created, each invested with the soul of a FAR individual and placed within a carrier vessel (Moon) along with a [[Spear of Longinus]]. However, they had planned it so that Seeds of Life containing the Fruit of Life and those containing the Fruit of Knowledge would never land simultaneously on one planet (something which had happened by mistake on Earth). The various demographics comprising the First Ancestral Race then united as one and boarded the seven carriers, presumably meaning that they were reduced to souls and distributed across the seven Seeds' [[Guf|Chambers of Guf]] to await rebirth on other worlds. This means that Adam's Children (The Angels), and the first Lilin, are reincarnated members of the First Ancestral Race.
  
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Details about the First Ancestral Race, including their ultimate motives and aims in seeding the galaxy with life (if indeed they had any beyond simple altruism), remain almost totally unknown. They are described as a "humanoid species" and it is stated that they were "the first extraterrestrial intelligence". Whether this is simply referring to the fact that they existed before humans and Angels, or whether they were literally the first species to achieve sentience in our galaxy, is unclear.  Although the First Ancestral Race was active four billion years ago when they spread the Seeds of Life through the galaxy, whether they still exist in the present day somewhere in outer space, have long since gone extinct, or if they have transcended to a higher level of existence, remains entirely unknown.  However, the legacy the First Ancestral Race left is still present with Adam, Lilith, and the progeny of both; as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls, Spear of Longinus, and the [[GeoFront]]s (really, the White and Black Moons they created) which are described as being "nearly identical" and "clearly artificial".  They are also briefly alluded to in [[Episode 20]] when Gendo Ikari tells Fuyutsuki that an intelligence other than humans created the GeoFront.
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The FAR placed artifacts known as the Spears of Longinus—awesomely powerful A.T. Field-penetrating tools—within each Moon to control the Seed in case of any contingencies, such as if two Seeds came to occupy the same planet.
  
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The First Ancestral Race are the ultimate creators of humans as well as Angels, and from the perspective of both, could well be considered "gods".  
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The First Ancestral Race are also the authors of the "[[Dead Sea Scrolls]]":  the information was included in White or Black Moon transport vessels as a safeguard, along the Spears of Longinus.  What became known as the "Dead Sea Scrolls" was essentially a manual the First Ancestral Race sent along with each Seed of Life, detailing how Seeds of Life and the Spears of Longinus work, as well as predictions about the future in the event that a Seed is awakened. Although the scrolls were presumably created in case of an Adam-type seed was awakened and a Spear of Longinus was not available (or other unplanned circumstances arose), the [[Seele]] organization, eventual possessor of the scrolls, used the knowledge contained within to further its own agenda.   
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Since the First Ancestral Race are the ultimate creators of the Lilin as well as the Angels, they can be considered "gods" from the perspective of both.
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==Conceptual History==
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The First Ancestral Race is never directly mentioned within the series itself, although the concept of a progenitor race was present from the very beginning. ''Two'' (First and Second) Ancestral Races considered in an early planning meeting{{fact}}, and the First was later included in the ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion Proposal]]'', produced a full two years before the series aired. The final show settled for more ambiguous clues, restricted mostly to [[Episode 21]]{{fact}}, but these were generally not picked up by fans. It was not until the release of the ''Neon Genesis Evangelion 2'' video game for PS2 (followed by an expanded PSP version, subtitled ''Another Cases''), the production of which was informed heavily by interviews with Anno and other staff, that the First Ancestral Race were "restored" to the mythos. The information about them comes almost exclusively from their [[Classified Information (Translation)#First Ancestral Race|Classified Information Files]] and from Kaworu's "good" PSP ending.
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
  
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*The First Ancestral Race is thematically similar to the "First Born" aliens from ''[[Tributes to Other Shows in Neon Genesis Evangelion#2001: A Space Odyssey|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', the alien race that created the Monoliths.  While the First Born did not outright create life, they were the first race in the galaxy to achieve sentience, and in their travels across space set up experiments to try to encourage the development of sentience on planets where they encountered life (i.e. with proto-human apes on prehistoric Earth).
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*The First Ancestral Race is thematically similar to the "Firstborn" aliens from ''[[Tributes to Other Shows in Neon Genesis Evangelion#2001: A Space Odyssey|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', the alien race that created the Monoliths.  While the Firstborn did not outright create life, they were the first race in the galaxy to achieve sentience, and in their travels across space set up experiments to try to encourage the development of sentience on planets where they encountered life (i.e. with proto-human apes on prehistoric Earth).
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*The First Ancestral Race was never directly mentioned on-screen, and all of the information regarding them, the Seeds of Life, and their role in the origin of the Angels comes from the "[[Classified Information (Translation)|Classified Information]] files" (which were ''heavily'' based on private interviews with series creator [[Hideaki Anno]]).  Nonetheless, many fans familiar only with the aired TV series developed various elaborate explanations for where the Angels come from, verging on esoteric theories such as that they really are metaphysical in origin.  These theories are totally false, but many fans developed deep-rooted convictions about what the Angels "are" or "should be" and then refused to accept it when the series creator himself released information to the contrary.  Such early fans were upset that Anno's later revelations shattered their self-conceptions, developed from watching the earlier episodes, about what the Angels are:  Anno's response was simply to state "Too bad".  Indeed, within the series itself there are hints that the origin of the Angels is not metaphysical, but extraterrestrial, when it is stated that the White Moon and Black Moon are "clearly artificial" and "clearly identical", as well as Gendo's statement that an intelligence other than Man created the GeoFront.  Nor is this an example of the storyline being changed halfway through the series' run:  in the "[[Neon Genesis Evangelion Proposal]]", a prototype booklet of sorts outlining the series which was produced fully 2 years before the series aired, the First Ancestral Race and their role in the origin of the Angels is still mentioned.  Thus, while the First Ancestral Race and their role in the creation of the Angels is ambiguously stated on-screen and might not be obvious to the casual viewer, it has nonetheless been part of the series' internal mythology since very early in the conception phase. 
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==References==
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<references/>
  
 
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[[Category:Terminology]]

Revision as of 01:16, 18 January 2018

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The First Ancestral Race (第一始祖民族、Dai'ichi Shiso Minzoku), usually abbreviated to "FAR", are the prototypical progenitors of the Evangelion mythos: an extraterrestrial humanoid species with hyper-advanced technological capabilities, responsible for the creation of the Seeds of Life, their Moons, the Spears of Longinus, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and, indirectly, the Angels and the Lilin.[1]

Profile

The First Ancestral Race were inhabitants of an unknown world within the Milky Way Galaxy well over 4.6 billion years ago, and are described as the first extraterrestrial intelligence. When it became clear that their world faced imminent destruction, they resigned their physical species to extinction, but took measures to ensure that similar beings would live on elsewhere. Seven[Source needed] progenitor beings called the Seeds of Life were created, each invested with the soul of a FAR individual and placed within a carrier vessel (Moon) along with a Spear of Longinus. However, they had planned it so that Seeds of Life containing the Fruit of Life and those containing the Fruit of Knowledge would never land simultaneously on one planet (something which had happened by mistake on Earth). The various demographics comprising the First Ancestral Race then united as one and boarded the seven carriers, presumably meaning that they were reduced to souls and distributed across the seven Seeds' Chambers of Guf to await rebirth on other worlds. This means that Adam's Children (The Angels), and the first Lilin, are reincarnated members of the First Ancestral Race.

The FAR placed artifacts known as the Spears of Longinus—awesomely powerful A.T. Field-penetrating tools—within each Moon to control the Seed in case of any contingencies, such as if two Seeds came to occupy the same planet.

The First Ancestral Race are also the authors of the "Dead Sea Scrolls": the information was included in White or Black Moon transport vessels as a safeguard, along the Spears of Longinus. What became known as the "Dead Sea Scrolls" was essentially a manual the First Ancestral Race sent along with each Seed of Life, detailing how Seeds of Life and the Spears of Longinus work, as well as predictions about the future in the event that a Seed is awakened. Although the scrolls were presumably created in case of an Adam-type seed was awakened and a Spear of Longinus was not available (or other unplanned circumstances arose), the Seele organization, eventual possessor of the scrolls, used the knowledge contained within to further its own agenda.

Since the First Ancestral Race are the ultimate creators of the Lilin as well as the Angels, they can be considered "gods" from the perspective of both.

Conceptual History

The First Ancestral Race is never directly mentioned within the series itself, although the concept of a progenitor race was present from the very beginning. Two (First and Second) Ancestral Races considered in an early planning meeting[Source needed], and the First was later included in the Neon Genesis Evangelion Proposal, produced a full two years before the series aired. The final show settled for more ambiguous clues, restricted mostly to Episode 21[Source needed], but these were generally not picked up by fans. It was not until the release of the Neon Genesis Evangelion 2 video game for PS2 (followed by an expanded PSP version, subtitled Another Cases), the production of which was informed heavily by interviews with Anno and other staff, that the First Ancestral Race were "restored" to the mythos. The information about them comes almost exclusively from their Classified Information Files and from Kaworu's "good" PSP ending.

Notes

  • The First Ancestral Race is thematically similar to the "Firstborn" aliens from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the alien race that created the Monoliths. While the Firstborn did not outright create life, they were the first race in the galaxy to achieve sentience, and in their travels across space set up experiments to try to encourage the development of sentience on planets where they encountered life (i.e. with proto-human apes on prehistoric Earth).

References

  1. ↑ The overall validity of the First Ancestral Race is still under debate, due to the fact that its only explicit mention is from material that is not first-tier canon (See Theory and Analysis:What Is Canon?)
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